Coronating Star vs. the Forces of Evil into the Top Tier of American Animation By: Dylan Hysen

Welcome to the top, Star vs. the Forces of Evil! By the power vested in me as one of the only animation specialty critics online, I promote you to the top tier of American animation. You join Steven Universe, Rick and Morty, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Bojack Horseman, and Adventure Time as the shows with the highest level of critical quality, consisting of great storytelling, excellent characterization, high levels of production-values, and a high level of consistency. And if you’re wondering what your “must-watch” list for animation, this is it, and Star is now must-watch.

Around the middle of Star’s 2nd season that just concluded, it turned the corner from “good show with a lot of potential” to “great show with special storytelling”. The show doubled-down on its excellent characterization towards the end of this season, focusing on an arc involving Star herself and her emotional turbulence. It was great and was a great vehicle for exploring the vastly different plots and types of episodes this show is capable of, while still seeming focused.

The best thing I can say about Star for those who don’t watch is that it’s the “kid-friendly” version of Rick and Morty. Both shows don’t have a focused, continuous narrative (yet), but explore a lot of different plots and thematics through different types of episodes facilitated by their sprawling mythologies. They’re both incredibly fun, very funny, and oh yeah dimensional scissors = portal gun.

The highlights of Star have always been and continue to be Star herself, and the dynamic between Star and Marco, which is in my opinion the best two-character dynamic on TV. Every interaction of theirs is incredibly genuine, interesting, and engaging. The show will continue to thrive as long as the Star-Marco dynamic continues to be wonderful. (And oh yeah, there’s a bunch of other great elements to the show as well.)

Star is now truly here and I look forward to what it can bring in its 3rd season this Summer.