June Bonus Review: The Owl House

Now, I like to think of every month as Pride month and I will proudly support the LGBT population at any time. I don’t extend that to certain people who are complete twats like Caitlyn Jenner, but those of you who are decent people are beautiful, fabulous and I love you. But this is technically Pride month so I thought I’d look at something related.

Imagine my surprise when I heard that Disney had released a very pro-LGBT cartoon with queer romance, non-binary characters and a lot of other good stuff. The same company that wouldn’t let Lexington have a boyfriend in the Gargoyles cartoon but hid his man away in the spin-off comics they never advertised? The same company that wouldn’t let Gravity Falls have the background LGBT content that Alex Hirsch wanted to include? I’m sceptical, but let’s have a look.

Story:

Luz Noceda is a strange girl. She’s interested in magic, flowery books and gets very invested in creative stuff. Her mum decides to send her to a camp where she can learn practical, real world skills. Which sounds boring but is probably still better than the Bible camp I used to get sent to. But before she can get sent away she follows a magical owl through a strange doorway and finds herself Isekai’d to a magical place called the Boiling Isles. Naturally, she decides to stay and learn magic so that she can be a witch. She meets some friends, gets to attend a school of magic and has all kinds of magical adventures with her mentor, Eda the Owl Lady and the adorable demon, King. But not all is eerily beautiful on the Isles, there’s a tyrannical Emperor named Belos who seems to be planning something huge.

The only issue I have with the writing is that the final season seems a bit rushed. Dana Terrace and the rest of the writing staff definitely would have benefited from more time to flesh things out. Unfortunately, Disney decided to pull the plug early in spite of the series being highly regarded and pretty popular. I’m sure the reason why has absolutely nothing to do with the LGBT content. And if you believe that, I have a line of Condominiums in Heaven and I’ll sell you one for only 100k Euros. Make the most of your afterlife.

With that being said, however. The writers do do a fantastic job of making maximum use of the limited time they do have in the final season. They get in some cute scenes and tie up all the important story elements in a satisfying way and they deliver an amazing ending in spite of their limited runtime. The series also excels at foreshadowing. There are so many examples of background objects and dialogue that seem like innocuous fluff but then they have a massive payoff within the plot. I get the distinct impression that every important plot point was somewhat fleshed out very early on and that allowed the writers to sneak in little hints at them. The world building is also phenomenal. The Boiling Isles are such a bizarre, otherworldly place but they’re also incredibly fleshed out and have a lot of strong details behind their history, the magic system and the social structure.

The writers also deserve a lot of credit for imbuing the series with some amazing humour. It’s very stylistically reminiscent to the gags in Gravity Falls but slightly better in terms of execution. And Gravity Falls was hilarious. Another big part of the series is this underlying theme that you can’t judge things based solely on appearances. There’s so much horrific looking imagery that turns out to be innocent and wholesome and there are so many scenarios that start out looking like one thing but shift into something completely different. Some of them you can kind of guess once you get used to the writing aesthetic but there are others that only really make sense in hindsight. A great example is with the stuff leading up to Yesterday’s Lie and the payoff thereof.

Characters:

The characterisation in this series is fantastic. It starts out a little bit slow. For the first six episodes it looks like it’s going to be a bit standard but then they start shifting the script, giving the characters more complexity and motivations to explain why they are the way they are. At that point we start seeing the true brilliance of the character writing. I also appreciate that our young heroes are allowed to have childish flaws and vulnerabilities but it’s superbly executed and under-stated. Whereas a lot of media would just make them annoying little shits, this one lets them express those aspects of childhood while also making them some of the most endearing characters out there.

The interactions are top notch. The blossoming romance with Luz and Amity is executed flawlessly. Luz’s friendships with Gus and Willow are great. The whole dynamic with Eda and her sister, Lilith is highly compelling. Eda and Luz end up with a really interesting familial dynamic. Hunter develops some really strong bonds with most of the major characters. King is a fantastic character with some really interesting relationships with the others. Especially Luz and Eda. Luz’s relationship with her mother is also perfectly handled. I actually love all the major characters and some of the minor ones like Tinella Nosa, Vee and Steve.

I have to also give the writers a lot of credit for the major antagonists. Specifically, Belos, Kikimora and Odalia. These characters aren’t likeable and don’t really have redeeming qualities. However, they are all bad in ways that are realistic. Belos is a zealot who is absolutely convinced that what he’s doing is heroic. Kikimora is a very sycophantic person who wants nothing more than Belos’ favour. Odalia is a savage businesswoman who just doesn’t give a shit about anyone but herself and her family.

Art:

The artwork in this is honestly breathtaking. It might not have the most complex/ detailed style but the environments, character designs and animation (especially during big scenes) are all so imaginative and perfectly executed that the series ends up just looking fantastic.

Sound:

The performances in this are really good. Sarah Nicole Robles, Mae Whitman, Alex Hirsch, Tati Gabrielle, Wendie Malick, Cissy Jones, Isaac Ryan Brown, Matthew Rhys and the rest of the cast all deliver excellent performances. They can deliver humorous lines perfectly and also execute more sombre, serious moments with ease. The music is flawless. Brad Breeck and TJ Hill absolutely killed it.

Ho-yay:

There’s more than I expected, even after hearing people talk about the series. We obviously have the big romance with Luz & Amity. Which is ceaselessly adorable and perfect in every way. There are also some hints of romance with Eda and the non-binary Raine. We also get some with Vee and the non-binary Masha. Willow has two dads and there are some hints that Amity’s dad may have had a thing with the male coven head Darius at some point. Amity’s sister also flirts with Luz a little bit, before Luz starts dating her sister. And we know Amity’s brother has a date with a non-binary person at some point but we don’t know anything about them.

Areas of Improvement:

1. The series should have been longer.
2. The series should have been longer.
3. Seriously, Disney, this needed a proper twenty six episode third season.

Final Thoughts:

This is legitimately among the best cartoons I’ve ever seen. The writing is clever, expertly executed and well thought out. The characters are top-tier with fantastic interpersonal dynamics. The art, animation and acting are all superb. I actually enjoyed this more than Gravity Falls. I’m giving it an enthusiastic 10/10. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it. Especially to fans of Gravity Falls (since the writing aesthetic and humour are pretty similar), fantasy fans and those of us who think the LGBT community deserves more representation.