User blog:TibDunncan/Disney Channel's "Gravity Falls," Analysis and Expectations

I think this is going to be one of the greatest achievements of the Disney Channel in a really long time. While other shows of theirs are childish and disconnected, I can tell this show is going to have a plot and great continuity while keeping each episode its own. With the promise or reoccurring villains and plot development as early as the first episode, this is a huge stride for creator Alex Hirsch, who previously worked on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (Hirsch, 2oo8). "Gravity Falls" is about a pair of twin siblings, Maybel and Dipper Pines, whose parents 'shipped' them off to live with a relative in hopes of getting them to spend more time outdoors. They ended up in Gravity Falls, Oregon, and work in their Great Uncle's shop, the Mystery Shack, which is a roadside tourist trap dedicated to the many fables and mysteries of the town and surrounding area. Within the first episode, Dipper finds a book that claimes the fables and mysteries have more behind them than most people believe, and he sets out with his siter to uncover the truth behind the town, the book, and the man who wrote it. The characters themselves are quite adorable and a large contrast to how they were made out to be in the commercial previews leading up to the show. Maybel and Dipper are a very well balanced duo. As twin siblings, it could have been very easy for them to fall into the 'identical faternal twins' role, owning almost the same personality and becoming very flat characters, but the show has doen a great job of giving each their own well developed personality, while keeping them young and loveable. Their relationship even features spats, despite how close the two are. Maybel is, quite literally, a hopeless romantic. Within the first fifteen minutes or so of the first episode we her plans for "an epic summer romance" were revealed and carried through the later released episodes. She is the epitome of optimism, and is an evident girly-girl. She BEDAZZLED her face. Dipper is her foil, being a very observant child and quite serious when it comes down to it. As stated in my previous status update, he is characterized much like Dib from Invader Zim (Vasquez, 2oo1) in that he has an aptitude for believing unlike most others in the town. Occasionally thought to be off his rocker with conspiracy theories, he's usually correct and well-prepared (once bringing seventeen disposable cameras to snap a shot of a lake monster.) Maybel and Dipper's Great Uncle (Grunkle) Stan, is most well equated to Mr. Krabs from Spongebob (Hillenburg, 1999), in the sense that he is always looking to make a quick buck. In one scene, he is shown using his great-neice and -nephew to make couterfeit money, before they were taken to the county jail. He runs the Mystery Shack, which is his home, the lower floor converted into a small museum of the 'paranormal,' such as 'the world's most distracting object', 'Rock That Looks Like A Face Rock', and 'The Sasscrotch.' He acknowledges that the majority of the displays in his shop are frauds or hoaxes and are used as a ploy to get unsuspecting tourists to forfeit their money. Despite his occupation as a con-man, he can actually be a caring uncle, taking the twins fishing and generally avoiding reckless negligence, though some of his decisions can be spotty (like allwoing Maybel to play with an axe and own a grappling hook). He's a narcissist and owns a wax sculpture of himself, made by his great neice for his wax museum. Soos is the handy man that works in the Mystery Shack. He's a man-child, attracted to action and eager to help the twins. He can be intelligent, if not a bit absent, and will more than likely accompany the twins on more of their adventures that 'require adult supervision.' As a supporting character, I don't see him playing too much of a role in the overall plot of the series, though this may change overtime. The plot itself is still underwraps, because only four episodes have premiered. As previously mentioned, the show revolves around the mysteries of the town, often involving mythical creatures and the supernatural, that are fended off or uncovered (successfully and unsuccessfully) by the twins. Larger parts of the puzzle were handed to us in the premiers, such as Uncle Stan's secrets and apparent knowledge of the goings-on in Gravity Falls, as well as Lil' Gideon's role in the overall plot, a alegedly reoccurring character to come back with a vengance over the loss of love and power. This show is promising to engage the viewer in a way that not many shows (none to date Disney shows) have done, with interactive puzzles tied into the simpler aspects of the show. There will be more in a seperate note that I'll use to keep track of the show's encryptions and mysteries. Moving on from the puzzle aspect of the show because I could go on forever, the animation itself is wonderful. Very reminiscent of Hirsch's work with Flapjack, though this show has a warmer feel to it. The humor is easily child friendly, though some of it can be darker than most Disney Channel shows, and enjoyable nonetheless. Most of the humor comes from the character's personalities rather than actual set up and punchline jokes, as well as investing a good chunck of situational humor. I suspect that the show will stay up-to-date on trending internet fads that its target audience is farmiliar with. A possible reference to "Rage Comics" was seen in the first episode, where a gnome vomits rainbows. Simultaneously, the show offers references for the older crowd, with a possible X-Files reference. In the scene where Dipper examines the book for the first time, he finds a passage that warns him to "Trust No One," which was a phrase continuously used throughout the popular Sci-Fi series. I had originally intended for this to be a more in depth analysis, but I will happily admit to getting sidetracked with the Interactive aspect, decoding and the such. Most of what was originally on my mind was written before I became distracted, and the rest will come in time. All in all, Disney has a good thing going for them with this show, and I have high hopes for it.