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Credit: DisneyGravity Falls was one of Disney’s darkest, strangest, and most beloved animated series in recent years, and it has since become one of the studio’s biggest cult favorites since The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). However, a mysterious new book by the show’s triangular and enigmatic agent of chaos, Bill Cipher, might have leaked a major update.
The Book of Bill was released to readers everywhere just last week, and it was undoubtedly one of the darkest creations released by Disney or its publishing. It was so out of character for the House of Mouse that it even came with its own mature warning sticker.
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Disney has toyed with strange and unusual subject matter many times before, but Gravity Falls is infamous for venturing into some esoteric and eldritch horrors the studio would never normally touch. Keeping in theme with the series, The Book of Bill continues to toy with readers as it presents its strange codes, marginal notes, and unhinged musings by everyone’s favorite demon from the two-dimensional Mindscape.
A Return to Gravity Falls?
Written by series creator Alex Hirsch, the text essentially retells the show’s events from Bill’s perspective. Half diary, half tell-all book, half forbidden text, the book is as delightful and demented as its protagonist, and Disney was clear about it right from the start.
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The official description from Disney’s publishing reads,
“The demon that terrorized Gravity Falls is back from the great beyond to finally tell his side of the story in The Book of Bill, written by none other than Bill Cipher himself.”
“Inside, Bill sheds light on his bizarre origins, his sinister effects on human history, the Pines family’s most embarrassing secrets, and the key to overthrowing the world (laid out in a handy step-by-step guide). This chaotic and beautifully illustrated tome contains baffling riddles, uncrackable ciphers, lost Journal 3 pages, ways to cheat death, the meaning of life, and a whole chapter on Silly Straws. But most importantly, The Book of Bill is deeply, deeply cursed.”
The page also gives the following warning:
“Beware: This book travels to dimensions meant for older readers.”
Similar to films like The Black Cauldron (1985), Corpse Bride (2005), or Coraline (2009), The Book of Bill is a kid-friendly horror experience mainly meant for those at least in the double digits. However, the book also comes with an added bit of bonus content.
WARNING: Spoilers beyond this point!
Bill’s Cipher
The book comes loaded with puzzles, pictograms, and hidden secrets for avid Gravity Falls fans to decode and solve. One such treat found in the poured-over pages was a password (TJEckleburg) and a link to a website where an ominous countdown clock began to tick away.
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As of July 30, 2024, the countdown was scheduled to end at 3:00 p.m. EST, but continued to tick down into negative numbers. At the time of writing, fans who venture to the site will be met by a graphic of Soos trying to mend some frayed wires, and clicking him will change his speech bubble to various in-character quotes, and sometimes even a link to the Gravity Falls Lofi-Jams or a PDF of an altered version of The Great Gatsby.
If you know anything about the show, Dipper and Mable, Bill Cipher, or Alex Hirsch, you know that this is far too elaborate to be just a technical error. Something big is coming to Gravity Falls, possibly even a long-desired third season. All we can do is wait.
Inside the Magic will update this mysterious “glitch” as the phenomenon develops.