The Owl House

@CousinMerl & @Ryan The vibe I get from Hexside so far this season is the same thing that happened with Alfonso & Ferguson from SvtFoE where they weren't part of the original vision of the show but we're added in on Disney's insistence (for that show, to give Marco some male friends and for this one to likely make some loose Harry Potter references). And now we're at the point where just like on that show this was a choice that the creators resented and after a while began using them as little as possible. That said, I do wonder if Amity, Willow and Gus would've still been part of the show even without the setting of Hexside where they were originally introduced as I can't picture the show without any of them (even if Willow & Gus have fallen a bit by the wayside recently).

Speaking of Willow, she's not a favorite of mine but there was something about her that made her click for me the moment she was introduced in the third episode. So with that in mind, it upsets me when I keep seeing people say that there's either nothing to her character or that she'll never be relevant again. That said, it does suck that we've yet to get another big role from her since Understanding Willow was the last one where it was about her to an extent.

One last thing, Ryan would you mind linking where you saw that list of DC premieres for the rest of 2021? It's possible that they might only be listing premieres for show launches (like The Ghost and Molly McGee which like @Wile E. the Brain I'm also looking forward to) and movies and not weekly episode releases.
 
John95 said:
One last thing, Ryan would you mind linking where you saw that list of DC premieres for the rest of 2021? It's possible that they might only be listing premieres for show launches (like The Ghost and Molly McGee which like @Wile E. the Brain I'm also looking forward to) and movies and not weekly episode releases.
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Here you go: https://www.laughingplace.com/w/new...tmas-again-and-mickey-mouse-holiday-specials/

It's very unlikely that Disney Channel debuts anything more this year, including new seasons of shows.
 
John95 said:
@CousinMerl & @Ryan The vibe I get from Hexside so far this season is the same thing that happened with Alfonso & Ferguson from SvtFoE where they weren't part of the original vision of the show but we're added in on Disney's insistence (for that show, to give Marco some male friends and for this one to likely make some loose Harry Potter references). And now we're at the point where just like on that show this was a choice that the creators resented and after a while began using them as little as possible. That said, I do wonder if Amity, Willow and Gus would've still been part of the show even without the setting of Hexside where they were originally introduced as I can't picture the show without any of them (even if Willow & Gus have fallen a bit by the wayside recently).
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Also Willow and Amity were always a part of the series (with Amity always apparently being Luz's love interest), but Gus was added for diversity reasons. I've heard vague things about Hexside being a mandate, and season two is making me think it was.
 
@Ryan Thanks for the link. It's more or less what I suspected, mentioning what's coming for the rest of the year but only in terms of series and movie premieres while not mentioning anything about weekly episodes or season premieres for shows that've been airing for a while (Amphibia begins it's third season in October yet there's no mention of it here). While I'm more inclined to believe we won't be seeing more of the show until early next year, I'm not ruling out the possibility of a return at the very tail end of this year. Or at the very least, a one-off during October as the title for the next episode was leaked a while back (Follies at the Coven's Day Parade) and it makes it sound like it could potentially be a holiday one.

That thing about Gus makes sense as he definitely feels like the odd one out in Season 1 when compared to Amity & Willow.
 
John95 said:
@Ryan Thanks for the link. It's more or less what I suspected, mentioning what's coming for the rest of the year but only in terms of series and movie premieres while not mentioning anything about weekly episodes or season premieres for shows that've been airing for a while (Amphibia begins it's third season in October yet there's no mention of it here). While I'm more inclined to believe we won't be seeing more of the show until early next year, I'm not ruling out the possibility of a return at the very tail end of this year. Or at the very least, a one-off during October as the title for the next episode was leaked a while back (Follies at the Coven's Day Parade) and it makes it sound like it could potentially be a holiday one.
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Any future eps will be in S2B. The link doesn’t mention Amphibia because the return date was already announced, plus DC doesn’t air shows over the Christmas holiday. It’s definitely January 2022 or later.
 
This video below showed up for me (and it is regarding the cancellation of the show).


Not saying I agree with what they are saying (which I generally don't, I mean, the notion of shipping & the prom episode helped ruin the show and caused its end? Come on. That sounds like personal bias. I mean, 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil' had shipping essentially take over and several prom episodes but got 4 seasons and a proper end. Plus, some commenters saying that it being "woke" caused its end or whatever is ridiculous), but I did find it interesting that they said nothing about the show probably getting the axe due to loss of revenue due to the covid pandemic (which we have talked about) but instead cited a drop in ratings/viewership, more or less.

Have I missed something or is the show really losing in viewership enough for it to get cancelled and reduced to a three-part season 3 or have these guys missed the rumors about Disney trying to recoup costs? (Also, feel free to give opinions on the video if you did watch or skimmed through it). I still think we're all just spitballing theories here.
 
Eh... Clownfish TV. Yeah, don't take anything they say with any real face value. They once claimed that Amity is a self insert of Dana based solely on the fact that at one time she changed her hair to the same color as Amity's (this was also back during Season 1). And we've got evidence supporting the belief that it was due to a lack of funding thanks largely in part to COVID affecting all divisions of the company.

Haven't watched the video, but yeah they do have a personal bias like a lot of other commentary channels that post videos with clickbaity titles like this one. And as for the whole prom thing, I've seen other videos of theirs and they're very anti-prom episodes and view them as the creators trying to work out some issues from their younger days.

And no, they've not been losing viewership. If anything, the announcement of the show ending with a very truncated Season 3 has proven how popular it is as it's been consistently within the top 10 most popular titles on D+ for a bit now.


And since I'm here, might as well say that my previous theory of a potential one-off episode of the show next month for Halloween doesn't appear to be on the table so I'm back to the show returning in January being the best case scenario.
 
@John95, I haven't really got any experience with ClownfishTV, but I seem to have noticed they do have some pretty extreme (and sometimes quite factually wrong) opinions, at least judging by the titles, and I guess this video taps into that as well.

Yeah, it definitely sounds like their own biases getting the better of them to the point of believing bad ratings being the main cause (that and the toxic fans obsessed with shipping) and their opinion on prom episodes in general sound quite silly (they really think those are the creators trying to work out their issues? that feels almost deluded to think) and I have heard Amity being accused of being Dana Terrace's self-insert before (a lot) so that one isn't new to me.

Speaking of the viewership (or sorta), I've also heard that it wasn't until the prom episode (Enchanted Grom Fright) that the show really blew up in popularity and that I can understand, but I find it unlikely that the show would get axed due to any lesser ratings (though according to Wiki, those of season 2 haven't been able to reach the highs of season 1 for whatever reason, despite the show having gotten even better this year in my opinion, but that isn't enough for me to consider it a reason).

Like the rest of us in this thread, I still firmly believe it was the corona pandemic and its effects on Disney that did the show in (and TOH being quite expensive to make, I can certainly see why it's one of the first to the chopping block or so to say).
 
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The Owl House – Episodes 9-19 - I watched the first 8 eps in a day over a year ago then never picked the show up again. Until today that is.

Grudgby episode was my favorite episode here. Something about the comedy/pacing in that one hit more for me than the rest. Series I would say picks up starting with the Willow episode, that the Grudgby and Prom episodes are pretty good.

The two King episodes were the weakest of the bunch, the book episode is probably the worst episode of the Season. King works best in small doses (Him being a Hexside professor or trying to announce the prom). He has his share of funny moments, maybe it’s just I’ve seen this kind of character done a lot better in other shows, he just doesn’t do as much for me as he probably should.

Amity/Luz relationship is cute. I vaguely know about the increased focus on their relationship in Season 2. For Season 1 at least, I liked Amity’s character arc. Maybe too many moments of her blushing at Luz (“running around in cute uniforms...SWEATING”).

The competency/strength of the magic and characters in this universe can be a little too elastic, here and there I questioned if certain events should be happening (most of which in the emperor's castle). The comedy isn’t as strong as Gravity Falls, but it can be pretty funny at times and generally fills the same tone and energy.

Fun show. Will binge the first half of S2 next Sunday, probably.

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Oh crap. And here we thought it was an unfortunate victim of the COVID pandemic and, on a first glsnce, it seems like those voices on YouTube and various message boards speaking of the LGBT &"woke" aspects being a reason for the cancellation may have been those in the right all along. Dana probably should've sold the show to Netflix instead and we'd probably get 4-5 seasons, easily.

Feeling pretty low about these news. I really had expected more from Disney.
 
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@CousinMerl, I still think that maybe COVID had some small hand to play in it. If not, than I'd assumed that maybe they meant it didn't fit the brand based on the direction they're going with some of their upcoming animated shows and they're not really interested in doing more serialized shows like this or Amphibia (despite being more lighter) any more.

Furthermore, here's a rundown on what she had to say regarding why the show was canned (and how the LGBTQ elements likely weren't a factor):
https://twitter.com/x/status/1445421167985184771
 
@John95

I was thinking about COVID still being a factor after I made my last post and it definitely a possibility (though not nearly as major as we were led to believe, I assume) and I would like to refuse to believe the LGBTQ elements are a reason, since Disney are usually pushing forward with those things so it shouldn't matter in this cancellation (despite it being a discussion among some fans). It does seem weird that this all seem to be due to this one guy not liking the show, which is almost comical.

I have to wonder why 'Amphibia' didn't get its plug pulled as well, even though it was further in production, as that one also has a lot of intense and creepy stuff, but I'm guessing since it is usually a sillier, more comical and lighthearted show which balances out the darker and more dramatic elements (which gives more relief to younger audiences and those DTV execs, I'm thinking), while 'The Owl House' has taken a bit of a turn for the grittier and more threatening & violent while being less overtly goofy.

Here's the direct link to the AMA on the 'Owl House' subreddit, which was linked to in one of those Twitter comments and which Dana Speaks out about the cancellation, which surprisingly had its inception near the end of Season 1 ('Agony Of A Witch' it seems):

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheOwlHouse/comments/q1x1uh

Maybe this quote sums this all up?

SO WHAT WAS IT?! 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". The story is serialized (BARELY compared to any average anime lmao), our audience skews older, and that just didn't fit this one guy's tastes. That's it! Ain't that wild? Really grinds my guts, boils my brain, kicks my shins, all the things. It sucks but it is what it is.
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Yet again, I'll say that Dana probably should've sold the idea to Netflix, since they have some great animated shows that don't shy away from these things Disney is backing away from now (and some even reach more than three seasons).
 
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Congrats Disney, you've done it again. I feel more and more ashamed to like your productions (your good ones, I mean) every day. You can thank your artists for me liking your stuff. Except you apparently don't and treat them like shit instead.
 
@CousinMerl, One of the creators of The Ghost and Molly McGee has said that there'll be LGBTQ representation on that show so yeah the claim that those elements factored into that show's cancellation are moot.

I can't help but feel like the show's cancellation is a result of it being approved when one guy was in charge, then cancelled by the guy who replaced him and doesn't like it. The claim that it didn't fit the brand is also comedic as it's been pointed out how said brand has had many dark moments througout it's history and this was an instance where I decided to throw my hat into the ring:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1445539015181045761

@Wile E. the Brain, It's things like this that make me think that maybe I should continue with how even after the whole True Colors potential censorship thing was dodged I've unintentionally not bought a Disney branded item at a store since about a month before the aired. Because now my mindset's gone from "Why should you get my money if you're just gonna pointlessly censor the stuff I like?" to "Why should I still give you my money if you're just gonna cancel the shows that I like for ludicrous reasons and show a lack of empathy for the people who put their blood, sweat and tears into them?!".
 
@John95, Considering both your response and the one below includes a screenshot from 'Gravity Falls', I am all the more surprised they gave that show a big stamp of approval despite having some pretty messed up dark, creepy & scary shit in it. I bet that if it came out now, it'd also probably be cancelled, especially after going into the second season with the zombie and bunker episodes (both of which were two of my favorites alongside the one your screenshot is from, i.e. the mansion mystery episode), so I am glad it came out when it did.

But yeah, cancelling the show and for such petty reasons is one of their worse moves as of late (and regarding the S2 finale for 'Amphibia', at least they released 'True Colors' as is, though I am sure they probably won't do anything as intense or violent in the near future).
 
I've been thinking of the cancellation and I find it all the more perplexing how one exec not liking the show spells its end. I though that when a show does end it is more of an unified decision so this feels a little "easy", I'd say, but yet it still happened and we'll have to accept that the how will end sooner than expected, but hopefully it'll get some revival later on.

I'm also wondering if a partial reason for the cancellation, aside from it being deemed unfitting the Disney brand, is because Dana has often posted more or less extreme opinions on social media (including some rather anti-Disney ones) so might that be a factor?

Thirdly, I hope that the death of 'The Owl House' won't spell the end for serialized adventure shows from Disney. Even though this show has been judged and deemed unfit, I still think there is a place for serialized shows within the brand (and not just pure comedy shows with 11 minute segments), but again, we'll see what happens in the end.
 
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@CousinMerl, Thanks for mentioning this because I recently saw a thread in my Twitter feed that eleborates a bit more on what they might've meant when they said that the show doesn't fit the Disney brand:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1446153980866859010

TL;DR, Shows like Gravity Falls and The Owl House (and to a lesser degree Amphibia) feel out of place on Disney Channel and have better luck thriving on Disney XD while the aforementioned prefers shows like Big City Greens and The Ghost and Molly McGee which are more slice-of-life despite having some elements of serialization here and there.
 
@John95, Oh that is a great and very informative link. Thanks for posting. I think everyone who's interest in knowing some reasons why the show got cancelled ahead of plan should check it out and read what she has to say about it.

So basically, it is much due to Disney wanting safer, simpler episodic shows (that are easier to park the kids infront of) on the network and not these ones aimed at a slightly higher age group and are mostly serialized to boot (which indeed can make things confusing for those watching and misses an episode or two). That unfortunately makes sense from a purely business perspective, but it is a shame they care so little about serializated shows now, especially those that are popular with positive reviews, have an established fanbase & even has won awards which 'The Owl House' certainly has. Amphibia does go for a serialized approach as well (for a most part), but I guess it is not as strict (aside from some essential ones) and it was indeed further into production which assured a proper end.

Like she touches upon in that comment thread, 'The Owl House' would have been much better off on Disney+ among all the heavily serialized shows on there, animated and live-action (or if not Disney, I'm yet again thinking of Netflix maybe would've been a good place for it, considering they have a lot of great serialized adventure shows with both comedy & drama), but alas, it was a network show in the end and was not a Disney+ original (it'd be easy criticize why they just didn't move it on there, but as the decision to cut it short was made even before the S1 finale it could maybe not have helped, unless they made the decision to move it very early on).

This network vs. streaming thing that afflicted 'The Owl House' does remind me of how a show such as 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine' (which was quite serialized, even more from season 3 and on) didn't really find its audience until the days of streaming when people could watch in sequence on Netflix (and that one really blew up in popularity, now often heralded as the finest show of the franchise and an excellent piece of sci-fi). I'm thinking that the Owl House' would have been a D+ show, it would certainly have found even more of an audience than it already did and would not have gotten cancelled, but it wasn't meant to be.
 
Super late on this discussion (twas on vacation), but it really does stink that Disney Channel is moving in such a different direction and Dana didn't even have a chance of say, looking to D+ to pick up the show if everything is heading in another direction. I really hope all the support champions Disney+ executives to take a look at possible specials and even a probable S4.

Either way, looking forward to the rest in 2022.
 
Time to finally dust this thread off!
https://twitter.com/x/status/1491958437948842011

These two titles have actually been floating around since last July when they were accidentally listed on another site before being quickly removed.

And since I've brought this thread back I can now finally give my own two cents regarding the topic the last two posts regarding the show being put to an end because it doesn't fit the current aim that Disney Channel is going for.

Sadly, this is just another example I see time and time again where what was once ideal about a decade ago is no longer the case and so companies/channel need to change to accommodate this shift even if longtime fans (who could be seen as a minority) take issue with it. So shows like this one and Amphibia which are part of what was started by Gravity Falls are no longer favored based on the current direction the channel is heading in.

It could also be argued that this shift began all the way back in mid-2019 when SvtFoE ended which was then followed by Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure concluding it's run in March 2020 and then rounded up by DuckTales and Big Hero 6: The Series being moved to Disney XD until they both finished around the same time in early 2021.

Heck, by the time this show begins to air the first of the three 45 minute specials that will make up the third season, it'll be the definite elephant in the room regarding the currently airing animated shows on the channel based on what else is currently airing and the known shows that are forthcoming.

Either way, glad the show is finally coming back after so long (about as long as the hiatus Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure was between the first and second half of Season 2), looking forward to seeing what's in store for us next as well refreshing myself on most of the season up to now (like Yesterday's Lie which I haven't watched since it's premiere back in August).
 
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Great to see a return date for the show, even though it is over a month away. Those two titles sound intriguing.

As for all the recent discussions about the cancellation & premature end of the show, I think I've voiced all of my main opinions on the matter earlier (such as in my previous post in this thread), but like you say @John95, it kind of feels like Disney is waging war on these serialized action-adventure shows (especially those with 22 minute episodes) & it is possible it started with 'Star Vs. The Forces of Evil' ending some 3 years ago (albeit that show and some others like 'Tangled Adventure' did get the proper intended end, while others such as 'DuckTales' got the short end of the stick). It is too bad that 11 minute segmented comedy shows seem to have taken over the TV animation landscape almost completely.

While the action-adventure animation genre is still popular in shows, it would seem like those shows are essentially meant for streaming only at this time (especially if going by Disney's views and opinions on the matter) and with how such streaming services as Netflix are the home for these it would seem like there is where the genre will stay for now and draw the biggest viewership numbers.
 
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https://twitter.com/x/status/1494795823787380737
OK, based on the synopsis for Elsewhere and Elsewhen, let me be the first to say that a return from Lilith is much appreciated!

And with Follies at the Coven Day Parade I saw someone mentioned that maybe the daring rescue that's mentioned in the synopsis might be referring to Raine and the others following what happened in Eda's Requiem. I'm definitely up for that as they're my favorite of the newcomers we've gotten from Season 2 so far.

Now if only we can give Willow an episode as she's far too long overdue for one.
 
Yes! I love the fact that Lilith is back into the story again with 'Elsewhere And Elsewhen' so it's not just you @John95. Just the other day I saw some discussion about her and remembered of how I really missed her presence after she left (after just a few episodes) as she added an interesting and fun dynamic (maybe especially with her unexpected close friendship with the otherwise unloved Hooty). She's one of my favorite additions to the main cast this season (and really unexpectedly so).

It would make sense the 'Follies At The Coven Day Parade' would involve Raine somehow and could very well involve their rescue (it'd be about time that plot thread was picked up again after what happened to them in 'Eda's Requiem) but I'd count on there being some twist or turns along the way, with nothing really being so straightforward.

It really is a shame there's no news on any Willow plot thus far this season (while Gus got an episode she did not), but I'm confident they'll manage to give her another starring role (as she can definitely hold a story together).
 
The Owl House Season 2A

-I’ve enjoyed how Eda’s character has been handled. The glimpses into her past in Requiem and Hooty’s Door were great, as is her coming to terms with her curse and becoming a cool looking harpie. Curious what they’ll do with Lillith later on. It felt like they would’ve done more with her knowledge/being able to spy on the Emporer’s Coven.

-I kind of wish Luz stayed expelled in the second episode. She seems more focused on finding a way home than learning magic this Season, they could still keep her conflict about what she would actually do as a magician, and it would give a reason why Gus/Willow don’t really appear that much. If not, then there should’ve been at least one episode of Luz n’ friends doing something at the school. The Gus episode kind of fills that purpose, showing Matt again and some other students. Studio mandate or not, it is really odd how little Luz does at Hexside in this half Season.

-The rest of the plots are varying levels of okay. King I could take or leave, but I’m glad he does have a goal this Season, and I’m somewhat curious what they’ll do with his father.

Amity I wish had something else to her besides being Luz’s girlfriend. She had a good arc in Season 1 changing herself. Maybe do more with her conflicting relationship with her mother, or her revived friendship with Willow, or just trying to get better at her magic. The LuzxAmity stuff is cute, but I would’ve liked some other attribute to make her character more interesting.

Golden Guard is...fine. Ignoring the comparisons to a character like Zuko from A:TLA, for the amount of time he has had on screen, he fills his role in the story okay. Would have to see where they go with him in the second half, what they’ll do with him after he inevitably stands up to/betrays Belos.

-Would’ve liked a few more laughs. There are some good jokes in this run, and Season 1 was never that joke heavy anyway, but it felt, especially the first half of episodes, could’ve gotten away with more laughs.


Favorite to Least Favorite:

8 Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door (agree with everything Ryan said about this one, it covers a shocking amount of ground story wise and is pretty funny)

7 Edas Requiem

10 Yesterday’s Lie

6 Hunting Palismen

3 Echoes of the Past

9 Eclipse Lake

2 Escaping Expulsion

5 Through the Looking Glass Ruins

4 Keeping up A-fear-ances

1 Separate Tides (not bad, but it doesn’t add much besides re-establishing the series as the Season Premiere ep)


Overall, love Eda/Luz’s arcs, King/Amity/GG I’m indifferent toward, wish Hexside/the recurring cast from Season 1 got a little more screen time, but I generally like the direction the series is going.
 
Just before the show finally returns from hiatus next week (and I revist most of what's happened so far this season), here's the titles for next month's episodes.
https://twitter.com/x/status/1502093348605247495
Since all we have are the titles and nothing else, I don't have anything to say about these going in at the moment other than they could be about anything. However, the first episode's title is another one that'd been floating around since July.
 
The hiatus has been long but soon the wait is over, thankfully. Will be great to pick up the show again next week (and I feel pretty sure that season 2B will be stronger than the first half). Almost can't wait to see where it goes now.

It's just too bad that the news of the cancellation and shortened remainder of the series (at least regarding the third and last season) keep lingering in the back of my head. I think that in the near future, the series will be looked back at with the "How come this masterpiece was cancelled?!" mindset and be high up on many lists of modern shows that ended too soon.
 
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