Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)
The show's logo.
Status: Found
Date found:
03 Aug 2016 (official upload)
25 Apr 2024 (complete)
Found by: Alex Hirsch (official upload)
Anonymous (complete)
Sometime in 2010, animator Alex Hirsch began work on a pitch pilot for what would soon become the hit Disney mystery series Gravity Falls. Created in Adobe Flash, the pilot ran for 12 minutes and was essentially a cut-down version of the first official episode, "Tourist Trapped."[1]
Availability
In a Reddit IAMA conducted by Alex Hirsch, when asked if the unaired pilot would ever be released, he replied that it "would be like showing you awkward photos from my high school prom", and that he wouldn't want it to be seen. Additionally, the pilot used licensed songs that Hirsch didn't have the right to use commercially, meaning that there may have been legal problems with releasing it, on DVD or otherwise.
Despite that, on July 25th, 2016, Alex revealed that if the puzzle that was a part of the unofficial Cipher Hunt was completed, then he would release the pilot online.[2] It was completed about a week later,[3] and on August 3rd, 2016, it was released on The Mystery of Gravity Falls' website under the username of RETURNBACKWARDS and the password of TOTHEPASTAGAINTHREE.[4] It was also uploaded to YouTube with little to no difficulty or conflict (albeit private). Though it was unknown at that time, the pilot that Hirsch had uploaded was not the complete version that was animated as more animated footage and various storyboards of the pilot resurface and suggests that the pilot had more to offer than what Hirsch had uploaded.
In June 2022, more footage of the pilot was rediscovered on an animation reel from 2011 that was uploaded onto YouTube in 2016 by the animator Alfredo Cassano. Two years later, in April 25th, 2024, the full Gravity Falls pilot episode, along with several other Disney original series pilots, were anonymously leaked and posted online.
Gallery
Screenshots
Footage
See Also
Gravity Falls
Disney Channel
- 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series based on animated film; 1996)
- The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found revival of Disney variety TV series; 1989-1994)
- Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel educational animated series; 1996-1999)
- Amphibiland (found pitch pilot of "Amphibia" Disney Channel animated series; 2018)
- Arwin! (partially found pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" Disney Channel sitcom; 2007)
- Bonkers "Fall Apart Bomb Squad" (found episode of Disney Channel animated series; 1993)
- Country Club (partially lost test pilot of "Big City Greens" Disney Channel adventure-comedy animated series; 2015)
- Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
- Disney Channel "Disney's One Too" (partially lost "Recess" gags of TV channel block; 1999-2003)
- Disney Channel "Wand Idents" (partially found bumpers from TV channel; 2003-present)
- Disney's Coyote Tales (found Disney Channel extended version of "The Coyote's Lament" animated short; 1991)
- Disney's Doug (found episodes of animated TV series; 1996-1999)
- Dreamfinders (unproduced Disney Channel series based on "Journey Into Imagination" Epcot ride; 1983)
- Dumbo's Circus (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1985-1986)
- Fish Hooks (partially found test pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
- Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney Channel documentary series; 1997-1999)
- Hannah Montana (lost production material of cancelled anime adaptation of Disney Channel teen sitcom; 2009-2010)
- Herbie the Lovebug (lost Disney Channel animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
- The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports-themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
- J.O.N.A.S. (partially found original pilot of "Jonas" Disney Channel comedy series; 2007)
- Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney Channel animated series; 2005)
- Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of cancelled season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
- Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
- Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
- Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation series; 1983-1990)
- The Owl House (found test animation of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
- Pepper Ann (found Disney animated TV series; 1997-2000)
- Pepper Ann (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney animated series; 1996)
- Phineas and Ferb "Delivery of Destiny" (partially found Simon Pegg version of Disney Channel animated series episode; 2013)
- Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
- The Proud Family (partially found Nickelodeon pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
- Recess "The Break In" (partially found pitch pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
- Shooting Star Milkshake Bar (found full version of "Phineas and Ferb" song; 2008)
- Star and the Forces of Evil (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
- Talespin (lost Phil Harris audio recordings from Disney Channel animated series; 1990)
- Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
- Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
- What's Stevie Thinking? (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Lizzie McGuire" Disney Channel comedy series; 2005)
Playhouse Disney
- Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
- Bear in the Big Blue House (found unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
- Bear in the Big Blue House (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
- The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)
- Breakfast with Bear (partially found spin-off of "Bear in the Big Blue House" Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2005-2006)
- Handy Manny (partially found DKP Studios pilot of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005)
- Imagination Movers (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney series based on children's music group; 2006)
- JoJo's Circus (partially lost Playhouse Disney stop-motion animated series; 2003-2007)
- Little Einsteins (partially found British dub of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2005-2010)
- Little Einstein (partially found pitch pilots of Playhouse Disney animated series; 2003-2004)
- My Friends Tigger & Pooh (partially found test pilots of Playhouse Disney CGI animated series; 2005/2006)
- Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
- PB&J Otter (found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
- Playhouse Disney UK (partially found interstitial material of TV channel block; 1999-2006)
- Stanley (found pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)
Disney Junior
- Beverly Hills Chihuahuas (found pitch pilot of cancelled Disney Junior animated adaptation of film series; 2012)
- Jake's Team Pirate (found pitch pilot of "Jake and the Never Land Pirates" Disney Junior animated series; 2009)
- Jungle Junction (lost pitch pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003-2008)
Toon Disney
- Teamo Supremo (partially lost Toon Disney animated series; 2002-2004)
- Toon News (partially found Toon Disney CGI animated interstitial series; 2004/2005)
Disney XD
- The 7D (found pitch pilot of Disney XD animated series; 2012)
- Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost pitch pilot of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy series; 2010)
- Commando Crash (lost pitch pilot of cancelled spin-off of "Crash & Bernstein" Disney XD sitcom; 2014)
- DXP (partially lost Disney XD video game block; 2017)
- Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot of animated adaptation of live-action superhero series; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)
- Very Important House (found Disney XD animated pitch pilot; 2016)
Other
- Green Monkeys (lost Disney animated pitch pilot; 1999)
- Kingdom Hearts (found animatic of cancelled Disney animated TV adaptation of game series; 2003)
- La Chambre Folle (lost French Disney children's TV block; 1998)
- Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
- The Mouse Factory (found Disney live-action/animated TV series; 1972-1973)
- Robodz (partially found Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
- The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
- X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)
External Links
References
- ↑ 2013 Reddit IAmA by Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls. Retrieved 02 Sep '13
- ↑ Tweet from Alex Hirsch. Retrieved 02 Aug '16
- ↑ Another Tweet from Alex Hirsch. Retrieved 02 Aug '16
- ↑ The Mystery of Gravity Falls website. Retrieved 03 Aug '16