… or, at least, Rulers Reach animated?
I do not recall how I stumbled upon The Owl House, but I do remember when. It was during a period where I had lack of assurance regarding my future prospects. Emotionally, I was not in the greatest headspace either. It was a time where I had to say goodbye to many things, even if I did not want to.
I needed something to make me feel at home, to feel safe, because I had already used up the comfort of my other medias. Somehow, The Owl House fell onto my radar. The premise of this animated television show sounded like the type of books I would read, so why not give it a shot? And when I picked up The Owl House, first episode in, I knew I had found treasure. This was my type of story, my type of show.
The first season of this fantasy-horror program focuses on introducing us to the Boiling Isles and its colorful inhabitants. We follow Luz Noceda’s impulsivity as she ventures into the Demon Realm unbeknownst to her mother, who believed that she had gone to a summer camp recommended by the school, to ‘fix’ her daughter’s ‘quirkiness’.
After Luz’s running into Eda the Owl Lady and her demon pal, King, shenanigans ensue throughout the season showcasing the growth of their bonds, and the struggles they face with their inner beasts – intended.
Everything stays happy-go-lucky and somewhat light-hearted, until the time of the narrative driven in the second season. What was supposed to be a silly Disney show about witchcraft and demon study, turned the brightest smiles into the saddest of frowns. Everything was heavier. Everything held higher stakes, far higher than I could have anticipated.
Dana Terrace managed to write this season with banger after banger episodes, that slowly built up on the impending doom the season had ended with. I recall waiting every week for The Owl House, and feeling a pit in my stomach each time to process what I was watching, because I simply could not fathom that a series that felt so sweet, could be so bitter. I would take to my socials and look for any discussions I could find and felt somewhat better that everyone was in the same mental turmoil as I was.
Most of the pain I felt was through Hunter, the Golden Guard. I had loved every single character from the start of the series, but with the latest instalment to the cast, that was Hunter, a lot was affected since – story wise, and my heart. I absolutely adored him. To think he was such an obnoxious jerk before he was unmasked feels like eons ago.
Every time there was an episode centered on his character arc, my body ached. I felt so unbelievably bad for this precious kid that I straight-up wanted to adopt him, he genuinely did not deserve anything that Belos offered. Tsk, slime-ball – intended, again.
But my strong emotions, to nurture and to protect, also goes out to each and every other character, because everyone was just so well-rounded and beloved – I believe every other fan of The Owl House shares this sentiment. Fans also shared another feeling; disappointment, when it was revealed that Disney decided to pull the plug on the title and asked that Dana wrap it up as soon as possible.
It was obvious into the first six minutes of the third season that the original plan was to have this be a fully released one, with the usual twenty-minute episodes, as a montage was played highlighting key-character moments, deserving of their own segments. With the limited allowance of run-time the writers and producers had, however, they did their best, and it was a definite win for the team and fans.
Disney was truly incapable of understanding what they had on their hands. The major pay-off that was the third season of The Owl House claimed massive success with criticism towards Disney’s actions in stopping what was actually taking them towards a great direction. A lot of fingers have been pointed at Disney’s alleged homophobia being the reason of the abrupt decision to put the show to an end. Thankfully, due to Dana Terrace’s ingenious mind, she led the project to a graceful conclusion.
Nevertheless, there are still many things left unanswered, and we know for a fact that this was done on purpose. The Collector’s past was briefly touched on in the show and how he was tricked by The Archivists that later led him to be trapped by the Titan. But who were The Archivists? And then, Phillip Wittebane’s, rather, Belos’ past was only hinted at, or mentioned, every now and then, yet we never actually get to see what really happened to Caleb or Evelyn.
Fans took to creating their own animations of their interpretations, based on the knowledge acquired throughout discussions and shows, to animate what could have possibly happened between the Wittebane brothers several hundred years ago. They did fantastic jobs and stayed faithful to the source material, still, it would be nice to get confirmations from the creators’ end.
But what has the most potential to kickstart a sequel to The Owl House is where will Luz Noceda’s journey take her next? In the finale, there is debate on who will take charge of the Boiling Isles, The Collector is free, and the Titan’s powers are no more with King being next in line to godhood.
What is most striking is the fact that, with the Titan’s hold on the demon realm being gone, Luz has to learn new glyphs stemming from King’s growing powers. Due to the time jump, she has now grown to be an adult opting for higher studies in magic.
The hope is that, should a sequel take place, her issues should also be more mature as the audience grows with her. Translation from adolescence to adulthood being difficult is an understatement, and college does not make it any less difficult.
Dana Terrace, we want a sequel. Anything you can cough up, we want it. There is so much left to do with The Owl House and any form of media it can take place in would be welcome. It has been more than a year since the finale dropped, and the emotions still run high with every rewatch. I had recommended this amazing saga to my closest friends, and all of them shed tears of lament and joy upon experiencing it.
I also believe that if Disney were to look at the numbers The Owl House cultivated, they could redeem themselves from the alleged homophobia narrative, to an extent, and renew a contract for more content. Normally, I would pick at a show if it felt dragged on, however, the same cannot be said for this case.
The Owl House deserves more and I will wait to no end if it means there is an inkling of a chance that something can be done. A show like this is what I would consider a little-known wonder, and I, most definitely, will not take it for granted.
