WesternAnimation On it's way to become one of Disney Channel's bests
The Owl House is probably one of my personal favorite cartoons in recent years. In a time where modern cartoons have varied in quality a fair bit, I feel like Disney has been the most consistently good in the past few years, what with Gravity Falls, Star Vs (even if it didn't end on a high note, sadly), Ducktales 2017, Wander over Yonder and plenty of other great cartoons. While I don't think TOH is better then those shows (or even better then some of their older work), it's the one I've been enjoying the most so far.
It's creative designs and locations, endearing and enjoyable characters, cute artstyle and general charm make it so much fun to watch. Even more filler episodes are just as enjoyable as the ones actually connected to the ongoing story. A highlight is definately King, voiced by Alex Hirsch of Gravity Falls fame. Hearing Bill Cipher say stuff like "I want numn numns!" is worth the price of admission alone.
It's far from flawless, like I do think Luz learns spells a bit too quickly, which would of been nicer to see as a slow build towards other spells, and I don't like how Boscha is just a typical Hate Sink considering Amity is getting some nice develoment, but those are mostly small problems in an otherwise lovely show. It's a solid recomendation from me.
WesternAnimation A good show. But nothing more than that.
The Owl House has a very basic set of pros and cons. The animation style is unique, and the character designs are memorable. There's at least one or two jokes that make me laugh each episode. And when becoming more tense, the visuals become a true spectacle. But at the same time, Owl House doesn't break any new ground with its plot, and in general is very unoriginal.
The plot-line with the most focus follows Luz's time spent in magic school, as she strives to become a great magician, despite her Muggle status. Already a story done many times, many ways. But the lack of any unique characters is another drawback. With Willow and Gus being the typical Cloud Cuckoolanders Minder friends, and Amity being the arrogant Alpha Bitch rival who softens up with time. They all behave exactly like how you'd imagine they would. (In Amity's case it becomes rather obnoxious to watch her stutter and blush like a toddler whenever she's around Luz after her character development.) Principal Bump is the only exception, and he is a rather varied and entertaining character.
The larger scale plot-line involving the emperor took a backseat this season. As did the most interesting character (And my personal favorite), Eda. She and Luz didn't spend as much time learning magic together as I had hoped, in favor of the more generic school setting. She and her sister did get enough time to shine to the point where they never felt like side characters, and it was always a good time watching them interact.
The show's greatest weakness is its protagonist Luz. Not a bad character, rather a very safe one. Excluding flaws that drive the plot, she does not have any poor character traits. And the ones she does have are centered in naivety, while excluding more challenging traits that could realistically be included with that behavior, such as disrespect or selfishness. Even then, the "mistakes" Luz does make often end up giving her and her friends a better outcome than if she didn't make it. Unless she gets corrupted later on, Luz doesn't have much room for character growth, and will most likely act exactly the same as she did in season one till the end, minus the ignorance.
Because outside information should not be used to judge a work, I don't believe any of these criticisms can be used to call The Owl House a bad show. Or even a mediocre one. But because Owl House doesn't break any new grounds compared to other (and probably better) shows, I can't call it great.
Even then, the positives I mentioned are still in effect, and the season one finale was a promising one. If season two takes more risks, and give's Luz's character more dimensions, I can see Owl House becoming a truly great show. As it is, it's structurally sound, with no glaring flaws. Any major criticism drawn can only be done if you compare it to other works. So watch The Owl House if you want to. But if you were a 2000s kid like I was, don't expect to be blown away. At least not for now.