The Owl House

This was created by Dana Terrace who was partly involved in Gravity Falls, which I loved, so I was expecting something just as memorable. This does have its charms, it is fun to watch and there are some likable characters. Their world is very interesting and has its secrets, as does the story that plays out in the background. From a slow start with some stand-alone episodes, we get to a pretty decent finale at the end of the first season. In the end, it is clear there is definitely something going on, and even the emotional mood is believable. The author wrote it in a way that the characters can change your impression of them even within a single episode, done in an easy and graceful style, and it all feels quite natural and believable... One other reviewer called MM_Ramone wrote about the show’s political correctness, multicultural diversity, and LGBT+ issues in a show aimed at children, with the irony that it is made by the big prudish Mickey Mouse who at one time would strictly reject such themes. The world has gone mad he believes... The questions are though: are these themes really so pervasive that it somehow spoils the show, and ruins the imaginative, cheerful and playful tone of the show? and are these themes explicitly shoved down my throat all the time? I don't think so! On the other hand it is also not like The Legend of Korra, where I was just staring at the screen at the end, thinking "where did that come from?" I even find the whole "Lumity ship" thing quite endearing, as actually I suppose I am just not that bothered about things like the ethnicity and sexuality, etc of characters, as long as it is not only about those things (which I would find boring). In my opinion, the romantic subplot is just a part of the show which feels normal, natural, and – given the age of the characters – awkward and cute. However, this show definitely does not revolve only around it. Even the episodes about school and the discovery of the various secrets of the magical island are interesting and fun in their own right. The relationships between Luz, Eda, and King (or Luz and her friends) are strong and well-drawn and naturally evolve... The main storyline is also starting to come into its own from the second half of the season onwards, with lots of unanswered questions. I am quite looking forward to the second season. So to summarise: this show is imaginative, visually stunning, mysterious yet also cheerful with likable characters (King is my favorite), set in a magical world, and the more I saw of it, the more I enjoyed it...The first season gets 8/10.. (23/05/2021)

On the one hand, I am thrilled about everything in the second season. However, on the other hand, I am still a bit disappointed that this TV series did not get more running time by Disney, as it was already very frantic and sometimes a bit rushed. However, as was said in one of the last episodes of this series, "We don't have another twenty episodes..." so it all just needed to be rushed, and a lot of the ideas from the show’s creator were probably left out. However, does the overall impression suffer in any way? In my opinion, not so much. After all, there was always something going on, each new episode brought new revelations and secrets, and I enjoyed the story as it was devised for the audience (there were no dead spots). Even the brisk pace of the plot was well managed. Everything seemed logical, the atmosphere was good, the magical world kept its wonderful charm, the characters could develop and progress naturally, and everything made sense. Likewise, the development of the relationships between the characters managed to feel believable and heartfelt. Nothing felt cut short. The only thing I am maybe a little disappointed in is the fact that the Collector did not get more screen time, so I now feel like I know next to nothing about him (perhaps it is my fault, and I have been watching it in the wrong way) so I have no idea how much (or why) I should be afraid of him. In truth, the whole conclusion suffers a bit from this, and I did not find it as thrilling and spectacular as, say, the second half of the third season of Amphibia, which ran concurrently with this TV series. However, it still had energy, and so I am still curious and excited for that final third season, even if it is only supposed to be three forty-minute episodes. Plus, because there was no stretch where it was kind of a drag for me, and also as a tribute to the screenwriters for how well they were able to tell the whole story up to this point and keep my interest in how it all ends, I am going to award the show five stars. 8.8/10 (31/05/2022)

In spite of Disney, the creators managed to make the most out of very little. The finale in particular was incredibly powerful, so even the "last season" is worth five stars. 8.5/10 (09/04/2023)