Interview From the Magical Realm of ‘The Owl House’

Premiering on January 10th, the new animated fantasy series The Owl House follows a confident teenage girl named Luz (voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles), who stumbles upon a portal to a magical realm. There she befriends rebellious witch Eda (voiced by Wendie Malick) and tiny warrior King (recognizable as Alex Hirsch from Gravity Falls). The completely un-magical Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by becoming Eda’s apprentice at the enchanted Owl House.

The fantastic adventures of Luz and her unlikely troupe are the creation of executive producer Dana Terrace (Disney’s DuckTales) and art director Ricky Cometa (Steven Universe).

During a meeting with Terrace and Cometa, we discussed the fantastic imagery that makes up all of the magical realm that Luz finds herself in. Dana expressed how Ricky’s interpretation was purposefully and beautifully bizarre, crafting a world where everything could be “built on the bones of a giant living thing” and the depth of detail that has been brought to the experience.

Dana’s development is equally complex, each character and experience becomes a part of their growth and history. Her role as the producer of a major animated series draws on her passions for “fantastical things” (including fantasy and really enjoying science fiction), while at the same time building Luz as a complex interpretation of many young people to seek to find themselves in a world where they might not feel they fit in.

During our chat we asked the very important question about Luz disappearing from the real world yet keeping in touch with her mother via text message. We assumed that the mobile service in magical realms would be spotty or non-existent, but apparently this idea was the subject of extensive discussion among the cast and production team. The decision was made (and may be explained in an upcoming episode) of the portal as a magical wi-fi repeater, meaning Luz has service only when she is near the it. Sarah-Nicole Robles said that she is happy that Luz’s service is limited, thinking that Luz might spend all her time “teenagering” otherwise—we are really glad too, especially because her adventures are more than exciting enough without needing to worry about posting selfies with magical creatures.

The Owl House will broadcast on the Disney Channel and through the DisneyNOW application.