What Program Does Steven Universe Crew Use To Animate

Photo of Rebecca Saccharide Courtesy of Cartoon Network

Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar on animation and the power of empathy

By Jun ane, 2017, 10:30am EDT

Western animation is in the heart of a golden age. Shows similar BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty have emerged equally the new standard-bearers for a kind of drawing that's abrupt, funny, and insightful, capable of dealing with startlingly nuanced themes, like BoJack'southward honest reflections on the nature of unhappiness. Just few efforts in any medium can manage Steven Universe's play a trick on of exploring topics like intimacy, dearest, corruption, and the constant threat of annihilation, while balancing them with thoughts on the elementary joy of eating a hot dog. The series started out every bit a slice-of-life evidence almost a immature boy and his magical family, simply it's emerged as one of the near daring, open-hearted serial on tv today.

The creative force behind the serial is Emmy-nominated author Rebecca Saccharide, Drawing Network's first female showrunner. Originally a storyboard revisionist for Hazard Time, she broke out on her own to launch Steven Universe in 2013, blending her honey of superheroes and magical-girl anime with a story about a child non dissimilar her own little brother, Steven Saccharide. Iv years later, the show has gotten much more complicated; a contempo arc sees Steven abducted by his alien enemies, and being put on trial for his mother'due south aboriginal war crimes. Merely at its heart, the show is still very much about relationships and family unit in all their forms.

"The thing I always return to is that, for me, it's about my relationship with my brother," Saccharide tells The Verge. "All of the gems are reflections of some piece of that. I try to always remember that it comes down to that feeling of being able to go home at the end of the 24-hour interval and hang out with your best friend, who'south also your brother. That's the centre point of bringing all these unrelated things together. They're the things we share."

Steven Universe doesn't spark the kind of pop cultural conversations that shows like Game of Thrones spawn, but fan dear — specially online — has allowed it to accomplish a quiet kind of ubiquity, with comics, books, and video games regularly extending the story. Saccharide does her best to be involved in all these projects, providing a unity of vision to something that's slowly becoming its own expanded universe project. Nosotros spoke with Saccharide about that vision, what fandom means to her, and where Steven is headed next.

Steven Universe is quietly exploding. What has it been similar seeing the bear witness grow into a bigger property?

Information technology's been so exciting! The testify is so video game inspired, so we knew we wanted to be very involved when [games company] Grumpyface started working on our first game, Attack the Calorie-free. There is and then much that tin can be said nearly the characters that tin can be said so clearly in the course of a game. For example, we knew it had to exist an RPG. In that game, everyone starts at a super-high level except for Steven, and Steven e'er defends and heals, but never attacks. You likewise get chances to chat with the Gems, and yous have to choose who you're buddying up to at times. I love that stuff. Steven loves all the Gems, so there's no easy reply if you have to pick sides.

Nosotros've had the chance to build on those ideas so much more for the Salvage the Light, the upcoming panel game. Now you get to cull who you're teaming up with, and the human relationship-building aspect is manner more important. Information technology can build to special moves you lot can only do when sure characters team up with each other.

Is that freeing on your stop, or more challenging?

Information technology tin be hard to juggle the extra projects with the testify. There'due south non enough time in the day, but it'southward so worth information technology when we get to explicate things in a new way in a new medium. I loved working on the Answer children'southward volume, because of all the meta fairytale storytelling that could but work in the form of a book. Attack the Lite felt like that, besides, total of things just a game can do, and Relieve the Light even more so. Working with Grumpyface is very freeing, especially after doing the first game together. They totally know what I like, and they're running with the style we invented for the kickoff game and expanding on it. Inventing a unique style for the first game was very challenging, but building on what nosotros started and working in all the dreams nosotros couldn't fit into the commencement game has been so, and then fun.

My brother is also very involved. He'due south excited that we're actually getting to motility around Embankment Metropolis. He knows where everything is. There'southward a feeling that Beach Metropolis has of being a real place, in part considering information technology'south based off of the beaches that me and my brother used to visit equally kids — Rehoboth Beach, Body of water City. But so Embankment Metropolis specifically, everything has a specific place in Steven's mind, and he knows that world like it's real. Even when nosotros're discussing story ideas, he'll be able to chime in and assistance usa and say, "If they're going to Vidalia's, they need to make a left." It's a real world!

The bear witness has gotten so popular over the last few years, especially online. How has your relationship with fans evolved, and what does it look like right now?

It's overwhelming. I relate very, very much to the fans of the prove, because growing upwards, I was a very farthermost fan of cartoons. The cartoons I loved were such a huge source of forcefulness for me. So with this prove, I always wanted it to be something that could be a function of someone'south life in that way, a source of strength.

These days, there'due south and then much feedback online, I have a hard fourth dimension absorbing all of information technology. Information technology'southward dizzying. By and large, I love to meet people in person when I can, at cons or events. I love when people tell me what the show ways to them personally, which character they relate to and why. I feel I really get to know people so well, so suddenly. And when it's get an of import part of someone'southward life, I experience so honored. Not everyone understands how a cartoon can mean that much to someone, merely I really, truly understand.

At that place's a sense that I used to have that there wasn't really a legitimacy to that feeling. When you dear and intendance about something, even if information technology'south the world silliest thing, [it] tin have weight and be that source of comfort in a way that is beautiful enough to be reflected in a piece of art. And that kind of folds in on itself, considering information technology'due south being reflected in a slice of art that's too a silly slice of art. Then you terminate up in this vortex of beauty and silliness. I'll spiral into it and sort of have days where I'thousand similar, "This is everything I want to express every bit an creative person," and other days where I'll be like, "Ah, that'south a wacky cartoon!" They're important to me! I want the feeling of the comfort that you can get from a empty-headed piece of pop culture to have the weight and beauty that it has for me in this slice of pop culture that we're making together.

How have communities on platforms like Reddit and Tumblr shaped the show?

I really don't believe it should be a 1-sided conversation. There'south this book past Roland Barthes called A Lover'southward Discourse, and in that book, he describes this concept called an "prototype-repertoire." When you have a relationship with someone, your relationship is linked to an image of that person, and the [ideas] you acquaintance with that person. Information technology struck me, equally a huge comic book fan, that the extreme love I had for the people who fabricated my favorite comics — I was like, "This is what this is! This is an bodily love for them, considering I share an image-repertoire with them, except that they have never met me." I feel that I know them very well, considering I've shared something with them, just they don't have anything to associate with me. That simply explains everything, this very 1-sided human relationship I have with the people I'thou a huge fan of.

So that made me think about comics and cartoons a little differently. I'chiliad building an paradigm-repertoire with someone; I'm speaking to someone. And I think at that place are several ways you can approach a conversation with someone. I mean, you could spend the whole conversation just talking most yourself and what yous like, and you're non interested in them or what they remember, and that's not a very good conversation. I desire to always movement that conversation frontward.

"Mindful Instruction" was a big one for that, considering there was so much happening to the well-existence of the characters, and likewise inside the fan community. I wanted to respond to it through the show, and I wanted to do that by giving people a tool to procedure and at-home extreme feelings. I tin can see that people enjoyed feeling very extreme feelings, and I know that feeling of being similar, "I dearest that this slice of entertainment can get me to that mood." I want it to. I want to collaborate that way. I've always been that way, as well. So I thought, "I want to requite something where it actually moves you to a place of calm."

From the start, the show has clearly been influenced by a wide variety of genres. But you lot've also injected video game civilization and spider web culture, like with Steven's online tutorial shorts . What kind of things do you watch that translate well to your stories?

This really has everything to practise with the show beingness from Steven's point of view. This about comes down to, "What would Steven himself be watching, and playing, and what would he be participating in online?" He's so earnest, so when we come across something online that is incredibly earnest, it's easy to imagine Steven doing that, too. A reaction video, a vocal. We were all obsessed with an unboxing video where someone was reviewing these very specific Cheez-Its, and he was just and then thorough and genuine most information technology. It made us desire to accept Steven practise an unboxing. The most authentic Steven Universe tutorial short is actually Steven's snack sushi recipe, which is an homage to Cooking with Dog, but is also an actual recipe invented by my actual blood brother Steven Sugar. And information technology's really good!

As the serial has evolved, yous've done more to explore gender, relationships, and other more than mature themes that other cartoons don't touch on. You've said before that you're non trying to make a point with the themes you explore, but do you call back it'due south more of import now to do that kind of work in blitheness than in previous years?

Yes. It's very of import correct now. Blitheness is such an incredible tool when it comes to making characters that the audience can empathize with. To watch an animated character and to believe that they're existent requires the viewer to projection so much of themselves into the drawings they're watching. With a cartoon, you tin make something experience classic and iconic and absurdly simple. And and then much of the preexisting language for cartoons is heavily gendered. For example, how many cartoon couples are two identical characters, except 1 has eyelashes and a bow? This is the time and this is the tool to expand people'south visual linguistic communication when it comes to what a couple looks like, and to create gender nonconforming characters that are so compelling that you lot can't deny their humanity. Because by believing in them, they are already a reflection of your humanity.

To me, exploring stories similar that through a cartoon is everything I'g excited virtually. Cartoons are expected to be, and actually need to be, simple and readable and clear. Information technology's already a lot to ask someone to await at a drawing and think it's really live. You need to be able to understand what their expressions mean, and that'due south the skill of making a drawing. And so, trying to practise subtle, circuitous stories within a cartoon is very challenging. But that's what'south exciting about information technology. Seeing drawing characters express real, complicated feelings that I've never seen a cartoon character emote, and trying to invent what that looks like — that is the fun of this thing. I recollect the just way to approach that is to tell stories that get characters to a place where y'all can encounter on their faces an expression of a feeling that other cartoons haven't felt before.

What kind of new challenges and ideas will Steven face in the stories ahead?

Steven is really going to have to plough inward and face himself. Throughout the show, he's put anybody else beginning, and his chief goal has been to get the person his family wants him to exist. That's got to shift. He's got to take that it'due south impossible to fill the shoes of his mother, Rose Quartz. She was always barefoot.

What'southward exciting as nosotros get deeper into the show is making him realize that there are the magic Gem powers, only at that place are powers that people accept as man beings to understand themselves and define themselves and make their own choices. Information technology's an incredible ability that we all take, and are often told to ignore or have for granted. Those are the kinds of powers I'm excited to have him acquire how to explore.

Would yous say the industry has changed much around yous since you lot worked on Chance Time ?

It'due south changed completely! In that location is a demand now for unlike perspectives, for more than diverse stories and characters, and for u.s.a. to use our platform to make a amend world for kids. I'm so honored to accept had the chance to be working in TV while this shift has been happening. And at that place is a demand for the story arcs and character arcs we used to subtly thread from episode to episode on Adventure Time! And a dwelling is brewing for the older cartoon audition that is and then dear to my eye, the teens and adults that still love cartoons fashion too much. That is very new and very exciting.

I discover that I've changed besides. I've inverse as I've been making the evidence, for so many reasons: learning from my team, doing and so much art that I've told all the stories I've dreamed of telling, so now I'm gonna tell even more! And just trying to figure out what those are. I mean, the overarching process is that at that place'due south so much within that, so many goals I've been able to hit on already in the bear witness. For me, the show is a learning experience, and is role of me growing as a person, simply plainly never arriving at being finished. I wanna do that with the audience, too.

Where do you foresee the industry going for new artists and animators who've come up of age online? What tin can they await?

I call back it actually depends on the artist and how they wanna make a slice of art. If yous aren't interested in fine art equally a conversation, so the focus would be on avoiding outside influences in order to make something with the intent. My intent was to abound and to learn near myself and other people, and to forge relationships with the show. Me existence a fan forged so many of my relationships. I approximate in a way, what's really hard for me is, I don't get to necessarily exist in that community. I would like to be. I would like to talk well-nigh the show, only I have to go elsewhere. Maybe talk about Riverdale. [Laughs]

I foresee an incredible era of totally new voices coming from totally new places. There are so many resources online, anything you would ever want to know about animation history, and tools for cartoon and animating and sharing art that didn't exist before. This next generation of artists can wait that if they make comics, if they end projects, if they take something truly new and interesting to say and they say it in a style that'south entertaining, they volition definitely be heard. And if they terminate up in a corporate setting, they tin can expect pushback when they're doing something new and innovative. First people will get excited, and and then get nervous, because there's no proof what they're doing will work. Only that'due south exactly why it volition work.

Source: https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/1/15657682/steven-universe-rebecca-sugar-cartoon-network-animation-interview

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