When you hear the word “Disney,” you probably picture cartoons and amusement parks. After all, many of our childhoods could gloriously be summarized with a list of popular Disney films that debuted while we grew up. Despite the inspiring princesses that we always wanted to be, though, many of us grew up to realize that Disney has always lacked diversity.
Since the company’s beginnings in the 1920s, Walt Disney films have regularly faced scrutiny due to their inaccurate racial, cultural, and gender representations. In fact, the LGBTQ non-profit GLADD published a studio responsibility index in 2016 that notated 11 out of 12 Disney and Paramount films lacked any equal representation.
However, Disney wants to change their ways, and they’re starting with a new series on The Disney Channel titled “The Owl House.”
“The Owl House” series will follow a 14-year-old Dominican American girl named Luz Noceda as she embarks on an adventure to become a witch. Throughout the series, Luz not only tries to hone her magic skills in order to achieve her goals, but she will also grapple with her bisexual identity as well.
The show’s creator, Dana Terrace, is very excited for the first animated bisexual character to make her debut on a Disney television series. Terrance shared in a Tweet that Disney’s leadership wasn’t open to the idea of an LGBTQ character at first, but she eventually convinced them to go along for the ride.
While Terrance’s perseverance paid off, other animators have come out of the woodwork to share their horror stories of trying to create equal representation in Disney productions. For example, “Gravity Falls” series creator Alex Hirsch Tweeted his excitement over “The Owl House” while also sharing how Disney treated him.
GLADD also shared in the excitement over news of “The Owl House” finally providing an LGBTQ-inclusive storyline for Disney.
Hopefully this news is only the beginning of a new era for The Walt Disney company. “The Owl House” series is a great start, but we need to see even more representation for the LGBTQ community, minorities, and kickass leading ladies in Disney films and television shows. With people like Terrace and Hirsch leading the way, though, there’s no stopping things now.
Feature Image via The Owl House Disney Screengrab
