Disney has released a new TV show, “The Owl House” that has concerned some parents with its emphasis on witchcraft and demons.
The show focuses on a teenage girl named Luz who discovers a demon world and lives with a powerful witch named Eda the Owl Lady. Luz disguises her identity as a human in order to survive in the demon world and attend witch school. Her greatest ambition is to become like Eda.
“The original pitch [for the show] was ‘girl hangs out with witch in hell,’” said voice actor Alex Hirsch, according to Newsweek.
And, the show’s art director, Ricky Cometa, shared, “We really wanted to make this demon realm feel like home, and just had to figure out how to do it.”
“The Owl House” premiered on Friday, January 10 and has already been handed a second season from Disney. The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, anticipated push back when pitching the idea to Disney for a darker show, but the media conglomerate was willing to take the risk.
“There is sometimes a concern with family networks for what is considered family friendly…because Disney is such a big company that in certain corners, they say that maybe they don’t want to take those risks,” said Hirsch. “Walt Disney took those risks, and that’s why we are sitting in this building. You have to remind yourself that Disney is the full spectrum of emotions, creatures and scary things.”
Terrace also hopes to create an inclusive environment for kids with the show.
“I hope that people are entertained and learn that if you are a little weird, if you don’t feel at home somewhere, then there is a place for you somewhere. You just have to look a little,” she said.
But several parents have voiced concern of the show, including Deborah Bunting, an opinion writer for Faithwire.com. “Disney has gone farther and farther into the darkness of the spiritual world that opposes the living God,” Bunting asserted.
In the past several years, witchcraft has made a steady return to mainstream culture. As previously reported by Christian Headlines, thousands of witches gathered in October to cast a “binding” spell on President Donald Trump in an effort to stop “his malignant works.” Wiccans have grown in number from 8,000 followers in 1990 to an estimated 1.5 million in 2014.
According to Lifesite News, “The Owl House” joined the controversy stirred last month when major retailers debated offering a book called “A Children’s Book of Demons” which teaches children how to summon fiends.
“As ridiculous as the ‘demons’ contained in the book may be, there is nothing innocent or fun about even pretending to summon evil spirits,” said blogger Elizabeth Johnson on Activist Mommy. “But who is to say it is pretend? The spirit world is real and is no laughing matter.”
Photo courtesy: ©Disney Channel
Video courtesy: ©Disney Channel
Mikaela Mathews is a freelance writer and editor based in Dallas, TX. She was the editor of a local magazine and a contributing writer for the Galveston Daily News and Spirit Magazine. She blogs at mikaelamathews.com.
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