Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Owl House
#10: The Inclusivity Doesn’t Stop at Lumity
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When “The Owl House” first premiered, all of us were super stoked that Disney Channel would finally feature a show with LGBTQ+ characters in its main cast and a same-sex relationship at the forefront. We probably should’ve expected it from Dana Terrace, but the representation goes beyond just this. Willow’s fathers, for example, were a pleasant surprise. Eda’s love interest, Raine Whispers, who’s non-binary is perhaps even more of a step in the right direction. Representation is clearly just as important offscreen as it is on, because the voice talents, more often than not, correspond with the nationality of their characters. Importantly, Raine’s voice actor, Avi Roque, is also non-binary. This is a show with intersectionality at its heart and we’re here for every second of it!
#9: Dana Terrace Also Voice Acts
It’s pretty well-known that Alex Hirsch voiced a large chunk of the major cast in “Gravity Falls”, and it seems Dana Terrace has taken up a few of his habits. Admittedly, it’s not uncommon for creators of cartoons to provide voices for minor or one-off characters, but Terrace actually has a self-insert caricature in her show, who goes by the name of Tinella Nosa, or Tiny Nose. In addition to voicing Tiny Nose, Terrace can be heard as ex-Coven Scout, Severine, and young King. While Hirsch’s vocal chops can reach impressively high levels, we imagine there are limits. For King’s squeak of rage, look no further than the series creator herself!
#8: The Secrets & Easter Eggs
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If you’re an avid watcher of Disney cartoons, there’s a good chance you’ve spotted a few Easter eggs scattered throughout the different shows. “The Owl House” is certainly no stranger to these hidden gems. Here are a few of our favorites: In the series’ intro, King’s sequence sees him standing amid a mountain of stuffies. Among them is the protagonist from the video game “Hollow Knight” and the snail from “Adventure Time”. A few “Amphibia” references can also be spotted in several episodes of the series and, of course, there are plenty of “Gravity Falls” Easter eggs to find, some of which have led to a fan theory about “Gravity Falls’” Grunkle Stan and Eda possibly having dated in the past. Honestly, we ship it.
#7: The World Design Is Heavily Inspired by Hieronymus Bosch
When it comes to the art style of the show, Terrace has credited a few different people she drew influence from, including Hieronymus Bosch, Remedios Varo , and John Bower. Looking through any of the works from these artists reveals exactly what we love about the world design of “The Owl House.” It’s definitely unsettling and unequivocally creepy, but there’s also a lot of cuteness and charm to not only The Boiling Isles, but also its inhabitants. Hieronymus Bosch, Remedios Varo, and John Bower use certain techniques to create a sense of eeriness in their pieces and it's definitely something we see replicated in Terrace’s work.
#6: Success, Revenge, Etc.
Although “The Owl House” is something Terrace had been working on for years, there was a point where a colleague really discouraged her from doing so–and from writing in general. Apparently, her co-worker thought the story was “a dumb idea.” Disney must have disagreed. This is a great reminder not to let the judgements of others cloud your ambitions. In fact, spite can be a great motivator, as Terrace proves. While revenge certainly isn’t the foundation of this show, it is nice knowing that some *ahem* witch out there was proved wrong!
#5: Mattholomule & Steve Are Half-Brothers
Season 2’s “O Titan, Where Art Thou,” storyline brought forth the character development we’d all been waiting for. Steve had been a background, masked Coven Scout for far too long. This episode gave us not only a face reveal, but also some much-appreciated personality–not to mention the bonding time with King! After it aired, clever fans began to theorize that maybe Steve was actually Mattholomule’s unnamed older brother. (All this based off a similar haircut, no less!) It turned out to be true, with Terrace herself taking to Twitter soon after to confirm the theory. She also explained that there was actually a whole storyline planned out for them that unfortunately had to be cut due to time constraints.
#4: The Glyph System
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While we haven’t yet learned all the intricacies of the glyph system, it’s clear that Terrace has put a lot of thought into it. There’s a whole Reddit thread theorizing about exactly how it works, and a few users have come to the conclusion that glyphs are essentially sigils of interwoven Alchemical symbols. This is not only super creative, but makes a ton of sense if we’re thinking about the logistics of spellcasting. Luz, of course, has had to uncover these glyphs in order to do magic in the first place, but as we know from the episode “The Intruder”, all witches are constantly unconsciously auto-filling their casting circles with these sigils too!
#3: The Hidden Messages
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“Gravity Falls” was known for its ciphers and puzzles, but the “The Owl House” has its fair share of hidden messages too. For starters, the first letter of each episode title in the first season spells out “A Witch Loses a True Way.” This is a motif that continues on to the second season, with the new message reading "Seek the Key, Fear the Lock.” A secret language lurking in the background of episodes is also a thing in this show and, if you’re used to the ciphers in “Gravity Falls,” be aware that these are just a little different! Instead of each letter translating to a letter of the English alphabet, each rune is actually converted to a phonetic sound. It’s pretty awesome.
#2: Discrimination Doesn’t Exist on the Boiling Isles
There are a lot of things wrong with society on the Boiling Isles–thanks Emperor Belos (bellows)!–but it comes as a nice surprise that the prejudice in our world doesn’t translate to this one. Amity’s mom, for example, despite being terrible in so many ways, is never homophobic. She’s not upset her daughter has a girlfriend, so much that she’s upset about who that girlfriend happens to be. Similarly, even when Raine is antagonized by others, their correct pronouns are always used. While showcasing LGBTQ+ stories where characters face homophobia, transphobia, and other discrimination is often both necessary and realistic, it’s refreshing to see queer characters live in a world where they simply exist as who they are, without any of the retaliation they too frequently face in our world. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Luz’ First Text to Amity Before We Knew How to Read Them, the Text Says “U R Pretty” There Was Supposed to Be a Beach Episode Before Season Three Was Shortened We Were Robbed! Hooty’s Voice It Was Born From Alex Hirsch’s Best Mickey Impression Luz Is Ambidextrous She Can Be Seen in Several Episodes Writing and Casting Spells with Either Hand
#1: The New Character Designs Pay Homage to the OG Look of the Show
When “The Owl House” was still in its conception stages, things looked very different. The beta designs saw Luz in a beanie and a striped purple and white tee, for one. Amity had longer hair, and Willow seems like an entirely different character altogether. Hunter, notably, seems to have gone through more than a few makeovers both in terms of his role in the show and his appearance. If these designs are starting to look a little familiar, it’s for good reason. Season three has given Luz that same striped tee and beanie, and both Amity and Hunter have gotten hair changes that are a little closer to their original styles. So, what’s the verdict? Do we like their updated looks? Let us know down below!
