I first became aware of Gravity Falls last year, when the Youtuber
MatPat discussed on one of his shows, Film
Theory, how it is connected to Rick
and Morty. Not only did he make a
compelling case for it, but in the process, he also introduced enough details about
the show to entice me to check it out.
The animated series, which ran
from 2012 to 2016, revolves around 12-year-old twins Dipper and Mabel
Pines. Despite the different
personalities – Dipper is an awkward, smart, inquisitive, and savvy boy, while
Mabel is a bubbly, naïve, free-spirited, and creative girl – they are
tight. They are sent by their parents to
spend the summer with their great-uncle Stan Pines – whom they affectionately
call “Grunkle Stan” – in Gravity Falls, Oregon, in which he runs a tourist trap
called “The Mystery Shack.”
Soon, the Pines twins discover that the town
and its surroundings hold tons of weird secrets. With the help of an enigmatic journal that
Dipper stumbled upon, they spend the summer – along with Soos, the Mystery
Shack’s slow-witted but sweet handyman; Wendy, a teenage part-timer in the Mystery
Shack whom Dipper has a crush on; Grunkle Stan; and other friends – looking into the town’s mysteries and going on various, crazy adventures.
Gravity Falls is a delightful mix of mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and
even horror. Various paranormal, supernatural,
and science fiction elements are covered.
Basically, it’s like the quirky, vivacious,
kiddie version of The X-Files and Twin Peaks. The show did gnomes, ghosts, aliens,
unicorns, inter-dimensional beings, time travel, cloning, AI, secret societies, black
magic, and shape-shifters, to name some on top of my head. It’s extensive and diverse with its featured
genre themes.
It’s a kids’ show that adults
will find funny and entertaining. However,
it’s no Rick and Morty. It’s still considerably “kids’-sized”; it may initially feel too simple and silly that it
will not immediately grip more mature audiences. In fact, though it only has two seasons and 40
episodes , I wasn’t able to finish the series by binging it. I started watching it late last year, but I only finished it this month. I just watched episodes whenever I had
residual free time – watching it “in between” other stuff.
That said, I did get engrossed with
it, especially during the second season. At that point, it started having more drama, the mythology was becoming
richer, and the characters were getting developed and fleshed out brilliantly; it got darker,
more complex, more poignant, and more intriguing – appealing to my adult tastes. Thus, once it ended, I got sad. I wanted more.
I love Gravity Falls. It’s not as
terrific as adult-oriented cartoons like Rick and
Morty and The Venture Bros., but as
an animated series intended for children, it’s extremely rewarding nonetheless. It’s probably the best conceptualized and
best written kids’ cartoon in the 21st century (I welcome recommendations
to challenge this notion).
Seriously, though the three-part finale
was epic and perfect as a series wrap-up, more episodes need to be made. Or, at least, a movie. As a show – as a premise – it still has a lot
of mileage.
Plus, that Gravity Falls/Rick and Morty
crossover special needs to happen.
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