Hi blog! Representation plays a huge role in media, as making a wide variety of groups feel seen and supported is the most unifying part of it all. In my favorite show, The Owl House, there are many different characters that represent such a diverse range of people throughout the cartoon. For example, the main character, Luz Noceda, is a female Dominican-American teenager, who was portrayed to be neurodivergent as well as bisexual. She was a lovable character, who represented several minority groups. The creators of the show selected to not only include Luz's diverse representation, but have her be the leading role in The Owl House. Since the show was originally designed to be made for kids, it makes the representation even more important. Luz is shown to clearly be in a relationship with another girl, named Amity Blight, which also includes LGBTQ+ representation in the production. Their relationship as a whole represents personal growth, and emphasizes the importance of a healthy dating life.
Other characters such as Willow Park represents inclusive body types, since her character design does not depict the average beauty standard, as well as being of Korean decent. or Edalyn (Eda) Clawthorne who represents older characters, as her character appears to be in her 50s. Raine Whispers is another character, who is part of a very unrepresented group, the non-binary community. Gus Porter is a character who represents the Black community, and still identifies with being a "witch" despite it being stereotyped to be a feminine thing in many stories, as the show is based around mystical beings and the world that they live in. Lilith Clawthorne represents mental health awareness, as her character deals with depression-like characteristics, which is depicted in an uplifting, supportive manner.
The Owl House does however have some unethical aspects to the representation. It is most well known for being a queer, diverse show that highlights the relationships of the LGBTQ+ community in a way that is accepting and normal, not portrayed like many stereotypes depict it. However, due to the show being aired on Disney Channel through cable, which required that the queer moments were mostly subjective, and not shown objectively, simply implied. It also could be argued that the show exoticized some cultures that believe in folklore, as some elements such as the mystical species that they encounter throughout the show, which are dramatized to make the point of peculiar beings clear to a young audience.
The character design could also be leaning too much into stereotypes to exaggerate the character's uniqueness. For example, Eda's appearance being particularly unique with her golden eyes and pointed ears could make her appear to be an average "witch" appearance, rather than breaking that stereotype and creating a more accurately represented character design. Another example could be with giving Willow glasses, as it is a common stereotype that Asian people are insanely smart, and glasses are a surface level way of portraying that personality trait.
Despite these potential negative aspects in the representation of different groups and minorities, the show was a major turning point for both Disney and cartoon productions in general. Being made in 2020, it opened the doors for future projects that have an older target audience to include specifically more queer representation, with the positive feedback that Disney received from the release of the show. The main takeaway from this show was that nearly anyone could finish watching it, and feel represented in some way, based on the selection of characters and backgrounds.
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