You’ve Watched All of ‘Steven Universe’ But What About the Movie? (Yes, There’s a ‘Steven Universe’ Movie!)

Do you miss Steven Universe? I sure do. To watch Steven Universe is to know how special it is—the series was made with uncommonly generous amounts of love and compassion. Remember when there was an entire catchy song about meditating? Steven Universe remains the best.

This is all the more reason why realizing there might be a spot you missed is all the more exciting. After all, if you’re just making your way through Steven Universe on the streaming outlet of your choice, you might reach the final episode and assume that’s that. But it’s not! Steven Universe has two additional addendums you’re going to want to watch. Don’t worry, both of them take place after the Steven Universe finale.

Beyond the base series, there’s a 20-episode-long epilogue series called Steven Universe Future. It will make you cry. Maybe for a long time. Then again, the finale coincided with the earliest days of the COVID-19 lockdown, so we were all especially emotionally vulnerable at the time.

The other Steven Universe “addendum” is Steven Universe: The Movie.

So what’s with the movie?

Steven Universe: The Movie takes place two years after the original Steven Universe series and shortly before Steven Universe Future. It premiered on Cartoon Network in September 2019, with Steven Universe Future following along that December.

The movie is also canonical. I’d argue that how the film grows Steven’s character is important to Future.

More to the point, it sure as hell connects to what came before it. In order words, if you’re wondering whether or not Steven Universe: The Movie is a side story that could serve as an introduction to the show, I’d argue the answer is a firm “no.” The film toys with some major spoilers from the end of the series. Like, big spoilers. If you’re curious, you should just start Steven Universe instead. It’s the best.

The film follows Spinel, a Gem who suddenly appears on Earth and seems determined to destroy all the organic lifeforms on it. As you can expect with anything Steven Universe, Spinel has a complicated, tragic backstory which makes her aggression a bit more understandable. We love this show for the empathy, folks.

Oh, and it’s a musical, full numbers and all. Because this is Steven Universe. Of course if they made a movie, it would be a fabulous musical!

You can watch Steven Universe: The Movie, along with the original series and Future, on Hulu.