The beloved Cartoon data pipe show comes to an end, but a permanent mark on the industry remains.
So, they set up a meeting.
And, indeed, “it’s bright.”
Cartoon Network
“Those are the cartoons that get to be a little bit more hard-hitting by being more ‘serious.’
She studied animation, he worked in animation, and the two ran in similar social circles.
“We also had similar philosophies with regards to the work we wanted to do.”
Cartoon Network
(Yes, his name is Steven.)
I grew up loving commercial art and I wanted television animation to be my artistic medium.
So, that was a decision I made.”
Cartoon Network
Even during that 2009 pitch meeting, the soon-to-be show was pushing boundaries.
He also remembers the concept’s “very unusual” family setup.
Then there was Steven himself.
He was the main protagonist, yet was surrounded and shaped by women.
For that, he considers Sugar “a goddamn genius.”
The evolution from hidden (Crystal) gem(s) wasn’t without a transitional period.
He singles out the season 1 episode “Steven and the Stevens,” which aired in 2014.
The story follows our main hero in need of a musical partner.
What better partner than… himself?
Thus begins a travel back in time to retreive another Steven, not too unlike that short.
And I think that really did set us up for a lot of things in the future."
What I was going through was something that I also really wanted to put into the show."
Only snippets would play over the show’s official end-credits, until it was composed and released for theVol.
You really have to care about yourself to make it care for the people around you."
The trials, both personally and systemically, served the show well.
These stories felt authentic.
OnShe-Ra, Stevenson found her own level of success in bringing queer elements onto the show.
“We can point and be like, ‘Look!
They did this.’
So often you just don’t have anything to point at.”
“It was then that I understood how behind we really were in doing all of this.”
Most asked, “Is this gonna be okay?”
And I just made a simple decision."
Children don’t have a reason to not accept," she says.
“And they also have no tolerance for boring, inauthentic stories,” she adds with a laugh.
“They demand that I have fun and that I tell a story that’s fun.”
“My adrenaline was just surging trying to write all the songs, trying to get everything organized.”
Steven, having essentially succeeded in saving everyone from threats, is losing control of his abilities.
It’s a conclusion Sugar can also say about herself.
Quartey experiences this first hand.
They’re describingSteven Universe."
Now thatFutureis in the bag, Sugar confirms, “I’m going to take a break.”
(Who can blame her?)
But she doesn’t take the wins for granted.
“Now, my cover’s been blown a little bit.
It’s like everybody knows what my angle is.
I want stories that are built around them.”
