Having already spent millions of dollars courting big-name creators of live-action TV, it looks like Netflix is doing the same thing for animated shows. Netflix already has Matt Groening’s whose Disenchantment just landed on the streaming service recently, and now it has signed Alex Hirsch—creator of the beloved Disney Channel cartoon Gravity Falls—to a multi-year deal. As part of this new agreement, Hirsch will “exclusively develop new series and features for Netflix,” which means he won’t be heading back to Disney any time soon.
That comes from a press release, which also includes this fun quote from Hirsch: “I couldn’t be more excited to join the amazing roster of talent coming to Netflix. Plus, it couldn’t hurt to be on The Algorithm’s good side before The Singularity hits.” In a much more bland statement, Netflix says that Hirsch is “an imaginative storyteller with new ideas who’s quickly developed a reputation as a fresh new voice in animation.”
Interestingly, the press release also notes that Hirsch will be working to expand the streaming service’s “adult animated slate,” indicating that he won’t be making a kids show. Gravity Falls had a lot of crossover appeal, certainly, but it was still targeted at kids. Based on this statement, that won’t be the case for whatever he does next.