Well, this is... it's something, all right

[conuly]

"At first, [the executives] would see the show trending every other day on Twitter and be like, 'Oh, anyone can trend on Twitter, that doesn't actually mean anything,' but seeing the views on YouTube and seeing the people who came to New York Comic Con [gave them] a much better idea that, 'Oh no,' the show is actually successful,'" Terrace said. "For the crew, it's extremely validating because we work our asses off."

https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/Disney-The-Owl-House-CT-dana-terrace-17515083.php

You know, when I thought the cancellation of The Owl House was down to run-of-the-mill homophobia, I thought that was both infuriating and risible. I mean, c'mon already. Homophobia is an inherently ludicrous reason to do anything.

But, shockingly, "We just didn't realize it was popular" is... I don't even know. Isn't it literally their job to know this sort of thing? Or to hire people whose job it is to know it, anyway?

Comments

[dewline]

They're supposed to be able to get the clues about such things and run with them, or so I was led to understand in Marketing classes at Algonquin.

Despite the show's good ratings, Terrace said Disney made the decision to end the show after its short third season. Former President of Disney Channels Worldwide Gary Marsh broke the news of its cancellation during a meeting. This news came to the crew during an "extremely emotional" time during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Terrace said.

What the Hell, right?

[conuly]

Seriously.

[alexseanchai]

have they considered un-canceling it? I mean, it's a bit late to do that and still get the season 3 the creative team wanted, but

[conuly]

Apparently, you can't so easily uncancel an animated series, especially in this case where the abbreviated third season is already made and ready to air.

What they could do is expand the franchise into books, spin-offs, sequel series, etc.

[calimac]

I would think it would be less difficult to resurrect an animated series than a live-action one. You're more flexible on personnel, I'd imagine.

[conuly]

But it takes more time to produce each episode, doesn't it? Because of the part where it all has to be animated?

[grav_ity]

the commitment to "girls like things????" in media is ASTONISHING.

[conuly]

I could scream.

[gatheringrivers]

Old white guys don't really keep UP with popular stuff if it doesn't hit what THEY usually read.

Hilarious story I heard about Pepsi, for example. Looking for a "spokesperson" back in the....60's? Someone put forth signing on this band that they liked. Pepsi executives said "Naaaah."

When the Beatles became Holy Shit A Thing, there were regrets.

[jessie_c]

the cancellation of The Owl House was down to run-of-the-mill homophobia

Because it was. The "We didn't know it was popular" bit is an even more pathetic excuse than the homophobia is.

[conuly]

That's certainly still a possibility, though I got the distinct impression that Dana Terrace is holding the story that that's not what happened.

It's always possible that this is just a polite fiction so as not to burn all those bridges for no good reason, but I'll give them the, uh, "benefit" of the doubt. Though honestly, I think I might respect homophobia more than "We're just too inept to do our jobs properly".

[jessie_c]

Well, nobody's ever managed to accuse homophobes of being intelligent.

[silveradept]

Not knowing that it's popular seems like a basic failure of a marketing department, but it's entirely possible that pressure campaigns that Disney should never do anything that's representative of childhood, even in fantasy worlds, also made the executives less likely to want to protect the show or to make it into something that was failing to live up to expectations somehow. Nothing that could be pointed at as a direct action, of course, just that it wasn't meeting the expectations for it, despite the large amount of popularity.