Gravity Falls (TV series)

Gravity Falls is an animated Disney Channel Original Series created by Alex Hirsch. The first episode aired as a preview on June 15, 2012 and the series officially premiered on June 29, 2012.

The first episode is available as a free HD download off the US iTunes Store for a limited time.

Plot
Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer with their great uncle in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, in the Disney Channel animated comedy "Gravity Falls." Upon their arrival, Dipper and Mabel's huckster great uncle, also known as Grunkle Stan, enlists the siblings' help in running The Mystery Shack, a fun tourist trap he owns that overcharges unsuspecting customers. Although Dipper and Mabel quickly discover The Mystery Shack itself is a hoax, they sense there is something strange about their new town and together they begin to unlock the secrets of Gravity Falls.

Thrust into their new summer home, the fish-out-of-water twins try to adapt to their weird surroundings, especially Grunkle Stan, whose insatiable appetite for money drives him to spin every opportunity into a financial advantage. While Dipper grumbles about the prospect of the same boring routine of working at Grunkle Stan's hokey shop, his extremely optimistic sister seizes the chance to seek out an epic summer romance.

However, summer becomes much more interesting for the siblings after Dipper inadvertently uncovers a cryptic journal that offers insight into the strange and wondrous mysteries of Gravity Falls. Before long, Dipper begins noticing the town's idiosyncrasies, and with the book in tow and his enthusiastic desire to vanquish evil, he sets out to investigate the village secrets. Trapped together in the small isolated town, the siblings quickly realize they need each other to battle the imminent mysteries lurking in Gravity Falls. Meanwhile, when he isn't busy trying to make a quick buck from his unsuspecting customers, Grunkle Stan guards his own secret that might hold the key to unlocking the mystery of Gravity Falls.

Main cast

 * Jason Ritter as Dipper Pines
 * Kristen Schaal as Mabel Pines
 * Alex Hirsch as Grunkle Stan and Soos
 * Linda Cardellini as Wendy

Recurring cast

 * Will Forte as Tyler the Cute Biker
 * Stephen Root as Bud
 * Gregg Turkington as Toby Determined
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Sheriff Blubs
 * Keith Ferguson as Deputy Durland
 * Thurop Van Orman as 'Lil Gideon
 * Unknown as Manly Dan

Guest stars

 * Coolio as Wax Coolio
 * Larry King as Wax Larry
 * John Oliver as Sherlock Holmes

Allusions

 * Ben 10- A Boy (Dipper, Ben), a Girl who is related to them (Mabel, Gwen) and an old man who is related to them (Grunkle Stan, Grandpa Max) are going to do something for the whole Summer (Work at Mystery Shack, Go around the world). The Boy thinks the Summer will be terrible until one day, the boy takes a walk in the woods, and finds something that will change their lives forever (3 book, The Omnitrix). They start having adventures fighting villains. The Old Relative is hiding something from the kids (Something about Gravity Falls, Being a Plumber (Intergalactic Police)). The second episode of Gravity Falls is similar to the third episode of Ben 10 (Fighting a Lake Monster).

Trivia

 * Unlike most Disney Channel cartoons, Gravity Falls does not have two episodes in one 30 minute time slot, but uses the entire 30 minute time slot for one episode. Also, rather than starting with an opening theme, Gravity Falls starts with an opening scene and then has the opening theme song, much like most Disney Channel live action series.

Production
The series, created, directed and executive-produced by 2007 California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) graduate Alex Hirsch (Fish Hooks, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack), is a production of Disney Television Animation. Set in the Pacific Northwest woods, the animated series features supernatural elements of adventure and mystery, inspired by the real-life summer trips shared by Hirsch and his twin sister while visiting relatives as kids.

" Mabel is going to be one of the breakout characters of the show. I really owe it to my sister and her many quirks. When we were growing up, my sister was obsessed with the boy band ’N Sync. She even broke her toe jumping up and down during one of their concerts. So, we did a show about a boy band, and of course, I had to get Lance Bass to do the voice of the singer. I had my sister fly down to meet him. She also always wanted to have a pet pig when we were kids, so I gave Mabel a pet pig on the show and she can live vicariously through her. She owes me big! "