Despite The Owl House becoming a beloved animated fantasy offering on Disney Channel for the past couple of years, the series is set to be among the many shows coming to an end this year. It’s especially sad to see The Owl House go considering it was the first Disney Channel series to feature a same-sex couple in leading roles. Ahead of saying goodbye to the series with its impending three-special final season, Tati Gabrielle, who plays Willow in the series, has shared her thoughts on the end of The Owl House.
Tati Gabrielle is one of the stars in the Uncharted cast, which CinemaBlend caught up with ahead of the video game adaptation’s successful opening weekend. When Sean O’Connell asked Gabrielle her thoughts on The Owl House coming to a rather sudden and truncated end, she said this:
I really hope the show goes on because I think that it, especially being that it is a kid’s show, it touches on some really important issues and topics and ways of our world right now that I feel like young people need to be able to see and develop and acceptance and tolerance of. I’m excited for the specials and this final season and I really do hope the value of the message of The Owl House is remembered and can be brought back.
Although Disney Channel has cut The Owl House’s adventure short, at least one of its core stars is hoping the series can still continue past the upcoming wrap-up headed our way this year. And you just know she's not alone on that front. Tati Gabrielle advocates for more children’s shows to touch upon the important and socially relevant topics The Owl House has at its core, including its LGBTQ+ representation that has touched many within its fandom through Luz and Amity's blossoming love. (Not to take away from King's hunt for his long-lost father or any other relatable topics.)
The show’s creator Dana Terrace got blunt on Reddit about the series’ cancellation in October 2021, citing that while the reasons given for the change in plans were regarding COVID-19 and poor ratings, she claimed that “a few business people who oversee what fits into the Disney brand” decided one day that The Owl House didn’t fit.
When the series first aired, it was also slammed by the One Million Moms group for having “evil content” because of its rather tame and comedic demonic elements and LGBTQ+ positive storytelling. Unfortunately, when family-friendly content from big studios like Disney have pushed for representation, especially in regards to LGBTQ+ characters being brought to the forefront, there continues to be some push back. But fans can still celebrate everything that's come before while waiting for what's next.
As Tati Gabrielle shared with CinemaBlend, there is a point to be made about the importance of all kinds of representation being exposed to kids and in animation content as well as these subjects being discussed and presented to adults. The series centers on Luz Noceda, a 14-year-old character who is presented as bisexual through her attraction to both male and female characters, especially explored through her relationship with Amity.
The Owl House's Amity is voiced by Mae Whitman, who came out as pansexual while sharing her love for the series, and the character took the show to unforeseen heights by asking Luz out to prom, leading to the pair sharing a cute dance together in a 2020 episode. Dana Terrace, who identifies as a bisexual woman herself, shared that her “stubbornness paid off” at the time and she felt “supported” by the current Disney leadership.
Here's hoping The Owl House's ending is not the final goodbye when all is said and done, since there are plenty of adventures still worth having in the Boiling Isles. You can check out episodes of The Owl House with a Disney+ subscription. Stay tuned for more from the series this spring.
