^{Credit: Lesbian Space Princess (We Made A Thing Studios)}

On the surface, Lesbian Space Princess resembles Rick and Morty with its outer space setting, college humor, and character designs. Thematically, this Australian animated film is more like Steven Universe, Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, or The Owl House if they got zapped with an Adult Swim ray. Speaking of which, there’s a trio of characters who resemble the Mooninites from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They’re called the Straight White Maliens, who feel undervalued in a galaxy of lesbian royalty, bisexual pop stars, and drag queen gangsters. Even if there were more straight women around, it’s clear why none would want to date them. The Straight White Maliens thus construct a chick magnet, comprised of real chickens, no less. The puns are anything but understated, which is how I like them.

The magnet is missing a bizarrely specific component: the labrys of our titular lesbian space princess, Saira, played by Shabana Azeez from The Pitt. The clingy princess is fresh off a bad breakup with the rebellious Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel), who the Maliens kidnap to lure out Saira. As if the title wasn’t a dead giveaway, Lesbian Space Princess embraces every color of the pride flag. Yet, the message here isn’t that all gay women of color = good and all straight white males = bad. Almost every character that Saira encounters has serious baggage. Her lesbian queen mothers are neglectful, with Saira living in their shadow. Kiki is shallow, Saira’s royal status likely being the only reason she dated her in the first place.

Ironically, Saira’s healthiest relationship is probably with a sentient spaceship that often makes problematic comments. Its name? Problematic Ship (Richard Roxburgh). Despite this, the ship does come to bond with Saira, who also finds another potential love interest in Willow (Gemma Chua-Tran), an LGBTQIA+ pop idol flying solo, although she's open to a duet. While the pursuit of romance is her motivation, Saira’s journey eventually becomes one of self-love as she develops confidence and independence. Can the film be on the nose with its morals? Sure, but Saira hails from a planet called Clitopolis, which is hard to find. If you’re looking for subtlety, you’re in the wrong movie.

Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese wrote and directed Lesbian Space Princess. It’s a solid first feature with several laugh-out-loud moments, hipster tunes, and colorful animation, making the most of a reported $600,000 budget with a small crew. That said, there are times when the micro-budget becomes apparent. For a story that takes Saira across the galaxy, there are only a handful of settings, and the character movements can feel limited. The timing of the action and comedy also could’ve been tighter in some instances. The ending, in particular, comes off as rushed, with several subplots being resolved over a montage.

While characters like Willow and the lesbian space queens aren’t given much closure, the film does stick the landing with Saira’s arc. Unlike some other princesses, namely the ones we’ve been getting in live-action Disney remakes, Saira isn’t a perfect protagonist who remains unchanged by the end. Even for a princess who has spent her life in a literal safety bubble with other lesbians, Saira still struggles with anxiety and insecurity. Her feelings are universal, teaching a valuable lesson in loving oneself. It’d be fun to see her adventures continue either in another feature or a series. That said, Adult Swim should give We Made A Thing Studios a call. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!