She-Ra: Princess of Power

She-Ra: Princess of Power is an American animated series produced in 1985 by Filmation.[1] A spin-off of Filmation's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, She-Ra was aimed primarily at a young female audience to complement He-Man's popularity with young males. Unlike He-Man, which was based on the Masters of the Universe toy line by Mattel, the creation of She-Ra was a collaboration between Filmation and Mattel. The initial group of characters and premise were created by uncredited writers Larry DiTillio and J. 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 accompanying toy line. The series premiered in 1985 and was cancelled in 1986, after 2 seasons and 93 episodes.

She-Ra: Princess of Power
Title card
Genre	Action Adventure Sword and planet Magical Girl
Created by	Larry DiTillio J. Michael Straczynski
Directed by	Gwen Wetzler
Voices of	Melendy Britt Linda Gary John Erwin George DiCenzo Lou Scheimer Erika Scheimer
Composers	Shuki Levy Haim Saban Erika Lane
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	93 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Lou Scheimer
Production location	United States
Running time	24 minutes
Production company	Filmation Associates
Distributor	Group W Productions
Release
Original network	First-run syndication
Audio format	Stereo
First shown in	United States
Original release	September 9, 1985 – December 2, 1986
Chronology
Related shows	He-Man and the Masters of the Universe She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)

On March 22, 1985, Filmation released an animated film based on the series titled He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword. The film is composed of the first five episodes from the She-Ra television series: "Into Etheria", "Beast Island", "She-Ra Unchained", "Reunions" and "Battle For Bright Moon".[4]

A rebooted series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, premiered on Netflix on November 13, 2018 and concluded on May 15, 2020.

Plot

The series follows the adventures of Princess Adora, Prince Adam/He-Man's twin sister, who leads a group of freedom fighters known as the Great Rebellion in the fight to free Etheria from the tyrannical rule of Hordak and the Evil Horde. With her Sword of Protection, Adora can transform into She-Ra, just as Prince Adam can transform into He-Man.[5]

Born on the planet Eternia to Queen Marlena and King Randor, Princess Adora is kidnapped at birth by Hordak and taken to Etheria. There she serves as a mind-controlled Horde Force Captain before 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

The Great Rebellion

Character	Voice Actor	Notes
She-Ra / Princess Adora	Melendy Britt	The Princess of Power and Prince Adam's twin sister. Formerly Force Captain of the Horde, she is now one of the leaders of the Great Rebellion. Adora has a relationship with Sea Hawk being her Boyfriend even though he has no clue that she is secretly She-Ra.
Swift Wind / Spirit	Lou Scheimer	She-Ra's talking steed who transforms into a winged unicorn.
Light Hope		The guardian of Crystal Castle.
Madame Razz	Linda Gary	A witch who serves as an adviser, and provides comic relief in the series. She is one of the few people on Etheria who know that Adora is She-Ra.
Broom	Lou Scheimer [6]	Madame Razz's companion and mode of transportation.
Kowl		A flying creature who appears to be a cross between a koala and an owl. He is one of the few inhabitants of Etheria who knows that Adora is She-Ra.
Bow	George DiCenzo	An archer and friend to She-Ra. He is one of the longest-serving members of the Great Rebellion.
Glimmer	Linda Gary	Princess of Bright Moon and former leader of the Great Rebellion before stepping down in favor of Adora. She possesses light-based magical powers.
Queen Angella	Erika Scheimer	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.
Castaspella	Melendy Britt	Queen of Mystacor as well as a powerful sorceress.
Frosta	Erika Scheimer	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.
Netossa	Diane Pershing	A member of the Great Rebellion who wears a cape that doubles as a net for capturing her foes.[7]
Perfuma	Erika Scheimer	A powerful ecomancer.
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	Diane Pershing	Netossa's best friend. She has the ability to spin rapidly while dancing, creating a whirlwind.
Sweet Bee	Linda Gary	A humanoid scout with insect wings, and member of an alien race seeking a new planet to inhabit.
Mermista	Melendy Britt	A mermaid princess who joins the Great Rebellion.
Sea Hawk	George DiCenzo	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.
Spritina	Erika Scheimer	A Twigget similar to Madame Razz, Sprocker and Sprag.
Sprag	Lou Scheimer	A Twigget similar to Madame Razz, Spritina and Sprocker.
Sprocker		A Twigget similar to Madame Razz, Spritina and Sprag.
Sprint		A Twigget.
Loo-Kee	Erika Scheimer	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

Character	Voice Actor	Notes
Hordak	George DiCenzo	The tyrannical ruler of Etheria.
Shadow Weaver	Linda Gary	The Horde's powerful sorceress whose face is obscured in the shadow of her hooded cloak.
Catra	Melendy Britt	The current Force Captain of the Evil Horde who can transform into a panther.
Mantenna	Lou Scheimer	An insectoid member of the Horde, whose bulging eyes can extend from their sockets and fire energy beams. He functions mainly as comic relief.
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.
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	Linda Gary[8]	A humanoid with the tail and claws of a scorpion.
Entrapta		An aloof scientist and master of traps, she has long magical hair she can use to ensnare her enemies.
Imp	Erika Scheimer	A shape-shifting spy who can disguise himself as everyday objects.
Octavia	Melendy Britt	An octopus-like humanoid with four tentacles.
Rattlor	Erik Gunden	Excitable reptilian villain with extending neck and a long tail.
Tung Lashor	George DiCenzo	Excitable reptilian villain with extending tongue.
Dylamug		Strange robotic leader of horde troopers.
Colonel Blast	Lou Scheimer	Horde trooper commander with numerous built-in laser blasters.
Vultak	George DiCenzo	Flying master of the Horde Zoo.

Episodes

The first season of the series ran five days a week, like He-Man. The second season aired Saturday mornings. She-Ra ended in 1986, and the character was not mentioned in the two subsequent He-Man animated series.[9][10]

Cast

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
Alan Oppenheimer	Skeletor, Cringer/Battle Cat, Man-At-Arms
Lou Scheimer	Kowl, Mantenna, Leech, Horde Troopers, Horde Prime, Spirit/Swift Wind, Light Hope, Broom, Grizzlor, Modulok, Multi-Bot, Orko
Erika Scheimer	Queen Angella, Flutterina, Frosta, Imp, Starla, Peekablue, Perfuma, Loo-Kee[11]
Linda Gary	Glimmer, Shadow Weaver, Madame Razz, Scorpia, Entrapta, Sweet-Bee, Tallstar, Teela, The Sorceress
Diane Pershing	Netossa, Spinnerella
John Erwin	Prince Adam/He-Man, Beast Man, Granamyr
Townsend Coleman	Scott Howard

Syndication

Reruns 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 TV began airing reruns.[12] Reruns have also aired on Me-TV, as well as Teletoon Retro in Canada.

Toys

The female She-Ra characters were released in the 1980s as part of the Princess of Power toy line, while The Evil Horde were incorporated into Masters of the Universe. In the 2000s, an exclusive She-Ra toy was released for the MOTU 200X line. The later Masters of the Universe Classics toy line features characters from the entire franchise, including new action figures from the She-Ra cartoon series.

Other media

In the DC Comics series Masters of the Universe, the title "Masters of the Universe #8" is a one-shot about She-Ra.[13]

Home releases

BCI Eclipse LLC (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment brand) (under license from Entertainment Rights) released all 93 episodes of She-Ra: Princess of Power in 3 volumes on DVD (Region 1) in 2006–2007.[14][15][16] Each episode on BCI Ink & Paint’s DVD releases of She-Ra, Princess of Power was 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 documentaries, character profiles, commentaries, DVD-ROM features, trivia, and photo galleries. In 2009, the releases were discontinued when BCI Eclipse ceased operations.[17]

On May 31, 2010, Classic Media announced 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.[18] On January 24, 2011, Classic Media released She-Ra: The Princess of Power - The Complete Series.[19]

On October 19, 2009, Universal Pictures UK (under license from Classic Media) released Season 1, Volume 1 in the UK, exclusively through retailer HMV.[20] In early 2010, other retailers, such as Amazon.co.uk, also began selling the series as a box set.

Madman Entertainment released 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 of She-Ra: Princess of Power on DVD in Region 1 on October 1, 2019. This release includes "He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword" and "He-Man & She-Ra: A Christmas Special".[21]

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

On December 12, 2017, DreamWorks Animation SKG and Netflix announced a new reboot series based on She-Ra was announced within DreamWorks Animation Television. The series is executive produced by award-winning author, Noelle Stevenson (creator of Nimona and Lumberjanes). On May 18, 2018, new voice actors and the official title were revealed, with Aimee Carrero voicing the title character.[22] It was released on November 13, 2018. Unlike the original Canon series this Reboot takes a twist into the LGBT making it a all LBGT characters and separate from its original version as part of the Masters of the Universe and She-Ra Princess of Power story arc and lasted for 5 seasons on NETFLIX.

See also

References

1. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 546–547. ISBN 978-1538103739.
2. Scheimer, Lou (2015). Creating the Filmation Generation (2nd ed.). TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 220. ISBN 978-1-60549-044-1.
3. J. Michael Straczynski [@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) – via Twitter.
4. Todd Douglass Jr. (July 3, 2006). "The Best of She-Ra - Princess of Power". DVD Talk. Retrieved 5 January 2016. (review)
5. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 734–735. ISBN 978-1476665993.
6. "Breathless Broom!". James Eatock Presents: The He-Man and She-Ra Blog!. 26 June 2006. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
7. "Netossa". Retrieved 6 December 2013.
8. James Eatock. "Look! New Toys!". He-Man.org. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
9. "The Best of She-Ra: Princess of Power Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
10. "She-Ra's Second Due in Sept". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
11. "Erika scheimer and the legacy of she-ra". Gay.net. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-23.
12. "RTV Bringing Back Retro Saturday Morning TV". TVNewsCheck. August 5, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
13. "Masters of the Universe #8". DC Entertainment. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2016.
14. "She-Ra: Princess of Power - Pretty In Pink: Your First Look At Box Art For She-Ra - Season 1, Volume 1". Archived from the original on 2015-09-25.
15. "She-Ra: Princess of Power - Season 1, Volume 2 Press Release". Archived from the original on 2010-08-17.
16. "She-Ra: Princess of Power - Press Release For She-Ra: Princess of Power - Season 2". Archived from the original on 2010-08-17.
17. "Site News - PRESS RELEASE: Navarre Shuts Down BCI, Makers of He-Man, Day Break, Price is Right and other DVDs". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
18. "She-Ra: Princess of Power DVD news: Fabulous Secrets Are Revealed: DVD Re-releases Coming from Classic Media". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
19. "She-Ra: Princess of Power DVD news: Delay for She-Ra: Princess of Power - The Complete Series". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
20. "She Ra: 6dvd (2009): DVD". hmv.com. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
21. https://www.amazon.com/She-Ra-Princess-Power-Complete-Original/dp/B07W396F7P/ref=pd_sbs_74_1/139-0656697-7807013?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07W396F7P&pd_rd_r=ac9ae730-9491-45e9-a786-b571735f2581&pd_rd_w=7eix4&pd_rd_wg=jJ8qa&pf_rd_p=5873ae95-9063-4a23-9b7e-eafa738c2269&pf_rd_r=TS6RHXNCNYQV7RY5RGEH&psc=1&refRID=TS6RHXNCNYQV7RY5RGEH
22. Alex Gilyadov. "First Look at Netflix's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power". IGN. Retrieved May 19, 2018.

External links

• She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985-1986) at IMDb
• She-Ra: Princess of Power at TV.com
• She-Ra: Princess of Power at YouTube
• She-Ra: PrincessofPower.co.uk for News and Info
• She-Ra: Princess of Power at Hulu