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This article is about the series creator. You may be looking for Steven Sugar or Rebekka Dunlap.

Rebecca Rea Sugar is the creator of Steven Universe and Steven Universe Future, as well as the director of Steven Universe: The Movie. She is an artist, composer, and director who is most recognized for her work on the show Adventure Time, another Cartoon Network original series, as well as her award-winning animated short Singles. She has also created a graphic novel, Pug Davis, as well as assisting with characters and backgrounds for Ian Jones-Quartey and Jim Gisriel's web series nockFORCE prior to her career.[1]

In 2012, Cartoon Network green-lit Steven Universe, making her the first solo non-binary cartoon creator in the network's twenty-year history. Rebecca was one of the main storyboard artists on Adventure Time until the fifth season, where she left to create Steven Universe, although she later returned again in 2015 for the Stakes miniseries to compose the song "Everything Stays" and voicing Marceline's mother.[2]

Sugar has also contributed storyboards for the Sony Pictures Animation film Hotel Transylvania.[3]

She is married to Ian Jones-Quartey.[4]

Career

Rebecca was born in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended the Visual Arts Center at Albert Einstein High School and Montgomery Blair High School simultaneously. Later, she would attend the School of Visual Arts in New York.[5] One of her early works, a comic strip entitled "Don't Cry for Me, I'm Already Dead"[6] about brothers who bond over references to The Simpsons, was a viral success.[7] The strip was originally published on Sugar's now-defunct website, SugarBoukas.com, itself a reference to one of her early animated shorts.[8]

Tumblr oaxvdeUjM51sxhdxso2 540

Sugar speaking at 2016 San Diego Comic-Con.

She was hired as a storyboard revisionist during the first season of Adventure Time and was later promoted to storyboard artist from that season on.

Rebecca would eventually leave Adventure Time in early 2013 to launch her new cartoon, Steven Universe. The final episode she worked on for Adventure Time, entitled "Simon and Marcy", was difficult for her, due to her working on the episode alongside launching their new show.[9]

She had achieved numerous awards in her career in television, such as earning nominations for Primetime Emmy Awards and Annie Awards while working for Adventure Time, and being featured in Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30 in Entertainment" list in 2012, noting that she was responsible for some of the best episodes of Adventure Time.[10]

She returned to Adventure Time in 2015 for the Stakes miniseries, voicing Marceline's mother and writing the song "Everything Stays".

On September 17, 2023, Rebecca announced her first "personal" album, Spiral Bound, inspired by three years of sketching, journaling, and what she describes as a "process of healing from extreme burnout and unresolved trauma."

Episodes Written and Storyboarded

Steven Crewniverse

Rebecca Sugar and the Steven Crewniverse.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Other

Musical Credits

Songs

Soundtracks

Gallery

Rebeccasugarart

Click to view Rebecca's Artwork.

Trivia

  • Rebecca Sugar's birthstone is a ruby.
  • Rebecca Sugar's favorite character in Steven Universe is Greg.[11]
  • Her favorite movie is Studio Ghibli's Whisper of the Heart. She did a introduction of the film for Ghibli Fest in 2019.
  • Rebecca Sugar said if she were a Gem, she would be a Ruby.[12]
    • Ruby and Sapphire's relationship is based on the relationship between her and Ian Jones-Quartey.
  • Rebecca Sugar is proficient at the ukulele, which she often uses for song demos.
    • She also has a banjolele, which she played at New York Comic Con, and plays the Omnichord/QChord, a chorded synthesizer, similar to the one Marceline plays in "I Remember You".
  • Rebecca Sugar is the first non-binary animated cartoon creator at Cartoon Network.
  • Rebecca Sugar illustrated the cover of Estelle's music album True Romance.
  • She is a member of WIA (Women in Animation).[13]
  • Rebecca Sugar has a pet cat named Lion.
  • During SDCC 2016, when asked why she included so many LGBT heroes in the show, Rebecca Sugar came out, citing her experiences as a bisexual woman and their desire for LGBT youth to grow up where these heroes are normalized.
  • During NYCC 2016, she mentioned that "Mr. Greg" was their favorite episode because she had always dreamed about working on a musical.[14]
    • She also revealed that she has plans for the ending of the series.[15]
  • When Rebecca was born, their parents had considered naming her "Nora", which she later used as Steven's female name in the episode "Lion 4: Alternate Ending".[16]
  • During SDCC 2017, Rebecca stated that out of all the Off Colors, she relates to Rhodonite the most.
  • Rebecca sings the closing credits song for the Cartoon Network show OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.
  • In the Ultimate Crossover Fundraiser, she sang "We'll Meet Again" while playing the ukulele; she stated that Mabel, Dipper, and Grunkle Stan's gems would be "Cherry Tugtupite", "Larimar", and "Pyrite", respectively; she sang with Ian JQ "It's Only Magic"; and then she sang "Everything Stays".
  • In an interview with WAMU 88.5 on July 9, 2018, Rebecca revealed that she is non-binary, and she spoke of how she uses gender heroes in the show to express their identity.[17]
    • Her pronouns are she/her or they/them, according to her updated Twitter bio, as well as her confirming this at SDCC 2018.

External Links


References

ve Crewniverse
Voice Actors
Lamar AbramsChris Jai AlexDee Bradley BakerKimberly BrooksZach CallisonMichaela DietzSusan EganEstelleKate FlanneryReagan Gomez-PrestonJoel HodgsonIan Jones-QuarteyErica LuttrellDeedee Magno-HallMary Elizabeth McGlynnBilly MerrittKate MicucciMatthew MoyToks OlagundoyeJennifer PazBrian PosehnShelby RabaraGrace RolekTom ScharplingAtticus ShafferZachary SteelCharlyne Yi
Guest Voices
Uzo AdubaRita Rani AhujaTahani AndersonChristine BaranskiEric BauzaEric Bell Jr.Ashly BurchJackie BuscarinoJemaine ClementMason CookEugene CorderoGodfrey DanchimahColton DunnChristine EbersoleMelissa FahnKathleen FisherBraden FitzgeraldCrispin FreemanNika FuttermanLarissa GallagherBrian GeorgeLisa HanniganJohnny HawkesMarieve HeringtonMartha HigaredaMiriam HymanAlastair JamesJoan JettAlexia KhadimeAndrew KishinoMike KrolTed LeoNancy LinariPatti LuPoneNatasha LyonneAimee MannMichelle MarykAJ MichalkaNicki MinajJinkx Monsoon • Indya MooreAparna NancherlaEnuka OkumaOlivia OlsonChristine PediDella SabaAmy SedarisShoniqua ShandaiSinbadSarah StilesCristina VeeKari WahlgrenFrank WelkerDave WillisJon Wurster
Storyboarders
Artists: Lamar AbramsMiki BrewsterDanny CraggHilary FloridoWarren FokDrew GreenEtienne GuignardTom HerpichColin HowardHellen JoJoe JohnstonIan Jones-QuarteyAmish KumarChristine LiuJeff LiuKatie MitroffRaven MoliseeKat MorrisMaya PetersenChristopher PiankaRebecca SugarPaul VillecoJesse Zuke

Revisionists: Danny CraggAmish KumarLeiana NituraMaya PetersenNicole RodriguezAleth RomanillosJesse Zuke

Show Staff
Producers: Jackie BuscarinoCurtis LelashJennifer PelphreyAlonso Ramirez RamosRobert SorcherRebecca Sugar

Directors: Liz ArtinianKi-Yong BaePatrick BrysonRicky CometaKevin DartNick DeMayoRobert IngramYong Seop JeongJoe JohnstonIan Jones-QuarteySue Hong KimJasmin LaiByung Ki LeeDongsoo LeeJae Bok LeeSeon-Jae LeeCurtis LelashElle MichalkaKat MorrisKent OsborneHye Sung ParkJin-Hee ParkRebecca SugarHeeman YangYoung-Wha YoonSeong Wook Yun
Music Staff: Jeff BallMichael EvansTravis KindredEmily KingKristin NaigusJack PendarvisEdwin RhodesStemageAivi & Surasshu
Character/Prop Design: Danny CraggBecky DreistadtColin HowardDanny HynesAleth RomanillosAngie Wang
Background Artists: Alison AbitbolJane BakSam BosmaPatrick BrysonRicky CometaEfrain Farias • Charles Hilton • Leonard HungMelissa KingMichelle KwonJasmin LaiElle MichalkaKatie MitroffAlex MyungMary NashJulian De PerioLaura PriceSteven SugarKat TsaiHans TsengEmily WalusAmanda Winterstein
Colorists: Becky DreistadtEfrain FariasAshley FisherTiffany FordLeigh LunaElle MichalkaHans Tseng

Other: Matt BurnettTom HerpichBen Levin
Guest Artists
Aaron AustinTakafumi HoriAdam MutoPendleton WardMatt BralyMadeline QueripelLuke Weber
Comic Staff
Rii AbregoFrans BoukasGeorge CaltsoudasQueenie ChanKali CiesemierWhitney CogarJillian CrabMatt CummingsRebekka DunlapBecky DreistadtColeman EngleKaty FarinaJosceline FentonAndrea FernandezMike FiorentinoPaulina GanucheauMelanie GillmanJoey GrangerGrace KraftWhitney LeopardStu LivingstonRaven MoliseeMiracle MosleyMissy PeñaTalya PerperMad RupertJeremy SoreseAyme SotuyoJenn St-OngeRebecca SugarRian SyghSara TalmadgeKat TsaiBridget UnderwoodShannon WattersHelen Yoon
Movie Staff
Chance the RapperJames FauntleroyGallantTed LeoAlonso Ramirez RamosJulian "Zorsy" SanchezStemageMacie Stewart
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