''Steven Universe Future'' is an American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...

created by

Rebecca Sugar Rebecca Rea Sugar (born July 9, 1987) is an American animator and screenwriter. She is best known for being the creator of the Cartoon Network series '' Steven Universe'', making her the first non-binary person to independently create a series f ...

for

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

. It serves as an epilogue to the 2013–2019 original series ''

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...

'' and its follow-up 2019 animated film '' Steven Universe: The Movie''. It premiered on December 7, 2019 and concluded on March 27, 2020. The series focuses on the aftermath of the events of ''Steven Universe'', where humans and Gems coexist in harmony after the end of the war between the Crystal Gems and Gem Homeworld. Without the threats of the Diamonds or corrupted Gems, Steven must deal with the everyday challenges that still come with his now relatively peaceful life, and question his new life objectives. Like the original series, ''Steven Universe Future'' has been critically acclaimed, with the design, music, voice acting, characterization, and prominence of

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

themes being similarly praised; ''Future'' has been singled out for addressing issues some had with the original series, for its unique choice of focusing on the aftermath of the main story's climax, and for promoting mental health awareness through its treatment of Steven's experience with

psychological trauma Psychological trauma, mental trauma or psychotrauma is an emotional response to a distressing event or series of events, such as accidents, rape, or natural disasters. Reactions such as psychological shock and psychological denial are typical ...

. The show was nominated for the 2020

Primetime Emmy Award for Short Form Animated Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually beginning in 2008 to an animated series or special of 15 minutes or shorter in length. In 2008 and 2009, the category was ca ...

Premise and synopsis

The series is set after the events of '' Steven Universe: The Movie'', which itself takes place two years after the ''Steven Universe'' series finale " Change Your Mind". In "Change Your Mind", teenage protagonist Steven persuaded the Diamonds, the rulers of the intergalactic Gem empire, to cease their abusive, imperialist ways, and to heal the monstrous corrupted Gems that had been menacing the planet Earth. Now, Steven and his friends and family, the Crystal Gems, have constructed Little Homeworld, a community on Earth where humans and Gems can live in harmony. Steven now dedicates his time to inviting Gems to come to "Little Homeschool," and educating those who do not know how to find their new place in the galaxy. ''Steven Universe Future'' follows Steven's everyday life trying to help Gems find new purpose; it also depicts the disappointments he faces with his new life, including the realization that there are things he cannot fix, and his own feelings of aimlessness after successfully liberating the Gem empire. He confronts old foes who are looking for revenge, tries to master a new power that he doesn't fully understand, and is challenged to decide what he wants for his own future.

Cast and characters

Main

Zach Callison Zachry Dean Callison (born October 23, 1997) is an American actor and singer. He is primarily known as the titular voice of Cartoon Network's ''Steven Universe'', and its follow-ups '' Steven Universe: The Movie'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. ...

as Steven Universe/Monster Steven, Onion, Cactus Steven, and Jingle Singer * Estelle Swaray as

Garnet Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different ...

Michaela Dietz Michaela Dietz (born November 1, 1982) is a Korean-American voice actress whose professional career started in 2005. She voiced the character of the lost 4th dinosaur member Riff on the PBS children's television series ''Barney & Friends'', Ameth ...

Amethyst Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος ''amethystos'' from α- ''a-'', "not" and μεθύσκω (Ancient Greek) / μεθώ (Modern Greek), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that ...

, and other Quartz Gems *

Deedee Magno Hall Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series '' Steven Universe Future''. Early lif ...

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...

, Pink Pearl/Volleyball, Shell, Brandish, Mega Pearl and Aubergine Pearl * Shelby Rabara as Peridot

Recurring

Tom Scharpling Thomas John Giuliano II (born February 9, 1969), known professionally as Tom Scharpling, is an American comedian, television writer, producer, music video director, voice actor, and radio host. He is best known for hosting the weekly Internet r ...

as Greg Universe *

Grace Rolek Grace Sakura Rolek (born October 10, 1997) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Connie Maheswaran, Steven Universe (character), Steven's best friend and eventual girlfriend on the Cartoon Network animated series ''Steven Universe' ...

as Connie Maheswaran *

Charlyne Yi Charlyne Amanda Yi (born January 4, 1986) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer. Their performances include music, magic, games, and often audience participation. Their screenwriting debut, the feature film '' Paper Heart'', wo ...

as Ruby, Eyeball, and other Rubies *

Erica Luttrell Erica Luttrell is a Canadian actress. Personal life Luttrell was born in Toronto, Ontario to a Tanzanian mother and an American father. Luttrell is the youngest of four sisters. She can speak some French and Swahili. In August 2019, Luttrell ...

as Sapphire *

Jennifer Paz Jennifer Paz-Fedorov (born April 23, 1974) is a Filipina-born American actress. She is mostly known for her recurring role as Lapis Lazuli in ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. Career The youngest of four children, Paz moved wit ...

as Lapis Lazuli and other Lapises * Miriam A. Hyman as Bismuth ("Everything's Fine", "I Am My Monster" & "The Future") *

Kimberly Brooks Kimberly D. Brooks (née Lawson) is an American voice actress who works in the voice-over, film, video games, and theatre industry. She has voiced in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' serie ...

as Jasper and other Quartz gems *

Sarah Stiles Sarah Grace Stiles (born June 20, 1979) is an American singer and actress known for her work in Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre. She performed the role of Kate Monster/Lucy the Slut in ''Avenue Q'', and performed in the musical '' Vanities'', ...

Spinel Spinel () is the magnesium/aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula in the cubic crystal system. Its name comes from the Latin word , which means ''spine'' in reference to its pointed crystals. Properties S ...

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage. She starred in the Broadway musicals '' 42nd Street'' and ''Grey Gardens'', winning two Tony Awards. She has c ...

as White Diamond *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of F ...

as Yellow Diamond *

Lisa Hannigan Lisa Margaret Hannigan (born 12 February 1981) is an Irish musician, singer, composer, and voice actress. She began her musical career as a member of Damien Rice's band. Since beginning her solo career in 2007 she has released three albums: '' S ...

as Blue Diamond * Michelle Maryk as Larimar *

Dee Bradley Baker Dee Bradley Baker (born August 31, 1962) is an American voice actor. Much of Baker's work features vocalizations of animals and monsters. Baker's roles include animated series such as '' Avatar: The Last Airbender'', '' Codename: Kids Next Door'' ...

as Lion

Guest

Uzo Aduba Uzoamaka Nwanneka Aduba (; born February 10, 1981) is an American actress. She gained wide recognition for her role as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on the Netflix original series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she won an E ...

as Bismuth (“Bismuth Casual”) and Khadijah *

Matthew Moy Matthew James Moy (born February 3, 1984) is an American actor and artist. He co-starred as Han Lee on the CBS sitcom ''2 Broke Girls'' and provides the voice of Lars Barriga on ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future''. Early life an ...

as Lars Barriga *

Kate Micucci Kate Micucci ( ; born March 31, 1980) is an American actress, comedian and musician who is half of the musical comedy duo Garfunkel and Oates. Some of her roles include Stephanie Gooch in '' Scrubs'', Ally in '' 'Til Death'', Shelley in '' Rai ...

as Sadie Miller *

Reagan Gomez-Preston Reagan Amyre Gomez-Preston (born April 24, 1980) is an American television, film and voice actress. She is known for her roles as Zaria Peterson on The WB sitcom '' The Parent 'Hood'' (1995–1999) and Roberta Tubbs on the FOX animated comed ...

as Jenny Pizza *

Brian Posehn Brian Edmund Posehn (; born July 6, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's ''Mr. Show with ...

as Sour Cream *

Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Mary Elizabeth McGlynn Blum (born October 16, 1966)Birthday references: * * is an American voice actress, ADR director and singer best known for her involvement in music production in multiple games from the ''Silent Hill'' series, and her ex ...

as Priyanka Maheswaran * Lamar Abrams as Wy-Six, Jaime, and Daniel *

Indya Moore Indya Adrianna Moore (born January 17, 1995) is an American actor and model. They are known for playing the role of Angel Evangelista in the FX television series '' Pose''. ''Time'' named them one of the 100 most influential people in the worl ...

as Shep * Johnny Hawkes as Rodrigo and Cookie Cat * Marieve Herington as Jasmine * Tahani Anderson as Patricia * Ian Jones-Quartey as Snowflake Obsidian * Natasha Lyonne as Smoky Quartz * Alastair James as Rainbow Quartz 2.0 * Shoniqua Shandai as Sunstone *

Christine Pedi Christine Pedi born in 1961-1962, is an American television and theatre actress, as well as a cabaret performer and radio personality. Early life Pedi was born in Yonkers, New York, lived in the Bronx and then moved to Eastchester, New York. S ...

as Holly Blue Agate * Della Saba as Aquamarine * Larissa Gallagher as Bluebird Azurite * Chris Jai Alex as Drew the Dog and Announcer * Jemaine Clement as Kerry Moonbeam * Susan Egan as Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond (archive audio)

Episodes

The series consisted of a total of 20 11-minute episodes, with a four-part finale that aired on March 27, 2020. All episodes were supervised directed by Kat Morris and Alonso Ramirez Ramos, with Liz Artinian directing all of the art. The art was also co-directed by Patrick Bryson for the first four episodes.

Production

According to Rebecca Sugar, when she was notified in 2016 that ''Steven Universe'' would be canceled after the end of the fifth season, she prevailed upon Cartoon Network to allow her to produce the followup film, ''Steven Universe: The Movie''. When Cartoon Network approved the movie, they also green-lighted an additional season of episodes that the movie could serve to promote; 6 of the 26 additional episodes were used to extend the original series’ fifth season in order to wrap up the story, and the remaining 20 became ''Steven Universe Future''.

Writing

In April 2022, Kate Tsang, a series writer, and for '' Adventure Time: Distant Lands'', said that for the series she could write what she "wanted to see". She also stated that the series had a "heart to it" and optimism which she incorporated into her 2022 film, ''Marvelous and the Black Hole''. It was also said that the series helping Tsang with how she approached her rewrites.

Music

The opening theme, "Steven Universe Future", is a new version of the song "Happily Ever After" from '' Steven Universe: The Movie'', replacing "We Are the Crystal Gems" from the original series. The show's main voice actors,

(Steven), Estelle (Garnet),

(Amethyst) and

(Pearl), who had performed both the opening of the original series and "Happily Ever After" in ''The Movie'', perform ''Steven Universe Future'' alongside additional cast members

(Lapis), Shelby Rabara (Peridot),

(Bismuth) and Grace Rolek (Connie)

LGBTQ representation

Like its precursor, the series has many examples of queer and non-binary representation. Sadie's romantic interest, Shep, is a non-binary person of color, voiced by nonbinary actor

. Unlike

Stevonnie Stevonnie ( ) is a fictional character in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and ''Steven Universe Future'', created by Rebecca Sugar. A "fusion" of the protagonist Steven Universe and his friend Connie Maheswaran, Stevonnie has the appearan ...

, Shep is the show's first non-binary character who is fully human. Reviewers argue that this could mean Sadie is not heterosexual. ''Den of Geek'' states, "Straight people can obviously date non-binary people but...Sadie is more than likely

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the l ...

and that’s incredible." During the episode Bismuth Casual,

, the intersex and non-binary fusion of Steven and Connie, appears. In "Volleyball," Pink Pearl (nicknamed "Volleyball") reminisces romantically over Pink Diamond, to which Pearl sneers, "Looks like someone's still got it bad," insinuating that - like Pearl once did - Pink Pearl still harbors romantic feelings towards the late Pink Diamond. However, it is later revealed that Pink Diamond physically abused Pink Pearl, causing irreparable psychological trauma that is reflected in Pink Pearl's physical form as a head injury. In "Bismuth Casual," Bismuth indirectly confesses she has a crush on Pearl. Both characters are female-coded and use feminine pronouns, like all gems, though some sources argue that all gems are non-binary, as they are "genderless sentient aliens." In 2020, Maya Peterson, a storyboarder for the show, stated that Peridot was asexual and aromantic, despite Peterson's reservations that she is only a secondary creator of the show. Before (and after this point), fans had shipped Peridot with various other characters, specifically Lapis Lazuli and Amethyst, some reviewers even seeing Peridot and Lapis in a "close, loving relationship" in 2018 when the two characters lived together in a barn. The announcement of Peridot's asexuality/aromanticism pleased many fans. Peterson also stated that the show's writers did not discuss whether or not Peridot was autistic, although it was a possibility, and many fans perceived Peridot to be on the spectrum.

Release

Announcement

Prior to the announcement of ''Future'', Sugar and the crew of ''Steven Universe'' stayed silent regarding a potential sixth season of ''Steven Universe'', leaving fans with uncertainty over the future of the series, with some believing ''The Movie'' to be the conclusion of Steven's story; at

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a ...

in October 2019, Sugar confirmed that there would be no sixth season of ''Steven Universe'' (therefore retroactively confirming the season 5 finale " Change Your Mind" as the series finale), but announced ''Future'', and shared the opening of the epilogue

with the audience. Several media outlets misinterpreted the announcement as a confirmation of a sixth season, with ''Future'' as a simple sub-title. The official premise of the show was: "After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people's problems to solve, he'll finally have to face his own."

Broadcast

''Steven Universe Future'' premiered on December 7, 2019 on

. It premiered on Cartoon Network UK on December 23, 2019.

Home media

On December 8, 2020, all 20 episodes of the series were released on the ''Steven Universe: The Complete Collection'' DVD, alongside the entirety of the original series and the movie.

Reception

''Steven Universe Future'' has been acclaimed by critics. Like the original series and ''Steven Universe: The Movie'', the characterization, themes, animation, voice acting, music, and

representation have been widely praised; ''Future'' in particular is praised for its new ways of exploring previously developed themes (in particular Steven's dedication to solve other characters' problems), and its unconventional choice of focusing on the smaller-scale aftermath of the main storyline. Reviewers have pointed out that it addresses issues several fans and reviewers had with the original series, such as its perceived tendency to solve characters' problems in overly simple ways and to redeem all antagonists. Caroline Cao of ''

/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, D ...

'' called ''Steven Universe Future'' "a messy and beautiful tale of trauma, healing, and survival", stating: "Sugar and her team are the greatest visual maximalists in animation, pushing imageries to their most emotional and thematic extremes—particularly through the inventiveness of the flexible Fusion metaphor—and unraveling difficult revelations about surviving trauma." She praised the exploration of Steven's tendency to help other people with their problems, claiming that "Steven faces the reoccurring lesson of 'biting more than you can chew.' Steven wants to heal everyone, anything, but falls short, and even unleashes destruction at times. As Future moves forward, Steven will contend with his own management of the new world order he has created, and his mother’s past will continue to haunt his future. Then there's the matter of Steven's newest Gem power that manifests through his rage and insecurities. ''Steven Universe Future'' is on a roll in delivering hard and relevant messages about victimhood and survivorhood solidarity. There are kids and adults alike who need someone to tell them 'I'm sorry for not believing you'." ''

The Mary Sue Daniel Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American media entrepreneur, television host, legal commentator, and author. He is currently the host of the prime-time show ''Dan Abrams Live'' on NewsNation, ''On Patrol: Live'' on Reelz and ''The Dan Ab ...

'' labeled ''Steven Universe Future'' "fantastic", praising "the amazing storytelling" and the "beautiful" animation. Reuben Baron of CBR praised the series for "challenging Steven's savior mentality", stating that the first four episodes were "developing a clear thematic throughline. Picking up the loose ends from the original series, it's working to address criticisms of Steven as a character without betraying the show's essential ethos." In his review of the episode "Bluebird", Shamus Kelley of ''

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

'' stated that ''Future'' "finally addressed something of a complaint many had towards the series. As much as ''Steven Universe'' is all about love being the answer and Steven trying to be friends with everyone, there's still a nagging sense that it's all a bit... simple. Obviously what Steven and the Crystal Gems is incredibly taxing 'sic''.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''but the end result just being everyone is mostly friends? That’s fairly unrealistic ..So the fact that Aquamarine and Eyeball Ruby just flat out hate him? It’s an acknowledgement, one that show takes it time to make explicit, that not everyone wants to change. Not everyone is down for learning to love and be friends". Charles Pulliam-Moore of ''

Gizmodo ''Gizmodo'' ( ) is a design, technology, science and science fiction website. It was originally launched as part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton, and runs on the Kinja platform. ''Gizmodo'' also includes the subsite '' io9'', ...

'' heavily praised ''Steven Universe Future'' for further establishing Pink Diamond/Rose Quartz as "the villain of the decade", stating "When ''Steven Universe Future'' reveals exactly how Volleyball, the Pink Pearl, got her cracked face, the series is cluing viewers into the specific reasons why the other Diamonds were reluctant to give Pink what she wanted. It wasn't just that she was inexperienced, but rather she was inexperienced, dangerous, and all too capable of letting her powers run wild in ways that would actively harm others. ..You see just how Not Over™ Pink basically all of the Gems still are. Pink's legacy is one of the lasting, seemingly unending sadness that the other Gems are attempting to work through. The majority of them don't feel much ill will toward her, but she's still hurting them in ways that only the dead and dearly missed can. There are Gems like Spinel who have all the reasons in the galaxy to hate Pink, but that's not really where any of the people in the series are coming from. Rather, everyone's in different stages of mourning and not a single one of them can really be sure if and when the pain they're dealing with is going to go away." The introduction of Shep, a

non-binary Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

character who appears in the episode "Little Graduation" and is played by non-binary actor

, received attention from various outlets. ''The Mary Sue'' stated that with ''Future'', ''Steven Universe'' "continues to be one of the most wonderfully diverse shows on television. We got to see in 'Little Graduation' a new human character named Shep—who is non-binary and voiced by a non-binary voice actor, '' Poses Indya Moore—canonically queer couples, and one of them being a brown-skinned person!". ''/Film'' stated about the episode "Little Graduation": "what a fine way to wrap up 2019 by pushing the bar for queer representation through the introduction of the loveably chill Shep ..They pop as the sort of character who has earned a Fan Favorite Title. Despite knowing the titular character for an hour, Shep participates in the proceedings by cooling down Steven." 100% of 7 critic reviews compiled by review aggregator website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

are positive, and the average rating is 10/10.

Awards and nominations

Future

While Rebecca Sugar has confirmed that this is the series finale of the franchise and that there is no continuation in development, nor any ongoing projects, she has hinted that possible future stories exist. "The story is continuing off screen and I do know what happens next...But I would have to decide how and when I'd want to dig into that, or if it's best to give them their privacy." Sugar later told ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'': "I'm certainly interested in spending more time in this world with these characters. But the thing about ''Steven Universe'', it's about Steven Universe and I want to give him the time to heal", ugar says."I want to give that to my team as well. So I'm not really sure for certain what's going to happen in the future. I have a few ideas, but I'm going to take a little time to reevaluate everything before I jump into them." When asked by

TVLine ''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs. History In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...

, Sugar responded similarly, "I love these characters and this world, and I have theories about the timelines that follow ''Future''. But I want to give the characters some time and some privacy, at least for a while. I need a little of that too."

Notes

References

External links