A collage of three animated owls. On the left is Owl of the Winnie the Pooh franchise, sitting on a tree branch. He leans his back against the trunk, presumably sleeping. He has brown feathers and appears to be snoring. In the middle, Professor Owl stands atop a brown globe. He has blue feathers and wears a blue shirt, dark blue jacket, green bow tie, white collar, and circular black spectacles. He smiles and holds his right arm in the air, pointer finger out. On the right, Archimedes from The Sword and the Stone lies on his back like he’s just fallen. He glares up at something off-screen. Archimedes has brown feathers and pale yellow eyes.

It’s Almost Superb Owl Sunday! Here Are Seven of Disney’s Most Memorable

By Jessica Benda

With a certain sports event approaching on Sunday, we’re honoring our own superb owls that fly through Disney stories. These airborne friends have been with Disney since its first feature film (a brief appearance startling Snow White in the forest) and continue to evolve. Disney’s owls are loyal protectors, silly pals, and intelligent leaders. We don’t know how well they’d fare in sports, but they certainly know how to tell a tale.

Happy Superb Owl Sunday!

A view of Princess Aurora dancing in the forest in the animated film Sleeping Beauty. She waltzes with an owl, who’s wearing a red cloak. A squirrel sits atop the owl’s head, holding a red hat up, while two rabbits stand on the grass below, each inside a brown boot. Two birds watch nearby. Aurora has long, blond curls with a black headband and wears a gray dress.

Sleeping Beauty’s Owl
We don’t know his name, we don’t know his backstory, but we do know that he deserves a spot in this roundup. In Sleeping Beauty, an owl waltzes around an idyllic forest with Princess Aurora, looking dashing in Prince Phillip’s red hat and cloak. Along with rabbits and squirrels, he roams the fairytale forest and keeps Aurora company while she lives with the three good fairies. His playful attitude and good nature make him an ideal companion for any princess. Prince Phillip may have cut in on the dance and won Aurora’s heart, but this owl won ours.

Professor Owl
Looking dapper in a blue blazer and black spectacles, Professor Owl knows how to lead a classroom. He’s most known for the Disney short cartoon Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953) and Adventures in Music: Melody (1953), the first cartoon filmed in 3D. Not only does he have a degree—or whatever teaching credential is required for woodland creatures—but he’s also musically inclined, as shown by his involvement in Disney’s Sing-Along Songs (launched in 1986).

In the animated film The Sword and the Stone, the owl Archimedes lays on the ground as though he has fallen. He has brown feathers and pale yellow eyes, which glare up at something off-screen. Chests, pans, and an odd assortment of knick-knacks surround him.

Archimedes
While he’s not Archimedes the ancient Greek mathematician, Archimedes the owl isn’t far off in terms of brainpower. Brilliant but high-strung, Archimedes is a feathered encyclopedia with a side of sarcasm. In TheSword and the Stone, Merlin’s pet owl is fond of Wart (aka young Arthur), though he doesn’t like to admit it. He’s also one of the few owls capable of talking to humans. We wonder whether Merlin’s magic had anything to do with that.

Friend Owl
Friend Owl warns of a dangerous, terrifying threat in the forest: romance. In Bambi, he spends most of his screen time explaining to the fawn and his friends the dangers of becoming “twitterpated.” In human terms: falling in love. As is the habit of adolescents, Bambi and his friends do it anyway, but you can’t blame Friend Owl for trying. He doesn’t hold any hard feelings either, as he’s thrilled to meet Bambi and Faline’s newborn fawns later in the film.

In the animated series Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure, Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cass stand outside in the darkness. Rapunzel has endlessly long blond hair and green eyes, holding a torn scroll in her hands. Eugene, her boyfriend, and Cass, her lady-in-waiting, look over her shoulder at the scroll. Maximus, a white horse, peers curiously as Pascal the chameleon peeks out from behind him. A small, yellow-eyed owl perches on Cass’ right arm.

Owl
Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure abounds with animal companions of all kinds, but few are as steadfast as Owl (except maybe Maximus). Cassandra’s “eye in the sky” spends much of his time perched on her shoulder, but he also aids in battle, delivers messages, and gives great advice using only his facial expressions. Cass may not be the most original at naming her animal companions, but she certainly knows how to pick them.

Milori’s Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl faithfully carries its rider through frigid air, often a blur of white feathers soaring through the Winter Woods. It first appears in Secret of the Wings, the fourth film in the Tinker Bell series, where it lingers by Lord Milori’s side. After Milori’s wing was broken, an irreversible injury, the loyal Snowy Owl became his new wings as they watched over the Winter Woods together. While Milori may rule the snowy realm, the Snowy Owl is the flight behind the fairy.

Owl of the animated Winnie the Pooh franchise sits up on a tree branch, the blue sky and sun in the background. He leans his back against the trunk, presumably sleeping. He has brown feathers and appears to be snoring.

Owl
The Hundred Acre Wood brims with oak trees, but only one holds a tree house between its branches. Winnie the Pooh often finds Owl cozied up at home, always up to offer (questionable) advice and a cup of tea. The good-natured flyer loves to tell a wild story or five, and he’s always collecting more tales of his own adventures with Piglet, Tigger, and his friends. Perhaps the most famous Disney owl, he is loved by many more children than just Christopher Robin.