She-Ra: Princess of Poweris an Americananimated seriesproduced in 1985 byFilmation.[1]A spin-off of Filmation'sHe-Man and the Masters of the Universeseries,She-Rawas aimed primarily at a young female audience to complementHe-Man's popularity with young males. UnlikeHe-Man,which was based on theMasters of the Universetoy line byMattel,the creation ofShe-Rawas a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writersLarry DiTillioandJ. Michael Straczynski[2][3]for Filmation, while the characters introduced later were designed by Mattel. Mattel provided financial backing for the series, as well as an accompanyingtoy line.The series premiered in 1985 and was ended in 1987, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.
| She-Ra: Princess of Power | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Directed by | Gwen Wetzler |
| Voices of | |
| Ending theme | "I Have The Power" by Erika Scheimer andNoam Kaniel |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No.of seasons | 2 |
| No.of episodes | 93 (and one Christmas Special: "He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special) "(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Lou Scheimer |
| Production location | United States |
| Running time | 24 minutes |
| Production companies | Filmation Associates Mattel |
| Original release | |
| Network | First-run syndication |
| Release | September 9, 1985– December 12, 1987 |
| Related | |
On March 22, 1985, several months before the release of the television series, Filmation released an animated film based on the series titledHe-Man and She-Ra:The Secret of the Sword.The film is composed of what would be the first five episodes from theShe-Ratelevision series: "Into Etheria", "Beast Island", "She-Ra Unchained", "Reunions" and "Battle for Bright Moon".[4]
In between the first and second season of theShe-Raseries, in which He-Man regularly featured, Filmation also produced an hour long (44 minutes without commercials) Christmas episode,He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special.
Arebootedseries,She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,premiered onNetflixon November 13, 2018, and concluded on May 15, 2020.
Plot
edit"Adora: I am Adora, He-Man's twin sister and defender of the Crystal Castle. This is Spirit, my beloved steed. Fabulous secrets were revealed to me the day I held aloft my sword and said" For the honor of Greyskull! I AM SHE-RA! "Only a few others share this secret. Among them are Light Hope, Madame Razz and Kowl. Together, me and my friends of the Great Rebellion strive to free Etheria from the evil forces of Hordak!
She-Ra's opening narration.
The series follows the adventures of Princess Adora, Prince Adam's (He-Man's) twin sister, who leads a group of freedom fighters known as the Great Rebellion in the fight to freeEtheriafrom the tyrannical rule ofHordakand theEvil Horde.With herSword of Protection,Adora can transform into She-Ra, just as Prince Adam can transform into He-Man.[5]
Born on the planetEterniato Queen Marlena and King Randor, Princess Adora iskidnapped at birthbyHordakand taken to Etheria. There she serves as a mind-controlled Horde ForceCaptainbefore He-Man rescues her. After reuniting with her parents on Eternia, She-Ra decides to return to Etheria and lead the Great Rebellion.
Main characters
editThe Great Rebellion
edit| Character | Notes |
|---|---|
| Princess Adora / She-Ra | The title character andPrince Adam'stwin sister called the Princess of Power. Formerly Force Captain of the Horde, she is now one of the leaders of the Great Rebellion. |
| Spirit / Swift Wind | She-Ra's talking steed who transforms into a winged unicorn. He's a brave, honorable being. |
| Light Hope | The guardian of the Crystal Castle who typically takes the form of a pillar of light. He is the wisest being on Etheria and is the one that She-Ra typically seeks for advice. |
| Madame Razz | An absent-minded witch who serves as an adviser to the rebels. She provides comic relief in the series. She is one of the few people on Etheria who know that Adora is She-Ra. |
| Broom | Madame Razz's companion and mode of transportation. It is shown in one episode (where Adora's grandfather visits) that Broom, as well as Madame Razz, also knows that Adora is She-Ra because she transforms right in front of both of them. |
| Kowl | A flying creature who appears to be a cross between a koala and an owl. Snarky and sharp-witted, he is one of the few inhabitants of Etheria who knows that Adora is She-Ra. |
| Bow | An archer and friend to She-Ra. He is a cultured gentleman who exhibits insecurities. Bow has a crush on She-Ra but does not know her true identity. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Great Rebellion. |
| Princess Glimmer | Princess of Bright Moon and former leader of the Great Rebellion before stepping down in favor of Adora. Despite being the former leader of The Rebellion, she is naive and at times gullible. She possesses light-based magical powers. |
| Queen Angella | The magical winged Queen of Bright Moon, Glimmer's mother, and one of the most powerful magic wielders on Etheria, along with Shadow Weaver and Castaspella. She's renowned for her wisdom and sense of justice. |
| Castaspella | Queen of Mystacor as well as a powerful sorceress. She loves parties and has a mischievous streak. |
| Frosta | A member of the Great Rebellion with vast cold-related powers. She is also the Ice Empress of Castle Chill in the Kingdom of Snows. She's blunt, direct and opinionated, not afraid to speak her mind. |
| Netossa | A member of the Great Rebellion who wears a cape that doubles as a net for capturing her foes.[6] |
| Perfuma | A powerful ecomancer. Perfuma is cheerful and bubbly, but is also somewhat scatterbrained. |
| Peekablue | A reluctant member of the Great Rebellion whose peacock-like tail feathers give her the power of "multi-vision". |
| Flutterina | A member of the Great Rebellion with butterfly wings. |
| Spinnerella | Netossa's best friend. She has the ability to spin rapidly while dancing, creating a whirlwind. |
| Sweet Bee | A humanoid scout with insect wings, and member of an alien race seeking a new planet to inhabit. |
| Princess Mermista | Amermaidprincess who joins the Great Rebellion. She is somewhat flirtatious. |
| Sea Hawk | A pirate who joins the Rebellion. Adora is his girlfriend and significant other while not knowing her Identity as She-Ra, but enjoys fighting alongside She-Ra to aid her in the Great Rebellion. In contrast to Bow, Sea Hawk is rugged, confident and somewhat uncouth. |
| Spritina | A Twigget[clarification needed]similar to Madame Razz, Sprocker and Sprag. |
| Sprag | A Twigget similar to Madame Razz, Spritina and Sprocker. |
| Sprocker | A Twigget similar to Madame Razz, Spritina and Sprag. |
| Sprint | A Twigget. |
| Loo-Kee | A small Etherian creature called a Kon-Seal, who hides in the background somewhere in nearly every episode for viewers to spot, and shows himself in the end of the episode to relate the moral of the story. He gets directly involved in the plot of two episodes. While a somewhat neutral character, he seems to sympathize with the Rebellion. |
The Evil Horde
edit| Character | Notes |
|---|---|
| Hordak | The tyrannical ruler of Etheria. He is notoriously short-tempered and at times abuses his minions. Despite being evil, Hordak has a sense of humor. |
| Shadow Weaver | The Horde's powerful sorceress whose face is obscured in the shadow of her hooded cloak. She was once a friend of Castaspella before joining the Horde. |
| Catra | The current Force Captain of the Evil Horde who can transform into a panther. Like Hordak, Catra is short-tempered. She feigns loyalty to Hordak and is generally untrustworthy, typically acting in her own self-interest. She has a longstanding rivalry with her teammate Scorpia, whom she despises. |
| Mantenna | An insectoid member of the Horde, whose bulging eyes can extend from their sockets and fire energy beams. He functions mainly as comic relief. Sometimes cowardly and inept, he has also shown moments of brilliance. |
| Leech | A master of power suction, his cups capable of draining life force or firmly adhering to surfaces. |
| Grizzlor | A beast-like member of the Horde. Unlike Mantenna, he is not particularly smart. |
| Modulok | A red-skinned insectoid who can reassemble his body parts to take on different shapes. He was originally a scientist from Eternia. |
| Multi-Bot | A two-headed, four-armed robot created by Modulok. |
| Horde Troopers | Mechanical soldiers that serve the Horde Empire. |
| Horde Prime | The tyrannical ruler of the galaxy and Hordak's brother. His face is perpetually concealed by smoke. |
| Scorpia | A humanoid with the tail and claws of a scorpion. She has a longstanding rivalry with her teammate Catra, whom she despises. Much like Catra, she's untrustworthy, often acting in her own self-interest. |
| Entrapta | An aloof scientist and master of traps, she has long magical hair she can use to ensnare her enemies. |
| Imp | A shape-shifting spy who can disguise himself as everyday objects. He is Hordak's favorite member of the Horde, which engenders jealousy from other members of the Horde. |
| Octavia | An octopus-like humanoid with four tentacles. |
| Rattlor | Excitable reptilian villain with extending neck and a long tail. |
| Tung Lashor | Excitable reptilian villain with extending tongue. |
| Dylamug | Strange robotic leader of horde troopers. |
| Colonel Blast | Horde trooper commander with numerous built-in laser blasters. |
| Vultak | Flying master of the Horde Zoo. He's shown to be exceptionally cruel to the animals under his charge. |
Episodes
editThe first season of the series ran five days a week, likeHe-Man.The second season aired Saturday mornings.She-Raended in 1986, and the character was not mentioned in the two subsequent He-Man animated series.[7][8]
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 65 | 9 September 1985 | 5 December 1985 | |
| He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special | December 1985 | |||
| 2 | 28 | 13 September 1986 | 12 December 1987 | |
Cast
edit| Voice Actor | Characters |
|---|---|
| Melendy Britt | Princess Adora / She-Ra,Catra,Castaspella, Mermista, Jewelstar, Octavia |
| George DiCenzo | Hordak,Bow, General Sunder, Sea Hawk, Red Knight, Duke Dreer, Dylamug, Snout Spout, Vultak, Tung Lashor, Inspector Darkney |
| Linda Gary | Glimmer, Shadow Weaver, Madame Razz,Scorpia,Entrapta,Sweet-Bee, Tallstar,Teela,Sorceress of Castle Grayskull |
| Erika Scheimer | Queen Angella, Flutterina, Frosta, Imp, Starla, Peekablue, Perfuma, Loo-Kee[9] |
| Lou Scheimer(credited as Erik Gunden) | Kowl, Mantenna, Leech, Horde Troopers, Horde Prime, Spirit / Swift Wind, Light Hope, Broom, Grizzlor, Modulok, Multi-Bot, Orko |
| Diane Pershing | Netossa, Spinnerella |
| John Erwin | Prince Adam / He-Man,Beast Man,Granamyr |
| Alan Oppenheimer | Skeletor,Cringer / Battle Cat,Man-At-Arms |
Comparison list
editMany of the characters/locations/vehicles in thePrincess of Powertoyline share similarities to the pre-existingMasters of the Universecharacters. ComparingShe-Ra(left) withHe-Man(right):
Characters
- Adora/She-Ra = Prince Adam/He-Man
- Spirit/Swift Wind = Cringer/Battle Cat
- Clawdeen = Panthor
- Grizzlor = Beast Man
- Hordak = Skeletor
- Bow = Man-At-Arms
- Sweet Bee = Buzz-Off
- Double Trouble = Man-E-Faces
- Glimmer = Teela
- Sorrowful = Granamyr
- Leech = Whiplash
- Spinerella = Sy-Klone
- Shadow Weaver = Evil-Lyn
- Scorpia = Clawful
- Madame Razz = Orko
- Light Hope = The Sorceress
Elements "For the honour of Grayskull!", "I am She-ra!" = * "By the power of Grayskull!", "I have the power!"
- Etheria = Eternia
- The Crystal Castle = Castle Grayskull
- The Fright Zone = Snake Mountain
- The Sword of Protection = The Sword of Power
Syndication
editReruns aired on USA Network from September 1988 to September 1989, and on Qubo Night Owl from September 27, 2010, to August 25, 2013. In 2010,Retro TVbegan airing reruns.[10]Reruns have also aired onMe-TV,as well asTeletoon Retroin Canada.
Toys
editThe femaleShe-Racharacters were released in the 1980s as part of thePrincess of Powertoy line, while The Evil Horde were incorporated intoMasters of the Universe.In the 2000s, an exclusive She-Ra toy was released for theMOTU 200Xline. The laterMasters of the Universe Classicstoy line features characters from the entire franchise, including new action figures from theShe-Racartoon series.
Other media
editIn theDC ComicsseriesMasters of the Universe,the title "Masters of the Universe #8" is a one-shot about She-Ra.[11]Adora/Despara/She-ra continues to be a main character through many of the remaining chapters/installments of the series, including in its conclusion. The entire series is collected in a hardcover omnibus.
Home releases
editThe most sought after set by collectors due to its 4X6 collectible art cards and extensive bonus features is theBCI Eclipse LLC(under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment brand) (under license fromEntertainment Rights) released all 93 episodes ofShe-Ra: Princess of Powerin 3 volumes on DVD (Region 1) in 2006–2007.[12][13][14]Each episode on BCI Ink & Paint's DVD releases ofShe-Ra, Princess of Powerwas uncut, un-edited, digitally remastered and fully restored for optimum audio and video quality and presented in story continuity order. Each volume contains special features including different 4X6 collectible art cards, documentaries, character profiles, commentaries, retrospective interviews, storyboards, DVD-ROM pdf scripts, trivia, and photo galleries. In 2009, the releases were discontinued when BCI Eclipse ceased operations.[15]
On May 31, 2010,Classic Mediaannounced plans to re-release the series on DVD (Region 1). On September 28, 2010, they released Season 1, Volume 1 as a 2-disc set featuring 20 episodes.[16]On January 24, 2011,Classic MediareleasedShe-Ra: The Princess of Power - The Complete Series.[17]
On October 19, 2009,Universal Pictures UK(under license fromClassic Media) released Season 1, Volume 1 in the UK, exclusively through retailerHMV.[18]In early 2010, other retailers, such asAmazon.co.uk,also began selling the series as a box set.
Madman Entertainmentreleased the entire series on DVD (Region 4) in Australia, both in 3 volumes (similar to BCI Eclipse releases) and as a complete series set.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment released all 93 episodes of the original 1985 series ofShe-Ra: Princess of Poweron DVD in Region 1 on October 1, 2019. This release includesHe-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the SwordandHe-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special.[19]
| DVD name | Ep# | Release dates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 4 | |||
| Season 1, Volume 1 | 33 | November 7, 2006 (BCI) | March 15, 2007 | |
| Season 1, Volume 2 | 32 | April 3, 2007 (BCI) | August 16, 2007 | |
| Season 2 | 28 | September 4, 2007 (BCI) | December 5, 2007 | |
| The Complete Series | 93 | January 24, 2011 | June 24, 2009 | |
Reboot
editOn December 12, 2017, DreamWorks Animation SKG andNetflixannounced a new reboot series based on She-Ra was announced withinDreamWorks Animation Television.The series is executive produced by award-winning author,ND Stevenson(creator ofNimonaandLumberjanes). On May 18, 2018, new voice actors and the official title were revealed.[20]It was released on November 13, 2018. The reboot series is separate from the continuity of the original Masters of the Universe series, and is noted for its explicit LGBT representation.
Live-action series
editOn September 13, 2021, Amazon announced that a live action She-Ra series is in development with DreamWorks Animation serving as an executive producer as the series will be a new, standalone story and will not be connected to the animated show.[21]It was announced thatNicole Kassellwill direct the series.[22]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows.Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 546–547.ISBN978-1538103739.
- ^Scheimer, Lou (2015).Creating the Filmation Generation(2nd ed.). TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 220.ISBN978-1-60549-044-1.
- ^@straczynski(July 16, 2018).""The original He-Man bible was written in large measure by Larry DiTillio; Larry and I later co-wrote the bible for the She-Ra series. Filmation, being Filmation, never wanted any credits on those docs so I don't know if they survive with or without the credits.""(Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^Todd Douglass Jr. (July 3, 2006)."The Best of She-Ra - Princess of Power".DVD Talk.Retrieved5 January2016.(review)
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^Erickson, Hal (2005).Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003(2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 734–735.ISBN978-1476665993.
- ^"Netossa".Retrieved6 December2013.
- ^"The Best of She-Ra: Princess of Power Review".IGN.4 August 2006.Retrieved2009-09-21.
- ^"She-Ra's Second Due in Sept".Animation Magazine.Retrieved2010-03-07.
- ^"Erika scheimer and the legacy of she-ra".Gay.net.Archived fromthe originalon 2015-04-02.Retrieved2011-10-23.
- ^"RTV Bringing Back Retro Saturday Morning TV".TVNewsCheck.August 5, 2010.RetrievedAugust 8,2010.
- ^"Masters of the Universe #8".DC Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.Retrieved5 January2016.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power - Pretty In Pink: Your First Look At Box Art For She-Ra - Season 1, Volume 1".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-09-25.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power - Season 1, Volume 2 Press Release".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-08-17.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power - Press Release For She-Ra: Princess of Power - Season 2".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-08-17.
- ^"Site News - PRESS RELEASE: Navarre Shuts Down BCI, Makers of He-Man, Day Break, Price is Right and other DVDs".TVShowsOnDVD.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-05-31.Retrieved2010-05-31.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power DVD news: Fabulous Secrets Are Revealed: DVD Re-releases Coming from Classic Media".TVShowsOnDVD. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-14.Retrieved2012-05-09.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power DVD news: Delay for She-Ra: Princess of Power - The Complete Series".TVShowsOnDVD. Archived fromthe originalon 2012-10-17.Retrieved2012-05-09.
- ^"She Ra: 6dvd (2009): DVD".hmv.Retrieved2012-05-09.
- ^"She-Ra: Princess of Power the Complete Original Series".Amazon.October 2019.
- ^Alex Gilyadov (18 May 2018)."First Look at Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power".IGN.RetrievedMay 19,2018.
- ^Otterson, Joe (September 13, 2021)."She-Ra Live-Action Series in Early Development at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE)".Variety.RetrievedSeptember 13,2021.
- ^Otterson, Joe (May 19, 2022)."'She-Ra' Live-Action Amazon Series Sets Nicole Kassell to Direct (EXCLUSIVE) ".Variety.RetrievedMay 20,2022.