AN OUT OF THIS WORLD
ADVENTURE IN THE CARTOONIVERSE

Some time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (one that’s pointedly pronounced GAY-laxy in this case), there lived a lesbian princess prone to crying floods of tears and full of fears. It didn’t help her low self-esteem that her girlfriend, Kiki, suddenly broke up with her, callously calling out “Goodbye forever” and walking out. What an unexpected, hurtful shock it was after all the time they spent together, in their special relationship, day after day after day (for a whole two weeks!). But when Kiki’s life was captured on another planet by aliens of the other gender (punnily called “maliens”), nervous Princess Saida had to screw her courage to the sticking place and fly in the face of danger (in a space ship, of course). So goes the plot of the irreverent animated feature Lesbian Space Princess with the title role voiced appropriately apprehensively and tremulously by Shabana Azeez.

The plucky film’s humor can be silly, sassy, spotty, snarky, spot-on satirical, loopy, lame, loco, or LOL. To be fair, there’s a fair amount that’s fairly inventive in the varied visuals and more pleasing plot twists. Males with chauvinistic/misogynistic attitudes are amusingly mocked. The search-and-rescue mission through outer space, to find the right planet and a needed weapon, in a voice-equipped vehicle that delivers insulting remarks is no short trek. And 87 minutes can feel like a long time, too, when the nutty novelty wears a little thin and similarly-toned sobbing or snarky scenes with a similar kind of energy start to feel like diminishing returns. And so much potty-mouthed dialogue spouted by so many of the characters soon loses any punch. A second potential girlfriend for Saida, a quirky singer-songwriter named Willow (voiced by Gemma Chua-Tran) adds some welcome respite/variety via vocalizing briefly.

Oh, there are delicious details, some of which fly by almost as quickly as the space ship when it’s zooming: a character waiting at a bus stop sign with a numbered route on what looks like an asteroid; a breaking news bulletin in giant letters announcing that Saida has been elected as the “Most Boring Royal”; parents who casually say they’re rushing off to an orgy; the chick magnet that is literally a giant magnet with hens attached; cameos by a skeleton whose finger bone points to a recommended path; disembodied male genitals working a machine; and William Shakespeare as characters mix up the words “lesbian” and “thespian.”

Hailing from Australia, Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs share credit for writing and directing, the latter also serving as production designer and lead animator. They are also partners in their personal life. During a Q&A, they are open and somewhat articulate, despite their answers being full of pauses and the ubiquitousness of the filler word “like” and quite a bit of giggling (perhaps not surprising when chatting about the kind of humor that tickles them). But they also state their more serious objectives about making a film that allows minorities to be “seen” and advocates proudly positive identities and becoming empowered, something that happens to their heroine along the way.

Lesbian Space Princess
Peccadillo Pictures
87 minutes
in UK & Irish Cinemas from 22nd May, 2026
cinema listings here