Delivered by Intellect to: Universiteit Utrecht (utrechtnld) IP: 131.211.104.188 On: Wed, 10 Jul 2024 07:19:54 QSMPC 9 (2) pp. 119–134 Intellect Limited 2024 Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture Volume 9 Number 2 www.intellectbooks.com 119 © 2024 Intellect Ltd Article. English language. https://doi.org/10.1386/qsmpc_00124_1 Received 25 May 2023; Accepted 30 August 2023; Published Online July 2024 KIMBERLY DENNIN University of California, Irvine REBECCA W. BLACK University of California, Irvine JONATHAN ALEXANDER University of California, Irvine Animating queer figured worlds: How young adult animation is cultivating queer spaces and narratives ABSTRACT This article explores how three contemporary animated television series for young people expand the concept of figured worlds to create queer figured worlds that challenge notions of both hetero- and homonormativity. Through a textual, thematic/detailed, qualitative content analysis of these shows, we demonstrate how the worldbuilding in these series goes beyond creating sites for queer resistance to heteronormativity by creating queer figured worlds. We examine three aspects of worldbuilding – characters, conflict and culture – and how they serve to resist stereotyping and normalization to present a diversity of queer experiences and provide a framework for queer people to imagine queer futures. Queer figured worlds can allow young people to imagine social roles and life possibilities that are not presented in traditional figured worlds. KEYWORDS heteronormativity Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts queer representation queer worldbuilding She-Ra and the Princesses of Power The Owl House young adult cartoons