RJ Writing Ink

My Thoughts on Disney’s Upcoming Magical Show

Ever since Gravity Falls came to an end, fans have been searching for the cartoon that could be called its successor. I already said that Amphibia could potentially be the next Gravity Falls, but there’s an upcoming show that could also fit the bill. That show would be The Owl House, and this year’s New York Comic Con gave us our best look at it yet.

I’ve never been one to pass up on good cartoons, and my gut tells me The Owl House will be good. With New York Comic Con over, I’m giving you my thoughts on the show I’m calling a fusion of Gravity Falls and Star vs. The Forces of Evil.

Dana Terrace, Creator of The Owl House

The Owl House is the brainchild of Dana Terrace, who’s got her fair share of experience working with Disney. She was a storyboard artist on Gravity Falls, which ties into the whole “successor” thing I mentioned. After that, she served as a director on the DuckTales! reboot. Since I like both shows and know how awesome they are, I know her creation will live up to the hype.

As another tie-in to Gravity Falls, Dana is also dating the creator of that show, Alex Hirsch. Between the two of them, this will be an amazing cartoon.

Synopsis

The show revolves around Luz, a normal, teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles on a portal into the demon world. There she befriends a rebellious witch named Eda and decides to become her apprentice so she may learn magic herself. This is in spite of the fact that she has no talent for magic, and most of the Demon World’s inhabitants don’t like humans.

According to the Wikipedia page, the show’s a horror-comedy. While our first look does have a hint of the macabre, I’m getting more of a comedy vibe, not that I’m complaining.

The Main Characters

Now then, let’s take a look at our three main characters and what we know about them

Luz

This is Luz, our heroine and main character, voiced by Sarah-Nicole Robles. She’s described as self-assured, normal human girl who gets sucked into the Demon World. Apparently she had a hard time fitting in with other people back home, so while she’s a little scared of her new world, she takes to it quickly.

I don’t know much about Luz right now, but from I’ve seen, I like her. She seems fascinated by her new world and eager to learn as much as she can about it. She also seems knowledgeable on myths, which should serve her well in her new surroundings. Her sense of adventure seems to mirror other recent female Disney protagonists. I don’t know much about her voice-actor, but I think she has potential based on what I’ve seen. I look forward to seeing what kind of trouble she gets in.

Eda

This lady is Eda, voiced by Wendie Malick. I thought her voice sounded familiar, and there’s a reason. Turns out, she played Chicha, Pacha’s wife in The Emperor’s New Groove (good times.) Eda’s a rebel and the owner of the titular Owl House. She uses it as a self-described place to hide “from the pressures of modern life. And the cops. And ex-boyfriends.” The wanted poster in her living room indicates she’s not joking about the cops. That’s a lot of zeros.

If I had to sum up in one word, it would be sassy. She’s snarky and sarcastic and seems to have a low tolerance from other people’s crap. She just does what she wants and loves her freedom. According to news from NYCC, she’s the kind of mentor who will shove you into the deep end. Why am I being reminded of Grunkle Stan right now?

King

This is King, voiced by none other than Alex Hirsch. According to the show, he was, in fact, once the King of Demons. After getting trapped inside a diminutive state, he became Eda’s roommate as he finds a way to regain his powers. His newest obstacle may be Luz, who finds him absolutely adorable.

Gravity Falls, Star Vs Fusion

Like Amphibia, which was also created by a Gravity Falls alumni, The Owl House is like a western Isekai. Whereas Amphibia seems to take after Gravity Falls sense of adventure, The Owl House leans heavily on the supernatural side. The fact that it takes place in a world of magic and monsters reminds me a bit of the setting of Star vs. In fact, I bet Janna from Star would feel right at home in this world.

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I actually see a lot of Gravity Falls and SvTFOE in the title and end credits. The opening credits, with its lack of dialogue and showing off the characters and setting, reminds me a lot of Gravity Falls.

Then we have the end credits, showing Luz walking through the settings in the demon world back to the Owl House. It reminded me a little bit of the end credits from the first two seasons of Star vs The Forces of Evil, but with an aura of supernatural mystery.

In short, it has some of the best aspects of both shows.

A Show to Be Watching Out For

A new decade is approaching, and The Owl House seems set to ring it in on Disney Channel. With an interesting premise and exceptional people working on it, I think this will be a cartoon to watch out for. In fact, The Owl House and Amphibia could end up becoming the two big cartoons to watch out for on Disney in 2020. The Owl House premieres in January 2020, and i have every intention of writing about it!

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My Thoughts and Opinions on Steven Universe Future

As plenty of people have pointed out, “Battle of Heart and Mind” could have been the series finale of Steven Universe. Yet Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar chose to keep going forward with it. That led to last month’s hit Steven Universe: The Movie blowing up the Internet. Rather than end with that, though, New York Comic Con 2019 has shown that the stories not over. At the Steven Universe Panel yesterday, fans got treated to love musical performances by the cast and a look at the next, and sadly final, season of the show, Steven Universe Future.

I didn’t get to go to NYCC this year, but that’s not stopping me from giving my thoughts on the biggest news. So here we are with Steven Universe Future. If you haven’t seen the show or movie, be aware, spoiler warning ahead!

New Intro

The major pieces of info to come out of NYCC are the synopsis for the new season, the possible villains, and of course, the intro. At the time of this writing, the new intro’s trending on YouTube.

I have a lot to say from just the intro alone. Instead of an updated version of “We are the Crystal Gems”, the new intro song is a remix of “Here We Are in the Future”. That was one of my favorite songs from the movie, so I love this. It also provides context for the show’s new title.

Adding onto the excitement is that the intro contains a slew of characters joining the main quartet singing. We got the uncorrupted gems, the Off-Colors, the Nephrite crew, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth, and the Diamonds all joining in. The most notable inclusion, though, has to be Spinel.

Even if Spinel was the villain of Steven Universe: The Movie, I couldn’t help but love her. She’s goofy and energetic, in no small part to her animation style, and I sympathize with her backstory. After the events of the film, Spinel reformed and got adopted by the Diamonds, and that’s done some good for her. She looks genuinely happy, and I hope we get to see more of her in the final season.

Little needs to be said about the animation used, since it’s made by the guy who did the sequence for “Other Friends”. It’s as crisp and as fluid as they come, and the whole thing feels like a moving work of art.

Plus, Steven is driving!!

Villains New and Old

Even though Steven brought peace to the galaxy and to Earth, the film taught him that there’s always going to be trouble. I learned a long time ago that no matter what, there’s always going to be some jerks trying to wreck everything. Well, the intro gave us a look at the villains.

In the corner, we see an old enemy in the form of Jasper. She was uncorrupted at the end of “Battle of Heart and Mind”. I had hoped that this would lead her to try to change for the better, but that may have to wait. Right now, it looks like she still has a bone to pick with Steven. In hindsight, the revelation that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond and that everything she knew was a lie would make someone mad.

Then we have this cactus monster with Steven’s face. It’s possible that the cactus was created using Steven’s saliva, but it’s too soon to tell. What interests me most, though, is what looks like White Diamond and that giant worm monster. White has already reformed, so why is she depicted as so evil looking? As for the worm monster, is it some new enemy of the Gems? I’ve seen theories that it could be the creator of the Gem Race, which would be interesting. I’ve always wondered how the Gems came into being, and the final season may answer that question.

The Plot

As said before, Steven Universe Future is the sixth and final season of Steven Universe. This is unfortunate, but we always knew that this day would come. We should be happy that the show managed to tell the story it wanted, and that it lasted so long.

Technically, the sixth season isn’t even a full season; it’s being billed as an “epilogue limited series.” My guess is that the final season will be far shorter than previous ones. At best, it will be half as long as a regular season, which will give it time to wrap up loose ends.

Speaking of loose ends, that’s going to be the focus of Steven Universe Future. The official synopsis for it is as follows

After saving the universe, Steven is still at it, tying up every loose end. But as he runs out of other people’s problems to solve, he’ll finally have to face his own.

Cartoon Network

Cartoon Network

Based on this, I think this epilogue will help to tie any remaining plot threads hanging. This could mean anything, but I do have my hopes to see a few things. We could see some moments dedicated to the people of Beach City and finish any problems they may have. More likely, though, it’s going to focus on the Gems. If the show wants to be realistic, then it could deal with Homeworld dealing with the consequences of their past actions. I doubt the other sentient beings of the universe will be so quick to forgive them. It would also help expand the show’s universe and make room for potential future content.

In the Future

No matter how I look at it, it’s clear that Steven Universe Future will have plenty of good stories left to offer fans of the show. It could have easily ended with Season Five, everything wrapped up perfectly. Yet Rebecca Sugar and the crew decided to go the extra mile and give us more stories to look forward to. I think it shows how dedicated they are to make Steven Universe the best show it can be. In my opinion, it’s this love and dedication that’s made Steven Universe the cultural phenomenon it’s become.

The shows inspired millions of fans young and old around the world, not just because it’s a good cartoon, but because of the messages it sends. Ten years ago, it would be unheard to see same sex couples on a kids show, but Steven Universe helped change that. I’m willing to bet that years from now, people will look back on it and call it one of the most important cartoons of the 21st century.

As for when the final season be coming out, that is unknown. All Cartoon Network has said is that it’s “coming soon”. I’m going to assume this means it will be out sometime in the year 2020 or later. I’m willing to wait for as long as necessary, so long as we get the finale Steven Universe deserves. I’ll try to keep on top of news about it, in the meantime. One things for certain, though: we’re going to get plenty of great songs

Your Thoughts

What are your thoughts on the news about Steven Universe Future? Did I miss anything you wanted me to cover? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

If you want to hear someone else’s thoughts, then you should check out The Roundtable on YouYube. They do reviews, breakdowns, and theories about loads of cartoons. They’re at Comic Con right now, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing a video on the new season of Steven Universe.

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