Toon Alert - Gravity Falls

If you're not a regular viewer of any of the Disney channels, you might be unaware of tonight's premiere of Gravity Falls.

The plot revolves around brother Dipper and sister Mabel, whose parents interrupt their summer vacation plans by sending them to stay with their Great Uncle (Gruncle) Stan in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Stan runs, and lives in, The Mystery Shack, a tourist trap museum of the bizarre. But the only funny business going on at The Shack is Stan fleecing the tourists of their money. But soon Dipper discovers a mysterious book that is part diary, part creature encyclopedia which leads the kids into a world of weirdness.

I caught the sneak peak on June 15, and I found myself pulled into it almost immediately. In the family tree of cartoon ancestry, Gravity Falls is a cousin many times removed from Scooby-Doo. Although there is a bit of a Scooby switch in the first episode, I don't think that will be the formula for the rest of the series.

The introduction of the book seems like it will be an ongoing mystery as the kids will no doubt find clues about it and its author. The ongoing plot is something I'm really enjoying in modern cartoons.

It's a little odd that the show is airing in a later time slot on Friday nights. Maybe they're shooting for the tween audience that's still too young to be out on a Friday night? Whatever the case, it seems like the show is going to be a lot of fun and I'll be tuning in every week.

Gravity Falls premieres tonight at 9:30pm Eastern on DTV.

You can visit the official site here. 

Only don't spoil yourself by watching any clips if you plan on watching the show.