Gravity Falls
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''Gravity Falls'' is an American
mystery Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' Films * ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film * ''Mystery'' ( ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
animated television series created by
Alex Hirsch Alexander Robert Hirsch (born June 18, 1985) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, storyboard artist, and producer. He is the creator of the Disney Channel series ''Gravity Falls'', for which he provided the voices of Grunkle Stan, Soo ...
for Disney Channel and
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...
. The series follows the adventures of
Dipper Pines Mason "Dipper" Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters in the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Jason Ritter, and is loosely based on the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch. ...
(
Jason Ritter Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Kevin Girardi in the television series ''Joan of Arcadia'', Ethan Haas in '' The Class'', Sean Walker in the NBC series '' The Event'', ...
) and his twin sister Mabel (
Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal (; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her voice roles as Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and Mabel Pines on ''Gravity Falls''. She's also known for playing Mel on '' ...
) who are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle (or "Grunkle") Stan (Hirsch) in Gravity Falls,
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, a mysterious town full of
paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
incidents and supernatural creatures. The kids help Stan run the "Mystery Shack", the
tourist trap A tourist trap is an establishment (or group of establishments) that has been created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their money. Tourist traps will typically provide overpriced services, entertainment, food, souveni ...
that he owns, while also investigating the local mysteries. The series premiered on June 15, 2012, and ran until February 15, 2016. On November 20, 2015, Hirsch announced that the series would finish with its second season, stating that this was "100% ischoice" and that "the show isn't being cancelled- it's being finished" and was simply reaching its natural conclusion. The series ended on February 15, 2016, with a one-hour finale, " Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls". Hirsch later stated that he remains open to continuing the series with additional episodes or specials. ''Gravity Falls'' received critical acclaim with praise directed at its writing, characters, voice acting, animation, humor, and multi-generational appeal. Additionally, the series won two Emmy Awards, three
Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in Film, cinema and television. Originally ...
, and a BAFTA Children's Award, among various other wins and nominations. ''Gravity Falls'' garnered high viewership amongst kids, teenagers, and young adults during its run and was Disney XD's highest rated show in 2015 and early 2016, while also setting several ratings records for the network. The series has attracted a broad and passionate
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
and has been considered to be an influence for many animated shows that followed it, and has also spawned a variety of official merchandise.


Premise

For their summer vacation, 12-year-old twins
Dipper Dippers are members of the genus ''Cinclus'' in the bird family Cinclidae, so-called because of their bobbing or dipping movements. They are unique among passerines for their ability to dive and swim underwater. Taxonomy The genus ''Cinclus'' ...
and
Mabel Pines Mabel Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters of the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Kristen Schaal, and designed by the series creator, Alex Hirsch. She is inspired by Hirsc ...
are dropped off from their home in
Piedmont, California Piedmont is a small city located in Alameda County, California, United States, completely surrounded by the city of Oakland. Its residential population was 11,270 at the 2020 census. The name comes from the region of Piedmont in Italy, and it me ...
, to the fictitious town of Gravity Falls, Roadkill County,
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, to spend the summer with their great uncle Stan Pines (often shortened to Grunkle Stan), who runs a
tourist trap A tourist trap is an establishment (or group of establishments) that has been created or re-purposed with the aim of attracting tourists and their money. Tourist traps will typically provide overpriced services, entertainment, food, souveni ...
called the "Mystery Shack". Things are not what they seem in this small town, and with the help of a mysterious journal that Dipper finds in the forest, they begin unraveling the town's mysteries. With Wendy Corduroy, Mystery Shack cashier; Soos Ramirez, a friend of Dipper and Mabel and handyman to Grunkle Stan; plus an assortment of other characters, Dipper and Mabel always have an intriguing day to look forward to.


Episodes

Main series Shorts


Characters

Main characters *
Dipper Pines Mason "Dipper" Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters in the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Jason Ritter, and is loosely based on the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch. ...
(voiced by
Jason Ritter Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Kevin Girardi in the television series ''Joan of Arcadia'', Ethan Haas in '' The Class'', Sean Walker in the NBC series '' The Event'', ...
) – The 12-year-old twin brother of Mabel Pines. *
Mabel Pines Mabel Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters of the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Kristen Schaal, and designed by the series creator, Alex Hirsch. She is inspired by Hirsc ...
(voiced by
Kristen Schaal Kristen Joy Schaal (; born January 24, 1978) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is best known for her voice roles as Louise Belcher on ''Bob's Burgers'' and Mabel Pines on ''Gravity Falls''. She's also known for playing Mel on '' ...
) – The 12-year-old twin sister of Dipper Pines. * Stanley "Stan" Pines (also known as "Grunkle Stan") (voiced by
Alex Hirsch Alexander Robert Hirsch (born June 18, 1985) is an American voice actor, animator, writer, storyboard artist, and producer. He is the creator of the Disney Channel series ''Gravity Falls'', for which he provided the voices of Grunkle Stan, Soo ...
) – The greedy, grumpy, yet loving great-uncle of Dipper and Mabel Pines. * Soos Ramirez (voiced by Alex Hirsch) – The 22-year-old handyman at the Mystery Shack. * Wendy Corduroy (voiced by Linda Cardellini) – A 15-year-old part-time employee at the Mystery Shack, on whom Dipper has a crush. * Stanford Pines (voiced by
J. K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
) – Stan's six-fingered long-lost identical twin brother and the author of the journals. * Bill Cipher (voiced by Alex Hirsch) – An interdimensional demon that can be summoned and released into a person's mind. He resembles a one-eyed yellow triangle superficially similar to the
Eye of Providence The Eye of Providence (or the All-Seeing Eye of God) is a symbol that depicts an eye, often enclosed in a triangle and surrounded by rays of light or glory, meant to represent divine providence, whereby the eye of God watches over humanity. ...
that wears a top hat and a bow tie. He serves as the main antagonist of the series.


Production


Conception

Prior to working on the series, series creator Alex Hirsch's primary inspiration growing up was the popular
animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of the sitcom that is animated instead of live action and is generally made or created for adult audiences in most cases. ''SpongeBob SquarePants'', ''The Simpsons'', ''South Park'', and ''Family Guy'' are four of ...
''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'', where he observed that "animation could be funnier than live-action. That animation didn't have to just be for kids. That it could be satirical and observational and grounded in a sense of character interaction". Hirsch graduated from the
California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
, and was hired to work as writer and storyboard artist for the Cartoon Network series ''
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack ''The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack'' (also known as ''The Misadventures of Flapjack'', or simply ''Flapjack'') is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network. It premiered in the United States on ...
'', where he was paired up with
Pendleton Ward Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston (born September 23, 1982), known professionally as Pendleton Ward or simply Pen Ward, is an American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios, Freder ...
, the creator of ''
Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...
''. Afterwards, he moved on to co-develop the Disney Channel animated series ''
Fish Hooks ''Fish Hooks'' is an American animated television series created by Noah Z. Jones for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The show ran for three seasons from September 3, 2010 to April 4, 2014, airing a total of 59 episodes. Plot The series revolves ...
''; shortly before he pitched ''Gravity Falls'', which was subsequently
green-lit To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead". Film industry In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
. Hirsch said he was at the
California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
when he turned down DreamWorks Animation executive
Jeffrey Katzenberg Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and C ...
out of a desire to work for Disney. He first coined the concept for the show in an 11-minute low-budget student film that he made at the institute. Hirsch was called in to do a pitch for Disney Channel for a show based on the short pilot. Disney Channel bought the idea and the series premiered on June 15, 2012. The series was inspired by Hirsch's own childhood experiences and his relationship with his own twin sister growing up during their summer vacations. He placed many of his real-life experiences in the show, like living in Piedmont and trick-or-treating with his sister as kids.
Dipper Pines Mason "Dipper" Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters in the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Jason Ritter, and is loosely based on the childhood of series creator Alex Hirsch. ...
is based on Hirsch's memory of how it felt to be a kid. When Hirsch was around Dipper's age, he "would record imelf and play it backwards and try to learn to speak backwards". Hirsch described himself as "that neurotic kid who would carry 16 disposable cameras everywhere I went".
Mabel Pines Mabel Pines is a fictional character and one of the two lead characters of the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The character is voiced by Kristen Schaal, and designed by the series creator, Alex Hirsch. She is inspired by Hirsc ...
was inspired by his twin sister, Ariel Hirsch. According to Hirsch, just like Mabel, his sister "really did wear wacky sweaters and have a different ridiculous crush, every week." In the series Mabel gets a pet pig, just like his sister had always wanted when she was a kid.
Grunkle Stan Stanley Pines, also known as "Grunkle Stan", is one of the main characters of the Disney Channel animated series ''Gravity Falls'', created and voiced by the series creator Alex Hirsch. In an interview, Hirsch claims that Grunkle Stan is loosely ...
was inspired by Hirsch's grandpa Stan, who according to Hirsch "was a guy that told tall tales and would frequently mess with us to get a rise out of us. So, my family really inspired the characters on the show."


Writing

In an interview with '' Oh My Disney'', Hirsch claimed he already had the beginning, middle, and end of the story for ''Gravity Falls'' planned out when he first pitched the series. He originally thought the series would "be two or three seasons". However, Hirsch had never created a TV series before and after experiencing how "incredibly draining" it was, he initially wanted to end the series after season one and, ultimately, on a cliffhanger. After the series premiered and became a huge commercial success, Hirsch began to rethink his decision. Two people convinced him to return and do a second season: Jon Stewart, the former host of ''
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...
'' (and eventual ''Gravity Falls'' guest star), who told Hirsch that his kids loved the show, and
Patrick McHale Patrick McHale VC ( ga, Pádraig Mac Céile; 1826 – 26 October 1866) was born in Killala, County Mayo and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that ca ...
, who created the animated series ''
Over the Garden Wall ''Over the Garden Wall'' is an American animated television miniseries created by Patrick McHale for Cartoon Network. The series centers on two half-brothers who travel across a mysterious forest to find their way home, encountering a variet ...
''. McHale had been watching the series and told him: "Look, after that cliffhanger, you’ve got to finish it." Hirsch decided that he had about ten more episodes left in him, so he went to the network, who said, "We only take seasons in twenties." So he said, "Okay, one more season, … Before we started the econdseason, it said in my contract, before I put pen to paper, that this is my last season." The studio agreed, under the condition that Hirsch could not tell anyone. As a result,
Jason Ritter Jason Morgan Ritter (born February 17, 1980) is an American actor and producer. He is known for his roles as Kevin Girardi in the television series ''Joan of Arcadia'', Ethan Haas in '' The Class'', Sean Walker in the NBC series '' The Event'', ...
, who voices Dipper, did not know the series was ending until after he read the finale script, claiming that "when I read the finale I thought, this feels like, not just the season finale. It feels like a series finale." Hirsch explained in an interview with ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' that during the production of season one, that a typical episode was conceived in a room reserved for writers, where a simple synopsis was presented, and from then on
dramatic structure Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...
was defined, and the plot was modified to include a character-driven subplot, which Hirsch expressed as "the hardest thing ... to find a character story that actually uncovers, explores, or pushes tension—on something our characters care about—that is properly explored via the magic or monster or impossibility of the week." B- and A-stories were created and were given to a writer to produce an
outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...
, which was then subsequently checked-off by Hirsch for feedback. The writer produced a draft from these edits, where more notes may have been given. Hirsch stated that he and creative director
Mike Rianda Michael "Mike" Rianda (born December 25, 1984) is an American writer, director, and voice actor. He is known for his work on ''Gravity Falls'' as a creative director and writer for season 1, and creative consultant for season 2. He is also known ...
may have personally created a draft for themselves before a final script was produced, in which the dialogue from the draft received from the writer was significantly revised; Hirsch stated that the revising process "is not a discredit to our writers—it's just we have a very particular vision. In particular, I usually rewrite almost all of Dipper's dialogue and most of Mabel's dialogue, just because I have them in my head. Me and Mike will stay up for about 24 hours prior to the delivery of every script. We'll take the weekend, we'll work all night, we'll drink Red Bull, we'll sleep on the couch in shifts like maniacs, we'll slap each other in the face."


Animation

After a script was delivered, an episode then got translated into a storyboard, where feedback was received from Hirsch to the board artists if a certain element, such as a
gag A gag is usually an item or device designed to prevent speech, often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help and keep its wearer silent. This is usually done by blocking the mouth, partially or completely, or attemptin ...
, did not work. Afterwards, a pitch for the episode was given to the network, where they did a read-through, and then the episode was either checked out by the network, or retooled in the small amount of time allocated before an
animation studio An animation studio is a company producing animated media. The broadest such companies conceive of products to produce, own the physical equipment for production, employ operators for that equipment, and hold a major stake in the sales or rentals o ...
must receive something to work with. The series was animated by
Rough Draft Korea Rough Draft Studios, Inc. is an American animation production studio based in Glendale, California, with a second studio in Glendale and its sister studio Rough Draft Korea located in Seoul, South Korea. The studio was founded in Van Nuys, Los ...
, Digital eMation and Yearim Productions. However, whenever a sequence was deemed too important for the outside animation studios to realize, it was animated in-house by storyboard artist and supervisor
Dana Terrace Dana Terrace (born December 8, 1990) is an American animator, writer, storyboard artist, director, producer and voice actress. She is best known as the creator of the Disney Channel animated series ''The Owl House''. She is also known for storyboa ...
.


Broadcast


Initial broadcast

The first twelve episodes of ''Gravity Falls'' aired in a regular weekly slot on Disney Channel starting in mid-2012, but subsequent episodes were broadcast without similar regularity; it took until August 2013 to broadcast the remaining eight episodes of the first season. The second season began airing a year later in August 2014, transitioning over to
Disney XD Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven yea ...
, but again without any regularity as to when new episodes would be first broadcast. The first nine episodes aired from August to November 2014, the following two in February and March 2015, the next eight from July to November 2015, and the finale aired on February 15, 2016. According to Disney XD, as each episode took about six months of work to complete, they opted against stockpiling episodes to show weekly but instead take advantage of the serial nature of the show, broadcasting each episode as it was completed and making an event out of it. On April 2, 2018, reruns of the show started airing on Disney Channel, although reruns of the show still air on Disney XD.


International broadcast

The series began airing on Disney Channel Canada on September 1, 2015, following Corus Entertainment's acquisition of Disney Channel rights in Canada. In Canada the show began airing on Disney XD starting on December 1, 2015, following the launch of Disney XD. The show started broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 20, 2012, as a preview and officially premiered on September 7, 2012. In Australia and New Zealand it previewed on August 17, 2012, and premiered on September 24, 2012. It also premiered in Southeast Asia on October 27, 2012. In India, it premiered on September 16, 2013. In the Middle East region, the series was previewed on October 19, 2012, and premiered on November 10, 2012. The series preview debuted in Canada on June 15, 2012, and premiered on July 6, 2012, on Family Channel, until January 2016 when it moved to the local Disney XD channel following
Corus Entertainment Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian mass media company. Formed in 1999 as a spin-off from Shaw Communications, it has prominent holdings in the radio, publishing, and television industries. It is headquartered at Corus Quay in Toronto, Onta ...
's acquisition of Disney Channel rights in Canada from Family's owner
DHX Media WildBrain Ltd. (formerly known as DHX Media, Ltd.) is a Canadian media, animation studio, production, and brand licensing company, mostly associated as an entertainment company. The company is known for owning the largest library of children ...
. In Australia, the show airs on Disney XD and
7mate 7mate is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network on 25 September 2010. The channel contains sport and regular programs aimed primarily to a male audience, with programming drawn from a c ...
while in Chile, the show was broadcast on Canal 13 on November 24, 2013, under its programming block ''
CuBox CuBox and CuBox-i are series of small and fanless nettop-class computers manufactured by the Israeli company SolidRun Ltd. They are all cube-shaped and sized at approximately 2 × 2 × 2 inches (5 cm) and weigh 91 grams (0.2 lb, or 3. ...
''. In the Philippines, the show was shown on TV5 beginning on May 4, 2014, while in Brazil, the show also began airing on
Rede Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Grupo Globo. The TV stati ...
on May 10, 2014. In Indonesia, the show premiered on
RCTI RCTI (''Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia'') is a West Jakarta-based Indonesian free-to-air television network. It is best known for its soap operas, celebrity bulletins, news, and sports programmes. It was first launched in 1989, origina ...
on August 17, 2014.


Broadcast edits

The symbol on Grunkle Stan's fez was changed from a crescent shape resembling the Islamic
crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hinduism, Lord Shiva is often shown wearing a crescent moon on his ...
to a fish-like symbol mid-way through the first season's broadcast. The symbol represents his membership in the Royal Order of the Holy Mackerel. When the series was released to
Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
, the crescent-shaped symbol was edited out entirely, leaving a symbol-less fez in the early episodes—later episodes featuring the fish-like symbol were unaffected. However, the crescent symbol remains in the thumbnails, and on the zodiac wheel in the title sequence. Hirsch drew attention to the change on Twitter. Disney has not commented on why it was removed. Sometime later, the symbol on the fez was restored. In 2017, Disney Channel redubbed
Louis C.K. Louis Alfred Székely (; born September 12, 1967), known professionally as Louis C.K. (), is an American stand-up comedian, screenwriter, actor, and filmmaker. C.K. won three Peabody Awards, three Grammy Awards, six Primetime Emmy Awards, and a ...
's minor role as "The Horrifying Sweaty One-Armed Monstrosity" in the 2015 episode "Weirdmageddon Part 1", as well as its 2016 follow-up episode and series finale, " Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls", following the comedian's admission of sexual misconduct. Series creator Alex Hirsch is now credited as voicing the character.


Merchandise


Home media

On March 27, 2018, Shout! Factory announced that they would release the complete series as a box set on July 24, 2018, on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The box set is available in a "Collector's Edition", which includes an exclusive bonus features disc. The complete series has only been released in the United States and Canada.


Books


Video game

A video game was created for the series, titled '' Gravity Falls: Legend of the Gnome Gemulets''. The game was released exclusively on Nintendo 3DS on October 20, 2015. It was developed and published by
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...
and produced by
Disney Interactive Studios Disney Interactive Studios, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher owned by The Walt Disney Company through Disney Interactive. Prior to its closure in 2016, it developed and distributed multi-platform video games and interac ...
. The game is a
platformer A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...
and uses the same graphics as the series.


Reception


Critical reception

Both seasons of ''Gravity Falls'' hold a 100% approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
. On Rotten Tomatoes, season one has an average critic score of 7.40 out of 10 based on 12 reviews. Season two has an average critic score of 8.80 out of 10 based on 8 reviews. The website's critical consensus for season one reads: "''Gravity Falls warm humor and bright performances elevate this children's cartoon to a show for all ages", while the website's critical consensus for season two reads: "''Gravity Falls'' continues to blend old fashioned storytelling with a modern sense of humor to create a uniquely enjoyable viewing experience." Brian Lowry of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' stated: "The show has a breezy quality that should play to kids, and tickle some twinges of nostalgia among their parents." Robert Lloyd of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' referred to the program as "...gently twisted, with some Disneyfied action and heart-warming folded in". In his review, David Hinckley of '' New York Daily News'' called ''Gravity Falls'' "quirky and endearing", and offered praise for the character of Mabel Pines. Matt Blum, writing for ''
Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San ...
'', favorably compared the show to Cartoon Network's '' Regular Show'' and Disney Channel's ''
Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated musical-comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was originally broadcast as ...
'', hailing ''Gravity Falls'' as "clever, strange, and somewhat poignant". Erik Kain of ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' called ''Gravity Falls'' "the best thing on TV at the moment," saying "I don't care how old you are, if you're not watching ''Gravity Falls'' you're missing out on some of the cleverest, most enjoyable television you can find". Kayla Cobb of ''
Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' *'' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machine th ...
'' called ''Gravity Falls'' "one of the most structurally smart shows ever created". Matt Fowler from ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' called ''Gravity Falls'' "a quirky and gently twisted heart-warmer for all ages. Smart, satirical, and sweet. ''Gravity Falls'' was a one-of-a-kind gem." Michelle Jaworski writing for ''
The Daily Dot ''The Daily Dot'' is a digital media company covering the culture of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Founded by Nicholas White in 2011, ''The Daily Dot'' is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The site, conceived as the Internet's "hometo ...
'' described ''Gravity Falls'' as " classic summer story woven into a smart and addictive show tackling the paranormal, the supernatural, and the pains of growing up." ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
''s Michael Schneider said "''Gravity Falls'' is a kids' show so dense with mythology, pop culture jokes, Easter eggs, and mystery that grown-ups were often more invested." Joey Keogh from ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...
'' wrote "''Gravity Falls'', is a spooky-cute must-watch for adults who never grew out of Halloween." Donna Dickens from ''
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
'' said "Not only does ''Gravity Falls'' deal with the inexplicable supernatural occurrences in the town, the whole thing is just one big puzzle of secrets waiting for fans to uncover and solve." Myles McNutt from ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' said "With a complex mythology and a deep lexicon of cultural references, there's sophistication to the show's epic storytelling that immediately drew the attention of a wider audience." Liz Baessler writing for ''
Film School Rejects Film School Rejects is an American blog devoted to movie reviews, interviews, film industry news, and feature commentary. It was founded by Neil Miller in February 2006. The site was nominated for Best News Blog by ''Total Film'' magazine and na ...
'' said "''Gravity Falls'' is an exceptional kids' show — brilliant, hilarious, and carefully crafted." Kevin Tash from ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators. Colliders are used as a research tool in particl ...
'' called ''Gravity Falls'' "one of the greatest things that Disney has ever produced in general." In 2015, ''
Uproxx ''Uproxx'' (stylized in all caps) is an entertainment and popular culture news website. It was founded in 2008 by Jarret Myer and Brian Brater, and acquired by Woven Digital (later renamed Uproxx Media Group) in 2014. The site's target audience ...
'' ranked ''Gravity Falls'' as the third Current Kids Cartoon That Adults Need to be Watching. In 2018, ''
IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Holl ...
'' ranked ''Gravity Falls'' at number 12 on their list of The 50 Best Animated Series Of All Time. In 2019, ''
Yardbarker Yardbarker is a digital media property focused on the publishing of sports and entertainment news and information. Founded in 2006, the property distributes content on Yardbarker.com, social media platforms and via third party syndication partne ...
'' ranked ''Gravity Falls'' at number 21 on their list of The 25 Greatest Animated Shows of All Time. Also in 2019, ''
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'' placed ''Gravity Falls'' at Number 19 on their list titled The 25 Best Adult Cartoon TV Series and ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' placed ''Gravity Falls'' at number 48 on their list of The 100 Best TV Shows of the 2010s.


Ratings

A special preview of the series following the Disney Channel Original Movie '' Let It Shine'' was watched by 3.4 million viewers. The series garnered high viewership on its fifth episode, which aired on July 13, 2012, and attracted 3.6 million viewers. On March 15, 2013, the episode "The Deep End" was watched by 4.5 million viewers after the premiere of ''
Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wiza ...
'' '' The Wizards Return: Alex vs. Alex'', becoming the highest-rated episode of the series. Later moving on to Disney XD, the episode " A Tale of Two Stans" became the highest-rated telecast ever on Disney XD, with 1.91 million viewers. In addition to total viewers, "A Tale of Two Stans" also set a network record in kids ages 2–11 (1.036 million), boys ages 2–11 (686,000), boys ages 6–11 (574,000), kids ages 6–14 (1.279 million) and boys ages 6–14 (856,000). In 2015, ''Gravity Falls'' accounted for Disney XD's top seven regular animated series telecasts of all time among kids ages 6–11. During the week of July 12–18, 2015, ''Gravity Falls'' was the top-rated program in its 8:30 p.m. timeslot across kids and boys ages 2–11, 6–11 and 6–14. That same week, it was also cable TV's number 1 scripted telecast in total viewers, according to estimates from Nielsen Ratings. ''Gravity Falls'' ranked as Disney XD's number 1 series of 2015 across all target demographics with an average of 1.8 million viewers per episode. Additionally, ''Gravity Falls'' ranked as 2015's third animated cable TV series in boys ages 9–14. In kids ages 6–11, the series averaged 654,000 viewers and 790,000 in kids ages 2–11. Among boys ages 6–14 it pulled in 680,000 views. That is strong viewership in Disney XD's core demographics, but it also makes it clear that older teens and young adults make up more than half of the show's audience according to ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''. In February 2016, ''Gravity Falls'' was the number 1 regular series telecast on record across kids ages 6–11 (1.0 million/4.4 rating), boys ages 6–11 (642,000/5.3 rating), kids ages 2–11 (1.3 million/3.4 rating) and boys ages 2–11 (797,000/4.0 rating). The series finale " Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" beat the ratings record previously held by "A Tale of Two Stans" becoming Disney XD's most-watched telecast ever, with 2.47 million viewers in the United States. "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" also established new all-time network highs in kids ages 6–14 (1.5 million/4.1 rating) and boys ages 6–14 (909,000/5.0 rating). The all-day ''Gravity Falls'' marathon that preceded the premiere of "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" generated 10.7 million unique total viewers, of which 5.4 million were kids ages 2–14.


Influence, legacy and industry impact

''Gravity Falls'' has been considered to be an influence for many animated shows that followed it, including ''
Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...
'', ''
Star vs. the Forces of Evil ''Star vs. the Forces of Evil'' is an American animated magical girl television series created by Daron Nefcy and developed by Jordana Arkin and Dave Wasson, which aired on Disney Channel and Disney XD. It is the first Disney XD series created b ...
'', ''
The Owl House ''The Owl House'' is an American animated fantasy television series created by Dana Terrace that premiered on Disney Channel on January 10, 2020. The series stars the voices of Sarah-Nicole Robles, Wendie Malick, Alex Hirsch, Tati Gabrielle, I ...
'', ''
Amphibia Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbor ...
'' and ''
Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...
''. Other examples of the show's influence include
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
representation and series-long story arcs as opposed to isolated single-episode stories. The show also maintains a loyal and passionate
fandom A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
, even years after the series finale. The creator of the show hid a variety of codes, cryptograms, backwards messages, and other secret clues for fans to find in every episode, which often contributed to the show's mysteries and lore. Some have compared ''Gravity Falls'' to more adult-oriented mystery shows like ''
Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'', ''
Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...
'' and ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...
''. While it was on the air, the show was Disney XD's highest rated series, with an average of 1.8 million viewers per episode. In the summer of 2016, ''Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch threw an international treasure hunt known as the "
Cipher Hunt The Cipher Hunt was an alternate reality game and international scavenger hunt created by animator and voice actor Alex Hirsch based on his animated series ''Gravity Falls''. The goal was to find the real-life statue of the series' antagonist B ...
", the goal of which was to find the real-life Bill Cipher statue briefly glimpsed in the series finale. It ran from July 20 to August 3, 2016, and involved retrieving and decoding riddles and codes hidden in various locations worldwide. One clue involved a 2,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that took several days to complete with someone almost always working on it. On August 3, 2016, the statue was found in a forest in
Reedsport, Oregon Reedsport is a city in Douglas County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,310. History Reedsport was established on the estuary of the Umpqua River on January 7, 1852. It was named for a local settler, Alfred ...
. While the first ones to the statue received various prizes, Hirsch made it clear that the hunt itself was the real treasure. On August 3, the statue was removed by authorities due to a property dispute and was temporarily held at the Reedsport police department while Hirsch arranged for it to be moved somewhere else. By August 5, the statue temporarily ended up in Bicentennial Park in Reedsport, before being permanently relocated to
Confusion Hill Confusion Hill is a roadside attraction in Piercy, California. The attraction, which opened in 1949, includes what is dubbed as a "gravity house", a structure built to give the interior visitors tilt-induced optical illusions, similar to the pe ...
in
Piercy, California Piercy is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River, north-northwest of Leggett, at an elevation of . The first post office at Piercy opened in 1920. The name honors Sam Pie ...
a few weeks later. In celebration of the release of ''Journal 3'' and the end of the ''Gravity Falls'' series, Oh My Disney and Cyclops Print Works teamed up with Gallery Nucleus in
Alhambra, California Alhambra (, , ; from "Alhambra") is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. It was incorporated on July 11 ...
to hold an official ''Gravity Falls''
art show An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is rarely true, it is stated to be a "permanent exhib ...
, titled ''Farewell to the Falls: A Gravity Falls Art Show'', on August 6–21, 2016. Creator Alex Hirsch along with other production staff and professional illustrators contributed new and original artwork to this exhibition. Some fans camped out overnight to see the show and some works of art sold for over $1,000. On August 8, 2020, Disney Channel aired a ''Gravity Falls''-inspired episode of the show ''
Amphibia Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbor ...
'' titled "Wax Museum". The episode served as a tribute to ''Gravity Falls'' and features Alex Hirsch in a voice role. On September 11, 2020, a short was released on the Disney Channel YouTube channel called "Gravity Falls x Line Rider". The short is based on the Internet game ''
Line Rider ''Line Rider'' is an internet game, with versions available for Microsoft Silverlight, JavaScript, Javascript, Windows, and Adobe Flash, Flash. It was originally created in September 2006 by Boštjan Čadež (also known as "fšk"), a Slovenian s ...
''. It is the first of a new series of shorts for Disney. Disney partnered with ''Line Rider'' artists Mark Robbins, Ben Harvey and David Lu for the series. On September 25, 2020, a ''Gravity Falls'' short was released on the Disney Channel YouTube channel called "Call Me Maybe Parody". In the short, Mabel sings "Call Me Mabel", a parody of Carly Rae Jepsen's " Call Me Maybe". The short was released as a part of a series called "Broken Karaoke" where various Disney characters sing parodies of pop songs. On October 3, 2021, the television show ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' aired the episode "
Bart's in Jail! "Bart's in Jail!" is the second episode of the The Simpsons (season 33), thirty-third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 708th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fo ...
" which featured a brief cameo of Bill Cipher as one of Loki's many incarnations, voiced by Alex Hirsch in a guest role. Several former storyboard artists and production crew members who worked on ''Gravity Falls'' have gone on to create their own series and movies, including
Matt Braly Matthew Benjakarn Braly ( ; born November 8, 1988) is an American animator, storyboard artist, director, writer, and producer. He is best known as the creator and executive producer of the Disney Channel animated series ''Amphibia (TV series)''. ...
(a former director and storyboard artist who went on to create ''
Amphibia Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbor ...
''), Dana Terrace (a former storyboard artist who went on to direct on the first season of ''Ducktales'' and create ''
The Owl House ''The Owl House'' is an American animated fantasy television series created by Dana Terrace that premiered on Disney Channel on January 10, 2020. The series stars the voices of Sarah-Nicole Robles, Wendie Malick, Alex Hirsch, Tati Gabrielle, I ...
''), Chris Houghton (a former storyboard artist who went on to create ''
Big City Greens ''Big City Greens'' is an American animated comedy adventure television series created by The Houghton Brothers that premiered on Disney Channel on June 18, 2018. The series features the voices of Chris Houghton, Marieve Herington, Bob Joles, a ...
'' with his brother Shane Houghton), Mike Rianda (a former creative director, and writer who went on to make the film ''
The Mitchells vs. the Machines ''The Mitchells vs. the Machines'' is a 2021 Computer animation, computer-animated science fiction comedy, science fiction comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation. The film was directed by Mike Rianda (in his feature directorial debut) an ...
'') and Shion Takeuchi (a former writer who went on to create ''Inside Job'').


Awards and nominations


Future

On July 14, 2017, Hirsch revealed that he and Disney had talked about making a ''Gravity Falls'' film. Disney ultimately passed on the project, as the studio felt the show "wasn't big enough to warrant film; Hirsch stated that he was still interested in the idea. In February 2018, on the second anniversary of the series finale, Hirsch used a cipher to announce '' Gravity Falls: Lost Legends'', a continuation of the ''Gravity Falls'' story in a new
graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
that was later released on July 24, 2018. In an interview with '' Inverse'' in March 2021, Hirsch expressed interest in continuing the story of ''Gravity Falls'' in the form of a video game that "is really, really in-depth to the lore of the series and includes new canon that has been in the periphery of the series."


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control 2010s American animated television series 2010s American comedy-drama television series 2010s American mystery television series 2010s American surreal comedy television series 2012 American television series debuts 2016 American television series endings American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated comedy television series American children's animated drama television series American children's animated fantasy television series American children's animated mystery television series Animated television series about children Animated television series about families Animated television series about siblings Animated television series about twins Annie Award winners Cryptozoological television series Disney Channel original programming Disney XD original programming English-language television shows Fictional populated places in Oregon Identity theft in popular culture Oregon culture Television series about conspiracy theories Television series about vacationing Television series by Disney Television Animation Television series created by Alex Hirsch Television series by Rough Draft Studios Television shows set in Oregon