The Owl House

the Owl House is an American animated fantasy television series created by Dana Terrace and produced by Disney Television Animation. It premiered on Disney Channel on January 10, 2020. In November 2019, the series was renewed for a second season prior to the series premiere.

## Premise

Luz Noceda is a teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to another world instead of going to Reality Check Camp, a juvenile detention summer camp. When on the Boiling Isles, which is made from the remains of a dead Titan, she befriends the rebellious witch Eda the Owl Lady and her adorable demon roommate named King. Despite not having magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda's apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting.

## Production

### Development

Dana Terrace first began conceiving early ideas for a series about a girl learning to be a witch in late 2016. While working on *DuckTales*, Terrace didn't feel "fulfilled artistically or emotionally", so she began to research influences and work from her college years, eventually rediscovering the works of artists such as Hieronymus Bosch and Remedios Varo, inspiring her to create a show for Disney that feature strong surreal visual elements.

In 2018, it was reported that Dana Terrace, previously a storyboard artist for *Gravity Falls* and later a director on the 2017 *DuckTales* reboot, was creating and executive-producing an animated series, titled *The Owl House*, for Disney Television Animation. The series was set originally for a 2019 release, but it was delayed for a 2020 release. Terrace is the fourth woman to create a series for Disney Television Animation, after *Pepper Ann* with Sue Rose, *Doc McStuffins* with Chris Nee, and *Star vs. the Forces of Evil* with Daron Nefcy.

Season 1 aired its 19th and final episode on August 29, 2020. On November 21, 2019, the show was renewed for a second season prior to the first season's debut.

#### Writing

Terrace said that the general lore for the series was inspired by art and story books by Hieronymus Bosch. According to Terrace, the hardest decision when creating the series was whether to implement potential lore elements in the series. Terrace also stated the lore of the series is "70 percent made up", with writers also drawing inspiration from books about witchcraft for spells and character names, in order to add depth to its lore. The *Pokémon* franchise served as a strong influence on the series.

Eda was the earliest character created for the show. Terrace said the character is inspired by "the women who raised me. My aunts, my Nana and my mom, they're all in the Owl Lady". The second character created was King, who was described by Terrace as "a little guy that wants to be big", something she related to. Luz was the final main character created, and was inspired by consultant and story artist Luz Batiste. Batiste agreed to let Terrace use her name for the series' main character on the condition that she be Dominican-American, which Terrace agreed to. The character's personality was inspired by "stories of each other about what dorks we were in high school", as well as partially from Terrace's own childhood. Alex Hirsch, Terrace's partner and creator of the TV series *Gravity Falls*, on which Terrace served as a storyboard artist and revisionist, serves as a creative consultant on the series.

Several of the series' themes are inspired by Terrace's childhood. The series features themes of uniqueness and comformity, which were inspired by Terrace's experience at school, where she was mocked for her habit of drawing roadkill, only to meet people with similarly different personalities when she went to a new school. The series also explores the idea of getting close to fulfilling a dream, yet being unable to completely fulfill it, inspired by how Terrace was told that she wouldn't be a cartoonist, only to "[find her] own path".

Hirsch said that while there was a concern with the Disney Channel over the series' horror elements, Terrace neverthless choose to feature horror elements, arguing that "Disney is the full spectrum of emotions, creatures and scary things". Terrace said that Disney "allowed me to do more than I thought they would". Terrace also said that the producers "[don't] want to pull [their] punches on the show" in its horror elements, as she "loved being a little scared" as a child, though she also wanted to balance them with comedy and heartfelt moments. She described the magic elements on the show as "a framing device for the grounded emotional stories" featured on the series.

### Animation

The show is animated by Rough Draft Korea, Sunmin Image Pictures, and Sugarcube Animation. Terrace said that the visual style was inspired by paintings by Remedios Varo, John Bauer and Hieronymus Bosch, as well as Russian architecture. By December 2019, the show had 120 people working on the show, including those in the animation studios, and 50 staffers on the pre-production crew.

Spencer Wan served as animation supervisor during season one. Disney initially refused for the series to have an in-house animator, feeling Wan may not meet their "overseas pipeline", but he was eventually hired. Kofi Fiagome will serve as animation supervisor for season two.

Ricky Cometa served as art director for the series. Cometa first became involved with the series when Terrace began working on the pilot, before the series was green-lighted by Disney, and was approached by Terrace, a fan and friend of Cometa's, because she "really wanted to work with someone who I vibed with, someone whose style I knew, that could execute the kind of weird junk I wanted to do", and Cometa agreed to work on the series due to being interested in the concept. Cometa said that he wanted to "[t]ry and show the dualities between the Demon Realm and the human realm, and with a little twist of demons and eyeballs and bones and whatnot". He also didn't wanted all demons on the show to have scary appearances, as they are supposed to represent normal people within the show.

Terrace said that Luz' design was "challenging", as she struggled to create a design for Luz that didn't make her look too old or that felt too much like a costume. Cometa eventually created a t-shirt for Luz to wear that is "low key, and like a nod to all our fellow nerds out there". Cometa said that it was "fun" to design demonic versions of common places. The animators also changed real-life elements to further distinct the Boiling Isles from Earth, such as making the ocean purple.

By March 2020, Disney Television Animation was closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the production crew to work on season 2 remotely from their homes.

### Music

On July 19, 2019, Terrace announced that T. J. Hill composed the series' score. In January 10, 2020, Hill said that the score features "interesting and experimental sounds that [he] had a ton of fun cooking up".

### Marketing

On June 10, 2019, the trailer premiered during the show's Annecy 2019 panel. It was uploaded to Disney Channel's YouTube channel a day later.

The show's main title sequence was released on July 19, 2019, during San Diego Comic-Con 2019.

The show released a sneak peek and an official end credit sequence on October 4, 2019, during a panel at New York Comic Con 2019.

## Broadcast

*The Owl House* had its first international debut in Canada on January 12, 2020, in Southeast Asia on March 20, 2020, and on April 13, 2020 in Latin America. It premiered in France on April 15, 2020, in South Korea on May 23, 2020, and in Japan on July 23, 2020. The show premiered in the UK & Ireland on August 10, 2020, in the Netherlands on August 24, 2020,  and in Spain on October 3, 2020.

The entire first season was added to Disney+ on October 30, 2020.. It Premired On Jetix/Toon Disney On September 25, 2020.

## Reception

### Critical reception

*The Owl House* has received a positive reception from critics. Emily Ashby of *Common Sense Media* rated the show 4 out of 5 stars and said putting different elements together made the series quirky and likable. It was also described as well written and animated, and speculated that "[the show] likely will be one you will want to watch alongside your older kids and tweens, giving you the opportunity to discuss these kinds of themes as they come up." *LaughingPlace.com*Template:'s critic praised the series for its unique visuals and voice acting, stating "The performances fit together beautifully as the diversity in their delivery showcases the characters’ unique roles in the Demon Realm." *Collider*Template:'s Dave Trumbore gave the series' first episode a 4-star rating, feeling that the episode "[has] got a dark, yet darkly comic edge to the whole thing." The conservative evangelical Christian religious television network, called the Christian Broadcasting Network attacked the show, declaring it was part of a "witch agenda to make witchcraft look positive," an assessment that a writer for *The Mary Sue* called "hyperbolic," and stated that a "rebellious Latina witch" is, to those like CBN, "probably the scariest thing," while stating that the show sounds like "a ton of fun." While Kevin Johnson of *The A.V. Club* was critical of the series, stating that they were not "buying the developments between Amity and Luz," and praised Eda's character, Ben Bertoli was more positive. He wrote that Terrace and those working on the job had done a great job creating a fantasy world, relatable characters, and predicted a "big animation fandom." Additionally, Nick Venable wrote that fans of *Gravity Falls* and *Steven Universe* would love the series because the "otherworld-ness of the Boiling Isle[s] immediately asserts itself" while the show makes "relationships feel genuine and tactile," following in the footsteps of those shows. At the same time, Colin Hickson of Comic Book Resources praised the series, while noting that the opening of the series would give "any Gravity Falls fans a major sense of deja vu."

### LGBTQ+ representation

Main article: Breaking barriers: The Owl House and queer animated characters

*The Owl House* has been praised for featuring several characters who are LGBTQ+. On July 7, 2020, series creator Dana Terrace implied this, when responding to a fan who posted a screenshot from the upcoming episode "Enchanting Grom Fright" on Twitter which showed one of the characters in the show, Amity Blight, putting her hands on the shoulders of Luz Noceda, the show's main protagonist, and looking into Luz's eyes. Claiming "there is no heterosexual explanation" for Amity's action, Terrace responded, "there really isn't". On August 8, 2020, the episode, written by Molly Ostertag, aired, and it featured a scene in which Luz and Amity dance together while casting spells to defeat "Grom," a demon that manifests as their deepest fears. The animation supervisor for the show, Spencer Wan, referred to their intimate dance as "the gay thing" and the first time he got to "do anything even remotely queer."

On September 2, 2020, during a Reddit AMA, Dana Terrace confirmed that Amity is intended to be a lesbian and that Luz is bisexual. The two girls represent Disney's first animated LGBT+ regular characters. Additionally, in the episode "Understanding Willow", one of the main characters (Willow Park) is shown to have two dads.

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Disney Channel Launching Toon Series 'Amphibia' & 'The Owl House', Renews 'Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil' For Season 4. *Deadline Hollywood* (February 23, 2018).
2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 ‘The Owl House’ Creator Dana Terrace & Art Director Ricky Cometa on Their Fantasy Tale
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 The Owl House Creators Talk Bringing Creepy Back to Disney With a Dash of Bosch
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 INTERVIEW: Creator Dana Terrace on Disney’s “The Owl House”
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 The Owl House's Creator, Art Director Explain How They Crafted the New Show
6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `DisneyABCPress`
7. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
8. ↑ The Owl House Season 1: Premiere Date and Cast (January 10, 2020).
9. ↑ Nordyke, Kimberly (November 21, 2019). Disney Channel's 'The Owl House' Gets Season 2 Order Ahead of Series Premiere (Exclusive).
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `tracybrown`
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Personal Story Behind Owl House's Magical New Disney Heroine (October 17, 2019).
12. ↑ Recently went to Seoul to visit The Owl House’s 3 animation studios: Sugarcube, Sunmin, and Rough Draft. We had an amazing time, met some amazing artists, and even though we’re still early in production (animation takes a looooong time) I was very excited by what I saw. I think this shows gonna be fun.. Instagram (January 30, 2019).
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cox, Chris (Jun 27, 2019). Infestation: Annecy Animation Festival 2019: The Owl House.
14. ↑ Zahed, Ramid (December 24, 2019). Disney Channel’s ‘The Owl House’: It’s a Hoot!.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Dana Terrace's Reddit AMA
16. ↑ [1]
17. ↑ Animation Production Is Still Going, Sometimes Slower, Amid Coronavirus Crisis
18. ↑ Dana Terrace's Reddit AMA
19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `ThemeSong`
20. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
21. ↑ Watch 'The Owl House' first-look trailer. *Los Angeles Times* (June 11, 2019).
22. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
23. ↑ The Owl House – Disney Channel. *Disney Channel* (January 13, 2020).
24. ↑ Template:Cite Youtube
25. ↑ Template:Cite Youtube
26. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
27. ↑ @DisneyChannelFR (April 6, 2020). "En avril, découvre ta nouvelle série #LuzàOsville, ne manque pas le dernier épisode de #Bia, retrouve #Raven et la nouvelle saison de #SidneyauMax ! Qu'as-tu hâte de regarder ? 😁" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
28. ↑ 편성표 < 디즈니채널.
29. ↑ 今月のおすすめ（7月分) | ディズニー・チャンネル | ディズニー.
30. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
31. ↑ Disney Channel TV Listings - TVGuide.co.uk.
32. ↑ Lkoui (August 14, 2020). *The Owl House - Dutch Premiere Promo. YouTube.*
33. ↑ Template:Cite news
34. ↑ Programación de Disney Channel del Sábado 03 de Octubre del 2020.
35. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
36. ↑ Taylor, Drew (2020-09-17). Here’s Everything Coming to Disney+ in October 2020 (en-US). Retrieved on September 19, 2020.
37. ↑ Ashby, Emily (January 10, 2020). The Owl House TV Review (en).
38. ↑ TV Review: "The Owl House" Brings the Demon Realm to Disney Channel (en) (January 9, 2020).
39. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (January 8, 2020). 'The Owl House' Review: Magic, Mythology & the Most Intriguing Lore Since 'Gravity Falls' (en).
40. ↑ Princess Weekes (January 10, 2020). LOL: Christian Broadcasting Network Is Afraid of Disney Witch Cartoon The Owl House (en).
41. ↑ The Owl House still doesn’t have a handle on its central trio (en) (July 11, 2020).
42. ↑ The Owl House Is Off To An Enchanting Start (en) (February 8, 2020).
43. ↑ The Owl House: Why Gravity Falls And Steven Universe Fans Will Love Disney's New Series (en) (January 9, 2020).
44. ↑ The Owl House's Opening Credits Will Give You Nostalgia For Gravity Falls (en) (July 19, 2019).
45. ↑ The Owl House: Disney Animated Series' LGBTQ+ Relationship is No Longer Subtext (August 9, 2020). Retrieved on August 10, 2020. “Luz and Amity began as rivals, but *The Owl House* has slowly built up a friendship between the two girls. Once Luz learned that they share many of the same interests, she has tried to befriend Amity. Since then, their relationship has continued to grow, with more clues being dropped that feelings could be brewing. While fans are aware of Amity's feelings for Luz, they will have to wait and see if and when Luz makes her feelings known as well.”
46. ↑ The five TV shows you should be watching this week - "The Owl House" (Disney Channel) (August 10, 2020). Retrieved on August 12, 2020. “For me, “The Owl House” has found its stride as Luz has started exploring magic school and meeting other teen witches. The latest episode was prom-themed and featured a memorable dance/fight sequence; its revelation that one of the show’s main characters is bisexual was a bonus, and a significant milestone for LGBTQ representation on a Disney show.”
47. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
48. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
49. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
50. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
51. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
52. ↑ Terrace, Dana (September 2, 2020). Amity is intended to be a lesbian and Luz is bi. I apologize for my original post which was worded vaguely. Romantic threads are fun and I love how many people are connecting to that storyline but my personal taste as a storyteller will never allow me to write a full on romance saga. THAT BEING SAID... Me and the crew are having a crap ton of fun developing this thread in season 2. All the ins and outs of these storylines we're keeping track of... Feels like we're knitting. (en-US). *Reddit*.
53. ↑ Variety (August 17, 2020). 'The Owl House' makes history with Disney's first bisexual lead character. Retrieved on August 17, 2020.
54. ↑ Template:Cite tweet Mitchell is a story artist for the show.