Fans Speak Out as Beloved Disney Character Accused of “Committing Genocide”

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Gravity Falls banner with logo, Mabel Pines and Dipper Pines (left to right)

Credit: Disney

It seems like this Disney character just can’t catch a break.

(left to right) Soos Ramirez, Dipper Pines, Grunkle Stan, Mabel Pines, Wendy Corduroy, from Gravity Falls
Credit: Disney

Related: Has It Really Been 10 YEARS? ‘Gravity Falls’ and How Disney TV Animation Has Shifted

Disney’s fan-favorite TV series, Gravity Falls

The Disney Channel is (or more accurately now, was) the flagship subscription television property of Disney Branded Television. It exploded in popularity with younger audiences, making Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs) like the High School Musical movie series well into the 2010s and beyond, remaining relevant until the decline in viewership thanks to the advent of on-demand streaming service, Disney+, and the subsequent move away from cable television.

Gravity Falls is an animated television series created by Alex Hirsch that aired on Disney Channel from 2012 to 2016. Last year, it celebrated its 10th year anniversary. The show features the voice talents of Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal as twin siblings Dipper and Mabel Pines, who spend the summer with their great-uncle, Grunkle Stan, voiced by series creator Alex Hirsch, in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon.

GRAVITY FALLS - Alex Hirsch, creator and executive producer of "Gravity Falls." (Daynon Corcoran)
Credit: Disney, Alex Hirsch

Other notable voice actors include Linda Cardellini as Wendy Corduroy, and Jesus Alzamirano Ramirez AKA Soos Ramirez, the Pines twins’ friend and coworker at the local Mystery Shack, and JK Simmons as Stanley Pines’ arch-nemesis, Ford Pines (later revealed to be his brother, Stanford Pines). The show also features a variety of supernatural creatures and bizarre characters, including Bill Cipher (also Alex Hirsch), a powerful and enigmatic entity from another dimension who serves as one of the show’s main antagonists.

Now however, one of its main characters is suddenly being criticized online for enabling and committing “genocide”.

Gravity Falls Bill Cipher Weirdmageddon
Credit: Disney

Related: “Disney Deserved That Burn”, Disney’s Own Prematurely Canceled Show Calls Them Out

Mabel Pines and the accusations of “genocide”

It all began when user @PelleCreepy came forward on Twitter with a tweet that immediately went viral and created a storm of responses — both in support and vehemently against.

@PelleCreepy here insists that it’s “weird” that lately, there are multiple “female character[s]”, particularly in animation, who go around “commit[ing] genocide”, and later get “emotionally validate[d]” by other characters:

“Female character commits genocide & regardless of whether it is undone (Mabel), prevented (Catra), or succeeds (Diamonds, Star), the cast emotionally validates the female & insist she either did the right thing or It’s OK Because LOVE.”

Weird that this happens so much, lately.

The same user replies to their own tweet with a crude comic of Mabel Pines kicking Dipper Pines in the groin, later shown crying and saying, “but what about how I feel?”, as Dipper rolls around in pain:

Oh also, I forgot I saved this years ago and I never have an opportunity to use it.

The character of Mabel Pines is notably named in this accusatory lineup — and this kicked up a ton of discussion surrounding the beloved Disney 12-year-old committing “genocide” in Gravity Falls. The name “Mabel” started trending in the United States, as @RandomUser_101 shares (while disparaging the original user’s comments, and calling it “awful”):

This take is awful. Nice going bro, you got Mabel trending on United States Twitter

 

Clearly, quite a few people agreed with this “genocide” accusation — based on the fact that the initial tweet garnered almost 10K likes at the time of writing, as well as the passionate agreements in the replies.

So, how did Mabel Pines “commit genocide”?

In Gravity Falls, there is a scene where Mabel Pines, one of the main characters, gives the dimensional rift device to Blendin Blandin, who is actually Bill Cipher in disguise. Mabel believes that Blendin is a time traveler who needs the device to save the future, but in reality, Bill wants to use the device to bring about his own twisted plans. Mabel’s decision to give the device to Blendin ultimately leads to disastrous consequences for Gravity Falls, as Bill uses the device to open a portal that unleashes a horde of monsters and threatens to destroy the town (and the world). The scene is a turning point in the series, as it marks the moment when Bill Cipher’s true intentions are revealed and sets the stage for the climactic events of the series finale, “Weirdmageddon”.

This is corroborated by @AwestruckVox, who explained about Mabel being tricked by the villain, Bill Cipher, coming to the character’s defense:

There is no way you’re trying to say Mabel committed GENOCIDE. She got tricked by Bill into handing over the rift. She was selfish, but also deceived.

She had no idea about Weirdmageddon because Dipper isolated himself from her when he learned about.

User Coquitose Ro says they now “hate” everyone — because of the fact that people are villainizing a “12 year old girl”, and that it’s “actually really gross”. They then highlight how the older characters, Stan and Ford Pines “did a lot of the same things Mabel did” but still got “crickets” from the public:

I hate y’all.

the way y’all villianize mabel for acting like a realistic portrayal of a hyperactive 12 year old girl (because thats what she is) is actually really gross.

both Ford and Stan did a lot of the same things mabel did at a much older age but its crickets for them

The sudden onset of these accusations of “genocide” come at a time when the Gravity Falls series has eclipsed its 10 year anniversary — making this sudden trending topic rather odd. However it definitely speaks to some deep-seated gripes people have about female characters being “emotional” and “getting away with things” — and perhaps some deep-seated insecurities. There are misogynist undertones that are getting called out here, but also many who support these sentiments that the Disney character is “getting away with” the commitment of “genocide” — which sounds like a rather heavy accusation to level at a 12-year-old.

Do you agree with the idea that the Disney character Mabel Pines “committed genocide”? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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