She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson on kids, cartoons, and gender politics

Now in its fourth season on Netflix, DreamWorks Animation’s She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power is a far cry from the one you knew as a kid. The brightly animated girl power tale is breaking all sorts of rules about what a children’s cartoon can tackle, from robotic armies to non-binary gender identity. It’s a show we’ve called downright “fun,” and it’s one that parents and kids can watch together.
We sat down with She-Ra showrunner Noelle Stevenson-a double Eisner-winning comic creator in her own right-to talk about how she’s both made the series her own and made sure it paid service to absolutely all of the fans.
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[@zenithquasar9623]

I grew up with the original He-Man and She-Ra and I consider myself a pretty big fan of that verse. I love the Noelle's She-Ra! The original show had a lot of style and heart but content wise was pretty shallow. I love how this show fleshes the characters out, make things 3D and raises up the stakes very much!

[@kdavethomas]

they knew it was a kids show and never dealt explicitly with sexuality,there were characters who were possibly gay etc but they never focused on that because they understood their audience were kids

[@kdavethomas]

@Elio it was meant for kids as in children under 10 hence they didn't need to sexualize it since kids would have found it gross either way

[@kdavethomas]

@Lauren Victoria kids don't express that sort of love,it's the platonic kind they'd have for their best friends etc ..the show didn't need to be sexualized but it's meant for adults and teenagers not kids

[@kdavethomas]

@Elio it was accepted by everyone,just as every kid saw themselves as spiderman there's even a documentary where black celebrities explain how much spiderman and other comics meant to them it took them out of their lives in the ghettoes and for a while they were Peter Parker.. Noelle's slave joke is in bad taste,others have commented on the lack of diversity in She-ra's show runners,mostly white women,it's surprising #SheRacist isn't trending..you don't make slave jokes...if it was Disney she'd be fired

[@diamond-nl8zf]

this show is amazing omg

[@softiewoni]

iktt

[@sofiaurdiales1729]

0:52 and that is why I love this show so much

[@Alina_Schmidt]

😍🌈

[@annisasabrina8259]

god i wished that had catch up with the show as each seasons came out. this show is everything

[@beatrixthegreat1138]

I practice at HOME! *Thunderclap*

[@TheRMartz12]

Freaking adore this cartoon

[@maourazonica5945]

Don't you mean... Adora this cartoon? Yes, yes. I know where the exit is.

[@shockingheaven]

Such a great cartoon. The characters are so entertaining and well written.

[@user-qs1zk2ud9u]

Please maqke more seasons of SheRa

[@vrepitsa1083]

I like how she knows kids aren’t as dumb as the media makes them out to be. I’m a kid and I immediately fell in love with this show because it’s not immature like most things directed to my age are. Also the action is awesome 😊

[@reddishcarp1237]

Cringe

[@vrepitsa1083]

@@reddishcarp1237 jwjdjf

[@fiona7061]

An incredible show for all ages.

[@pedromeza2398]

I see a lot of humor and just poking fun at life silliness, interesting I am willing to see this.

[@xcartoonloverxgirl9755]

MY FAV SHOW

[@bio-weaponn5576]

Didn't the director for this show get struck by cancel culture.

[@reddishcarp1237]

Yes & now identifies as a trans man despite constantly complaining about men lol

[@bluesmandingo]

Good vid :-)

[@DariBenny]

💓💓💓💓💓 Nate Diana is non binary and trans now 🏳️‍⚧️💛🤍💜🖤

[@Frfrfrrr]

could please someone say what noelle does in this show?

[@kode-man23]

This is all just a best guess, as showrunners can have wildly different responsibilities from show to show, but here goes. (also sorry for the length) Showrunners are responsible for most of the over-arching creative decisions. In most cases they are the ones who come up with the concept and provide the general direction and tone that the show is supposed to take. They usually have a (or in this case I'm pretty sure that she selected her own) team of writers, directors and story boarders, and they will be in charge of managing them. She might not write the whole show and every bit of dialogue, but she probably sits in on most of the writing sessions to make sure that certain details are being included and the characters all sound consistent in their tone. Even though she didn't direct any of the episodes herself, she is still the final authority on the major episode to episode beats. For example: Destiny part 1 and 2 had different directors between those episodes, so she has make sure that everyone involved had a clear vision and was on the same page. So the minor details like "in this scene, Glimmer is over here to the left of Bow, then in the next scene they walk and now she ends up on his right", that stuff is up to the directors and probably never makes it Noelle's desk, but then things like "we want to show that Catra's in control in this scene, maybe do something with the perspective/ POV" might be a note that she would have for the director. It all depends on how much that the showrunner trusts the direction team as to how much that they get involved. Generally, shows with a very strong, cohesive vision where everybody is on the same page going into the project (as this show clearly had) don't need too much prodding from the showrunner. She also would have been the mediator between the producers/ studio executives and her creative team. So while everyone actually working on the show was probably like "MOAR gay!!!" she is the one who ultimately has to get approval from Dream Works as to what they can and can't put in the show. So while her and her team may have wanted more "irrefutable romantic" moments between Adora and Catra, either in the first episode, or through flashbacks, just to further establish the connection between the two characters... it's the studio that gets to say "Ehhhhhh, maybe not between the two main characters. And maybe not right away in the first season." Then she would have to work around that decision. That's just an example, not sure that is what the team's actual intent was. Then there is budget stuff. She probably had to come up with a budget when she first pitched the show as to how much that it would cost for a season of 13 episodes at 24 minutes each. So she has to have a rough idea of how much that everything from the animation, to the voice talent, to her and her creative team will cost. There are other producers that can help with budget specifics as the show gets closer to, and goes into, actual production, but she's the one that probably had to ensure that everything was allocated accordingly throughout the show. Sorry that was so long, hope that it helped.

[@dakotagordon8756]

My favorite kid/family cartoon, right now. . . Also, my FAVORITE adult cartoon is HELLUVA BOSS.😏🌈

[@kdavethomas]

????? they should have given her her own show,instead of having her remake a show she knows nothing about...she was born long after She-Ra had peaked

[@Anonymous-kp5uo]

*Ok boomer*

[@queernessy]

Nah

[@lailaauto33]

Ok boomer²

[@kdavethomas]

@@lailaauto33 :-D Millenials grew up watching She-Ra not boomers

[@dumb-b-doodles9560]

She literally explained why she did it.

[@nolawinegussie621]

Why do they need to put all this gender politics bs? To teach kids? This non binary stuff is a social issue that even adults have trouble with. There us no reason for them to include this

[@nomisunrider6472]

Nolawi Negussie So that non-binary kids know that nothing is wrong with them, and their peers know to respect them.

[@PirateJacques79]

I mean... Isn't the reason that "even adults have trouble with this". exactly the reason WHY to lean into this? So... Y'know, in the future, this isn't "BS politics social issues" rammed into stuff, but rather just segued ipso facto like any good children's cartoon? Hey? Or am I just being crazy here?

[@Skyewastaken2]

Jack Robinson well said

[@diamond-nl8zf]

Nolawi Negussie ok boomer

[@sofiaurdiales1729]

There is a lot of people out there who think being non-binary means there is something wrong with them, which is definitely not true. Representing things like the lgbtq+ in cartoons just teaches kids that it is completely normal!