‘She-Ra’ remake a worthy one

The honour of Grayskull is intact in Netflix’s re-imagining of She-Ra.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, which begins streaming tomorrow, is another remastered 1980s animated hit from Netflix and DreamWorks.

At first glance, this show seems designed to bring in a younger, Snapchattier audience than their other ‘80s redo, Voltron: Legendary Defender.

But this new version of She-Ra is not so different from its predecessor that it will be unrecognisable to long-time fans.

Stevenson and her creative team have kept plenty from the original show, from the evil Hordak and his Horde army to the classic She-Ra antagonist, Catra. There are unicorns and, most importantly, there is still Adora, the protagonist whose life is turned upside down when she comes across a magic sword that, when raised, turns her into She-Ra, a super-powered force against evil.

Adding to the She-Ra lore are the other Princesses of Power. There are many, each with special powers and varying personalities, coming in all sizes, ages and colours. They are scattered across this universe, after once being unified. That division gives Hordak and his army room to take over all of existence. It is up to Adora, and her new BFFs Bow and Glimmer to find a way to unify them once more, as they hope to build an alliance against an evil not even She-Ra is powerful enough to take on alone.

At the heart of the new series is the sisterly bond-turned-feud between Adora and Catra. Both grew up as children raised by the Horde, and we’re given glimpses of the things that brought them so close together.

We also learn why Catra began to distance herself from Adora before Adora defected and became She-Ra.

Their relationship manages to be heartfelt despite the inevitability of the two becoming enemies. Catra’s determination to be the best are just as potent as the power of Adora’s sword