This analysis was written on 12/7/2015, before the finale of Gravity Falls aired. This blog has no affiliation with Disney, nor does this analysis represent the views of Disney in any way. All images used here are for the purpose of education. No copyright infringement intended.
The
Disney Channel has been a source of entertainment for children for ages. Kids in elementary and middle school enjoyed
the content targeted toward their age group and parents enjoy the luxury of
knowing that if their child is watching Disney Channel, then they aren’t being
exposed to inappropriate content. This
also means, however, that Disney Channel is only allowed to exhibit certain
content. There is even a theory that the
idea that they will have to “play it safe” has warded off potential showrunners.1 This theory has been challenged greatly in
recent years, however, since the arrival of Alex Hirsch at Disney and the
production of his hit cartoon Gravity
Falls.
The show focuses on two
twin siblings, Dipper and Mabel, as they spend a summer at their Great Uncle
“Grunkle” Stan’s home turned tourist trap, called the Mystery Shack, in the
backwoods town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. What appears to be a boring summer in
a lazy town quickly takes a turn for the bizarre as Dipper finds a journal with
a six-fingered hand and a giant 3 on the cover that describes in detail the
strange, supernatural beings that exist in the town and carries a warning:
trust no one. With his sister by his
side, the two navigate through whatever quandary life throws at them, whether
it be battling gnomes, fighting dinosaurs, impressing a crush, or trying to fit
in with the teenagers. The show is a blend of supernatural, comedic, thriller,
family, and dramatic elements. Hirsch
himself describes it as a cross between Twin
Peaks and The Simpsons.2 While the target audience is still the
younger crowd that Disney channel caters to, the show often pushes past what
audiences had previously thought Disney would deem appropriate. The occasional
bought of crude humor aside, the weird and bizarre elements of the show
sometimes delve into the more horrific, especially as the show progresses. The second to last episode of the first
season contains a prime example of this when the season’s main antagonist,
9-year-old fraudulent child psychic and town darling Lil’ Gideon, actually
summons a demon [see Figure 1]. From
there on and into the second season the show takes more liberties with how much
far they go with horror [see Figure 2].
These moments are shocking to see on the normally tame Disney Channel
and cause many viewers to question how such content makes it past what was
previously thought to be stringent censors.
Yet when questioned about the content, Hirsch explains that one thing he
would never put in his show is “something [he] wouldn’t feel comfortable seeing
in a Pixar film.”3 As the
content does make it to air, it appears that Disney agrees with Hirsch. Perhaps the execs were even looking for
someone to push the limits of what they were willing to show the public. In fact, evidence to support this theory
takes root in the conception of the show itself.
Figure 1: Li’l Gideon summoning Bill Cipher. Courtesy of youtube.com.
Figure 2: Body horror in the episode Weirdmaggedon Part 1. Courtesy of tvtropes.com.
An interesting
thing to note about Gravity Falls is
that Alex Hirsch did not actually pitch it to Disney.4 The series is based on a student animated
film that Hirsch made while at California Institute of the Arts. After seeing it, Mike Moon, an executive of
animated series at Disney, called Hirsch to see if he would like to develop a
series for Disney. Moon himself was an
animator for several years, his most notable work being on that of the
Emmy-winning series Foster’s Home for
Imaginary Friends on Cartoon Network.5 As Hirsch agreed and began
development, he found that he had immense creative control as a showrunner.6 The series, which is semi-autobiographical as
it is based on Hirsch’s childhood memories of spending summers with his own
twin sister at his Grandpa Stan’s house, is a personal one for the creator and
it was important that Disney didn’t seek to change anything or add in
gimmicks. Luckily, Disney seemed to be
eager to see what Hirsch would come up with and Gravity Falls was born.
A
Star-Studded Cast
Due to the many connections at Disney, there is no lack
of star power in the show. Famous guest
stars are littered throughout the series including talk show host Larry King,
90s rapper Coolio, Lance Bass of N’Sync, comedian Nick Offerman, parody artist
Weird Al Yankovic, and even physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.7 Some of the other guests are friends that
Hirsch wanted to bring into his project.
Prior to joining forces with Disney, Hirsch was an animator on Cartoon
Network’s The Marvelous Misadventures of
Flapjack in 2008 and 2009. In 2010
he had his first brush with Disney with his work on the network’s Fish Hooks, for which he animated as
well as voice acted.8 Through
his previous work experiences Hirsch made connections with fellow animators and
actors who would help him bring his creation to life. It was while working on Flapjack that he met Justin Roiland who would later go on to create
Rick and Morty on Adult Swim. The two have remained close and have even
guest starred on each other’s shows. On Gravity Falls, Roiland voices the character of Blendin
Blandin, a stuttering time traveler who reappears several times throughout the
series.
Another
character from Hirsch’s past is Thurop Von Orman. Orman, who previously voiced the character
Flapjack of The Misadventures of Flapjack,
was brought on the main antagonist of the first season, Li’l Gideon. Gideon is a fraudulent child psychic slightly
younger than the Pines twins who, with his first appearance in The Hand That Rocks the Mabel, forms a
rather persistent crush on Mabel [see Figure 3]. It is revealed that he has a journal much
like Dipper’s with a number 2 on the cover, and it is implied that this is how
he found the amulet that gave him the powers he used to trick the townspeople
into thinking he was a psychic.
Throughout the series he comes up with plots to steal the Mystery Shack,
although in some episodes he seems content to only irritate the Pines family
[see Figure 4]. With his vocal talents,
von Orman manages to deliver a performance that is sometimes terrifying in how
creepily adorable Gideon is.
Figture 3: A magazine article printed after Li’l Gideon coerces Mabel into going on a date. Courtesy of gravityfalls.wikia.com
Figure 4: Li’l Gideon overjoyed at stealing Stan’s chair at the local pool. Courtesy of gravityfalls.wikia.com
The voice actors who make up the main cast come with a considerable
amount of star power as well. The
biggest star of the show is actually Kristen Schaal, who plays Mabel
Pines. Mabel is a charming personality
whose passions include boys, pigs, scrapbooks, and sweaters. Sometimes immature, Mabel is shown to have a
vivid imagination and a large heart. Her
charisma and cheery nature serve as a contrast to her grumpy and cynical
Grunkle Stan, which is what makes the development of their relationship as the
series progresses so interesting.9
The character is based off of Hirsch’s twin sister Ariel, and early on
he decided that without Schaal to voice Mabel there would be no show at all.10 Schaal is known for her work in projects such
as Flight of the Concords and Fox’s
hit cartoon Bob’s Burgers. Aside from acting, she has also earned awards
for her comedy.11
Dipper, who is actually the main character of the show, was
harder to find a voice for. As an
intelligent yet awkward and often paranoid character, Dipper has a tendency to
be a bit neurotic and skeptical of everyone.
After finding the journal, Dipper often becomes obsessed with it, often going
overboard and putting both his sister and himself in danger trying to uncover the
mysteries of the town. It was important
to Hirsch that they find someone who could sound both youthful and serious, and
ultimately it was Jason Ritter who won the role. After comparing Ritter’s voice to Schaal’s,
Hirsch thought that the contrast would be amusing dynamic for the two siblings
to have.12 Ritter’s acting
resume is a long one both on and off screen and includes roles on hit TV shows
such as NBC’s Parenthood and HBO’s Girls.13
Alex
Hirsch himself, however, provides quite a few voices for the show. Some of those characters include the twins’
surly Grunkle Stan, the dim but lovable handyman Soos, the local kook Old Man
McGucket, and the main villain of the series Bill Cipher. Despite his voice acting abilities, Hirsch
did not plan on voicing the characters.
After spending so much time developing his characters, however, he found
that he had a very particular idea as to what their voices would sound like.14 With that knowledge, he decided to voice the
characters himself. As Stan and Soos in
particular are principle characters who frequently interact, Hirsch sometimes
voices entire scenes by himself.
Other
principle cast members include Linda Cardellini (Wendy Corduroy), TJ Miller
(Robbie Valentino), J.K. Simmons (Stanford Pines), Jon DiMaggio (Manly Dan),
Jennifer Coolidge (Lazy Susan), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Sheriff
Blubs). Part of the draw of the series
is the cast of colorful, and often insane characters. Perhaps Soos says it best in the episode The Stanchurian Candidate when he says,
“Everyone in this town is a tad strange.
Except, ironically, Tad Strange.”
[see Figure 5].
Figure 5: Quote: “Hi guys. Tad Strange is the name and being normal’s my game.” Courtesy of gravityfalls.wikia.com
Gravity Falls on the Rise
Since it first aired in 2012, Gravity Falls has received high praise from both fans and critics
alike. Brian Lowry, a columnist for Variety, cites the 9:30pm Prime Time
show time as a possible attempt for the show to pull in a newer audience for
Disney Channel.15 He goes on
to identify tween girls as the usual audience
member of the network at the time, and considering that the majority of
the shows at the time featured female teen and young adult leads it seems like
a fair assessment. The next few years
featured shows with more gender neutral casts in shows like I Didn’t Do It, but today the majority
of the shows on the channel are still female led.16 In August of 2014, just after the premier of
the second season, Gravity Falls was
moved to the decidedly more action and cartoon-driven Disney XD channel.
Over the years the series has met a lot of critical
acclaim. When the show first aired, the
Los Angeles Times described it as having “Disneyfied action” amongst its
heart-warming and at times “gently twisted”
elements.17 The review also
goes on to praise Kristen Schaal in particular, claiming the actress has a way
of making the audience feel like she has been given the best lines even when
she hasn’t.18 The voice
acting talent in the show in general is rather phenomenal, with several actors
being nominated for Behind the Voice Actors (BTVA) Awards for their
performances. Schaal herself has won 2 BTVAs
as well as an Annie in 2013 for her performance as Mabel. Alex Hirsch, as well,
has received a BTVA for his portrayal of Grunkle Stan, and in 2015 the cast was
nominated for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series.19
Voice acting aside, the show has also garnered various
nominations and awards for animation, writing, and sound editing. In 2014 and 2015 it was nominated for Golden
Reel Awards for sound design, and in 2015 it won the Annie for Best Animated
TV/Broadcast for a Children’s Audience.
Animators for the show have also received Emmys for Outstanding
Individual Animation in both 2014 and 2015.
Most recently, however, the series won the BAFTA Children’s Award for
Best International Series.20
The ratings that the series has garnered over the years
are quite impressive as well. The summer
premier of 2015 was watched by a record breaking 2.3 million viewers.21 The episode, entitled A Tale of Two Stans, had been eagerly anticipated by fans for four
months after the previous episode, Not
What He Seems, ended with a large cliff-hanger and plot twist. A Tale
Of Two Stans aired on July 13 and earned the cable TV number one spot for
viewership of a scripted series for that week.22
Despite
the popularity of the show, however, there are a few things that not even Gravity Falls can get away with.
Although a lot does happen in the show that most would have previously
expected to be too graphic for Disney, the censors do prevent a couple of
things from making it to air. The most
controversial incidence of this occurs in the second season, aired in 2015,
with the episode The Love God. Oddly enough, the part of the episode that
got censored had nothing to do with horror, but rather the inclusion of a
same-sex couple. The episode featured a
cherub known as the Love God (voiced by John DiMaggio) parading around Gravity
Falls as a musician for the annual Woodstick music festival. While there, Love God goes to the local diner
and shows off his powers by causing people to fall in love with the snap of his
fingers. In the original storyboards,
the Love God points an elderly woman in the direction of another elderly woman
[see Figure 6]. Despite Hirsch’s desire
to keep the sequence as it was, when the episode aired the moment had been
changed so the elderly woman got together with an elderly man [see Figure 7].
Figure 6: The original storyboard of the elderly couple. Courtesy of arythusa.tumblr.com
Figure 7: The scene that aired. Courtesy of gravityfalls.wikia.com
Although
many believe Disney to harbor homophobic tendencies, it is unlikely for that to
be the cause of the switch. While Disney
very rarely portrays any sort of same-sex relationship, an attempt was made on
their popular sitcom Good Luck Charlie. An episode was aired in January of 2014
wherein the titular character, a young girl named Charlie, has a friend coming
over for a playdate. Upon the friend’s
arrival it is revealed that the child has two mothers. This was a bold move on Disney Channel’s part
and many applauded the network for branching out in their diversity. Many conservatives, however, were
outraged. Some even went so far as to
send the 5-year-old actress who played Charlie, Mia Talerico, death threats.23 Although it is unclear whether or not this
had any impact on Disney’s decision to remove the same-sex couple in Gravity
Falls, it is understandable why Disney would want to err on the side of
caution.
Fan
Reception
The
response to Gravity Falls has been
astounding. Despite the fact that the
cartoon, with its often juvenile humor and magical mischief, is clearly
targeted toward children, the series has amassed quite the following amongst an
older audience as well. The way that
Hirsch and the other writers develop their story captures the attention of both
audiences, and heavy analysis can be done into the relationships between the
characters. Every episode reveals
something new about the characters and draws viewers further into the
series. The humor of the show, unlike
many other children’s shows, never drowns out or prevents the emotional
development in the show. This perfect
balance can be identified in the episode Society
of the Blind Eye wherein crazy Old Man McGucket gives Dipper and Mabel a
heartfelt thanks for helping him recover memories he had previously lost by
“ham boning” his message by using a series of slaps against his legs, knees,
arms, and head. The action fits in with
McGucket’s character and portrays the development his character has received during
the episode while still being wacky enough to be funny. Dipper responds with a smile while saying,
“Still don’t know what that means.” The
smile signifies that Dipper knows that the message is likely emotional, and
additional humor comes from the fact that he accepts that without knowing
exactly why it is emotional.
One
of the things that sets modern television series apart from previous
generations is social media. With sites
such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook, it is easy for fans to become connected
with each other and bond over content.
It also gives fans access to the creators of shows by following their
feeds, blogs, or pages. Gravity Falls is no exception. One several occasions Alex Hirsch has tweeted
to and about fans, sometimes even asking them to design a new icon for his profile
picture.24 This sort of fan interaction has also allowed several
animators are able to answer fan questions about the show as well. The social media aspect connects fans
personally with the creators, which strengthens the emotional bond they have
with the content. This connection has a
way of shifting the way in which traditional media is presented. In fact, Hirsch chose to first announce that
the series was ending not in a press release, but instead in a personal Tumblr
post.25
One of the most interesting interactions between social
media and the show exists within the conception of the Stan Twin Theory.26
The theory originally spread across social media in 2012 and theorized
that Grunkle Stan at one point had a twin.
The theory focuses on small details of the show that could be construed
to imply that Stan had a twin that he kept a secret. One such detail taken into account was the
fact that the license plate of Grunkle Stan’s car read STNLYMBL, seemingly to
mean “Stanley Mobile” [see Figure 8].
Since Grunkle Stan’s full name in the show was Stanford, fans took note
of this as something of significance.
Figure 8: The STNLYMBL license plate. Courtesy of gravityfallswikia.com
When Not What He
Seems aired in March of 2015, it had been heavily alluded to that a big
plot twist was coming. The second season
of the show mainly focuses on Dipper’s search for the author of the
journals. This episode, like so many
others, revolved around mystery, but this particular mystery concerned Grunkle
Stan and what he was hiding in the Mystery Shack basement. The episode’s action begins when Stan is
arrested by government agents and the twins set out to clear his name. As the episode progresses, Dipper, who all
too often takes the journal’s warning to “trust no one” to heart, is ready to
believe the worst as the evidence against Stan piles up whereas Mabel, with her
large heart and endless optimism, keeps holding on to her belief that there
must be some sort of explanation.
Everything culminates in the secret basement of the Mystery Shack where
the twins find a portal to another dimension.
Stan enters the scene, a surge from the portal causes gravity to fail,
and somehow Mabel finds herself in front of the button to shut it all down and
having to make a decision: listen to her brother and shut it down, or trust
Stan and risk the fate of the universe.
True to her compassionate nature, Mabel chooses the latter. The portal is finally charged and turns the
town upside down, quite literally, as it all but explodes. As the dust settles, a six-fingered stranger emerges
from where the portal once stood. A
shocked Dipper inquires as to who the stranger is, to which Stan replies, “The
author of the journals: my brother.” [see Figure 9]. As predicted by fans, the two men are,
indeed, twins. There was still a twist,
however, as it was later revealed that Grunkle Stan’s real name was Stanley and
his brother was actually Stanford.
Figure 9: The real Stanford Pines emerges. Courtesy of Disney.wikia.com
The acknowledgement of the fans comes a couple of
episodes later in a gag. At the end of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, the
Pines family and company have settled in to see the season finale of their
favorite show, Ducktective. Their show ends with a reveal that Ducktective has a twin brother, which
fails to impress the Pines and prompts Soos to proclaims, “I predicted that,
like, a year ago.” This is a clear nod
to the Stan Twin Theory and a gentle
jab at the fans who were unimpressed with the plot twist.
The
Weirdness Comes to an End
All good things must come to an end, although it is
definitely odd for a show as popular as Gravity
Falls to end after only two seasons.
The decision, however, is consistent with the amount of creative control
Disney has allowed Alex Hirsch. In his
Tumblr post announcing the end of the series, Hirsch tells fans that the story
he wanted to tell is almost complete, and that he was grateful to Disney for
allowing him to end the series as he saw fit.27 The news has been met with mixed feelings
from fans. Many are grateful that their
show will not befall the same fate of other series that were
dragged on until the ratings were sufficiently dead. Others feel that the series has been cut too
short and are upset that there will not be another season. The exact date of the finale has yet to be
announced, but if past precedence holds true, Disney can expect another record
audience for it in early 2016.
As for Hirsch, he has expressed a desire to stay in
television.28 In the past he
has turned down positions at both DreamWorks and Pixar, stating that with
television he gets to tell several stories a year whereas he would only get to
tell part of one over the course of several years with a feature. It is uncertain if a team like Hirsch’s will
come together again, but the success of their animated series will likely be
remembered far into the future. The show
is truly a unique wonder. Through the
fascinating storytelling, phenomenal voice acting, and the well-timed humor, Gravity Falls continuously takes its
audience by surprise. It may be almost
over, but the hour-long finale on the horizon provides the show with a chance
to take everyone by surprise once more.
1Barnes,
Brooks. “An
Undercurrent of Darkness, Even at Disney.” The New York
Times.
2Ibid
3Ibid
4Radish,
Christina. “Creator
Alex Hirsch Talks GRAVITY FALLS, How He Ended Up Making a Show for the Disney
Channel, His Love for TV Animation and More.” Collider.com
5Baisely,
Sarah. “Disney
Channel Recruits Mike Moon to Oversee Animated Series.” Animation World Network.
6Ibid
7”Gravity Falls Full Cast
& Crew.” IMDb
8”Alex Hirsch.” Wikipedia
9Adams,
Erik. “Comedy Showrunners Week:
Alex Hirsch on the Real and Unreal of Gravity Falls.” AV Club
10Ibid
11”Kristen Schaal Awards.” Ace ShowBiz
12Ibid
13”Jason Ritter.” IMDb
14Ibid
15Lowry,
Brian. “Review: ‘Gravity Falls’.” Variety
16”List of Disney Channel
Series.” Wikipedia
17Ibid
18Ibid
19”Gravity Falls Awards.” IMDb
20Barraclough,
Leo. “Alex Hirsch’s Gravity Falls Wins BAFTA Children’s Award.” Variety
21Kissell,
Rick.” Ratings: Disney XD’s ‘Gravity Falls’ Sets Network Record With
Summer Premiere.” Variety
22Ibid
23Corriston,
Michele. “Good Luck Charlie Child
Star Mia Talerico, 5, Targeted by Death Threats: Police.” People
28Ibid
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Hirsch on the Real in the Unreal of Gravity Falls." · Interview · The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club, 28 Sept. 2012. Web.
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Adams, Erik. "Gravity Falls' Alex Hirsch Previews
the Show's New Season by Recapping Its First." · The Walkthrough · The A.V. Club. The A.V. Club, 31 July 2014.
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<http://www.avclub.com/article/gravity-falls-alex-hirsch-previews-shows-new-seaso-207536>.
"Alex Hirsch." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Hirsch>.
Baisley, Sarah. "Disney Channel Recruits Mike
Moon to Oversee Animated Series." Animation
World Network. Animation World Network, 6 Feb. 2006. Web.
<http://www.awn.com/news/disney-channel-recruits-mike-moon-oversee-animated-series>.
Barnes, Brooks. "An Undercurrent of Darkness,
Even at Disney." The New York Times.
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Corriston, Michele. "5-Year-Old Good Luck Charlie
Star Targeted by Death Threats." PEOPLE.com.
People, 06 Feb. 2014. Web.
<http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20784127,00.html>.
Cotugno, Sabrina. "Gravity Falls - The Love God
Intro~." Lysergic Bliss. N.p.,
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<http://arythusa.tumblr.com/post/104366869577/gravity-falls-the-love-god-intro>.
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<http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/gravirt-falls-ratings-disney-xd-1201544324/>.
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<http://www.aceshowbiz.com/celebrity/kristen_schaal/awards.html>.
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