Steven Universe: The Movie

Steven Universe: The Movie is a feature film musical based on Steven Universe that aired on Cartoon Network on September 2, 2019. It was first announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2018 during the Steven Universe panel. A DVD set will be released on November 12, 2019. The film runs at approximately 82 minutes long.

Story
The movie is set two years after the events of Season 5 and features a visibly older Steven in his sixteenth year against a world filled with new developments. The official synopsis follows:

"Steven thinks his time defending the Earth is over, but when a new threat comes to Beach City, Steven faces his biggest challenge yet."

Plot
After an introduction from the Diamonds ("The Tale of Steven") and the story of Steven, Steven Universe (now 16 years old) greets the citizens of the Gem Homeworld and other colonies. The Diamonds want him to stay to fulfill Pink Diamond's role as a leader ("Let Us Adore You"), but he refuses. Back on Earth, Steven sees Connie off to space camp. Steven, Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst celebrate their newfound "Happily Ever After". Almost immediately afterward, a giant drill lands on the hillside of Beach City and Spinel, a deranged, cartoonish Gem, appears, announcing her intent to kill Steven and the rest of the Earth ("Other Friends"). Using a scythe-like weapon, she "poofs" Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst back into their gem forms; her attacks also weaken Steven's Gem powers, though his body is unharmed. Steven manages to poof Spinel with the scythe.

Steven calls his father, Greg, for help. The Gems regenerate their bodies (including Ruby and Sapphire separately), but their memories have been erased; Pearl assumes that she is Greg's servant ("system/BOOT.pearl_final(3).Info "). With her memories gone, Spinel is a goofy and happy-go-lucky Gem whose role is to entertain her companion. Steven and Spinel take Ruby and Sapphire to seek advice from Peridot, Lapis Lazuli and Bismuth; they encourage Steven not to give up ("Who We Are"). Bismuth identifies Spinel's scythe as a "Rejuvenator", a device that can reset the mind of a Gem back to when it was first created. Spinel compares the situation to a puzzle, suggesting that they find the Gems' "missing pieces" to restore their memories, inspiring Steven to try to reenact Ruby and Sapphire's first fusion. Spinel's antics cause scaffolding to collapse, almost crushing Ruby; when Sapphire shoves her to safety, the pair fuse into Garnet ("Isn't It Love?"), but she still has no memory of her life.

After Steven recovers Amethyst's memory by reenacting experiences the two had together ("No Matter What"), Peridot discovers that the drill is injecting a toxic chemical that will kill all life on Earth. In order to revive Pearl's memory, the group takes her to a Sadie Killer and the Suspects concert, in the hope their music will bring back her memories of rebellion ("Disobedient"), but Pearl says that as long as Greg exists she will obey him. Steven uses what little energy he has left to fuse with Greg ("Independent Together"), which enables Pearl to recover her memory. She tells Steven that Spinel was once Pink Diamond's playmate; Spinel is suddenly overcome with sadness and flees.

After sending Lion for Connie, Steven finds Spinel crying at his house. She takes Steven to a desolate garden in space and reveals her backstory: she was Pink Diamond's playmate until the other Diamonds gave Pink her own colony. Pink told Spinel to wait for her and left her alone in the garden for 6,000 years until she learned of Pink Diamond's fate ("Drift Away"). Steven tells her that he will never abandon her and that he will make up for his mother's mistakes ("Found ").

Back in Beach City, Spinel turns off the drill, but when Steven begins shifting his attention back to everyone else, she accuses Steven of just using her and then abandoning her or planning to wipe her memory again. She turns the drill back on and attacks Steven. As he tries to explain the truth to her, Garnet recovers her memory. Steven sends the others out to rescue the humans of Beach City while he confronts Spinel ("True Kinda Love"). Steven finally realizes why his Gem powers have not yet returned: his desire for an unchanging "happily ever after" has left him resistant to the very notion of growth and change, which he needs to re-experience ("Change"). Embracing this fact, he regains his powers and battles Spinel. Their fight destroys the drill, and Spinel realizes that hurting Steven will not make her feel better, and relents.

The Diamonds suddenly arrive and state their intention to live on the Earth with Steven. He introduces Spinel to them and they take an immediate liking to her and her goofy personality ("Let Us Adore You (Reprise)"). The Diamonds accept her in place of Steven and she happily goes with them, now with people who will love her unconditionally. Steven and his friends gather to rebuild Beach City, thanks in part to Steven's healing powers undoing the damage of the poison. Steven, Connie, Pearl, Garnet, Amethyst, and Greg perform a Broadway-style "Finale ​​​".

Protagonists

 * The Crystal Gems
 * Steven Universe
 * Garnet
 * Amethyst
 * Pearl

Antagonists

 * Spinel (debut)

Supporting

 * Peridot
 * Lapis Lazuli
 * Bismuth
 * Connie Maheswaran
 * Lion
 * Ruby
 * Sapphire
 * Greg Universe
 * The Great Diamond Authority
 * White Diamond
 * Blue Diamond
 * Yellow Diamond
 * Pink Diamond (flashback; non-speaking)
 * Blue Pearl
 * Yellow Pearl
 * Steg (debut)
 * Opal
 * Alexandrite (non-speaking)
 * The Off Colors
 * Lars Barriga
 * Fluorite (non-speaking)
 * Rhodonite (non-speaking)
 * Rutile Twins (non-speaking)
 * Padparadscha (non-speaking)
 * Citizens of Beach City
 * Nanefua Pizza
 * Sadie Killer and the Suspects
 * Sadie Miller
 * Jenny Pizza (non-speaking)
 * Sour Cream (non-speaking)
 * Buck Dewey (non-speaking)
 * Bill Dewey (non-speaking)
 * Harold Smiley (non-speaking)
 * Ronaldo Fryman (non-speaking)
 * Onion (non-speaking)
 * Vidalia (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Yellowtail (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Peedee Fryman (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Mr. Fryman (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Kiki Pizza (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Kofi Pizza (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Barbara Miller (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Jamie (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Various Unknown Gems (non-speaking)
 * Various Uncorrupted Gems
 * Snowflake Obsidian (non-speaking)
 * Biggs Jasper (non-speaking)
 * Snow Monster (non-speaking)
 * Nephrites (non-speaking)
 * Quartz Monsters (non-speaking)
 * Heaven Beetle (non-speaking)
 * Earth Beetle (non-speaking)
 * Worm Monster (presumably; non-speaking)
 * Ice Monster (presumably; corrupted form is pictured; non-speaking)
 * Watermelon Tourmaline (presumably; non-speaking)
 * Zircon (Defense) (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Zircon (Prosecuting) (cameo; non-speaking)
 * Jasper (debut regeneration; pictured)
 * Nephrite (as the Centipeetle Mother; pictured)
 * Rose Quartz (pictured)
 * Doc (pictured)
 * Eyeball (pictured)
 * Holly Blue Agate (pictured)
 * Aquamarine (pictured)
 * Topaz (pictured)
 * Carnelian (pictured)
 * "Skinny" Jasper (pictured)
 * Peridots (non-speaking)
 * Topazes (non-speaking)

Musical contributors
The movie included collaborations with several outside musical artists in different kinds of genres, as well as regular contributors to the franchise:

A new soundtrack is scheduled to be released both physically and digitally alongside the film.
 * Estelle (voice of Garnet)
 * Aimee Mann (voice of Opal)
 * Patti LuPone (voice of Yellow Diamond)
 * Uzo Aduba (voice of Bismuth)
 * Aivi & Surasshu
 * Jeff Liu
 * Mike Krol
 * Jeff Ball
 * Chance the Rapper
 * James Fauntleroy
 * Gallant
 * Grant Henry (Stemage)
 * Julian "Zorsy" Sanchez
 * Macie Stewart
 * Ted Leo (voice of Steg)

Vocal

 * The Tale of Steven
 * Let Us Adore You
 * Happily Ever After
 * Other Friends
 * system/BOOT.pearl_final(3).Info
 * Who We Are
 * Isn't It Love?
 * No Matter What
 * Disobedient
 * Independent Together
 * Drift Away
 * Found
 * True Kinda Love
 * Change
 * Let Us Adore You (Reprise)
 * Finale
 * True Kinda Love (Music Video Version) [Digital Bonus Track]

Instrumental

 * Once Upon a Time
 * Message to the Universe
 * Home Sweet Home
 * The Arrival
 * One on One
 * With Friends Like These
 * Crystal Gem Huddle
 * Hijinks Will Ensue
 * Search Party
 * Echoes of Friendship
 * Our Handshake
 * No Ordinary Injector
 * Let's Duet
 * Running Out of Time
 * Feelings Flooding Back
 * A Special World
 * Downward Spiral
 * The Missing Piece
 * Not Good at All
 * There’s No Such Thing as Happily Ever After
 * Are We Interrupting Something?

Production

 * The movie was executive produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Rebecca Sugar. Co-executive producers included Kat Morris, Joe Johnston, Alonso Ramirez Ramos (known for storyboarding 14 episodes of the series Gravity Falls), and Ian Jones-Quartey.
 * Rebecca Sugar also served as the film's director.
 * Former Crewniverse member Ian Jones-Quartey was also involved in the film's story.
 * Storyboard work on the movie took place between late 2017 and early 2018.
 * Christopher Pianka, otherwise known for The Owl House, was credited as a storyboard artist on the movie.
 * It was animated by Sunmin Image Pictures Co. and Rough Draft Korea Co.
 * On June 13, 2019, Chance the Rapper and Gallant were announced to be new musical additions to the cast.
 * The official trailer for the movie was released on July 19th, 2019 during the Steven Universe panel at San Diego Comic-Con.

Artbook
An art book, The Art of Steven Universe: The Movie, published by Dark Horse, will be made by Ryan Sands and Rebecca Sugar and released alongside the premiere of the movie. It can be pre-ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, DarkHorse.com, and at your local comic shop. This unique, 96-page zine-like softcover retails for $19.99.

Trivia

 * This movie takes place May 21-22, as seen on Sadie Killer and the Suspects' poster.
 * Given Steven's birthday is August 15, Steven is 16 years, 9 months and 6 days old in the movie.
 * The mysterious treasure chest in Lion's mane has been opened during the two-year time-skip, although its contents are still unknown.
 * Lars only has one line in the whole movie.
 * This is the first time that Lars Barriga sings, as part of the ensemble number "Finale" (a reprise of "Happily Ever After").
 * At the end of the first airing of "Change Your Mind", the teaser trailer played revealing a part of the planned release date.
 * The brief glimpses of the Gems in the teaser shows them in their pre-regeneration outfits. This was most obvious with Garnet's visor being their original shape instead of the top of a star. This was likely done to avoid spoiling the Diamond Days arc's mass regeneration, though their appearances were not updated for the trailer shown after "Change Your Mind" first aired on Television.
 * A video by Cartoon Network (featuring sketches by Rebecca Sugar and interviews with Sugar and Zach Callison) confirmed that the movie would take place approximately two years after Season 5. Steven receives a new design first shown in the official poster. Steven, in his 16-year-old design, now wears a blue star shirt with a pink jacket, is taller, and has a visible neck.
 * Alongside some Peridots, Topazes, and other Gems, the two Zircons from "The Trial" — Zircon (Defense) and Zircon (Prosecuting) — are seen in the crowd that receives Steven's message.
 * Ted Leo (who voices Steg) sings with Aimee Mann (the voice of Opal) in "Independent Together." They are both co-members of their musical duo called The Both.
 * This is the first time Opal is shown voluntarily un-fusing rather than falling apart or poofing.
 * This is the first time a Gem that initially has intentions on killing Steven recognizes him as his own person rather than Rose or Pink.
 * The film has a general theme of "stories", interspersed throughout the songs, dialogue, and plot:
 * The opening number of "The Tale of Steven" features a storybook of the show's history and plot (also a reference to the old openings of classic Disney movies; see below).
 * The arc words "once upon a time" and "happily ever after" are featured— phrases often respectively used at the beginning and end of fairytales.
 * During "Other Friends", Spinel says that she's "heard the story over and over again" and "[doesn't] like how it ends".
 * In "Drift Away", she mentions discovering Pink Diamond's fate— learning "about how the story ends".
 * Steven exclaims that the challenges he's facing are essentially "the story of [his] life".
 * The film currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Continuity

 * Amethyst plays the drums for Sadie Killer and the Suspects' song "Disobedient", a skill she was shown to have in the episode "Steven and the Stevens".
 * Several objects referencing past episodes are shown in Steven's room. These include:
 * Moon Goddess Statue (from "Cheeseburger Backpack",
 * a roll of duct tape (referencing "House Guest")
 * Greg and Rose's photo, with the new frame from "Maximum Capacity",
 * Greg's album Space Train to the Cosmos (from "Story for Steven"),
 * an Explorer Gal toy (from "Onion Friend"),
 * Steven's "World's Best Stephen" mug (from "Catch and Release"),
 * a mug of pine needle tea (which Steven first drinks in "Gem Hunt"),
 * Vidalia's painting of Garnet and Steven (from "Pool Hopping"),
 * and what seems to be a Lonely Blade poster (for a film entitled Lonely).
 * In the living room, more objects referencing past episodes are seen, including:
 * The remains/hilt of Rose's Sword, which got broken in "Reunited", are seen on one of Steven's shelves.
 * a T-shirt cannon and sunglasses used by Steven in "Shirt Club"
 * a baseball (referencing "Hit the Diamond"),
 * Nephrite's drawing from "Monster Reunion",
 * and an image of the Barn before it was destroyed in "Reunited".
 * As Nanefua Pizza is still mayor (after the events of "Dewey Wins"), Bill Dewey is shown to still be an employee of the Big Donut (after the events of "Letters to Lars").
 * Lars is seen baking a purple Ube roll, a Filipino yam dessert first shown in "The Good Lars".
 * Bismuth's new Forge features the old sword from the previous Forge first seen in "Bismuth".
 * Peridot is once again seen watching Camp Pining Hearts (which she first watched in "Log Date 7 15 2").
 * Various past forms of the Gems (or past forms yet unseen) are seen when reforming (or in stylized flashbacks, in Pearl's case):
 * Amethyst's feet-hand/big-ear form, Pearl-like form, and half-muscular form can be seen as she is transforming into her regular self after "No Matter What".
 * Garnet is shown in silhouette of various past forms/regenerations not seen before.
 * Pearl's outfit created for the Pilot is shown once again in the stylized flashback during her reformation.
 * Peridot being worried that she would "lose all her character development" after touching the Gem Rejuvenator refers to the events of her adjustment on Earth during "Catch and Release" to "Message Received" and onward.
 * The train route which was shown previously in "On the Run" and "Back to the Kindergarten" is once again used to travel to the Prime Kindergarten— this time by Amethyst, Steven and Spinel.
 * Greg's storage unit first shown in "Maximum Capacity" reappears and seems to have remained tidy after having being cleaned out 3 years prior.
 * Steven and Greg agree to let Amethyst shapeshift into Rose in a further attempt to revive Pearl's memories, despite their obvious discomfort over it. This is a nod back to when Amethyst used the form to torment Greg in "Maximum Capacity".
 * During Pearl's regenerative flashback scene, she takes the form of her pilot design. This is mostly noticeable due to her hair having the pointed front which is unique to the pilot.
 * Yellow Diamond confirms that she's now liberated her colonies and dismantled her armies, and Blue Diamond confirms that she hasn't shattered anyone recently.

Cultural References

 * Spinel's mannerism and behavior is akin to rubber hose animation, an early style of animation originating in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Its name is derived from the rubber-like features prominent in cartoon characters from the era, which included arms, and sometimes legs, that are able to stretch and flow without any apparent articulation (no hinged wrists or joints).
 * Additionally, Spinel speaks in a dialect associated with that era, using expressions such as "gee" and "swell".
 * In addition to her elasticity, Spinel pulling out a giant fist to punch Steven is a reference to Monkey D. Luffy's gum-gum attack from the anime, "One Piece".
 * Spinel's squeaky footsteps, in addition to referencing the bounciness of "rubberhose" animation, may be a reference to SpongeBob Squarepants.
 * The posters advertising the Sadie Killer and the Suspects gig outside the warehouse features a design similar to that of the flag commonly associated with libertarian socialism, a political philosophy rooted in anti-authoritarianism and criticism of capitalism and wage labor relationships within the workplace, themes that are often explored in songs performed by Sadie.
 * A picture of Connie dressed similarly to Lana from Future Boy Conan can be seen in Steven's room in the background. Rebecca and Ian have mentioned being big fans of the show.
 * The musical opening of the film "The Tale of Steven" is a reference to the old openings in classic Disney Animated films like "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", "Cinderella", and "Sleeping Beauty".

Errors

 * When Spinel activates the Gem Injector, the star on Pearl's jacket is missing.
 * During the scene when Steven said, "No idea", to Greg, the star on his shirt is missing.
 * Amethyst's feet appear to be missing when she was mimicking Pearl's actions as she was standing behind the table.
 * The tools Peridot throws out from her garbage bin disappear in the next scene.
 * When Spinel "tags" Amethyst, in one frame her gem is missing its facet.
 * Steg's second right arm disappeared for a second several times.
 * When Garnet looks to her right with crossed arms in "True Kinda Love", the rings switch colors.

Videos
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