Star vs. the Forces of Evil

Plot

Main article: List of Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters

Star Butterfly is a magical princess from the dimension of Mewni and the heiress to the royal throne of the Butterfly Kingdom. By tradition, she is given her family's heirloom wand on her 14th birthday and was known to be the most energetic and silly child through the royal family. After she accidentally sets fire to the family castle, her parents, King River and Queen Moon Butterfly, decide that a safer option is to send her to Earth as a foreign exchange student so that she can continue her magic training there. On Earth, Star befriends student Marco Diaz and lives with his family in suburban Los Angeles while attending Echo Creek Academy. Going on a series of misadventures using "dimensional scissors" with the ability to open portals, Star and Marco must deal with everyday school life while protecting Star's wand from falling into the hands of Ludo, a half-bird, half-man creature from Mewni who commands a group of monsters.

As the series progresses, new, more threatening antagonists appear in the show, including the mysterious monster Toffee and former Queen Eclipsa's half-Mewman, half-monster daughter Meteora Butterfly. The plot shifts from the defense of the wand from Ludo to a bigger and more complex narrative focusing on the various conflicts revolving around prejudice against monsters, the rulership of Mewni, Mewni's origins, and the very nature of magic itself. Several mysteries about the past of the Butterfly royal family are also unveiled, mostly revolving around Eclipsa Butterfly, the "Queen of Darkness" and the most infamous member in the Butterfly family history. Several secondary protagonists also appear more prominently or join the series in subsequent seasons, including Star's Mewman best friend Pony Head (who is a floating unicorn head), Star's half-demon ex-boyfriend Tom, the mischievous Janna, and Magic High Commission member Hekapoo; Queen Moon also takes on a bigger role.

Background and production

Development

Nefcy said she originally created Star as a girl who wanted to be a magical girl like Sailor Moon, and Marco as a boy who was obsessed with Dragon Ball Z and karate; they would be enemies instead of friends. In this earlier version, Star did not have any actual magical powers; she instead would approach and solve problems primarily through the force of her determination alone. Nefcy began pitching the show to Cartoon Network during the time when she was in her third year of college, when the network was actively soliciting the creation of pilots for The Cartoonstitute. However, the network did not green light her vision for the show and was not made. Nefcy originally placed Star in the fourth grade, reflecting on a time in her own childhood when she held a self-described obsession with the animated series Sailor Moon. However, Nefcy later adjusted the character's age to fourteen during the time she made her series proposition to Disney rather than Cartoon Network originally. An executive at that time made the suggestion for Star to have actual magical powers. Nefcy worked this concept into the show's current iteration, along with the idea of different dimensions as show locations, the framing device of Star being a foreign exchange student, and the plot aspects relating to Star being a princess and the subsequent consequences of her royal birthright. Nefcy said that the overall concept has evolved over about six years.

In addition to Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, Nefcy has said that she had heavy influence in her youth from the Japanese anime series Magic Knight Rayearth, Revolutionary Girl Utena and Unico, the last of which featured a blue unicorn. She also cited shows unrelated to Japanese animation such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and was influenced by independent comic series such as Scott Pilgrim and The Dungeon. With regards to the development of more strong female characters, Nefcy said that she "looked at TV over the years and I have had to go to Japan when I was younger to find the cartoons that had the characters that I wanted to see. It was always a question of 'Well, why isn't that on TV in the U.S.?'"

One of the concepts she likes about the show is that it does not make high school the most important experience for teenagers. She also likes that Star does her own thing instead of being concerned about fitting in. Nefcy did not want the gimmick about keeping the magic powers a secret from others as typical of magical girl shows, so she had the students already know about it and Marco's parents as well. She also portrays Star as not really a superhero as she does not specifically go after super-villains except when they attack her, and that she does not really save people. Nefcy said that the episodes balance comedy and drama: "we really want our characters to feel like teenagers and have them going through the normal emotions that teenagers go through, but in this magical setting."

Storyboarding and design were done in Los Angeles. In describing the process, Nefcy said that the show is storyboard-driven, with each episode mapped out by the storyboard artists. The storyboarders also do the writing, taking a two-page outline and turning it into a full script. A storyboard for 11 minutes would require about 2,000 drawings to be done in a six-week period. After pre-production in the US, the first season animation was done at Mercury Filmworks in Ottawa, Canada. Mercury had also done Wander Over Yonder and the Mickey Mouse series. For the rest of the first season, the animation was done at Toon City in Manila, Philippines. The rest of the series (seasons 2–4) was animated by Sugarcube and Rough Draft Studios, both located in South Korea.

The theme song was done by Brad Breeck, who also did Gravity Falls opening theme. Nefcy said, "when we were listening to it we didn't know, because we just listened blind". Brian Kim was chosen among a group of about ten people as the show's composer. Kim describes the music for each dimension as having a different sound and relating it to indie rock in Los Angeles.

The show was initially scheduled to premiere on Disney Channel after being greenlit in March 2013, for a premiere in the fall of 2014, before being switched over to Disney XD. However, on February 23, 2018, it was announced that the show would be moving to Disney Channel for its fourth season. On February 7, 2019, it was announced that the fourth season would be its last.

Promotion and release

The show's title sequence was promoted at Comic-Con 2014 six months prior to its scheduled broadcast premiere. As a result, the footage was uploaded by fans to YouTube who then started generating fan art and fan fiction. The first episode premiered on Disney Channel in January 2015. The positive reaction on social media prompted Disney XD to order a second season of the series in February 2015, six weeks ahead of its launch of the series on Disney XD in March. Disney sitcom actors Olivia Holt and Kelli Berglund participated in promoting the series the weeks before its Disney XD premiere, with Holt dressing up as Star.

The second season premiered on July 11, 2016. The show's third season was ordered ahead on March 4, 2016. It premiered on July 15, 2017, with a two-hour long television movie entitled "The Battle for Mewni" and consisted of the first four episodes. A live chat featuring Star and Marco was aired on Disney XD on July 17. The remaining third-season episodes started airing on November 6, 2017. A fourth season was also ordered ahead of the third season premiere. That fourth season, announced to be its last in February 2019, premiered on March 10, 2019, with twenty-one episodes.

International

Star vs. the Forces of Evil premiered in Canada on the DHX-owned Disney XD on April 6, 2015, and was later moved to the Corus-owned Disney XD on December 1. The series premiered on Disney XD channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 16, 2015, in Australia on August 3, and in the Middle East and Africa on October 5. It also premiered on November 8 on Disney Channel in Southeast Asia. On June 15, the series premiered in South Korea. The series premiered on December 18, 2015, in Japan. The series premiered on March 6, 2016, as Star Butterfly in French on La Chaîne Disney in Canada. The show premiered on November 2 on Disney XD in Italy, and on Disney Channel on November 2, 2016.

Episodes

Main article: List of Star vs. the Forces of Evil episodes

Reception

Critical reception

Star vs. the Forces of Evil has received positive reviews from critics.

Kevin Johnson of The A.V. Club gave the pilot episode a B+, saying that the show was something children could have a lot of fun with, noting how the show follows current trends in American animation "towards large-eyed characters and quirky visual trends". Johnson stated that Star vs. the Forces of Evil "excels on wild, silly, and clever set-pieces to bring the laughs and action", but expected that adult viewers won't get much out of it.

In reviewing episodes from the first season, Marcy Cook of The Mary Sue described the show as a blend of others such as Invader Zim and a sanitized Ren & Stimpy, with great appeal to tween and teen girls as well some laugh out loud moments for adults. She said, "[I]t's really cool to see a girl who is into cuteness and rainbows also kick-ass and enjoy it". Cook was bothered by the short episodes that made the plot seem rushed or underdeveloped, and criticised Marco's retconned personality from the pilot episode where he was a safety conscious kid to the series where he was a martial arts fight seeker. Caitlin Donovan of entertainment website Epicstream listed it among her top 10 animated series of 2015. She found the first few episodes to be "a little rough for me, like the show was trying too hard to be funny and weird", but that the show got better with character development and relationship building, with "a really dramatic, high-tension finale to the first season".

The first season holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 5 critic reviews, with an average rating of 7.00/10.

Ratings

The premiere of Star vs. the Forces of Evil became the most-watched animated series debut in Disney XD’s history with an average of 1.2 million viewers. Following the end of the second season, Disney XD announced that in 2016, Star and another animated show Milo Murphy's Law had reached over 100 million consumer views combined across its media platforms.

Awards and nominations

The episode "Party with a Pony" was showcased in the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June 2015. In 2019, the season 3 episode, "Booth Buddies", was nominated an Annie Award for "Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production", and the season 3 finale, "Conquer", was also nominated an Annie Award for "Outstanding Storyboarding in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production". However, both lost to the Netflix animated series, Hilda.

Merchandise

A comic book series titled Deep Trouble was written by storyboarder Zach Marcus and illustrated by character designer Devin Taylor, both of whom are part of the Star crew. They have been released monthly by Joe Books starting in September 2016. A Cinestory comic based on the show's first episode, "Star Comes to Earth", was also developed and published on May 31, 2016, with a second Cinestory comic, based on the season 2 episode "Starcrushed", published on July 30, 2019.

The book Star and Marco's Guide to Mastering Every Dimension, authored by Amber Benson and supervising producer Dominic Bisignano, was published on March 7, 2017. Another book for the series, titled The Book of Spells, authored by the show's creator, Daron Nefcy, alongside Benson and Bisignano, was published on September 11, 2018.

A plush toy of Star was released as a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive in July 2018 by a toy company named PhatMojo. It received a retail release later that year.

The series has also received a series of Pop! Vinyl figures from Funko, consisting of Star, Marco, Tom, and Ludo. A Mewberty Form Star was also made on December 20, 2018, but it was exclusive to Hot Topic stores.

Future

Nefcy has stated that in the future she would like to see a continuation of the series, such as a film adaptation and a spin-off. However, as of August 2024 there are no official plans for a continuation.

Star vs. the Forces of Evil characters appeared in the Disney Channel original series Chibiverse which started airing on July 30, 2022.

Nefcy stated in May 2025 at MomoCon in Atlanta, GA that she has interest in a revival, saying “I do always tell Disney that I would do more Star. It works to bother them. Disney has been like: The show is still getting attention and I’m like yeah guys let's do more!” Official confirmation for a revival has yet to be given.

Notes

References

References

1. (February 12, 2015). "Fact Sheet: Star vs. The Forces of Evil". Disney / ABC Television Group.
2. Disney XD. (February 12, 2015). "'Star vs. The Forces of Evil' Renewed for Second Season by Disney XD Ahead of Series Premiere".
3. Amidi, Amid. (August 6, 2014). "Disney Tries Something New With 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil': A Woman Creator". Cartoon Brew.
4. Koontz, Robert. (March 25, 2015). "Women In Animation Host 'Star vs. The Forces of Evil' Panel". Disney.
5. (July 20, 2015). "Creator Daron Nefcy Guides Us Through Tonight's Star-Studded Episode of Star Vs. the Forces of Evil". Disney Insider Blog.
6. Rutherford, Kristen. (March 26, 2015). "Interview: Daron Nefcy of Disney's Star vs. the Forces of Evil". [[Nerdist Industries.
7. (February 28, 2017). "CTN TV Game Changers panel w/Butch Hartman, Alex Hirsch, Rebecca Sugar, Craig McCraken, Lauren Faust".
8. Animation Success Stories Podcast. (February 10, 2019). "Animation Success Stories - Season 2 - Episode 25 - Podcast with Daron Nefcy".
9. (October 15, 2014). "How Comic-Con Helped Create Fans for Disney XD's ''Star vs. The Forces of Evil'' Six Months Before Its First Episode Airs - Jim Hill". The Huffington Post.
10. Smith, Jacquelyn. (March 24, 2015). "Disney animator shares best and worst parts of her job". [[Business Insider]].
11. Daron Nefcy. (December 22, 2015). "@chuck_kopsho nope, now it's Sugarcube and RDK".
12. Nefcy, Daron. (December 22, 2015). "- Recently I got the wonderful opportunity to visit...". daronnefcy.com.
13. Siegel, Lucas. (March 25, 2015). "Get a Little Weird and Wild with Daron Nefcy's Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil on Disney XD". Comicbook.com.
14. "Brian H. Kim". brianhkim.com.
15. Brian H. Kim. (January 18, 2015). "We wanted the different dimensions to have a different "sound." Echo Creek is very laid-back LA indie rock. #StarVsTheForcesOfEvil".
16. Nellie Andreeva. (March 7, 2013). "Disney Channel Greenlights Animated Series About Magical Princess From Young Creator".
17. Pedersen, Erik. (February 23, 2018). "Disney Channel Launching Toon Series 'Amphibia' & 'The Owl House', Renews 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil' For Season 4". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
18. Swift, Andy. (February 7, 2019). "Disney's ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'' Ending With Season 4".
19. The Deadline Team. (February 12, 2015). "Disney XD Orders Season 2 Of 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil' Ahead Of Its Launch - Deadline".
20. "Behind the Scenes with Olivia Holt - Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Disney Video". Disney Video.
21. "Puppies - Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Disney Video". Disney Video.
22. McClendon, Lamarco. (May 26, 2016). "'Big Bang Theory' Stars to Guest on Disney XD's 'Star vs. the Forces of Evil'".
23. Bryn Elise Sandberg. (March 4, 2016). "Disney XD Orders Pair of Original Animated Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
24. Schmidt, Joseph. (May 26, 2017). "Exclusive: Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil TV Movie Coming This Summer". Comicbook.com.
25. Daron Nefcy. (May 26, 2017). "I just want to be clear that the movie is the 1st 4 episodes of S3 played together. It will play like a movie but it is the premiere of S3.".
26. Disney XD. (July 16, 2017). "Star and Marco Live Chat - Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Disney XD".
27. (July 18, 2017). "This Season in Mewni...". Disney-ABC Television Group.
28. Schmidt, Joseph. (May 26, 2017). "Exclusive: Star vs. the Forces of Evil TV Movie Coming This Summer". ComicBook.com.
29. Nordyke, Kimberly. (February 28, 2017). "Disney XD Renews Al Yankovic's 'Milo Murphy's Law,' Eden Sher's 'Star vs. The Forces of Evil' (Exclusive)". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
30. Wolfe, Jennifer. (March 31, 2015). "'Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil' Debuts on April 6". Animation World Network.
31. (November 1, 2015). "Disney XD". Corus Entertainment.
32. VGX / TV Holidays. (April 8, 2015). "Disney XD UK Easter Continuity 2015". YouTube.
33. P, Chuck. (July 31, 2015). "New on Foxtel in August: 200+ shows including Texas Rising, Rogue and 7 Days In Hell". Foxtel.
34. Germishuys, Andrew. (August 31, 2015). "Disney XD Programming Highlights For October 2015". South African Movie Database.
35. "Star Vs The Forces Of Evil Premiere". Disney Philippines.
36. "Star Vs The Forces Of Evil Premiere". Disney Singapore.
37. "Star Butterfly". La chaîne Disney.
38. "Marco e Star - Dal 7 Novembre".
39. Johnson, Kevin. (January 18, 2015). "''Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil'': "Star Comes To Earth/Party With APony"[sic]". [[The A.V. Club]].
40. (July 15, 2015). "You Should Give Star Vs The Forces of Evil a Try". themarysue.com.
41. (December 30, 2015). "Epicstream". epicstream.com.
42. "Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Season 1". [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
43. Kissell, Rick. (April 6, 2015). "Disney XD Sets Animated Ratings High with Premiere of 'Star vs. the Forces of Evil'".
44. Ellen Wolff. (June 11, 2015). "Annecy Animation Festival hosts toon legends - Variety". Variety.
45. CITIA. "Annecy > Programme > Index". annecy.org.
46. "BTVA Voice Acting Awards 2015 – Television".
47. Carolyn Giardina. (February 6, 2016). "2016 Annie Award Winners - Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter.
48. "BTVA Voice Acting Awards 2016 – Television".
49. "BTVA Voice Acting Awards 2017–Television".
50. "The National Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences Announces Nominations For The 45TH Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards".
51. Giardina, Carolyn. (December 3, 2018). "2019 Annie Award Nomination: Complete List".
52. Cotugno, Sage. (June 6, 2023). "Happy #PrideMonth everyone! I'm a transmasc nonbinary creator working in animation and comics! I've been testing out a new name in private for the past year, but today I'm taking it public! Please refer to me as SAGE!".
53. "S. H. Cotugno".
54. "Favorite Cartoon Nominations - Kids' Choice Awards Mexico 2019".
55. Newsdesk, Laughing Place Disney. (May 26, 2016). ""Star vs. The Forces of Evil" Season 2 to Kick Off July 11 on Disney XD - LaughingPlace.com".
56. "- This is the 1st cover of the new Star original...".
57. Disney. (May 31, 2016). "Disney Star vs. The Forces of Evil Cinestory Comic". Joe Books Inc..
58. (July 30, 2019). "Disney Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Starcrushed Cinestory Comic". Joe Books Limited.
59. (March 7, 2017). "Star vs. the Forces of Evil: Star and Marco's Guide to Mastering Every Dimension". Disney Press.
60. (February 28, 2017). "Disney XD Renews Al Yankovic's 'Milo Murphy's Law,' Eden Sher's 'Star vs. The Forces of Evil' (Exclusive)".
61. (September 11, 2018). "Star vs. the Forces of Evil: The Book of Spells". Disney Press.
62. (March 12, 2019). "Amazon.com: UCC Distributing Star Vs. The Forces of Evil 12-Inch Plush - Star Butterfly: Toys & Games".
63. TV, Comicbook.com. (November 7, 2018). ""Star vs. The Forces of Evil"'s Funko Pops Are Here".
64. Kaur, Pavneet. (2021-01-13). "Star Vs. The Forces of Evil Season 5: Will it happen?".
65. (July 8, 2022). "Disney Channel Releases Theme Song for New "Chibiverse" Animated Series".
66. "update revival news".