She-ra and the princesses of power, a colorful cartoon

Today we will talk about the animated series: She-ra and the princesses of power 52 episodes of 24min broadcasted on Netflix (remake of the animated series of the 80s).

Synopsis: Adora, an orphan girl taken in and raised by the Horde, an army ruling Etheria, discovers one day that she is the reincarnation of She-ra, a powerful heroine whose mission is to save the world from the Horde by uniting the princesses.

So it sounds like a children’s cartoon put like that: princesses, powers, a superheroine. There is even a unicorn. And indeed, children will love this animated series that transmits beautiful values such as friendship, courage, self-acceptance, etc., through colorful adventures, full of twists and turns and adventures of all kinds.

But it is not only for children. Through a more feminist and modern approach Noëlle Stevenson, the director detaches herself from the original version to address adults by tackling deeper themes. Where the 80’s version offered characters that all looked the same physically, offering no diversity, the new series highlights diversity by offering viewers a varied representation.

A feminist series…

In addition to this diversity, which is good and allows everyone to have a model and a character in whom to recognize themselves, the series wants to be feminine and honors the female characters who exist by themselves. A striking example is that of Adora. In the first version, she becomes She-ra thanks to her brother who gives her the sword that gives her her powers. Here, she discovers it by herself, she does not need someone to show her who she is. The series features princesses who will create an alliance to restore peace. In this group, their gender does not matter, no one questions their places or the fact that they are leading a rebellion because they are women. They take charge, because there is no one else to do so. With these strong female figures, who break away from the clichés, who are all different from each other, young girls who watch the series and are looking for female role models have a wide range of inspiration.

And inclusive too !

It is also a series that highlights the LGBTQI+ community. The creator is non-binary and makes a point of offering as many representations as possible. Indeed, many of the characters are queer but there is never any question of coming out or of being in danger because of it: they are queer, and then that’s it. Unlike many shows where a character’s sexual orientation becomes his or her plot, where his or her entire development revolves around this issue, here it is normalized. The labels disappear. Everyone is free to be what they want without any risk of judgment or rejection.

If here we have only talked about feminism and representation of the LGBTQI+ community, the series goes much further by tackling subjects that seem taboo such as autism. The character of Entrapta was written in collaboration with an autistic creator in order to offer a representation of this disorder, which is quite rare. The director also chose to tackle darker themes, such as toxic relationships or the impact of war on everyone.

In conclusion, we can only advise everyone to watch this series. The scenario is captivating, the characters are all more endearing than the others, the graphics are successful and colorful, bringing a real charm. And above all, it conveys very important messages.