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Gravity Falls

Discussion in 'Movies, Music and TV shows' started by Cyclops, Mar 19, 2015.

  1. Otters

    Otters Groundskeeper ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    It's nothing like Rick and Morty. They're both comedic cartoons which have some level of appeal to adults as well. That's the common thread people are picking up on.

    Gravity Falls is absolutely fantastic. You're completely right in saying that it's because it's rooted in realistic characters. Although cartoony, absurd things do happen, they carry much more weight than normal cartoon shenanigans. Characters go through sincere emotional growth, cliches are subverted in interesting ways, and it builds on folklore and pop culture as a foundation where other shows might use it as a crutch.

    Plus, the comedy is on point.

    Mabel: "What was the one thing I asked you not to do tonight?"

    Dipper: "Raise the dead."

    Mabel: "And what was the one thing you did tonight?"

    Dipper: *sigh* "Raise the dead."
     
  2. DrSarcasm

    DrSarcasm Headmaster

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    What I like about it, apart from the mystery elements that got me legit interested in what was going to happen next (which may be because I got into it close to the end of the first season, so I had to wait for each episode), was that some of the humor was almost aimed at my generation--those that grew up around the turn of the millennium. Which is natural, I suppose. One of the reasons that's been brought up on why we are seeing a revival of kid's shows that aren't afraid to tackle adult issues are because the generation that grew up watching shows like say Batman the Animated Series or Avatar the Last Airbender--cartoons that weren't just there to sell toys like a lot of those in the 80s, but had actual characters to care about--grew up and became animators in their own right. They are also having children of their own, which is supposedly why some of the Pixar movies started to become about fatherhood (Monster Inc, Finding Nemo, and the Incredibles, to name three).

    But one of my favorite bits is just how fucked up some of the stuff on the show was. When I want to convince someone that Gravity Falls is definitely not a normal show (especially for a DISNEY show), I show them this:

     
  3. Agent

    Agent High Inquisitor DLP Supporter

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    Yeah, I just finished watching the first two episodes of RIck and Morty and I just don't see why everyone likes it. It just seems like Family Guy but with Sci Fi.

    The animation is shoddy, the humour seems like it's targeted at edgy teenagers and the show itself seems contrived. It also seems like its trying too hard to be meta. Rick's constant burping is annoying and Morty is even more of a wuss than anyone I've seen in fiction or IRL.

    Maybe if the ending about Morty actually being smart but untapped was true then it could explore some interesting avenues. I quite liked the parents characters and as cliche as the dad was, I liked how he was portrayed. Rick's comment to his daughter about her mother being proud of her eggs was also a nice moment.

    I dunno, maybe I just prefer "nicer" cartoons where there's both heart and soul.
     
  4. Jibril

    Jibril Headmaster

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    Try sticking up till the end of episode 6 of first season - that is the pinnacle of dark, nihilistic humor that the show is known for.
     
  5. Invictus

    Invictus Master of Death

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    Rick and Morty is like a nihilistic depressing version of Monty Python most scathing parts, it can quite amusing and quite smart, but its not nearly as deep as it think it is, which is something Monty Python fully knew and played with, while Ricky and Morty tends to take itself more and more seriously.

    Meanwhile Gravity Falls is what every 80's adventuring kids movies wish it was with a huge amount of feels and family endearing elements thrown in.
     
  6. Warlocke

    Warlocke Fourth Champion

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    I was all set to write a crossover with it, but Mabel's behavior was so confounding toward the end that I decided to jump off a cliff, instead.

    I got tackled about a foot and a half from the edge, but I'm still not writing the story.
     
  7. Ash'Ura

    Ash'Ura Totally Sirius

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    Not to mention a decent amount of horror elements that were very well executed. Seriously, I watched the season 2 finale while I was high and I nearly shit my self. How those 2 episodes made it past the censors over at Disney XD, I'll never know.
     
  8. Johnnyseattle

    Johnnyseattle Chief Warlock DLP Supporter

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    Gravity Falls is one of the reasons I believe that Disney owning more and more of the entertainment industry might not turn out to be such a bad thing, and proof (as others have pointed out) that they will let some pretty outrageous stuff slide sometimes, even on their kid-centric channels. Such a great show, for kids and adults alike.

    Hearing that people compare it to Rick & Morty hurts a bit, honestly. I can't think of a worse show that's been hyped as much as it has - It's like all the people from the 'iamverysmart' and 'comedycemetary' boards on reddit got together and made a cartoon. Different strokes for different blokes and all that, but man, what an insufferable show and fanbase.
     
  9. Agent

    Agent High Inquisitor DLP Supporter

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    I can't find the exact one but I remember Alex Hirsch explaining how he got by the Disney Censorers in a podcast.

    Basically, his original cuts of episodes are much darker and non-Disney appropriate than what ended up being in the episode. The dark content was so obvious that the censorers went for that first and, in comparison to the dark content, they felt the slightly dark content (What ended being in the actual episode) wasn't actually as bad so they left it in.
     
  10. DrSarcasm

    DrSarcasm Headmaster

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    Also known as the 'Animaniacs method.'
     
  11. Chengar Qordath

    Chengar Qordath The Final Pony ~ Prestige ~

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    It's a pretty standard trick for getting past censors or other content guardians. As I recall South Park used to do that as well, until their name was so established that even the super-offensive stuff they put in just so the censors would have something to cut got through.

    Though I also liked the "Batman the Animated Series" method or finding ways to technically comply with censor demands while making it even darker.