The Owl House is a Disney Channel series that began on January 10th, 2020. It was created by Dana Terrace. The show follows the protagonist, Luz Noceda, a young Afro-Latina who has found herself in the demon realm, a land of witches, magic, and, of course, demons. She becomes the apprentice to a powerful witch and aspires to become one herself, despite the fact she possesses no magical abilities. A fairly standard plot but what makes it stand out amongst other animated series is its remarkable expression of diversity.
As mentioned, Luz is Afro-Latina, specifically Dominican-American. This is an incredibly underrepresented group in fiction, especially in fantasy and sci-fi settings. Luz is also a strong female figure and a perfect role model for children. She faces hardships earnestly, is unapologetically herself, and never gives up when she sets her mind to something. Luz is taught by Edalyn Clawthrone, the so-called Owl Lady, and the strongest witch on the Boiling Isles. Eda is a bit of an unconventional role model, considering she is well established as a criminal in the pilot episode, but the audience comes to learn that this is only because she refuses to bend to the realm's oppressive rules about magic. Eda is a strong-willed woman, who refuses to apologize or change herself for the comfort of others. She teaches Luz lots of important lessons, such as forging your own path, being yourself, and looking out for the people you care about.
Willow Park is a plus-sized, Afro-Asian witch, and the first friend Luz makes at the magic school, Hexside, they both attend. When she is first introduced, Willow is a nervous, self-depreciative young girl, studying a magic track she has no interest in. She excels in plant magic but is forced by her fathers to study abominations magic because it has better opportunities. Through an incident where she has to use her plant magic to protect her new friend, showing the school, and her principal, her aptitude. She is able to join the plant track, and over the course of the series, we see her become a confident, strong person. She dedicates herself to working out and playing Flyer Derby, a fictitious sport that she even founded a club for.
Of course, every high school, even the magic kind, has a mean girl. This is where Amity Blight comes in. Amity is a very powerful witch and the top student at Hexside. She proudly displays this fact with a gold star she wears on her uniform. This attitude is because of her overbearing mother. She stands up to her mother and is able to become a better, happier person.
Luz and Amity become friends, and slowly, something closer. The two begin dating, and in a heartwarming moment, they kiss. This is only the second same-gender kiss Disney has ever featured in one of its cartoons, but the first that was not of two background characters.
Besides having a bisexual main character, and a sapphic couple in the show, The Owl House has other LGBTQ+ representation, in the form of Raine Whispers. Raine is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. This is monumental for a cartoon, even for TV in general. Dana does not avoid using their pronouns for sake of not confusing or upsetting audiences, either. They are allowed to be unapologetically, authentically non-binary.
All these characters represent the groups that Intersectional Feminism should strive to represent and protect. People of Color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and all marginalized groups. If you want to introduce your child to intersectionality through something they can understand and relate to, The Owl House is a perfect choice.
Our writer for this post is Nataly Boozel. She is a rising Freshman at the University at Buffalo, where she will major in English. She hopes to pursue writing as a career. Her hobbies are writing, art, playing music, herpetoculture, and indulging in escapist fiction.