School’s out for summer! Across the United States, public schools have released their students until August (and if your kids aren’t done with school yet, they likely will be soon), and that means that parents across the country are once again looking for ways to keep their kids entertained, either indoors or outdoors.

Streaming has become a beloved summer pastime, allowing parents and kids to beat the heat with a low-impact activity. And if you’re looking for a new title to stream with the kiddos this summer, I would humbly suggest flipping on Disney+ to watch “Gravity Falls,” which was my favorite stream of the week.

“Gravity Falls” follows Dipper and Mabel Pines, 12-year-old twin siblings who are sent to live with their great-uncle (Grunkle) Stan in the remote town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. Dipper stumbles upon a mysterious journal with details about the town’s paranormal or mythical aspects, and it leads the Pines and their friends on adventures none of them could ever have dreamed.

The show originally ran on Disney XD from 2012 to 2016, but consists of just two seasons. While that may feel like a bit of a tease to parents who want a show to watch with the kids all summer, rest assured that the two-season run is spaced perfectly, and with 20 episodes per season, watching one per day will still take families a good chunk of the way through the season.

“Gravity Falls” is ostensibly a kids’ show, but its premise and characters are more than entertaining enough to keep parents hooked as well. It’s a fantastically funny series, and somehow manages to be both serialized and episodic at the same time. The connective tissue that runs through each episode pays off in a major way at the end of the series, but I won’t spoil the ending.

The voice acting in the series is next-level, with performances from Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, Linda Cardellini, and even J.K. Simmons. Series creator Alex Hirsch steps in to voice several characters as well, and nails each one.

“Gravity Falls” won a number of awards during its initial run, including Emmys, Annie Awards, and a BAFTA Children’s Award. It’s not hard to see why when watching; the animation, voice acting, and writing are all fantastic, with spooky supernatural mysteries balanced perfectly with a deep emotional grounding.

Perhaps the best thing about “Gravity Falls” is its insistence that its audience is intelligent. The show finishes every episode with a hidden message that viewers have to break a code to read, and hidden messages give it incredible re-watch potential that will make kids feel as if they’re participating in an activity instead of just watching a show.

I realize, of course, that since “Gravity Falls” first debuted more than 15 years ago, I’m a little late to the party. But parents whose kids also haven’t watched the show yet will love the chance to expose them to it for the first time. Both seasons of “Gravity Falls” are available to stream on Disney+ now.

Gravity Falls

June 15, 2012

Twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel Pines are in for an unexpected adventure when they spend the summer helping their great uncle Stan run a tourist trap in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.