November 4, 2013 – January 21, 2019
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-based aliens named Garnet (Estelle), Amethyst (Michaela Dietz), and Pearl(Deedee Magno Hall)—in the fictional town of Beach City. Steven, who is half-Gem, has adventures with his friends and helps the Gems protect the world from their own kind. The pilot was first shown in May 2013, and the series ran for five seasons, from November 2013 to January 2019. The TV film Steven Universe: The Movie was released in September 2019, and an epilogue limited series, Steven Universe Future, ran from December 2019 to March 2020.
The themes of the series include love, family, and the importance of healthy interpersonal relationships. Sugar based the lead character on her younger brother Steven, who was an artist for the series. She developed Steven Universe while she was a writer and storyboard artist on Adventure Time, which she left when Cartoon Network commissioned her series for full production. The series is storyboard-driven; the show's storyboard artists were responsible for writing the dialogue and creating the action in addition to drawing the storyboards. Books, comics and video games based on the series have been released.
The series has developed a broad fanbase and has been critically acclaimed for its design, music, voice acting, characterization, prominence of LGBTQ themes and science fantasy worldbuilding. The series won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Kids & Family Program in 2019, becoming the first animated series to win the award. It also received a Peabody Award for Children's & Youth Programming in 2019. It was nominated for five Emmy Awards and five Annie Awards.
Storyline[]
Steven Universe is set in the fictional town of Beach City, Delmarva, where the Crystal Gems live in an ancient beachside temple and protect humanity from monsters and other threats. The Gems are ageless alien warriors who project female humanoid forms from magical gemstones at the core of their being. The Crystal Gems comprise Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl and Steven—a young, half-human, half-Gem boy who inherited his gemstone from his mother, the Crystal Gems' former leader Rose Quartz. As Steven tries to understand his gradually expanding range of powers, he spends his days accompanying the Gems on their missions, as well as interacting with his father Greg, his best friend Connie, his magical pet lion, and the other residents of Beach City. He explores the abilities inherited from his mother, which include fusion—the ability of Gems to merge their bodies and abilities to form new, more powerful personalities.
The series' first season gradually reveals that the Crystal Gems are fugitives from a great interstellar empire. During their missions they visit ruins that were once important to Gem culture but have been derelict for millennia. The Gems are cut off from the Gem homeworld, and Steven learns that many of the monsters and artifacts they encounter are Gems who were corrupted by a Gem weapon of mass destruction and can no longer maintain rational, humanoid form. By the end of the first season, Steven learns that, millennia ago, the Gem empire intended to sterilize the Earth to incubate new Gems, but Rose Quartz led her supporters, the Crystal Gems, in a violent and apparently successful rebellion against this genocidal plan. The discovery and release of Lapis Lazuli, a Gem trapped on Earth for millennia, puts the Crystal Gems at risk from the Gem empire once more, leading to the arrival of hostile envoys Peridot and Jasper.
In the second season, Peridot allies with and eventually joins the Crystal Gems to prevent Earth's destruction by a Gem "geo-weapon" buried in the planet. During the third season, Lapis Lazuli decides to live on Earth with Peridot; Jasper is defeated and captured; and Steven learns that his mother assassinated one of the Gem empire's matriarchs, Pink Diamond. In the fourth season, as Steven wrestles with his conflicted feelings about his mother's actions, the Gem empire leaders Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond begin to turn their full attention to Earth. In the fifth and final season, Steven learns that in fact his mother was Pink Diamond, who faked her death to assume the identity of Rose Quartz; he uses this revelation to persuade the other Diamonds to try to take responsibility for and fix the damage they have caused.
Also See[]
- Steven Universe: The Movie (2019)
- Steven Universe Future
- Steven Universe Shorts
TV Show Intro[]
Sound Effects Used[]
- Crowd Gasp
- Dial-up Modem Sounds
- H-B TEETH, CARTOON - TEETH CHATTER
- H-B ZIP, CARTOON - QUICK WHISTLE ZIP IN, HIGH/Sound Ideas, ZIP, CARTOON - RICCO ZIP IN 01 (R & B) (Heard in "Dewey Wins".)
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Duck Quacks Clos PE020501 (Heard once in "Lars and the Cool Kids".)
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Hawk Single Scre PE020801/Hollywoodedge, Hawk Screech Single AT082901
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Rooster 2 Crow PE021501
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Seagull Four Sin PE021601
- Hollywoodedge, Cat Domestic Meow Ang AT010501 (Heard once in "Too Short to Ride".)
- Hollywoodedge, Cats Fighting Loud Sc PE917007/Hollywoodedge, Cats Two Angry YowlsD PE022601 (Heard often in "Cat Fingers" and once in "Know Your Fusion" and "Say Uncle".)
- Hollywoodedge, Children Sml Grp Laug PE954803/Hollywoodedge, Small Group Kids Laug PE143601 (Heard once in "Maximum Capacity".)
- Hollywoodedge, Children Sml Grp Yell PE954901/Hollywoodedge, Small Group Kids Chee PE142801 (Heard once in "Maximum Capacity".)
- Hollywoodedge, Cow Moos Three TimesC PE022901 (Heard once in "Steven's Dream".)
- Hollywoodedge, Crowd Med Shock PE961301/Hollywoodedge, Crowd Reaction Shock PE142501
- Hollywoodedge, Elephant Single Clas AT043901 (Heard in "The Kindergarten Kid".)
- Hollywoodedge, Goat Baas Close Persp PE025101
- Hollywoodedge, Gusts Heavy Cold Wind PE031601
- Hollywoodedge, Hawk Redtailed Scree AT082801
- Hollywoodedge, Large Ceramic Pot Bre TE023001/Hollywoodedge, Pottery Drop Break PE112401
- Hollywoodedge, Lightning 08 CloseG SIG012601 (Heard twice in "Future Vision" and once in "Alone at Sea".)
- Hollywoodedge, Lion Roar Snarl Growl AT013501 (Heard once in "Say Uncle".)
- Hollywoodedge, Lion Roar Snarl Growl AT013601 (Heard once in "Say Uncle".)
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Crowd AdultsY PE142901
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140401
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE140501
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Exterior Crow PE141401
- Hollywoodedge, Mud Pots Blurps Bubb CRT040401 (Heard once in "Gem Glow" and "Alone Together".)
- Hollywoodedge, Seagulls No Surf BT022101
- Hollywoodedge, Sheep Baa Medium Pers PE027001
- Hollywoodedge, Television Switch On PE804801
- Hollywoodedge, Wet Snarly Blurps CRT040501 (Heard once in "Gem Glow" and "Alone Together".)
- HORTA-HACIENDA STOMACH GROWL (Heard once in "Alone Together".)
- Jeff Hutchins Stomach Growls (Heard once in "Gem Glow", and once in "Alone Together" with HORTA-HACIENDA STOMACH GROWL.)
- Joel Valentine Explosion Sound (Heard twice in "Cheeseburger Backpack".)
- Joel Valentine Sword Sound
- Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, BIRD - ROOSTER CROW 03
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, OWL - SINGLE OWL HOOTING, ANIMAL (Heard once in "Gemcation".)
- Sound Ideas, APPLAUSE, CHEERING - MEDIUM CROWD: INDOOR, WHISTLING & CHEERS 02
- Sound Ideas, BITE, CARTOON - BONE BITE (Heard once in "Lion 3: Straight to Video" (low volume) and "Future Vision".)
- Sound Ideas, BLINK, CARTOON - XYLO EYE BLINKS (Heard in "Future Vision".)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, CHICKEN - LOUD SINGLE SQUAWK (Heard in "The Kindergarten Kid".)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, CRY - BABY CRYING 01 (Heard once in "How Gems are Made".)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, SLIDE - SHORT VIOLIN SLIDE UP (Heard in "Garnet's Universe".)
- Sound Ideas, CARTOON, TIGHTROPE - TIGHTROPE WOBBLE AND VIBRATE (Heard often in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, CAT, DOMESTIC - 8 ANGRY SNARLS & HISSES, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN - CHEERING, CROWD 02 (Heard once in "Maximum Capacity".)
- Sound Ideas, CHILDREN, CROWD - SMALL STUDIO AUDIENCE OF CHILDREN: BIG CHEER, CHEERING 01 (Heard once in "Maximum Capacity".)
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRONIC - MAGICAL SWISH 03
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRONIC - MAGICAL ZAP 07 (Heard in the pilot episode "The Time Thing".)
- Sound Ideas, FIREWORKS - SEQUENCE OF FIREWORKS, EXPLOSION (Heard twice in "Maximum Capacity".)
- Sound Ideas, HEAD SHAKE, CARTOON - THROAT GARBLE, LONG/WB CARTOON, HEAD SHAKE - TROMBONE GOBBLE (Heard once in "Storm in the Room".)
- Sound Ideas, HIT, CARTOON - ZIP AND HEAVY THUMP (Heard once in "Adventures in Light Distortion".)
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, FART - SMALL FART 01 (Used once for the titular character briefly farting in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, SCREAM - SCREAM: FEMALE, HORROR 03 (Heard once in "Keeping it Together" and "Sadie Killer".)
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, VOMIT - VOMITING, MAN, HUMAN, DIGIFFECTS 01 (Heard once in "Together Alone".)
- Sound Ideas, MAGIC - MAGIC BURST/SCI FI - FUTURE CHICK BURST
- Sound Ideas, PLINK, CARTOON - SOUR PLINK (Heard multiple times in "Future Vision" and once in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, PLUCK, CARTOON - VAROOP (Heard once in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, POOF, CARTOON - FOOF
- Sound Ideas, POP, CARTOON - POP GUN 01
- Sound Ideas, RICOCHET - SLICK RICCO 01 (Heard once in "Hit the Diamond".)
- Sound Ideas, SCREAM - FEMALE, LONG, HUMAN, HORROR 01 (First part only; heard twice in "Open Book".)
- Sound Ideas, TIP TOE, CARTOON - XYLOPHONE TIP TOE, LONG/MEDIUM/SHORT (Heard once in "Garnet's Universe".)
- Sound Ideas, THUMP, CARTOON - TUBE THUNK 01 (Heard in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, WATER, SPLASH - ROCK THROWN IN WATER, BIG SPLASH, DIGIFFECTS
- Sound Ideas, WHALE - WHALE SONG, ANIMAL (Heard in the credits for the "Out of This World" episodes.)
- Sound Ideas, WIND - MAGIC WHIRLWIND, FANTASY (Heard once in "Familiar".)
- Sound Ideas, ZIP, CARTOON - QUICK WHISTLE ZIP OUT (Heard once in "Say Uncle".)
- Sound Ideas, ZIP, CARTOON - SHARP ZIP (Heard once in "Hit the Diamond".)
- Unknown Crowd Scream
- Wilhelm Scream