DVD Review: Steven Universe the Complete Collection

Some of you may not be familiar with Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe (which has been nominated for an Emmy 6 times!!), so let me give you a little background. 

There is a group of magical aliens called the Crystal Gems that, unlike the rest of their alien race, make it their mission to defend and protect the Earth. The leader of this group is Rose Quartz. Rose’s son, Steven, an aspiring (and aging) Rockstar named Mr. Universe, is who the series revolves around. Steven has inherited his mother’s Gem and her magical powers, as well as his father’s humanity and charm. The storylines revolve around Steven becoming a member of the Crystal Gems, learning to grow up, becoming a hero, and balancing his existence’s alien and human sides.

For the Steven Universe the Complete Collection, I can’t start without talking about the packaging, because it’s pretty cool. The box has a holographic reflective cover. It has a bit of weight to it and is quite solid. The reason for this is because the discs are sheathed in a Collector’s Edition Storybook, with each page featuring custom art by Chromosphere. The art from the book is also on the corresponding disc. It’s called a “storybook” with each print depicting a scene from one of the episodes from that season. They are very cool and would be worthy of framing as art themselves (especially if you could find large prints of them).

In addition to containing all five seasons of the series, the box set has a lot of bonus features. And, instead of having a disc of extras, they are spread out through the entire set. Here is a list of the extras included:

Season 1 Extras

• “Behind the Music” – This featurette includes creator Rebecca Sugar and composers Aivi and Surasshu discussing how the songs came into existence.
• Listening Party – This is a video of the 2017 listening party and Q&A with Rebecca Sugar, including sing-a-long versions of a couple of songs and Rebecca performing a couple on the ukulele.
• Music Video Performances – Rebecca Sugar sings some of the songs from Steven Universe with Aivi and Surasshu accompanying.
• “Something Entirely New”
• “It’s Over Isn’t It”
• “Love Like You”
• “Here Comes a Thought”
• “What’s the Use of Feeling (Blue)?”
• Animatics – This is dialogue over storyboards.
• Gem Glow
• Full Disclosure
• Steven the Sword Fighter
• Steven and the Stevens
• Island Adventure
• Song Demos – Rebecca’s original demos over art.
• “Be Whoever You Are”
• “Full Disclosure”

Season 2 Extras

• Animatics
• Sworn to the Sword
• Keystone Motel
• The Answer
• We Need to Talk
• Onion Friend
• Catch and Release
• Love Letters

Season 3 Extras

• Animatic Excerpts – These are not the full episode, just select scenes.
• Hit the Diamond
• Mr. Greg
• Alone at Sea
• Greg the Babysitter

Season 4 Extras

• Animatics (Full)
• Last One Out of Beach City
• Animatic Excerpts
• Mindful Education
• That Will Be All
• Three Gems and a Baby – “I Could Never Be Ready”

Season 5 Extras

• Episode Commentary
• Change Your Mind
• Animatic Excerpts
• The Question – “Ruby Rider”
• Reunited – “For Just One Day Let’s Only Think About Love”
• Change Your Mind
• The Movie Extras

Music Videos

• “Stronger than You” – filmed at San Diego Comic-Con 2017
• “True Kinda Love”
• Multi-Language “Other Friends”
• Steven Universe Pilot
• Steven Universe Mini-sodes
• “Fusion”
• “How Are Gems Made?”
• “Lion Loves to Fit in a Box”
• “Unboxing”
• “What Are the Crystal Gems?” – extended intro
• “What Are Gems?”
• “Cooking with Lion”
• “Gem Karaoke”
• “Steven Reacts”
• “Steven Song Time”
• “Video Chat”
• Steven Universe the Movie Sing-a-long Version

Overall, this is about as inclusive of a box set as one could expect. It is nicely packaged with a ton of extra goodies, both on the discs and in the box.

Steven Universe has a large fan following, and I would highly recommend this release for those that know a fan. It would be an amazing Christmas gift for that fan in your life!

Steven Universe the Complete Collection was released on December 8, 2020 from Warner Brothers.