Star Comes to Earth

"Star Comes to Earth" is the first episode of the animated television series Star vs. the Forces of Evil. The episode was directed and written by Mike Mullen, with the story by Dave Wasson, Jordana Arkin, and series creator Daron Nefcy. The episode premiered as a preview on Disney Channel on January 18, 2015, and later premiered with the launching of the series on Disney XD on March 30, 2015. In "Star Comes to Earth" a princess from another dimension, named Star Butterfly (voiced by Eden Sher), is turning fourteen years old, which, by tradition, means her family's magic wand will be passed down to her. However, after she fails to properly use it, her parents deem her to not be ready for the responsibility yet, and send her to Earth for training. The episode was well received by critics and fans, prompting the second season of the series to be ordered ahead of its premiere.

"Star Comes to Earth"
Star vs. the Forces of Evil episode
Star, having just received her magic wand, stands nervously in front of the kingdom of Mewni, which she has just set on fire.
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byMike Mullen
Written byMike Mullen
Story byDaron Nefcy
Dave Wasson
Jordana Arkin
Production code101[lower-alpha 1]
474S-106[lower-alpha 2]
Original air dateJanuary 18, 2015 (Disney Channel)
March 30, 2015 (Disney XD)

Plot

The episode begins with Star Butterfly (Eden Sher) narrating. She explains who is she is: a princess from another dimension, who is often seen as being reckless due to her hobbies, such as fighting monsters. She also explains that today is her fourteenth birthday, which means she will inherit her family's magic wand. After doing so, however, she accidentally sets fire to her kingdom. After doing so, her parents decide that she "can't handle it" and send her off to Earth for training, where she will live with a local family and go to high-school.

After Star's parents bribe the principal of the high school to get her enrolled in the school, the principal assigns a student, Marco Diaz (Adam McArthur), to give Star a tour of the school. Marco complains to Star of how boring his life is, and how he wishes something exciting would happen, but after Star summons a monster and explains who she is to him, he runs away in fear. When he gets home, his parents reveal that they will be taking care of Star and having her live with them as a "foreign exchange student".

A monster, who has been spying on Star, reports her location to his boss, Ludo, whose goal is to steal Star's wand and take over the universe. After this, Star creates a castle tower out of the side of Marco's house. When Star attempts to make a similar one for Marco, she accidentally creates a black hole. After this, Marco resolves that if Star is moving in, he is moving out. After looking for Marco and finding him, she attempts to reconcile with him, but they are attacked by Ludo's army of monsters. The two fight them off together, and after defeating them, Marco, impressed by Star's fighting skills and teamwork, decides to let her live in his house.

Production and broadcasting

"Star Comes to Earth" was written, directed, and story-boarded by Mike Mullen, with story by Daron Nefcy, Dave Wasson, and Jordana Arkin. The first episode premiered on Disney Channel on January 18, 2015, serving as a special preview of the series.[4] It aired along with "Party With a Pony".[5] 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.[6][7] The Disney XD premiere was on March 30, 2015.

Reception

The episode's premiere on Disney Channel was seen by 2.33 million viewers.[5] 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.[8] The episode's premiere on Disney XD was seen by 1.139 million viewers.[9] Within the first three days, it had amassed 1.2 million viewers and became Disney XD's most-watched animated series debut in the network's 15-year history. It was also the second most watched premiere show on that network behind the live-action Lab Rats series.[10]

Kevin Johnson of The A.V. Club gave "Star Comes to Earth" a B+ rating, praising its "snappy action and energetic performances", its subversion of "princess tropes", and Star's energetic and optimistic character, although criticizing how its plot is "built on relatively flimsy excuses to its set up". He compared it to Steven Universe and Wander Over Yonder, the latter of which show creator Daron Nercy previously worked on.[11] The show, as presented in "Star Comes to Earth", has also been compared to Invader Zim, Ren and Stimpy, and Sailor Moon.[12] The episode's humor has been criticized as well, being described as "trying too hard to be funny and weird",[13] but also praised for reaching a wide demographic.[12]

Notes
  1. Disney XD Press used a three-digit production code scheme to number their episodes. "Party with a Pony" also shares this production code.[1][2]
  2. The production code for the segment as submitted to the U.S. Copyright office[3]

References
  1. "Star vs. the Forces of Evil". Disney ABC Press. June 2, 2016. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  2. "Shows A–Z – Star vs. the Forces of Evil on Disney". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. "Public Catalog". Archived from the original on March 18, 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  4. "First Look: Disney Sets Preview of Animated Comedy Adventure Star vs. The Forces of Evil". tvguide.com. December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  5. Metcalf, Mitch (January 21, 2015). "Top 25 Sunday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 1.18.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
  6. "Behind the Scenes with Olivia Holt - Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Disney Video". Disney Video. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  7. "Puppies - Star vs. the Forces of Evil - Disney Video". Disney Video. Archived from the original on March 16, 2015. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  8. The Deadline Team. "Disney XD Orders Season 2 Of 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil' Ahead Of Its Launch - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  9. "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 25 Monday Cable Originals (& Network Update): 3.30.2015 | Showbuzz Daily". www.showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  10. Kissell, Rick (April 6, 2015). "Disney XD Sets Animated Ratings High with Premiere of 'Star vs. the Forces of Evil'". variety.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  11. Johnson, Kevin (January 18, 2015). "Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil: "Star Comes To Earth/Party With A Pony"". TV Club. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  12. Cook, Mary (July 15, 2015). "You Should Give Star Vs The Forces of Evil a Try". www.themarysue.com. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
  13. Donovan, Caitlin (December 30, 2015). "Top 10 Animated Series of 2015". epicstream.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
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