This Brother’s A Keeper

When she conceived her Emmy-nominated children’s series, Steven Universe, Rebecca Sugar naturally thought about her brother, Steven.

“I knew right away I wanted to make a show about my younger brother, because I’ve drawn pictures of him since we were little kids,” says Sugar, the creator–executive producer of Steven Universe, which has been nominated three times for Emmy Awards since its debut on Cartoon Network in 2013.

The show — about a boy, voiced by Zach Callison, who has adventures with three magical guardians known as the Crystal Gems — appeals to kids and adults, she says, filtering issues that matter to both groups through Steven’s child’s-eye view.

“We’re writing the world that’s going on around Steven, and then we’re writing the story that Steven’s able to understand,” Sugar says. “We don’t feel limited, because there’s a realism to writing that way. That’s what it feels like when you’re a child — there’s a lot going on that you see but don’t necessarily understand.”

Besides its Emmy nominations, the series — now readying season five — was lauded as Most Original Kids’ Show on the iTunes Best of 2016 list.

Sugar’s brother, Steven Sugar, didn’t just inspire the show — he  works on it, as lead background designer. But Rebecca Sugar’s  mentoring extends beyond the family. She is nurturing other talented young animators, following the example of Pendleton Ward, for whom she worked as a storyboard artist  and writer on Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time.

“Pen Ward and my storyboard partner, Adam Muto, gave me a huge amount of freedom to play with the characters and really dig into stories that could be going on under the surface, and really put myself into that show,” Sugar says. “When I started Steven Universe, that was exactly what I wanted to do for my team.” 

This article originally appeared in emmy magazine, Issue No. 6, 2017