Us weirdos have to stick together!

This show is a weird one, but that’s part of its charm. Dana Terrace is the main creator, but as always with an animated show, there are a lot more creatives involved. There’s significant overlap in the art department with Steven Universe, as well as (presumably) some holdovers from Terrace’s work on Gravity Falls.

I haven’t really gotten into any Disney cartoons in the past, mainly because from what I’ve seen, they’re thematically simple. I enjoyed the Tangled series mainly for the Alan Menken songs (it accomplished very little thematically, not much more than the original film), and Gravity Falls was fine, but again, didn’t have much to say. I admit I haven’t gotten into Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and from what I heard that actually gets into racism and systemic oppression eventually…but I just don’t jive with the manic energy of the protagonist, which makes it hard to enjoy.

As I’ve not had cable for some time now, I first encountered The Owl House in AMVs (which is, frankly, how I encounter most Western cartoons). I watched the first season and found it enjoyable, but mostly for ribbing Harry Potter. It wasn’t until the second season came around that it really hit its stride.

Luz is a weird kid, and even in a strange new world, she has to work to make a place for herself. But it’s all more or less par for the course of growing up: Making friends, falling in love, rebelling against a system that’s driving the world toward destruction…you know, the little things!

I partly chose this show because of its thematic depth, but also for its weird coziness. It’s strange to think that a household composed of a hippie witch, her pet tyrant, and an owl-worm-thing could be homey, but I think it has to do with the ugliness (both literal and metaphorical) in other aspects of the show. It really makes the occasional beauty stand out.

If you want to watch along, the first two seasons are on Disney+ (season 3 is going to stream first on YouTube), or you can also purchase it digitally on your platform of choice.

On to a new adventure…