‘Gravity Falls’ and ‘The Book of Bill’: When Entertainment is a Portal to the Occult.

Author:

Lindsey Mendenwaldt

Article ID:

JAR1024LM

Updated: 

Nov 6, 2024

Published:

Oct 30, 2024

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Gravity Falls

Developed by Alex Hirsch

Executive Producer: Alex Hirsch

Disney Television Animation

Disney Channel 2012–2016

Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu

 

The Book of Bill

Alex Hirsch

(Hyperion Avenue, 2024)


What happens when family vacations blend with the occult? A popular animated television series for children, that’s what! Who doesn’t remember spending time with family over the summer doing activities like fishing, going out to eat, and running from gnomes, ghosts, shapeshifters, and demons? The Disney series Gravity Falls (2012–2016) chronicles the paranormal and supernatural adventures of twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines, when they spend the summer with their Grunkle Stan. The series was a hit for Disney — it garnered critical acclaim and many awards, including two Emmys and a BAFTA Children’s Award. It even has a rare 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which means it has 100 percent positive reviews from critics, and the Gravity Falls subreddit has more than 1.2 million members.1

Although the series lasted only two seasons, it spawned several books and a video game. It’s also made its way into others shows like DuckTales (2017–2021), Big City Greens (2018–), and The Simpsons (1989–) by way of Easter eggs.2 In other words, Gravity Falls continues to be popular today, and if you have Disney+, it is likely your kids have seen it. It’s also possible that if your children are fans of the show, they know about the recent release of The Book of Bill (Hyperion Avenue, 2024), which chronicles Bill’s experiences as a dream demon who terrorizes the people of Gravity Falls. Although the book isn’t marketed directly toward kids, its connection to the children’s show will attract young readers, which may result in some interesting conversations.

Our hope is to help you understand that Gravity Falls and The Book of Bill make the concepts of the occult and demon possession sound funny and normal. How can Christian parents address these topics with their children, and where should Christians draw the line when it comes to the occult and entertainment? The lines can be blurry, and we need to be equipped so that when we are confronted with the occult, we know what to do.

Gravity Falls and the Occult. When I travel with my daughters and stay in hotels, the television often ends up on the Disney Channel. Gone are the days of Mickey Mouse Club, though. Now, my girls are into live-action shows, and more recently, they’ve seen some episodes of Gravity Falls. I didn’t notice much about the show at first glance, except that I thought it was a bit annoying. The animation is like what you might see in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–). I noticed monsters and such, but without much context, I didn’t understand the plot and purpose of the series. Now that I’ve researched the show, perhaps watching Gravity Falls isn’t the best idea.

Gravity Falls follows tween twins Dipper and Mabel as they visit their great-uncle, Grunkle Stan, in Oregon for the summer. From the outset, things are strange in Gravity Falls, and Dipper is suspicious. He tells his uncle that he thinks someone is watching him. Then, Dipper discovers a journal that seems to confirm his suspicions: strange things do happen in Gravity Falls, and the journal warns the reader to “Trust No One.”3 Of course, the twins want to know more, so they investigate paranormal mysteries involving everything from angry gnomes to demons.

There’s an episode where they are trying to discover a monster that might live in the lake and another where a nine-year-old psychic named Gideon develops a crush on Mabel. There’s a haunted grocery store, cursed wax figures that come to life, and an invisible wizard. Other creatures include merpeople, a bear with eight heads, and shapeshifters. Anything odd that exists in the paranormal and supernatural world exists in Gravity Falls.

Occult Symbols Abound. The show also introduces a number of occult things, from spells and incantations to summoning demons. Yes, summoning demons. In one episode, Gideon summons a demon named Bill and makes a deal with him.4 In another episode, Dipper is possessed by Bill, who abuses Dipper while Bill is in his body.5 Bill also possesses a time traveler named Blendin Blandin and offers Mabel a deal to extend the summer forever. The deal fulfills a prophecy and opens a portal that allows Bill to take physical form and usher in the apocalypse, known as “Weirdmageddon.”6 And things certainly do get weird after that.

“Weirdmageddon”7 comprises three episodes/four parts, and this is the moment Bill (the demon) has been waiting for — he can finally take over Earth by way of Gravity Falls. He summons his henchmaniacs to a party. Bill’s crew includes Pyronica, known for her love of fire; Teeth, a pet that likes to eat things; and 8-Ball, an orphan who is the muscle of the group. The party they throw isn’t fun for anyone outside the group because it involves destroying property and turning residents into statues. Basically, they want to burn Gravity Falls to the ground and then take over the rest of the planet. The good guys try to fight back by standing in a zodiac sign and holding hands, but it doesn’t work. In the end, Dipper, Mabel, and their friends trick Bill into possessing Stan. Then, they shoot Stan with a gun that erases his memory, including Bill. Bill turns into a stone and is placed in the woods outside Gravity Falls, presumably forever.

For Kids or Adults? Lest you believe that, based on its content, Gravity Falls might be made for adults, it isn’t. Common Sense Media says the show is suitable for kids ages 8 and up,8 and it is popular with kids ages 6 to 11. The finale averaged 2.9 million viewers. The all-day Gravity Falls takeover event and series finale generated 10.7 million unique viewers, including 5.4 million children aged 2 to 14. In other words, kids are watching and seem to like what they see. It does not matter that this originally aired almost ten years ago. It has lived on through streaming services and reruns, and it’s getting even more attention now that The Book of Bill has been released.9

 The Book of Bill. Alex Hirsch never intended Gravity Falls to last forever. In an interview with Deadline, Hirsch said, “I always designed Gravity Falls to be a finite series about one epic summer — a series with a beginning, middle, and end. There are so many shows that go on endlessly until they lose their original spark, or mysteries that are cancelled before they ever get a chance to payoff.”10 Yet, this July, a new book that seems to hint something more is coming down the pike was released.

Throughout the series, the characters use three journals to help defeat Bill. These journals were written by Stan Pines over the years, tracking the strange things that happen in Gravity Falls. The Book of Bill is Bill’s journal; even from its cover, we know it will be full of the occult. The cover features Bill in red. Bill is a triangle with a giant eye in the middle, often called the “all-seeing eye.” He wears a bow tie and a top hat. The top hat on the cover of The Book of Bill blends in with Bill’s body and resembles an upside-down cross, which frequently refers to Satanism. The book’s cover also features four ankh symbols (a cross with a circle associated with neopaganism), but the ankhs on The Book of Bill feature their seeing-eye symbols. The back cover also features four ankhs and a zodiac symbol. The book’s dust jacket features the same symbols and comes with a warning: “Travels to Dimensions Meant for Older Readers.” That’s a promise that’s fulfilled. As soon as you open the front cover, it’s evident that this book is not designed for children.

Just three pages in, the reader is told to place their hand on a bloody handprint and sign their name on the dotted line. They are also told to repeat, “Time to Get Weird.” And as with Gravity Falls, things do get weird. The following four pages are filled with “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA” and then an imprint of Bill’s body, followed by a message that says, “I’ve been waiting an eternity to meet you…” The book is filled with puzzles and ciphers that give clues about Bill, and the subreddit page dedicated to Gravity Falls is full of theories.11

Keep in mind that The Book of Bill is not for kids, just as the warning on the front cover suggests. Heed the warning. The kids who loved the original series are now in their late teens and early 20s, and I suspect they are the target audience. I did a quick poll in one of my college classes, and my students (who are freshmen) were fans of the show but were mostly tentative about The Book of Bill. In general, they thought it looked too demonic and creepy. Only one had purchased a copy.

This book is supposed to be satire (I think), but it comes off as real and blasphemous. It seems like a slap in the face to Christianity. In a section about death, readers are told to pick a number and then find that number on the next set of pages to find out how they will die. Then, Bill describes the afterlife, noting that he was “too annoying for hell” and that “heaven IS real.”12 He offers a clue about how to get into heaven but says you won’t be able to see it if “you have ever had a perverted thought.” When you flip the page, it’s blank with the exception of “How to Get to Heaven.” Bill then outlines morality, calling it a “very flexible concept” designed to “cram your brain full of guilt and regrets.” Essentially, he tells the readers that they should just do whatever they want in life rather than stick to man-made constructs of morality.

All that to say, I don’t think I need to tell you much more to give you a sense of what to expect in The Book of Bill. It’s full of conspiracy theories, incantations, Satanic symbols, and more. Bill offers his advice on love (“Love is an industry, cramming your little noggin with lies designed to sell chalky, bland candy and freshly murdered flowers.”), the universe (it’s a “holographic trading card”), and reality (“Let’s get something out of the way: a human’s ability to grasp reality is painfully limited. You don’t have free will!”).13 It also gives us more information about Bill, like how he destroyed his family and dimension to gain more power and tried to take over the world through animation, music, computers, and little figurines grandparents buy from catalogs. The Book of Bill is aesthetically beautiful, which is odd considering its content, but it is an attractive book full of colorful illustrations. Yet, this nice book isn’t all that nice and doesn’t belong on anyone’s coffee table.

Drawing the Line. The word “occult” comes from the Latin word occultus, which means “hidden” or “secret.” From the beginning of the show in 2012, there were accusations that Alex Hirsch was hiding symbols of the occult in Gravity Falls. On July 13, 2013, Hirsch replied on Twitter (now X): “The rumors that I’m ‘hiding’ occult symbols in my show are totally false. I’m not hiding them at all. They’re in plain sight dummies!”14 Take his word for it. The symbols are everywhere and in your face. Be warned that you will be confronted with graphic imagery and demonic symbolism.

Christian parents and grandparents should know that Gravity Falls isn’t just another animated series. This series is a portal to the occult. It normalizes the occult to the point where kids will be desensitized. If you allow your kids or grandkids to watch it, I encourage you to sit down and watch it with them, addressing the various issues presented. The same goes for The Book of Bill. If you allow your older child to read it, be on guard. In addition to its occult messages, it contains graphic images like blood and gore. There’s some swearing and references to all sorts of evil things like mass murder.

Parents should ask their kids questions. What have they seen on shows or social media about witchcraft? If you choose to dress up and participate in Halloween, you should talk to your kids about some of the meanings of certain costumes they might see. What is a witch? What’s a demon? Are ghosts real? What happens when we die? What is morality? Talk to the kids in your life about the paranormal, but don’t end there. Be sure to point things back to God. Note that the Bible tells us not to involve ourselves with witchcraft and incantations (Deuteronomy 18:9–12; Galatians 5:19–21). Tell them that the spiritual realm is real, but Ephesians 6:10–18 describes the armor of God, to which we have access to defeat the enemy. Two parts of the armor of God involve truth (the belt of truth and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God). We must be armed with truth so that we can spot falsehoods. We have hope in Jesus Christ. Love isn’t a social construct — it’s a product of God Himself. And He so loved us that He sent His only Son to save us (John 3:16). Morality isn’t made up to give people power — no, it’s an objective principle by which we live, striving to be like Jesus in all that we think, do, and say. When we die, heaven and hell are real. We don’t need a secret code to get into heaven — we need only believe that Jesus died for us and was physically resurrected on the third day. By God’s grace, we are saved, and works don’t get us a place in heaven; rather, works are a natural byproduct of our faith in Jesus Christ. Don’t stand idly by and let culture teach your children lies. You need to be willing to draw the line when it comes to the occult. Do not welcome it into your home or take it lightly. Instead, ground your family in truth so that when the enemy comes to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10 NIV), we’re ready. —Lindsey Medenwaldt

 Lindsey Medenwaldt is the Director of Ministry Operations at Mama Bear Apologetics and the author of Bridge-Building Apologetics (Harvest House, 2024). She holds a master’s in apologetics and ethics from Denver Seminary, a JD from St. Mary’s School of Law, and a master’s in public administration from Midwestern State University.

NOTES

  1. The Gravity Falls subreddit is in the Top 1 percent of all subreddits. See “r/gravityfalls,” Reddit, accessed October 28, 2025, https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/.
  2. Easter eggs in media are hidden references or inside jokes included specifically for fans.
  3. Gravity Falls, season 1, episode 1, “Tourist Trapped,” written by Alex Hirsch, directed by John Aoshima, aired June 15, 2012, on Disney, https://youtu.be/o2E2wLm_LlY?si=niyJX3LqZIbdHvVE.
  4. Gravity Falls, season 1, episode 19, “Dreamscaperers,” written by Alex Hirsch, Matt Chapman, and Tim McKeon, directed by Joe Pitt and John Aoshima, aired July 12, 2013, on Disney, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjpXZbF-qrg.
  5. Gravity Falls, season 2, episode 4, “Sock Opera,” written by Alex Hirsch and Shion Takeuchi, directed by Matt Braly and Joe Pitt, aired September 8, 2014, on Disney.
  6. Gravity Falls, season 2, episode 17, “Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future,” written by Matt Chapman, Josh Weinstein, and Alex Hirsch, directed by Stephen Sandoval, aired October 12, 2015, on Disney.
  7. Gravity Falls, season 2, episodes 18–20, “Weirdmageddon,” written by Alex Hirsch, Josh Wienstein, Jeff Rowe, Shion Takeuchi, and Mark Rizzo, directed by Sunil Hall (Part 1), Matt Braly (Part 2), and Stephen Sandoval (Parts 3 and 4), aired October 26, 2015 (Part 1), November 23, 2015 (Part 2), and February 15, 2016 (Parts 3 and 4), on Disney.
  8. “Gravity Falls,” Common Sense Media, https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/gravity-falls, accessed October 29, 2024.
  9. Rick Kissell, “‘Gravity Falls’ Series Finale Sets All-Time Disney XD Ratings Records,” Variety, February 22, 2016, https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/gravity-falls-series-finale-disney-xd-ratings-records-1201711939/.
  10. Alex Hirsch, quoted in Armando Tinoco, “Disney Teases ‘Gravity Falls’ Revival Saying They’re ‘In Conversations’ with Creator Alex Hirsch,” Deadline, June 9, 2024, https://deadline.com/2024/06/disney-gravity-falls-revival-conversations-creator-alex-hirsch-1235968506/.
  11. “r/gravityfalls,” Reddit, accessed October 29, 2024, https://www.reddit.com/r/gravityfalls/.
  12. Alex Hirsch, The Book of Bill (New York: Hyperion Avenue, 2024), n.p.
  13. Hirsch, The Book of Bill, n.p.
  14. Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch), Twitter (now X), July 13, 2013, https://x.com/_AlexHirsch/status/355915724960698368.
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