‘Gravity Falls’ Creator Alex Hirsch Shares Words To Avoid At Disney, Including Hoo-ha, Chub, And Lucifer
“Hoo-ha,” “Chub,” and “Lucifer” are just a few terms that had employees at Disney’s Standards & Practices (S&P) clutching their pearls when reading script pitches for the classic series Gravity Falls.
For the 10th anniversary of the premiere of the show, series creator Alex Hirsch treated Twitter to an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the show’s relationship with Disney S&P, the group responsible for ensuring content adheres to the moral, ethical, and legal standards of its destination network.
Hirsch posted a pair of videos in which notes between the showrunner and S&P are dramatically read over Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” Hirsch reads his replies in the videos and recruited A-list voice actor Eric Bauza, who appears in Gravity Falls and the Hirsch-produced Inside Job, to read on behalf of S&P.
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
Here are a few of our favorite exchanges from the clips:
Hoo-ha
S&P
Pg 492 – It has come to our attention that “hoo-ha” is a slang term for vagina, please revise.
Hirsch
It is a proper word meaning excitement or hullabaloo, and that is CLEARLY its meaning here. The context is an Owl-Themed restaurant called “hoo-Ha’s Jamboree.” Not changing it.
Chub
S&P
Pg 14 – Please revise “Chub Pup” on t-shirt, “Chub” has a sexual connotation.
Hirsch
This is silly. It’s an image of a fat dog. From the context, there is no reason to think that “chub” means anything other than that.
S&P
We have ran this phrase up the line and unfortunately, the concern surrounding it still remains. If you’d like to send me some alternate phrases, I can run those and let you know what becomes of it.
Hirsch
Alternate Phrases: Chubby Pup. Tub pup. Chubitty Pup Pup. I can’t believe I have to do this.
Just Friends
S&P
Please revise the action of Blubs putting his arm around Durland. As noted in previous concerns, their affectionate relationship should remain comical versus flirtatious.
Hirsch
Nope. They’re… buddies. Chill out.
S&P
The gesture is approved in this context.
How to Respond to Complaints
S&P
Pg 16 – S&P is not okay with saying the word “Lucifer”… please revise.
Hirsch
I see no reason to change this. The devil isn’t real.
S&P
Please revise, S&P is concerned we will get complaints about such mentions of Lucifer, satan and/or the devil.
Hirsch
So what if we get a complaint? The current line, “Scrimshaw’d from the tusks of Lucifer himself” is the kind of stuffy, non-political, old-timey purple prose like you’d see in Moby Dick. It is 100% less offensive to any religion than the Mr. Toad’s Wild Rid “hell” scene in Disneyland. Our usage is patently defensible and you could respond to a complaint like this:
“Sir or madam, we respect your religion, but this fanciful, public domain language is used in a spooky, Halloween-like context, and in no way represents a commentary on any belief system whatsoever. Please eat this Mickey shaped cookie and enjoy this cute, classic, family-friendly Disney cartoon.”
Why should we be held hostage to whatever imaginary knee-jerk career complainers who would conceivably go out of their way to pretend to be offended by this?
S&P
Will review in context.
Not S&P Approved
S&P
Pg 172 – Please revise the Text on Tambry’s flyer “bottles will be spun.” This implies they are playing Spin the Bottle. We don’t want to send the wrong message to our audience.
Hirsch
The message is “teenagers like kissing.” How on earth is that the wrong message? And it’s on a FLYER. We don’t even show it! You gotta be kidding me here.
S&P
S&P is still uncomfortable with this flyer giving the impression that it is a “make out” party.
Hirsch
What’s a “make out party” and where can I find one? Fine, will remove the line “Bottles will be spun.” Please replace with the new line “Not S&P approved.”
S&P
Please omit “Not S&P Approved” on the party flyer.
Hirsch
I don’t see what the problem is.
S&P
“Not S&P Approved” has been approved by S&P.
There Once Was a Man From Kentucky
S&P
Pg 52 – Please Revise the limerick referencing “There once was a man from Kentucky.” S&P is worried that unsavory rhymes could be gleaned from it.
Hirsch
Why? “Man from Nantucket” is the famous dirty rhyme, which I decided to avoid altogether. To make your lives easier, I made up a totally new one, “Man from Kentucky” – which has the same lovely syllable structure but no pre-invented ending.
I can’t even imagine a logical way to get “fuck” out of that. What would that even sound like? “There Once was a man from Kentucky, who misspelled the word “fuck” and got “fucky?” That doesn’t even make sense.
More likely would be, “There Once Was A Man From Kentuky, Who Spent Hours with his pet Rubber Ducky/The duck got away/ Twas such a sad day!/ It turns out Kentucky’s Unlucky.”
Whose to say how this made-up poem ends? How could someone complain about something that’s only in their head?
S&P
S&P still feels that “fucky” would come from “ducky.”
Hirsch
Who should I call to have this conversation personally?
Hirsch has been tweeting extensively for the show’s 10th anniversary, and we recommend any Gravity Falls fans keep an eye on his refreshingly unfiltered feed for more behind-the-scenes info about the well-liked series.
