Steven Universe and Animation As We Grow Up

Step out of the box of adulthood for a second with me.

This show comes to me in the form of little ten minute bright spots in my day. In adorable, animated pieces, Steven Universe tells the story of half Gem half human, Steven, living in sunny Beach City. He lives with the Crystal Gems, an alien race of precious gem based life forms; Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. His mother, Rose Quartz gave up her physical form to bring Steven to life, therefore the Crystal Gems must teach Steven how to use his mothers powers.

This show takes on the approach of many television shows aimed at kids. It has a moral and a sickly sweet positivity to each episode. It is soft and brightly coloured and wacky. But amongst this it has moments of depth far beyond its genre:

(see: http://www.collegehumor.com/post/7038282/10-steven-universe-quotes-that-are-deep-as-fck#)

Watching this also brought to mind the nuance that the animation genre is capable of, and how what we notice inside these stories changes as we age and experience life. Many of the ‘children’s shows’ I watched as a child, I look back on now and see a plethora of adult jokes and references that I missed when I was a child. This is something I have discussed with people of all ages.

More than this, however, is that animation could be see by some audiences as only for children, but it is not a new concept for animation to be used to tell compelling and moving stories. A fine example of this is the work of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. Even their most tame and ‘child friendly’ films such as My Neighbour Totoro, have the heart wrenching story of a dying mother, a story we do not see a concrete resolution to. This love and loss is explored to torturously sad levels in Grave of the Fireflies, a film I myself have avoided due to it’s ability to leave its audience in a crying mess. Ghibli are known for their environmentalism, it is best seen in Princess Mononoke and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind which both deal with the effects of pollution and the negative influence of the violent, war-like humanity.

Given this, and the fond memories many of us generate at the foot of screens showing us wild, colourful worlds, it is no wonder some of us are drawn back to such shows. Animation is able to create such amazing, mesmerising worlds with engaging and fantastical stories, which all ages can enjoy.

Perhaps we shouldn’t force ourselves to write off art deemed for a young audience. We all loved it once, why can’t we love it again.

Anyway, I have another three seasons of Steven Universe to get to...