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Under the direction of Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, “Lesbian Space Princess” has unfortunately remained largely unnoticed by audiences and critics alike. This Australian animated queer sci-fi comedy has seen limited theatrical play and missed out on an Academy Awards submission. Despite its low profile, it stands out as one of the year’s most entertaining films. If you have access to Hoopla through your local library, you can stream it at no cost.
Fandor
The film kicks off with a catchy tune that introduces our main character, Saira, voiced by Shabana Azeez. She’s described as “a lesbian… in space… and she’s also a princess! Oh, and she’s very sad.” Her sadness stems from a recent breakup with bounty hunter Kiki, played by Bernie Van Tiel, neglect from her narcissistic Queen mothers, portrayed by Madeleine Sami and Jordan Raskopoulos, and her own anxiety-driven inability to wield her magical labrys. However, when Kiki is captured by a group of Straight White Maliens, Saira embarks on a daring quest to save her former partner.
Combining the whimsical charm of “Steven Universe” with the irreverent humor of “Rick and Morty,” “Lesbian Space Princess” is tailor-made for those who spent their formative years on early 2010s queer Tumblr. If you appreciate the character name Willow, a nod to the Manic Pixie Dream Enby trope, or chuckle at the name of Saira’s spacecraft, the “Problematic Ship,” voiced by Richard Roxburgh, then this film is for you. The narrative, while somewhat predictable, is compelling, using vibrant animation and clever visual humor to explore Saira’s mental health journey.
Despite its critical acclaim, “Lesbian Space Princess” was surprisingly left out of Looper’s roundup of the best animated films of 2025. However, it has enjoyed some award success, clinching the 2025 Berlin Film Festival Teddy Award for LGBTQ+ cinema and earning seven nominations, including Best Film, at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. An Oscar nod would have been significant, especially in a year when Pixar’s “Elio” faced criticism for editing out LGBTQ+ themes.
Nevertheless, when the list of 35 eligible films for the Best Animated Feature Oscar was announced, “Lesbian Space Princess” was notably missing, even though its one-week run at New York’s Cinema Village should have made it eligible in all categories except Best Picture. This absence raises questions about the purpose of its theatrical release if it wasn’t intended to vie for Oscar contention.
Despite qualifying, Lesbian Space Princess was never submitted to the Oscars
Fandor
Critics almost universally praised “Lesbian Space Princess,” making it all the more shocking that it was overlooked on Looper’s best animated movies of 2025 list. The film’s had some awards success as well, including the 2025 Berlin Film Festival Teddy Award for LGBTQ+ cinema and picking up seven nominations including best film at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards. An Oscar nomination could have made a statement in a year where one of the big animated contenders, Pixar’s “Elio,” had LGBTQ+ themes censored out of the final film.
Yet when the 35 eligible entries for the best animated feature Oscar were revealed, “Lesbian Space Princess” was absent, despite playing for a week at New York’s Cinema Village, which should qualify it in all categories outside of best picture. Why even go through the effort of any theatrical release if it wasn’t for Oscar qualifications?
While we don’t know the specific reason, we do know that it isn’t the only 2025 movie distributed by Cineverse’s Fandor brand to flunk an Oscar submission. “A Useful Ghost,” another fantastical queer comedy well worth watching, was announced as Thailand’s official submission for best international feature, but didn’t make the longlist due to mishandling of submission documents. If Fandor messed up their Oscar paperwork once last year, it wouldn’t shock us if they messed it up twice.