She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

Development and production of the series began concurrently in April 2016. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson initially pitched it to Netflix on the assumption of creating only one season, but in November 2018 she said that "we now have four arcs of 13 episodes done".[6] She-Ra is created using traditional animation, with the exception of some computer animation for "complicated machinery".[7][8]

The first season of the serialized She-Ra reboot focuses on establishing the characters and their relationships in order to set up future seasons, initially by way of introducing "princesses of the week" to the core cast of Adora and her close friends, Glimmer and Bow.[9] While the core premise and characters of the original series were carried over, as well as many of its affectations (such as Adora's transformation catchphrase "For the honor of Grayskull!"),[10] the reboot sets itself apart from the 1980s series by its almost entirely female cast. The characters were made to be deliberately diverse,[9] both in regard appearance as well as character traits; for instance, some characters range from good to "evil but understandable", "utterly amoral" or "full-blown hippie".[11] He-Man, in the original version She-Ra's brother who "awakens her destiny", does not appear in the reboot, so as to set up She-Ra as a heroine in her own right.[12]

According to Stevenson, the series's thematic core are the relationships among its teenaged characters, which range from "wide-eyed love" to "heart-rending jealousy, crushes and infatuations".[13] Reviewers particularly highlighted the convincing portrayal of the anti-hero Catra and her complicated "frenemy" relationship with Adora,[11][9] which The Verge described as "the best animated antihero story since Avatar: The Last Airbender's Zuko".[14] In addition, the series addresses such themes as abusive relationships,[15] prejudice, isolationism (as exemplified, initially, by the princesses), colonization, and genocide (a result of Hordak's planetary-scale warfare).[13] The series also emphasizes the necessity of taking action no matter one's own power or circumstances; it portrays magic as fallible and dependent on its wielder's skill and determination.[16]

The creators indicated prior to release that the series would provide LGBT representation.[17] Tor.com commented that the series "reads as utterly queer in just about every aspect", with many characters coded as fluid in terms of gender or sexuality, and none as clearly heterosexual.[18] In an interview, when a network executive asked what the rainbow in the climax of the first season's finale meant, Stevenson replied: "The gay agenda".[19]

The first season shows a romantic relationship between two female side characters, Spinnerella and Netossa,[20][21][22] and Adora and Catra's relationship has undercurrents of romantic tension.[11][23][24] In the second season, Bow's fathers Lance and George make an appearance. In the third season, Huntara flirts with a female bartender. Scorpia's unrequited love for Catra is a recurring theme, and in the episode "White Out" she even attempts to ask her on a date. A non-binary character (using they/them singular pronouns) is introduced in the fourth season: a shapeshifter called Double Trouble, voiced by non-binary actor and writer Jacob Tobia.[25][26]

In the fifth season, released in May 2020, (episode 5) the character Jewelstar was introduced to the show. In original incarnations of the TV show Jewelstar was a woman, whereas they are now male. The voice of Jewelstar, Alex Blue Davis, is also a trans man and character designer Rae Geiger confirmed this in a tumblr post. [27] Further to this, Catra and Adora's relationship concludes with a mutual love confession and an on-screen kiss. The scene has been regarded as a revolutionary moment in the history of children's media and LGBT representation.[28][29][30]

Noelle Stevenson, the creator of the rebooted She-Ra, with Aimee Carrero, voice of She-Ra, and AJ Michalka, voice of Catra.

The series' showrunner and creator is Noelle Stevenson, a cartoonist who became known for her Eisner Award-winning comics Nimona and Lumberjanes. The principal voice cast includes Aimee Carrero as She-Ra, AJ Michalka as Catra, Karen Fukuhara as Glimmer, and Marcus Scribner as Bow.[31] Mary Elizabeth McGlynn is the voice director.[32] The series has an all-female writers' room, and only one man in the regular voice cast.[13] Around 45 people work on She-Ra in the DreamWorks offices in Glendale.[7]

She-Ra in the 1985 series (left) and her 2018 redesign (right) that triggered debate on social media.

Visually, the rebooted She-Ra series takes inspiration from anime and the works of Hayao Miyazaki and Moebius. Whereas the original series' heroines were all of exactly the same size and shape to facilitate animation and toy production, and were all white (with the late exception of Netossa), the new series' characters are intentionally diverse in shape and ethnicity.[13]

After first images of She-Ra's design were released in July 2018, controversy ensued on social media. Some Internet users (men, according to some sources,[33][34][35] but also women according to others[36][37]) contended that she was not as "beautiful and sexy",[33] voluptuous or glamorous as in the original series,[38] or that she looked like a boy.[39] Other users responded that the new series tried to avoid sexualizing a children's show, and conveyed body positivity.[33]

J. Michael Straczynski, the co-creator of the original series, commented that his She-Ra was written as "a warrior, first and foremost", and that "anyone who is looking back at [her] as the 'ideal woman' is doing so through the lens of prepubescent ... interest and kind of, understandably, imprinted on her like baby ducks. I get it. But that wasn't the creative intent."[40] Fan artists responded to She-Ra's redesign and the controversy over it with a wave of artworks celebrating the heroine's new look.[38] The Verge reported that most of these artists were young women who were inspired by the new design's detractors to improve the new character's profile and her reputation.[38]

The series' title song is "Warriors" by Aaliyah Rose.[41] The Washington Post highlighted it as one of the "theme song/opening credits so good it must not be skipped, right up there with Daredevil, The Crown and Narcos".[10]

The soundtrack was composed by Sunna Wehrmeijer. She aimed at creating a "contemporary '80s synth-sound combined with orchestral adventure", based on the creators' desire to feature "big and epic" but also "sparkly" music.[42]

A first teaser trailer released in September 2018 showcased Adora's transformation into She-Ra.[43] Longer trailers were released in October[44] and November 2018.[45] On January 24, 2019, the network announced the series' renewal for a second season, which debuted on April 26 of that year.[46]

As a novelty for a television series, the series' website is available in a virtual reality format, and is set up to present the user with a virtual crystal palace.[47]

While Metacritic has not assigned the series a weighted average score, it has given all six reviews by mainstream critics a score of an 80 or above out of 100.[48]

The first season received critical acclaim, with the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 100% approval rating based on 24 reviews, with an average rating of 7.66/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "By the grace of Greyskull, [the first season of] She-Ra and the Princesses of Power packs a powerful visual punch that hits even harder thanks to layered writing and multidimensional characters – the perfect show for seasoned fans and little ones alike."[49]

Entertainment Weekly's Darren Franich described the series as "a funny-wonderful pop fantasy animated like disco fireworks, fun for kids of all genders and any parents looking for something happy to cry about". Franich appreciated the self-aware humor and "hiply transgressive newness". Franich also noted some repetition, occasionally flat animation and the final showdown's predictable outcome. He found some of the tension in contemporary American politics reflected in the series' portrayal of the rebuilding of a "coalition of powerful liberal-minded thinkers left in disarray after a brutal defeat years ago by a monstrously all-consuming bad dude".[11] Collider called the series "visually exciting, emotionally charged, and unexpectedly hilarious", and "one of the best new shows of the year".[50] David Griffin at IGN praised the series for successfully rebooting the franchise but concluded that "Adora could have used more time with the Horde to help develop her character".[51]

Hypable praised the series' diversity and the multifaceted relationships among some of its core characters, but found much of the first season's plot "simplistic", and the rotating cast of princesses given short shrift.[9] The Washington Post highlighted the "top-notch" voice cast and particularly the work of Lorraine Toussaint as the sorceress Shadow Weaver.[10] The Verge commented that the series' biggest problem was that it was "retreading territory that Steven Universe and the two Avatar animated series did better", with several characters and plot points heavily reminiscent of elements from these earlier animated series, and also criticized the early episodes' shallow plot.[14]

The second season has an 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews, with an average rating of 7.84/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power continues to go from strength to strength with ebullient flair in a second season that will enrapture younger fans while reminding adult viewers about the virtues of friendship and kindness."[52]

The third season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[53]

The fourth season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.58/10.[54]

The fifth and final season has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 9/10.[55]