Tourist Trapped

"Tourist Trapped" is the first episode of the animated television series Gravity Falls. In the episode, twins Dipper (voiced by Jason Ritter) and Mabel Pines (voiced by Kristen Schaal) arrive in Gravity Falls, Oregon, to stay with their great uncle Stan (voiced by series creator Alex Hirsch) at his tourist trap, the Mystery Shack. But when Dipper discovers a hidden journal documenting the paranormal side of the town, he begins to believe that his twin-sister was dating a zombie.

The episode was written by series creator Alex Hirsch. Directed by John Aoshima, "Tourist Trapped" premiered on Disney Channel on June 15, 2012, airing immediately after the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine.^[2]

Plot

The episode starts with Dipper and Mabel speeding on a golf cart and being chased by a big monster. Dipper then narrates the episode from the part where the twin's parents bring them to Gravity Falls, Oregon where their great uncle Stan lives. Dipper was anxious of spending his entire summer working for his "Grunkle" in the Mystery Shack (a tourist trap and gift shop). However, as he hangs signs to promote the Mystery Shack, he stumbles onto a rusty machine hidden in a tree which opens a secret compartment where Dipper finds a book that has a golden hand with the number 3 on it and starts reading it. The book contains the secrets and wonders of the town of Gravity Falls. While reading, he learns that Mabel (who is trying to have an "epic summer romance") has a date with her new boyfriend Norman. Dipper thinks Norman is a zombie and starts catching them on film. Mabel is frustrated when Dipper notes his scepticism to her.

Whilst on a date in the middle of the woods, Norman shows who he really is; a bunch of gnomes (led by Jeff). After Mabel rejects the Gnomes, they kidnap her and drag her deeper into the woods. Meanwhile, as Dipper watches the video he took, he finds a part of the video where Mabel's boyfriend's hand falls off. He quickly rushes into the woods to find Mabel, whilst riding on a golf cart (borrowed from the Shack). Shocked by the fact that Norman was just a bunch of gnomes, he manages to rescue Mabel by knocking Jeff over via a shovel. Angered, Jeff calls the gnomes to form a giant gnome to capture Mabel. They are unable to evade the gnomes as they reach the Mystery Shack. Mabel seems ready to surrender to the Gnomes, agreeing to marry Jeff. However, she grabs a leaf blower (which she used to practice kissing) and blows away the gnomes.

Later that night, Stan allows them to take an item each from the gift shop: Mabel gets a Grappling hook, and Dipper acquires a new hat. As Dipper and Mabel prepare to sleep that night, Stan enters a hidden room behind the vending machine in the rec room, making sure that nobody can see him.

Production and broadcasting

"Tourist Trapped" was written by series creator Alex Hirsch and directed by John Aoshima with storyboards by Matt Braly, Erik Fountain, Mark Garcia, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, and Niki Yang. The episode premiered on June 15, 2012 on Disney Channel in the United States, serving as a special preview of the series. Its premiere immediately followed the premiere of the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine. The episode's premiere was seen by close to 3.4 million viewers.^[2] It got 267,000 viewers when it premiered in the UK and Ireland on July 20, 2012.^[3]

Reception

Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club gave "Tourist Trapped" a B+ rating, praising its "mature" feel in comparison to other animated series for children (bringing inspiration from The Simpsons, The X-Files, and Twin Peaks), the show's art style, along with the use of its paranormal themes for comedy: specifically citing a scene where Mabel is seen hoping that her "zombie" boyfriend Norman was a vampire (playing off the popularity of the Twilight series), followed by the "wonderfully absurd" reveal that Norman was actually a group of gnomes. However, the remainder of the episode was criticised for being too reliant on "random" humor. Wilkins also praised Kristen Schaal for her performance as Mabel; stating that the character had "the same gleeful lack of restraint and propensity for violence (at least when it comes to punching gnomes) that Schaal brings to Louise Belcher, with the crucial difference being that she’s not a complete sociopath." Wilkins felt that Mabel was "a goofy, happy-go-lucky preteen" with a level of enthusiasm that helped support many of the gags surrounding her in the episode, and that she acted within the mindset of an actual 12-year-old in her dialogue as well. Jason Ritter's performance as Dipper was also praised for giving the character a panicked and suspicious view on the world around him, but it was noted that his voice sounded too old to be a 12 year-old.^[4]

"Tourist Trapped" received two nominations for the 40th Annie Awards, including Ian Worrel for Best Production Design in a Television/Broadcast Production, and Kristen Schaal for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production.^[5]

References

External links

• Tourist Trapped at the Internet Movie Database
• Tourist Trapped on Gravity Falls Wiki, an external wiki