Spinel
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About
Spinel is the main antagonist in Steven Universe: The Movie, a feature-length film in in the Steven Universe. The character attracted attention with her fluid, off-the-wall animations and design, leading to a surge of fan art surrounding the character.
Origin
Spinel debuted in Steven Universe: The Movie, which debuted September 2nd, 2019 on Cartoon Network. [1] Speaking of the design of the character, Rebecca Sugar stated that Spinel's design was inspired by older cartoons. “She’s outdated. She knows that and it hurts her,” Sugar explained to Entertainment Weekly. “When she doesn’t understand that, she’s just so obtuse and when she does, she’s just angry… She’s ridiculously toxic and she knows that she’s ridiculous and it makes her dislike herself more. It turns her in on herself more. I just find her so interesting and I love showing that in the form of exactly what she is, which is this cartoon that has been lost to time.”
In the film, Spinel was a friend of Pink Diamond, Steven's mother. After Pink Diamond outgrew her, Spinel was left alone with her thoughts for thousands of years, leading her to go insane. She comes to Beach Island with an intense hatred of Steven and his friends, which he feels have replaced her in Pink Diamond's mind. This leads to the song "Other Friends," a ragtime song in which she teases Steven and the other gems (shown below). She sets in motion a plan to poison the Earth with an injector.
Spinel is able to "reset" Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl and wipe their memories. Steven is able to grab Spinel's weapon and turn it against her, resetting her as well. She then becomes playful towards Steven, and attempts to be his best friend. She promises to assist Steven in restoring his friend's memories. Though she tries to play with Steven, he is busy working on the restorations, and doesn't have time for her. This causes her feelings of resentment and abandonment to return, turning her back to her original self. After eventually being defeated by the Steven and his friends, The Diamonds arrive and Steven introduces them to Spinel. They become friends and Spinel flies away. [3]
Spread
The character was widely praised upon the release of the film. Polygon[2] wrote, "Her character design is perfectly suited to her kind of off-the-wall villany: from the get-go, it’s clear that Spinel has come to Earth not only to exact her vengeance but also to have one hell of a time doing so. Watching her twist, leap, and maneuver around the Crystal Gems is incredibly entertaining, particularly as she gleefully sings through “Other Friends,” a ragtime-flavored song that complements her animation style." Buzzfeed[4] noted that Spinel was one of the most-talked about aspects of the film. User @weather0witch tweeted a parody of a scene from The Fairly Oddparents about Spinel, gaining over 300 retweets and 1,300 likes (shown below, left). User @milkdisease posted a tweet about the character that gained over 90 retweets and 300 likes (shown below, right).
Others posted fan art of the character. Tumblr user p0ply posted art of the character, gaining over 14,000 notes (shown below, left). User rahafwabas posted art as well, gaining over 3,500 notes (shown below, right).
Various Examples
Search Interest
External References
[1] Entertainment Weekly – Steven Universe showrunner reclaims the past with her 'absurd,' 'ridiculous' movie villain
[2] Polygon – Steven Universe The Movie epitomizes Steven’s inescapable saga of love and conflict
[3] Steven Universe Wiki – Spinel
[4] Buzzfeed – The New Steven Universe Movie Is Out, So Here Are The Best Jokes And Tweets About It
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