Gravity Falls (found pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated mystery comedy series; 2010)

A screenshot from the pilot.

Status: Found

Date found: 03 Aug 2016

Found by: Alex Hirsch

Some time 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".

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. It was completed about a week later, and on August 3rd, 2016, it was released on The Mystery of Gravity Falls' site under the username of RETURNBACKWARDS and the password of TOTHEPASTAGAINTHREE. It was also uploaded to YouTube with little to no difficulty or conflict (albeit private).

Gallery

The pitch pilot.

See Also

Disney Channel

• 101 Dalmatians: The Series (partially found unaired pilot episode of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Amazing Animals (found Disney Channel animated educational series; 1996-1999)
• Arwin! (partially found pilot of cancelled "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" spin-off TV series; 2007)
• Disney Channel Interactive (lost Dish Network game channel; late 2000s)
• 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 unreleased pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2009)
• Going Wild with Jeff Corwin (partially found Disney documentary TV series; 1997-1999)
• Gravity Falls (found Comic Con 2012 promo of animated series; 2012)
• Katbot (partially found unreleased Disney animated TV series; 2005)
• Lizzie McGuire "Season 3" (lost production material of unfinished season of Disney Channel comedy series; 2020)
• Minnie Takes Care of Pluto (found original English audio of Mickey Mouse Works animated short; 2000)
• Mousercise (partially found Disney Channel exercise series; 1983-1996)
• Mouseterpiece Theater (partially found Disney Channel cartoon compilation TV series; 1983-1990)
• Pepper Ann (partially found pilot episode of Disney animated series; 1996)
• Phineas and Ferb (lost script of cancelled theatrical film based on animated series; 2010s)
• Phineas and Ferb: Spot the Diff (found Disney Channel animated special; 2008)
• Recess "The Break In" (partially found pilot of Disney animated TV series; 1996)
• Star and the Forces of Evil (partially found unaired pitch pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2011)
• Talespin - Phil Harris performance (lost audio recordings from Disney animated TV series; 1990)
• Teen Angel (partially found Disney Channel serial drama; 1989)
• The All-New Mickey Mouse Club (partially found Disney Channel original series; 1989-1994)
• The Jersey (partially lost Disney Channel sports themed comedy series; 1999-2004)
• The Owl House (partially found unaired pilot of Disney Channel animated series; 2017)
• The Proud Family (partially lost unaired Nickelodeon pilot of Disney Channel animated sitcom; 1999)
• Welcome to Pooh Corner (partially found Disney Channel live-action puppet series; 1983-1986)
• What's Stevie Thinking? (lost unaired pilot of cancelled "Lizzie McGuire" spin-off TV series; 2003)

Playhouse Disney

• Adventures in Nutrition with Captain Carlos (partially found Playhouse Disney animated short series; 2004-2007)
• Bear in the Big Blue House "Water, Water Everywhere" (lost unaired pilot of Disney Channel puppet series; 1997)
• Bear in the Big Blue House (partially lost original English audio of Playhouse Disney puppet series; 1997-2006)
• Breakfast with Bear (partially found episodes of Playhouse Disney spin-off series; 2005-2006)
• Handy Manny (partially found unaired pilot of Disney children's animated TV series; 2005)
• Little Einsteins (lost second pitch pilot of Playhouse Disney animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2004)
• Out of the Box (partially lost Playhouse Disney children's series; 1998-2004)
• PB&J Otter (partially found original credits sequences of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1998-2000)
• Playhouse Disney UK (partially lost interstitial material of children's TV channel; 1999-2006)
• Stanley (found unaired pilot episode of Playhouse Disney animated series; 1999)
• The Book of Pooh (found Playhouse Disney puppet series; 2001-2004)

Disney Junior

• Jungle Junction (lost pilots of Disney Junior CGI animated series; 2003; 2005; 2008)

Toon Disney

• Toon News (partially found CGI Interstitial Toon Disney series; 2004/2005)

Disney XD

• Billion Dollar Freshmen (lost unaired pilot episode of "Lab Rats" Disney XD live-action comedy TV series; 2010)
• DXP (partially found Disney XD video game block; 2017)

Other

• Robodz (lost Disney Toei animated TV series; 2008)
• The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show (found episodes of Disney animated TV series; 1995)
• Herbie the Lovebug (lost animated pilot; late 1990s-2000s)
• Power Rangers Animated Series (lost Disney XD pilot; existence unconfirmed; 2007-2009)
• Green Monkeys (lost Disney pilot; 1999)
• Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers (found English dub of anime series; 2015)
• X-Heart (partially found unreleased English dub of "X-Coração" Brazilian animated TV series; 2014)

External Link

• Gravity Falls Wikia article on the unaired pitch pilot. Retrieved 02 Sept '13