Not completely a plug!

[Radrappy]

First, a little bit of what I've been up to for the past couple years. I graduated from school in 2010 and went right to work at Dreamworks as a story artist. I was pretty depressed working there because instead of working on something like How to train your Dragon I was stuck on boarding for

Not only was I not invested in the project but as a young person working in an entry level position I was relatively underpaid for my line of work900$ a week if you must know and really underused in terms of how much I was given to do. There was a lot of me balancing my pencil on my nose waiting for more shit to do. Luckily though, I was approached to work on a tv show called

So I quit my job at DW and never looked back. The show is an absolute treat. There was a sneak peak that aired on friday and subsequently the pilot has been released on itunes for free. Here's where it gets potentially interesting. I know you folks are really into cartoons and there isn't an internet group who's opinion I generally respect more. Given that I'm a board artist, I actually do have some say and could implement good, constructive feed back into later episodes. So watch the pilot and let me know what you think! You could really help us make the show the best it can be. Or don't watch it. I mean, whatever.

[Majestic Joey]

I'll have to check that show out. I need to check that out when i'm not so drunk (my dad is making me help him drink a half a keg of beer so that he can buy new beeer). I just graduated yesterday from college in pictorial arts and have been trying to figure out what I should do. I'm thinking of finishing my graphic novel I have been writing while doing a teaching crediential program. So you did not enjoy working at dreamworks? would you recommend trying to work at a studio? That turbo snail movie does not look very stimulating work.

[Locit]

Downloading now.

[G.Silver]

and really underused in terms of how much I was given to do. There was a lot of me balancing my pencil on my nose waiting for more shit to do.

It sounds like it all worked out for the best, but I believe this is when you are expected to take that time and really go the extra mile, refining your concepts and creating alternate takes that are completely unusable.

I too will watch your show when it's done downloading.

[M.C.Dillinger]

I'm also downloading the pilot episode. Prospects for your project look good so far, it's averaging 4 1/2 stars with about 160 ratings.

[Crisis]

I don't see it on iTunes (I'm using an iPad). I'm guessing it's region locked. Do you have a direct link to the iTunes page?

[Crowbar]

I can't find the pilot on iTunes. :( Is it US only or something? I'm searching for Gravity Falls in the store and it's not coming up. I've looked at the previews on the Disney website though and it looks like it could be fun. It does seem to adhere a bit to certain modern cartoon design philosophies I'm not mad keen on (evenly thick tube arms, somewhat flat), but alot of the cast members seem appealing.

[G.Silver]

Watched it! I have to say I really liked it, got some big laughs out of me, though you have a huge advantage in that area by having Kristen Schaal cast as the younger sister (names are all already forgotten!), she had some great lines and great delivery. I don't watch a lot of TV or movies these days so I'm surprised how often I see her, I hope she isn't getting overexposed to the point where we're supposed to find her annoying (more annoying than intended anyway). On one hand I think she really carried the show for me, on the other hand, it would probably be smart not to not rely on her too much.

Again, I don't really know what the standard here is, but I was really impressed by the backgrounds, the show could be about anything in the woods and this would be a treat to look at. The scene where the brother is driving through the woods to the rescue especially, when he comes down the hill to where the gnomes live. The great attention to detail also really pleases me, like when the gnome monster smashes its arm down and it breaks up into gnomes on impact and then they all have to climb back up his arm--the monster itself is obviously animated on a budget, but that detail was still worked in there. Or how the gnome leader uses the other gnomes' hats as a twinstick-like control mechanism. Or when one of the gnomes gets caught in a soda ring (seems like that may have been all that remained of a subplot about needing to clean up litter and leaves, would have fit well with the other leaf blower gags anyway). There was a lot of good stuff in there!

I also like the "real" curio objects in the uncle's shop, like the "mermaid" and jackalope, or the range of pictures (batboy!) shown in the opening. If I had a particular suggestion for the show (to appeal to me, anyway) it would be to go more in that kind of "authentic" roadside-attraction-creature direction rather than the more traditional monsters (werewolf, vampire, gnome) in the first episode. Would definitely watch episode 2!

[Locit]

Aaand finished.

I liked it! It suffered from many problems that are pretty common for first episodes, but it had a good balance of character moments that were really funny and one-shot gags. Like Gsilv, I would totally watch another ep. Some notes:

-I could definitely stand for less narration of what's happening on-screen. That might just be a first-episode issue, though.
-I'm partial to earlier cuts back from breakaway segments (leaf blower). They seemed to drag on in a few places.
-Fewer exposition yells! I think you can trust viewers to remember that Dipper is on his way to save his sister, even if you're coming back from a commercial break. Same goes for "He's getting away with our queen!" During the chase sequence on the golf cart I think not having Mabel say "I'll save you Dipper!" and just having her go straight to punching him/the gnome on his face would have been much funnier.
-The "trust me" angle from Mabel at the end felt like it came a little bit out of left field. Maybe it won't on a second viewing.
-The prologue narration felt a little too familiar coming off of other "kids have adventures in weird settings" shows, but it cut perfectly into…
-....what has to be one of my favorite intro sequences for any animated show ever. And not just because it referenced Bat Boy! It really set the tone for the rest of the show perfectly and showcased the excellent animation.
-While we're at it, I really enjoyed the use of CG for the golf cart and the fast-moving backgrounds. It lent a speed and depth to the chase sequence that I don't think traditional animation would have brought to the table, but wasn't obtrusive at all.
-I like Mabel but her eyes occasionally felt a little too, well, posed? As in, "Mabel says funny line ==> pause for reaction with wacky face+googly downs eyes."
-Is $6.18 on the cash register a reference? I think it rings a bell, but I might just be nuts.
-Dipper's smile after "Try not to hit any pedestrians" was a really nice moment. It was silent for exactly the right amount of time, which I think would be nice to see more of. This is directly related to cutting down on things like exposition yells and self-narration. You guys have a really strong aesthetic, setting and characters; you should let them speak for themselves! (…by not making them speak all the time.)
-The gnome reveal was fantastic, as was the totally brilliant foreshadowing disguised as a one-off gag. I also loved the head gnome's attempts at minimizing the awkwardness surrounding his attempted kidnapping. ("The more you struggle…")
-You guys nailed it with the barfing gnome.
-The awkward sibling hug ("Pat pat.") was a great character moment. Most of the best funny stuff was from that kind of interaction between the characters, which I think is typically hard to do right out of the gate. But you guys pulled off a fair number and I definitely would love to see them increase!
-In general I would say trust your audience just a little bit more to follow the plot. Kids are smart. They won't forget who is doing what and why that easily, and giving them the benefit of the doubt will make the show much more watchable for the inevitable adult fanbase.

[Popcorn]

How misogynist is this on a scale of 1 to Gibbon?

[M.C.Dillinger]

I'm getting quite into an Invader Zim vibe from the show. Interested in and/or surrounded by paranormal, a dimwitted crazy sidekick, and an abundance of mean-spirited slapstick.bonus points for the stupid touristsYou might want to ease up on the delivery of your punchlines. That pilot felt like it was going from jokey jokey little too quickly. Also, I'm not fond of the drawing style for this cartoon not because to anger, like most shows, but because it's too curvy. It just feels strange to look at.

The buildup to the gnomes was great. That gnome vomiting a rainbow is a viral gif waiting to happen.

I can tell this is one of those shows where ever I'm working on is having fun with it. I like using the green light season of this but I really watch television. . .

[Esrever]

Gravity Falls is a great show. I gotta say, between it and Motorcity, I have been really impressed with how aggressively Disney has started supporting and developing original, character-based, creator-driven shows. And with such great production values! I met their original series coordinator at my booth at Emerald City Comic-Con... he was a really nice guy and clearly very interested in bringing in outside ideas & creators.

I'm glad you've landed on such a cool project, Radrappy! It seems like a great time to be working there.

[Delphine]

Well, this just showed up on my dash in a creepy pasta blog, so congrats?



also why would you do that

[G.Silver]

When will there be another episode?

[Radrappy]

the 5th episode airs tonight. You can find up to six of them floating around online though (as disney on demand releases them a week ahead of schedule). Thanks for all the feed back by the way guys. It was a pleasure to read and there were many good points brought up.

-Fewer exposition yells! I think you can trust viewers to remember that Dipper is on his way to save his sister, even if you're coming back from a commercial break. Same goes for "He's getting away with our queen!" During the chase sequence on the golf cart I think not having Mabel say "I'll save you Dipper!" and just having her go straight to punching him/the gnome on his face would have been much funnier.

Agreed. We tend to lose confidence in the visuals and will often try to hammer plot points via dialogue which is never a good idea. This doesn't get better in later episodes as scenarios become more and more complicated let me tell you. Trying to fight for a more streamlined, dialogue free experience but it's hard to convince execs that kids are going to get it otherwise.

some porn started popping up which is a big big win.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

If I had a particular suggestion for the show (to appeal to me, anyway) it would be to go more in that kind of "authentic" roadside-attraction-creature direction rather than the more traditional monsters (werewolf, vampire, gnome) in the first episode.

I'm gonna have to second this. Especially after the "manotaur" episode. The US has a lot of domestic mythology to draw from, and it seems your show relies on the Euro-centric ones. More people are familiar with Euro-originated myths (due in no small part to the US being mostly of European decent) and they're thus easier to spoof, I realize. I know the show's explicitly in Oregon but I don't think people would be bothered if the Jersey Devil or Flatwoods Monster showed up (the latter surely tempting for a video game enthushiast!).

Are your guys watching old Scifi and reading tabloids/cryptozoology books? Researching is the antithesis of fun, but it can generate really good ideas! I'd also suggest American Indian mythology books, too. And I wouldn't be worried about being reverent, since a lot of Native folklore isn't meant to be taken seriously in the first place (the tricksters being a prime example). A good chunk of 'em are cringe-inducingly bad, but don't let that deter you either.


I know you couldn't have possibly been including me as one whose opinion you respect, but humor me anyway.

[Locit]

Finally caught up with the rest of the season--pretty much all excellent! High point might be the lake monster ep; low point was probably the one with Manotaurs. On a related note, for me the A/B story structure works best with Mabel and Dipper together for storyline A and Grunkle Stan doing all the heavy lifting in B.

[Crisis]

I walked in on my sister drawing in a new art style and mentioned that it looked familiar. Turns out she was watching Gravity Falls at the time. Looks like you have a new fan!

[Malchik]

Nice to see a local in the industry.

[Jingles]

The recent episode with those great Paul Robertson sprites was hilarious. Great work!

[Arcade]

I heard is a good show... still have to see if the spanish version is decent...

[Jingles]

Did anyone else catch the season finale? Ho-lee shit.

[Brazillian Cara]

It was pretty good - I'm looking forward to the second season, whenever it airs.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Welp! It's kinda bittersweet, but refreshing that all successes aren't milked for all (or more than) they're worth.

More pertinentally, is the studio dissolving after?

[cjmcray]

Wow, I had no idea you worked on that show. I love Gravity Falls! Congrats on your success!