By Arlene Sanchez
Disney’s “The Owl House’’ is rated for kids ages seven and up. While this would categorize it as a children’s show, it is so much more complex than that. What makes “The Owl House” stand out from the crowd on Disney+ is its amazing representation of both racial and LGBTQ+ themes. The show deals with concepts that are both deeper and more mature than one would expect for a children’s show, but the creators keep it kid-friendly.
In the beta concept of the show, where some early development sketches were shown for a charity stream, the characters were more mature, and the tone fit more of the horror genre. Once created for Disney, however, these were toned down to keep the youthful nature of the show.
“The Owl House” takes place in the demon realm where there are both witches and demons. Everyone is either a demon or a witch until a human named Luz (Sarah Nichole-Nobles) finds a portal to the realm and partners with a witch named Eda (Wendie Malic) to become one herself. During her time in the Demon Realm, she learns about its history and discovers a plot created by Emperor Belos (Matthew Rhys). She also forms a romance with a witch named Amity (Mae Whitman). Together with other mythical creatures, Hunter (Zeno Robinson), Willow (Tati Gabrielle), and Gus (Issac Ryan Brown), Luz and her friends attempt to prevent evil plots.
In the first installment of season three, Luz and the gang are attempting to return to the Demon Realm to fight both the Collector and Emperor Belos, a merciless witch hunter. Through their adventures, they deal with relationships and death.
Throughout all three seasons, creator Dana Terrace has very clearly made it a point to include LGBTQ+ storylines. What makes this show so amazing is that she makes them part of the main story, rather than just for the sidekicks.
What sets “The Owl House” apart is that major characters are openly queer and are shown to be attracted to characters of the same gender. There are no children’s shows like this on Disney+, or on most streaming services for that matter.
While Luz fantasizes about dating the male heroes in her books, she starts dating a girl in season two. Luz and Amity’s crushes on each other were hinted at in season one but became official in the second season.
In the episode titled “Knock, knock, knock’ on Hooty’s door,” Luz and Amity when officially became a couple, we see Luz and Amity reunite, hug each other, and then Amity leans in for the kiss. Luz and Amity’s relationship in this series shows the pretty side of falling in love. And more importantly, it shows that falling in love is not just for same sex couples. It places queer love in an equal spotlight to heterosexual love. This is an important message for young audiences.
“Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up,” Mae Whitman, the voice of Amity, tweeted. “Queer representation is sososo important.”
This series pushes boundaries and shows that kids are mature enough to handle them.
The Plaid Press 