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In a thrilling final episode late Saturday night, The Owl House drew to a close, leaving fans of the beloved Disney+ series reeling after the show’s third season, which was unfortunately cut to three special-length episodes. Widely regarded as the first step in a new era of progressive cartoons and television as it dealt with destiny, responsibility, neurodivergence, and LGBTQ+ themes, it might be hard to image any show that could match the wide shadow left in The Owl House’s wake, but fear not – we’ve got 10 shows you could pick up to fill the void left in your binge-watching schedule.
1. Amphibia (2019)
If you’re a fan of The Owl House, you’ve probably already heard of Amphibia. Still, if you haven’t, Amphibia is a Disney animated series that started streaming on Disney+ in 2019, the year before The Owl House began on the same platform. The two shows have even gained a reputation as sister shows, as both center around a teenage girl who struggles in the human world, but finds her true calling in a completely separate dimension.
However, where The Owl House follows Luz Noceda to a world of demons, witches, and magic, Amphibia follows Anne Boonchuy and her friends Sasha and Marcy as the trio is accidentally transported to Amphibia, a world full of anthropomorphic frogs, toads, and newts. Despite being rated for ages 6-11, like The Owl House, Amphibia is unafraid to deal with themes of social class, change, and facing the world as you grow up. The series concluded on May 14th, 2022, but can still be streamed on Disney+.
2. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
She-Ra and the Princess of Power, a remake of the original 1985 She-Ra series, is sure to be a hit with fans of The Owl House, despite being a slightly older show. Premiering on Netflix in 2018, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power features Adora, a teenage girl who discovers the Sword of Greyskull. This ancient weapon allows her to transform into She-Ra, an eight-foot-tall magical warrior.
Over the course of five seasons, the show puts a lot of focus on Adora’s personal struggle to come to terms with who she is after she runs away from the Horde, the evil army who raised Adora since she was a baby – as she runs away, Adora also leaves behind her best friend Catra, and the pair struggles to sort out their fractured bond as they fight on opposite sides of a war that’ll decide the fate of all of Etheria. Fans of The Owl House will be pleased to find similar themes of redemption and kindness in She-Ra, which has also gained a reputation as a pioneer of LGBTQ+ cartoons.
3. Steven Universe (2013)
Speaking of kindness, fans of The Owl House need look no further than Steven Universe, a Cartoon Network show that ran from 2013 to 2019. The series focuses on the Crystal Gems, a group of ageless alien warriors who protect humanity from monsters and otherworldly threats. Steven Universe is a young, half-human half-gem boy who accompanies the Crystal Gems on their missions but slowly uncovers the truth: the Crystal Gems are only a small part of a massive interstellar war, lead by the massively powerful Diamonds who have mysterious ties to Steven’s own family.
Over the years, Steven Universe has received much praise for its heavy focus on love, family, empathy, and emotional themes. Steven himself breaks the typical mold of a masculine hero by being a deeply emotional character. Like The Owl House, Steven Universe also doesn’t shy away from incorporating darker themes like death, imperialism, and trauma, which could make it a good fit for fans looking for a deep story with themes that hit where it hurts.
4. The Dragon Prince (2018)
If you loved the magical world of The Owl House‘s Boiling Isles, then you might want to catch The Dragon Prince, a Netflix fantasy series that follows Ezra and Callum, who are maternal half-brothers and princes who have to team up with Moonshadow Elf Rayla to return a young dragon to his homeland before the entire world of Xadia is ripped apart by war.
Callum, much like Luz from The Owl House, finds a hidden ability to do magic despite being human and launches himself, his brother, and their new friend on a world-spanning quest and into the frontlines of a brewing conflict between humans, elves, and dragons; the series focuses heavily on themes of home, family, and responsibility.
5. Gravity Falls (2012)
Gravity Falls was a sure entry on this list – and not just because of Alex Hirsch, either. If you liked the mystery and intrigue featured in later episodes of The Owl House, you might feel right at home with Gravity Falls, which ran from 2012 to 2016. Created by Alex Hirsch, who voiced King and Hooty in The Owl House, this Disney TV series followed teenage twins Dipper and Mabel Pines, who travel to Gravity Falls, OR, to spend the summer with their Great Uncle – or “Grunkle” – Stan – only, the town of Gravity Falls is much odder than it initially seems, and filled to the brim with otherworldly mysteries and threats.
6. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)
In another entry where a teenage girl travels to “another world,” enter Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, a Netflix series from 2020. Stepping away from fantasy for science fiction, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is set in a world where animals have mutated into anthropomorphic genetic mutations, or “mutes,” while humans live underground in burrows. Kipo, a sheltered teenage girl, is forced to the surface after her burrow is destroyed, but ends up befriending fellow humans Benson and Wolf and mutated bug Dave as she journeys to find her family again and discovers some shocking truths about herself and her past in the process.
7. Tales of Arcadia (2016)
One of the things that made The Owl House special to fans was how it handled the “chosen one” trope by instead focusing on themes of choice – you have to choose to become the hero rather than believing in some grand destiny to choose you instead. And while DreamWorks and Netflix’s Tales of Arcadia anthology series does feature many chosen ones, one of its main draws is a heavy focus on choice over destiny: you might have been chosen by a magical amulet, like in Trollhunters, a royal crown like in 3Below, or Merlin himself in Wizards, but a grand destiny doesn’t mean anything if you don’t choose to step up to the plate.
8. Over the Garden Wall (2014)
Despite being a children’s show, The Owl House definitely had a horrifying element to it. Residents of the Boiling Isles include demonic creatures of every size and shape, along with creations like ice-scream, boiling rain, and “gore-nados.” But if you were a fan of that side of the series, then be sure to check out Over the Garden Wall, a 2014 miniseries that follows half-brothers Wirt and Greg through a supernatural forest called the Unknown, where they meet all kinds of mysterious friends and foes, all the while being stalked by a dangerous creature known as the Beast.
9. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)
Following the same theme of horror, fans of The Owl House might find themselves enjoying The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which premiered on the CW from 2018 to 2020 as a remake of the original 1996 sitcom. The series follows half-human, half-witch Sabrina Spellman as she comes to terms with her heritage. She is torn between the supernatural and the human world, much like Luz from The Owl House, with a much darker edge.
10. Centaurworld (2021)
For the final – and possibly the oddest – entry on this list, fans of The Owl House should try Centaurworld, a Netflix series that aired in 2021. Centaurworld follows the story of Horse, a hardworking warhorse who finds herself separated from her rider and transported to Centaurworld, a bright and colorful world filled with centaurs of unimaginable variety. But despite its cheerful appearance, Centaurworld harbors a dark side in The Nowhere King.
Bearing a number of similarities to the final villain of The Owl House, The Nowhere King is an evil, cruel ruler attempting to wage war on the centaurs and humans alike, forcing Centaurworld and the human world to come together or risk total destruction.
