WFG RATING: A-

Cineverse, The South Australian Film Commission, and Screen Australia presents a We Made a Thing Studios production. Written and directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese. Produced by Tony Phillips. Edited by Ben Fernandez.

Starring the voices of Shabana Azeez, Gemma Trua-Chan, Bernie Van Tiel, Reuben Kaye, Kween Kong, Madeleine Sami, Jordan Raskopoulos, Broden Kelly, Mark Samuel Bonnano, and Zachary Ruane. 

It’s a jungle out in space in this hilarious and fun adult animated film about the titular character not only embarking on a quest but to find herself in the process.

Princess Saira of the planet Clitopolis has been dumped by her girlfriend of two weeks, Kiki. The reason is simple. Kiki is an adventurer who loves danger but Saira is boring and extremely quiet. To make matters worse, Kiki feels smothered. While Saira is grieving over the loss of her partner, Kiki is kidnapped by a trio of Straight White Maliens who have gotten a major chick magnet from Sweden with one little problem.

The magnet can only be powered by the Royal Labrys. Saira doesn’t have the object but she has 24 hours to retrieve it and bring it to the Straight White Maliens before Kiki is set to die. She accidentally embarks on a ship and along the way, she meets Willow, a former rock star. Together, the two go on a quest to find the Labrys and save Kiki. But to do so, Saira must find the self-confidence needed to succeed. 

This animated film is amazingly wild in a South Park, Family Guy, and Futurama kind of way. Writers and directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese churn out a wonderful story about self-confidence and what one must do to become the heroine she is destined to be. Oh, and of course, she finds something more in the process. Something unexpected that tends to be a trope, as well as having some of the funniest villains this side of space. 

While the central character is the titular “lesbian space princess” Saira, voiced by Shabana Azeez, there are some fun supporting characters. Especially the former rock star Willow (voiced by Gemma Chua-Tran), the ship (voiced by veteran actor Richard Roxburgh) and as mentioned, the Straight White Maliens. The SWMs are the most hysterical animated villains seen in a long time. Especially in one hilarious scene, the leader demands Kiki falling in a vat of toxic homebrew but end up putting a thespian in the vat, which leads to them having an argument differentiating a lesbian and thespian. 

What tends to be ridiculous at times shows the reality of why people choose certain people and yes, it’s a superficial reason. Choosing a partner just because they’re hot is so overrated but it still happens. When Willow asks Saira why she cares only about Kiki even after being with her two weeks, that’s Saira’s excuse. However, it is within the last fifteen minutes that Saira finally discovers there’s more to herself than she thinks she’s worth. 

The film will be released in select theaters on October 31 then on Digital on November 18.