Alex Hirsch, the creator of Gravity Falls, has shared a video which reveals some of the censorship from Disney he received when making the show. This includes disputes over words such as poop, crud, and even hoo-ha. And he was told to remove a pipe from a horse’s mouth.
Gravity Falls is celebrating 10 years since it started this year, which has prompted Hirsch to share behind-the-scenes details for fans using the hashtag #10YearsOfGravityFalls Some highlights from the video include Disney finding “poopface” too similar to “shitface” and “it has come to our attention that hoo-ha is a slang term for vagina.”
Other words they weren’t comfortable with include Jeez (because it’s short for Jesus apparently), Holy Christmas, and “Scrimshawed from the tusks of Lucifer himself.” A scene with a cartoon chimp being thrown through a basketball hoop had to be referred to the Disney Animal Consultant…who probably works with real animals, we’re guessing?! Animals were clearly a sensitive sore-spot, as Hirsch also got the note “please omit the pipe in the horse’s mouth.” He responded with; “Why? Is the concern that we’ll influence horses to smoke pipes?”
It’s clear from these notes why audiences were concerned when such properties as the more adult-leaning Marvel shows came to Disney Plus. Disney now has such a stranglehold on so many different properties, including Star Wars, that there is a fear that many franchises are getting more sanitized. Disney has also received criticism for including extremely small nods to LGBTQ+ representation which can be easily cut out for foreign markets.
You can watch the hilarious video, with excellent voice-over work, in Hirsch’s tweet below;
One last treat. Ever curious about the fights I had with the censors on Gravity Falls? I probably shouldn’t share this buttttt here are some REAL NOTES from DISNEY S&P and my REAL REPLIES. You are not prepared #10YearsOfGravityFalls pic.twitter.com/EioKU8gIJJ
— Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) June 16, 2022
If you’re a fan of Gravity Falls, check out our guide to the best animated series.