One problem that the Disney Channel has had over the 2000's was a lack of interesting shows. We got a lot of kid sitcoms like "Sonny with a Chance" and "Cory in the House". Now these shows weren't awful, but they really did feel insanely mediocre in a lot of departments. A lot of them have some of the same character types as the other shows, and they don't even do much interesting with them other than appearance. We did end up getting some pretty decent cartoons like Kim Possible and Dave the Barbarian throughout that time, but Disney still churned out sitcom after sitcom until they wrung the idea bone dry, and caring less about the cartoons.
In 2012, however, we were greeted to a very well written cartoon about a boy and his twin sister searching for mysteries in the show we know as Gravity Falls, inspired by the childhood of the show's creator, Alex Hirsch. Now I know what you're thinking, "Isn't Gravity Falls on Disney XD? Doesn't that kill off what you just said?" Yes, it is on Disney XD, but it still counts as a Disney production. I remember first seeing it around the time it first came out, and I've been following it ever since. Just what is it that Gravity Falls does that makes me and a lot of others go crazy for it? Well, let's start with the premise.
Our story starts off with our two main characters Dipper and Mabel being sent off by their parents to a town in Oregon called Gravity Falls for the summer so they can see their relative, Stan Pines, always referred to by the kids as Grunkle Stan. They live with him in the Mystery Shack, a gift shop and mystery museum with some of the phoniest looking exhibits ever made, but that doesn't stop the gullible tourists from visiting and believing them. In the town itself however, there's some legit weird stuff all around like gnomes that want to make Mabel their Queen, a monster made of "loser candy" that eats kids who reject said "loser candy"on Summerween (Yes, they do celebrate a second Halloween in summer), and overly obsessive dating sims. Along the way of the episodes, Dipper finds books by a mysterious author which obtain the secrets of Gravity Falls itself, and vows to find the author of these books to get some answers about it. However, it appears a lot of the citizens (including Grunkle Stan) have something to hide as well.
It's sort of a blend of Horror, Mystery, and Comedy, and it works really well. There's even some moments where I was wondering how Disney let them get away with some of the stuff they do (How about demonic talking mounted animal heads that drool blood from their mouth? From the happiest place on Earth everybody!). The writing on this show is also amazingly good. Heck, some of the jokes made me laugh harder than I do watching normal adult sitcoms. Another great thing about the writing is how it can really make you guess. For a kids show, it really doesn't push all the clues of later story elements in front of your face, and it's something that you as the viewer will have to figure out for yourself if you want to know what's coming next. It doesn't insult the intelligence of kids while not asking too much of them at the same time, which makes for a very well thought out mystery that even adults can get a kick out of.
It also helps that this series has a large cast of likable characters to go along with it. Dipper is the kid who is the one that is most invested in the mystery itself than anyone else. He is determined to find answers to the various paranormal events that happen, and how to deal with them. We side with him because his determination to the mystery makes him really enjoyable to follow along as a character. On the other side, we have the fan and creator favorite character, Mabel. The best way to describe Mabel is that she is very optimistic and energetic in every situation she is in. She makes a great counterpart Dipper, being that he is very factual with his investigations, and she mostly follows her heart with them. The two of them have great chemistry as twins and it's nice to see a Disney show without siblings that are at each other's throats all the time. They do have bickering sometimes, but it doesn't ever overshadow their overall chemistry. Grunkle Stan is the Uncle of the Pines twins and professional con man. Judging by that last bit of information, you'd probably assume a lot of people would hate this character, but here's the difference between him and other cheapskate types of characters like him. He's actually funny and we also care for him. I really liked how they handled a character that can be so poorly done if you placed your cards wrong, and managed to pull him off as a very likable character.
Jesus Ramirez or "Soos" as everybody calls him, is one of the two workers at the Mystery Shack, and he is a bit on the dumb side, but has a heart of gold and really doesn't have any intentions on harming anybody. Like Grunkle Stan, they handle a character that usually fails in most cases on cartoons, and put some effort into making you want to like them. Even if he's a bit dumb, he's still funny and actually helps with the mysteries with his weird ideas from the little knowledge that he has. The other worker at the Mystery Shack is Wendy, who is a teenager and Dipper's love interest. If I had to think of a least favorite character on this show, she would be a good candidate for it. She's not awful, but she doesn't really contribute much to the plot other than to be Dipper's crush, and nothing else. She isn't my least favorite character though, that spot is reserved for Robbie, Wendy's boyfriend. Again, he's just there for a plot device to be a person for Dipper to be jealous of, and it's even worse with him. Other than that, he's a bit of a jerk towards everyone and there's nothing to really like him for. They do try to redeem him in "The Love God", but the sympathy doesn't really help with redeeming him that much. Luckily he only appears in a few episodes, so he isn't as terrible as he could've been.
The animation is quite decent as well. The team did put some effort into creating this town. The character design also really helps distinguish some of the really funny and memorable minor characters the show has. I think the best part of the animation is the background design. I really love how well done they some of the backgrounds and how they can match the atmosphere of the town, as well as the strangeness and very ominous feel of some of the locations they encounter. One thing that I find hilarious in the show is when they have characters drawn in art styles outside their comfort zone, such as Rumble McSkurmish from "Fight Fighters", Xyler and Craz in "Dreamscapers", and Giffany in "Soos and the Real Girl".
It seems like Disney has out done themselves this time. Gravity Falls is wonderfully written Comedy and Mystery cartoon that will keep you guessing and laughing. The characters for the most part are very well written and likable. The visuals can help create what atmosphere their hearts desire. Now again, it's not perfect. I don't really like Wendy and Robbie as characters and should've stayed out of the plot altogether. Other than those two, I have nothing else to say bad about this show. It's in the middle of it's second season, and I highly recommend that you watch it as soon as possible.
In 2012, however, we were greeted to a very well written cartoon about a boy and his twin sister searching for mysteries in the show we know as Gravity Falls, inspired by the childhood of the show's creator, Alex Hirsch. Now I know what you're thinking, "Isn't Gravity Falls on Disney XD? Doesn't that kill off what you just said?" Yes, it is on Disney XD, but it still counts as a Disney production. I remember first seeing it around the time it first came out, and I've been following it ever since. Just what is it that Gravity Falls does that makes me and a lot of others go crazy for it? Well, let's start with the premise.
Our story starts off with our two main characters Dipper and Mabel being sent off by their parents to a town in Oregon called Gravity Falls for the summer so they can see their relative, Stan Pines, always referred to by the kids as Grunkle Stan. They live with him in the Mystery Shack, a gift shop and mystery museum with some of the phoniest looking exhibits ever made, but that doesn't stop the gullible tourists from visiting and believing them. In the town itself however, there's some legit weird stuff all around like gnomes that want to make Mabel their Queen, a monster made of "loser candy" that eats kids who reject said "loser candy"on Summerween (Yes, they do celebrate a second Halloween in summer), and overly obsessive dating sims. Along the way of the episodes, Dipper finds books by a mysterious author which obtain the secrets of Gravity Falls itself, and vows to find the author of these books to get some answers about it. However, it appears a lot of the citizens (including Grunkle Stan) have something to hide as well.
It's sort of a blend of Horror, Mystery, and Comedy, and it works really well. There's even some moments where I was wondering how Disney let them get away with some of the stuff they do (How about demonic talking mounted animal heads that drool blood from their mouth? From the happiest place on Earth everybody!). The writing on this show is also amazingly good. Heck, some of the jokes made me laugh harder than I do watching normal adult sitcoms. Another great thing about the writing is how it can really make you guess. For a kids show, it really doesn't push all the clues of later story elements in front of your face, and it's something that you as the viewer will have to figure out for yourself if you want to know what's coming next. It doesn't insult the intelligence of kids while not asking too much of them at the same time, which makes for a very well thought out mystery that even adults can get a kick out of.
It also helps that this series has a large cast of likable characters to go along with it. Dipper is the kid who is the one that is most invested in the mystery itself than anyone else. He is determined to find answers to the various paranormal events that happen, and how to deal with them. We side with him because his determination to the mystery makes him really enjoyable to follow along as a character. On the other side, we have the fan and creator favorite character, Mabel. The best way to describe Mabel is that she is very optimistic and energetic in every situation she is in. She makes a great counterpart Dipper, being that he is very factual with his investigations, and she mostly follows her heart with them. The two of them have great chemistry as twins and it's nice to see a Disney show without siblings that are at each other's throats all the time. They do have bickering sometimes, but it doesn't ever overshadow their overall chemistry. Grunkle Stan is the Uncle of the Pines twins and professional con man. Judging by that last bit of information, you'd probably assume a lot of people would hate this character, but here's the difference between him and other cheapskate types of characters like him. He's actually funny and we also care for him. I really liked how they handled a character that can be so poorly done if you placed your cards wrong, and managed to pull him off as a very likable character.
Jesus Ramirez or "Soos" as everybody calls him, is one of the two workers at the Mystery Shack, and he is a bit on the dumb side, but has a heart of gold and really doesn't have any intentions on harming anybody. Like Grunkle Stan, they handle a character that usually fails in most cases on cartoons, and put some effort into making you want to like them. Even if he's a bit dumb, he's still funny and actually helps with the mysteries with his weird ideas from the little knowledge that he has. The other worker at the Mystery Shack is Wendy, who is a teenager and Dipper's love interest. If I had to think of a least favorite character on this show, she would be a good candidate for it. She's not awful, but she doesn't really contribute much to the plot other than to be Dipper's crush, and nothing else. She isn't my least favorite character though, that spot is reserved for Robbie, Wendy's boyfriend. Again, he's just there for a plot device to be a person for Dipper to be jealous of, and it's even worse with him. Other than that, he's a bit of a jerk towards everyone and there's nothing to really like him for. They do try to redeem him in "The Love God", but the sympathy doesn't really help with redeeming him that much. Luckily he only appears in a few episodes, so he isn't as terrible as he could've been.
The animation is quite decent as well. The team did put some effort into creating this town. The character design also really helps distinguish some of the really funny and memorable minor characters the show has. I think the best part of the animation is the background design. I really love how well done they some of the backgrounds and how they can match the atmosphere of the town, as well as the strangeness and very ominous feel of some of the locations they encounter. One thing that I find hilarious in the show is when they have characters drawn in art styles outside their comfort zone, such as Rumble McSkurmish from "Fight Fighters", Xyler and Craz in "Dreamscapers", and Giffany in "Soos and the Real Girl".
It seems like Disney has out done themselves this time. Gravity Falls is wonderfully written Comedy and Mystery cartoon that will keep you guessing and laughing. The characters for the most part are very well written and likable. The visuals can help create what atmosphere their hearts desire. Now again, it's not perfect. I don't really like Wendy and Robbie as characters and should've stayed out of the plot altogether. Other than those two, I have nothing else to say bad about this show. It's in the middle of it's second season, and I highly recommend that you watch it as soon as possible.