The Owl House, Amphibia cross over and tease the future at SDCC 2021

The Owl House and Amphibia are two Disney cartoons of the same coin. Both helmed by Gravity Falls alumni, they share chaotic energy and a broad premise: young girls spirited away into magical lands away from the human world and making friends with the inhabitants.

For Luz Noceda (Sarah-Nicole Robles) in Owl House, a magical door whisked into the Boiling Isles, a realm of witches, where she finds herself under the apprenticeship of the rebellious witch Eda (Wendie Malick). A magical box transported Anne Boonchuy (Brenda Song) to Amphibia, a world of frog people.

The idea of crossing over Luz’s and Anne’s worlds would make sense on paper — so San Diego Comic-Con became the perfect venue to tease the notion.

On Saturday, the creative teams of Disney Channel’s Amphibia and The Owl House joined for an SDCC panel to share previews, discuss the design and coloring process, and present an exclusive crossover table read with stars of each series. While the episode isn’t planned for either show’s actual run, bringing both casts together to “what if?” live was a treat for fans. Creators Matt Braly of Amphibia and Dana Terrace of The Owl House and Owl House art director Ricky Cometa were joined by their productions’ respective cast. Amphibia panelists feature Song, Justin Felbinger, Bill Farmer, and Amanda Leighton. The Owl House cast featured Malick, Robles, and Mae Whitman. Doug Bensimon, executive director of Disney Television Animation moderated the panel. Viewers were also treated to a sneak peek of the upcoming animated buddy-comedy show The Ghost and Molly McGee.

The teams also shared insight and news on both series. Regarding the visual layout in the recently released Owl House episode “Hunting Palismen,” Terrace said, “I love making gross things pretty. I love playing with that crazy dichotomy. It’s going to be in the armpit but beautiful. The designers were like [sighs] but they did it.” The currently running season 2 of Owl House focuses on Luz’s journey to find a portal back into the human world, facing changing dynamics within her found family, and dealing with her burgeoning romantic feelings for Amity.

In the meantime, Amphibia recently concluded its second season on a cliffhanger and a radical shift in the status quo. “There’s a role reversal where Anne is taking care of them [her frog family],” Braly said.

“One of the most exciting things in season 3 is that Anne’s parents are going to be fully fleshed out characters and core cast members,” he said. “The fans are always asking, how does time work in Amphibia versus our world? Is it Narnia time where no time is lost when you travel to and fro [between dimensions]? I’m happy to confirm that Narnia time is not a thing here. Time has been flowing in a linear fashion. That has some big implications for the girls and their parents. When Anne gets home, what’s that gonna mean?”

Image: Disney

Braly played a season 3 clip showing Anne and her frog family wandering Los Angeles, and Anne’s emotional reunion with her worried parents (with On Braly and Brian Sounalath as her mother and father, respectively). Fun fact: On is the mother of Braly and didn’t have voice acting experience prior to the show. Braly also revealed that there was a deleted scene in season 1 where Anne’s father was seen but it was cut for time.

Leighton, the voice of rolly tadpole Polly Plantar, spoke about her excitement when her character finally grew her legs. “I was like, my baby got legs. Not only did she grow physically, but going on all these adventures she’s grown up a lot mentally and emotionally.” It has also been recently announced season three of Amphibia will include a 22-minute Christmas special featuring a song written by Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar.

As for The Owl House, Terrace stated the show has not been granted a third season extension. She encouraged fans on social media to share their love of the series in the hope of producing “spinoffs, shorts, comics.”

Amphibia season 3 will premiere on Saturday, Oct. 2. Episodes of The Owl House and Amphibia are available to view on Disney Channel and Disney Plus.