BY: DM
Published 11 hours ago
When “The Owl House” premiered in 2020, fans expected another quirky fantasy cartoon. What they got instead was queerness wrapped in a magical coming-of-age story. The show follows Luz Noceda, a Dominican-American teen who stumbles into a magical world called the Boiling Isles. Luz isn’t your average chosen-one lead. She’s awkward, obsessed with witchcraft, and proudly bisexual. Voiced by “Encanto’s” Sarah-Nicole Robles, Luz became the first bisexual lead character in a Disney animated series.
Here’s a look at how the animated series shows up for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Creator Dana Terrace fought for queer representation.
Luz’s love interest, Amity Blight, is a purple-haired witch prodigy with a soft heart under all that sass. Amity, voiced by Mae Whitman, goes through a major glow-up, from rival to ride-or-die girlfriend. When Luz and Amity finally shared a romantic kiss in Season 2, the internet exploded. It was the first same-sex kiss between lead characters in a Disney animated series.
Series creator Dana Terrace has been vocal about her vision to focus on queer kids from day one. Despite early pushback from some Disney executives, who she says initially forbade “any form of bi or gay relationship on the channel,” Terrace did not back down, per Variety. She not only confirmed that Amity is a lesbian and Luz is bisexual, but also ensured that other characters span the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
“In [development], I was very open about my intention to put queer kids in the main cast. I’m a horrible liar so sneaking it in would’ve been hard,” Terrace wrote. “When we were greenlit, I was told by certain Disney leadership that I could not represent any form of bi or gay relationship on the channel.”
“The Owl House” is filled with LGBTQIA+ characters.
Luz and Amity are not the only LGBTQIA+ characters in “The Owl House.” Raine Whispers, voiced by nonbinary actor Avi Roque, leads the Bard Coven and uses they/them pronouns. Lilith Clawthorne, Eda’s sister, identifies as aromantic-asexual, a truth she reveals in a heartfelt livestream for the Zebra Coalition. Willow Park and Hunter add to the show’s rich queer landscape as pansexual and bisexual characters fully developed beyond their labels. Even King’s off-screen father is genderqueer.
Although “The Owl House” built a loyal fanbase, Disney essentially canceled the show after just three seasons. The network never gave an explicit reason for the cancellation, but Terrace explained that Disney didn’t believe the series aligned with its brand.
“At the end of the day, there are a few business people who oversee what fits into the Disney brand, and one day one of those guys decided TOH didn’t fit that ‘brand,’” Terrace wrote on Reddit. “The story is serialized (barely compared to any average anime, lmao), and our audience skews older, and that just didn’t fit this one guy’s tastes. That’s it! Ain’t that wild?”
Terrance has not yet revealed if the series will return on another streaming service, but fans are undoubtedly hopeful.
Do you think Disney will ever greenlight another show as bold and queer as The Owl House? Comment below!
