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Gravity Falls is awesome
I don't have a lot to say yet; I'm on episode 9 so far. That series has been on my watchlist forever, so the moment I saw it pop up on Netflix I jumped on it.
It's as awesome as described. Moreso. It's funny and quirky. Despite watching two 12-year-olds hang out, it doesn't feel like a kids' series at all (the humour is quite adult, similar level as Futurama). It knows when to make fun of itself. It's pushing all my buttons and I'm having a lot of fun watching it.
My biggest laugh so far has been Mabel's "Scout's Honor" shirt. In my head I was waiting for the punchline and loved seeing the delivery.
Solid recommendation so far. And the theme song is so fucking catchy.
Seconding that. Don't watch the spoiler video, but be prepared for a gradual but strong tonal shift in season 2. All your thoughts about this being a show for kids will evaporate. Frankly I have no idea how they retained a TV-Y7 rating throughout the run. Gravity Falls doesn't just flirt with things like body horror and existential dread, it plunges headlong into them. By the time you reach the finale there are hardly even any jokes.
It's a GREAT show but probably not what a lot of people signed up for when they started watching the family-friendly comedy cartoon in season 1.
What I really like about Gravity Falls is the attention to detail. There are constantly things happening in the background that tie in with events that previously occurred or have yet to occur. One-off jokes surprisingly turn up again as meaningful world-building. Be sure to check out the hidden messages after the end credits for a pretty deep rabbit hole of extra mystery: There were even clues hidden in books and things outside of the show. Not to mention the Rick & Morty tie-ins. Check out this Film Theory video (after completing the series) if you want to lose some real sleep.
It's a really great show and it ends leaving you wanting more, but not disappointed by where it ended. The show ended on the creator's terms so he was able to tie up loose ends, conclude character arcs, etc. in the second season rather than try to cram it all in a few episode.
That just sold me on it, that's all I ever need to hear. ;)
In my opinion, it still feels like a kid's show, but it's like the kid's shows I remember growing up, in that there was plenty of content enjoyable for the adults as well. I agree with most of what you said, it's one of my favorite shows ever. I felt a bit silly sitting down to watch it the first time, but only a couple episodes in I was totally along for the ride.
Despite being a relatively new show (in that it wasn't around when I was a kid), it still makes me feel nostalgic. It reminds me of being a kid. Alex Hirsch (the show's creator) is only a couple years older than me, so perhaps his childhood memories have some overlap with mine, growing up in the same era.
Enjoy it!
I guess the part that felt the most like an adult show was when Mabel took the high road and chose not to exact vengeance on Jessica, only for Dipper to follow and do it, then say "Woah, vengeance is underrated, this felt great".
Haven't seen it and it looks like it's not on Canadian Netflix, but another good animation that sounds similar is Hilda. It's a fantasy story with a modern setting about a kid who lives with her mother alone in the forest and then has to adjust to life in the city. Trailer
Hilda was so much fun! I felt like it took a minute to get going but it really built a neat little world.
YES. Love this show. Actually due for a rewatch soon.
I got into it after watching Steven Universe on Hulu. It got me on a personal renaissance of animated shows. Over the Garden Wall is similarly sort of creepy (in a good way) and discover-y and really good.
I always appreciate a show that has the maturity to say, "That's enough" and stop. That's what I love about Avatar as well.
I watched a few episodes because of the hype. Felt like a very good kid's show, but still a kid's show. Some things that seem original and "wacky" to younger audiences probably did not feel so fresh to me. IDK. I'm old. Not my thing.
I'd love to know some examples you have in mind that put you off. To me the only part that "feels" like a kid's show is that the protagonists are two young kids; but they mostly behave as adults.
I mentioned in another thread I tried to watch Carmen Sandiego for example and while it's pretty decent quality, it talks down to the audience a lot and pretends to be educational (it's really not). That is definitely a kids' show that could have been enjoyable by adults, but really isn't.
For the record, I'm 28. I love animated series, so I seek out adult ones a lot, and Gravity Falls fits the bill like a bill-glove.
I'm 37 years old. I watched a few episodes a long time ago so I can't give you much detail. The premise of a "magical place" where everything can happen is not new at all. Reminded me of South Park. As I said, I didn't watch very much so I can't give you a real assessment of the show. But it didn't catch my eye, and it did feel like a kid's cartoon.
I'm seeing now that I have it on Netflix. Maybe you could recommend me some episode that is definitely not meant for kids? Having in mind that I'm a long-time South Park fan and a non-obnoxious Rick and Morty fan. I'd be happy to tell you what I think.
Hmm none of them particularly felt "for kids", and as I said, the kids behave mostly as adults. One exception being that Dipper's romantic interests are very much in line with how a 12 year old would behave / be romantically interested in someone.
Fight Fighters was an especially good one. Dipper vs. Manliness was good as well. They are "wacky", but not in any way that R&M isn't.
Bonus Justin Roiland if you watch The Time Traveler's Pig. See if you can spot him (I was proud to have spotted his voice instantly! It sounds like 60% Morty, 10% Rick, 30% Justin).
So I watched the "Fight Fighters" episode. Kids are certainly its target audience, but adults can enjoy it too. I give it a 06/10.
Some takeaways:
In Conclusion:
We usually don't remember an entire episode, only the best bits. And this episode has some awesome bits. If the rest of the series is like that, it's not hard to understand why so many people love the show. But I'll never be one of them. I need all my bits juicy and tasty.
Thanks for taking the time! It's super interesting to see your take on the show.
I can relate with wanting "all bits juicy & tasty". Gravity Falls is definitely full of filler-moments, jokes that don't land, etc. Personally, those tend not to bother me and I think that's why I enjoyed Disenchanted so much (unlike many people who found the series dull). I'd be curious to hear your take on Disenchanted if you've watched it.
For example I never saw "trapped in a video game" as a plot, but rather as a one-off joke which I actually thought was hilarious (Soos' face and the comedic timing worked for me). I don't remember a poker scene, so I may have tuned it out. Agreed the fear of heights plot was boring (On the spot I was hoping Mabel was wrong and Stan actually had a fear of ladders, but they doubled down).
The joke that really worked for me was the whole concept of putting a video game character into the real world. Soos trying to change the character's health by touching the health bar and saying "Well, worth a try!". Or "Ow, your pixels are really sharp!".
I still think you're a bit unfair with the content / have too high expectations for it. Definitely getting the same vibe I did when I finished watching Disenchanted and watched people be so disappointed with it. I thought it was great!
But now that I have a better idea of your taste in TV, I'll go ahead and recommend BoJack Horseman, with all the disclaimers in this thread: https://tildes.net/~tv/cwi/recommendation_bojack_horseman_2014_spoilerfree
Let me know what you think!
I wrote about Disenchantment when it came out.
This was my first comment:
This was the second one:
I don't know if I still hold these opinions. But one thing is sure: Disenchantment challenges genre classifications.
And I love Bojack (when I'm not too depressed to watch).
edit: fix order of quotes
Fascinating. I actually remember reading your 2nd comment I think (that was on r/disenchantment right?). I hear you about Luci's voice, though it doesn't bother me.
It's weird you don't enjoy Gravity Falls then!
Small world! :D
From the small sample I had of Gravity Falls, Disenchantment is a much better show. Like I said in the comment, I do think Disenchantment might be a drama with comical elements. So it has to succeed as a drama, not as a comedy. Gravity Falls is a comedy that fails in (approximately :P) 60% of the jokes (again, from what I've seen).