Cult classic Over the Garden Wall is a whimsical and mysterious Autumnal watch whose genius storytelling still prevails, intersecting its child protagonists with death and identity.
Creators: Katie Krentz & Patrick McHale
Genre: Animated, Fantasy, Supernatural
Number of Episodes: 10
U.S. Release: November 3, 2014
U.K. Release: April 6, 2015
Where to Watch: on digital and on demand
The aesthetic of Americana, Autumn harvest, folklore and singing frogs at first glance seems to set up a comforting, almost mindless, Cartoon Network Halloween watch. Except a senseless kids’ cartoon isn’t what Patrick McHale had in mind for the animated mini series Over the Garden Wall. This year, Over the Garden Wall celebrates its tenth anniversary. It premiered on November 3, 2014, and ten years later, the series is still an annual October rewatch for many. It’s fantastical, heartwarming, mysterious, and melancholic.
The mini series chronicles and emotes in ten episodes what takes other animated series several seasons to do. The show itself is efficient, well-thought out, intentional and detailed. And with its animation, music, storytelling, and New England inspired, vintage autumnal feel, it can be considered one of the most well-done animated mini series of all time.
Over the Garden Wall follows the story of two brothers, Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean), as they venture into the Unknown, a strange forest they fall into after jumping over the garden wall in a cemetery. They meet a bluebird named Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey) and together, while building each other’s trust, navigate the unexplained Unknown. Greg and Wirt’s bond as brothers, and their individual identities, are challenged as they navigate the forest and the eerie, whimsical creatures they encounter. Identity, death, adventure are all explored throughout the narrative, making this a series for children and adults alike to ponder on.
The illusion of enigma and unknown are a large part of Over the Garden Wall. It starts with disorientation: when starting the show, based on the characters’ attire, one may assume it takes place sometime during the 19th century, especially considering its Americana aesthetic. Creatures such as the tragic woodsman, the shadowy, humanoid beast, pumpkin-donning skeletons, and a young girl possessed by an evil spirit emphasize on this secrecy.
For several episodes, the viewer is met with strange characters in an eldritch and unknown place. One just assumes Greg and Wirt are pilgrim children trying to find their way. But in Episode 9, it’s revealed that Greg and Wirt are, in reality, from the modern world. They’re dressed that way because the show takes place on Halloween, of all days. Wirt and Greg, donning an ambiguous, gnome-like cloak with a red pointy hat and a tea kettle on his head, respectively, were simply dressed for the occasion.
Episode 9 centers around a crucial flashback, giving context to what led to the boys going over the garden wall. Viewers learn older brother Wirt has incredibly low self esteem at home and assumes everyone hates him (when in reality, his peers wished to befriend him). This revelation recontextualizes Wirt’s actions in the woods as he guides Greg, broadening his character and identity development throughout his time in the Unknown. Furthermore it shows Wirt’s belief that he is not cool enough for his crush, Sara, who he makes a playlist for.
It reveals insight into Wirt and Greg’s dynamic before they got lost in the Unknown, showing that Wirt secretly resnts his carefree, naive, loving younger half brother because his dad married Wirt’s mom. Episode 9 peels back the curtain on the shroud of mystery Over the Garden Wall revolves around for the first 8 episodes, recontextualizing almost the entirety of the show. For viewers, this creates a sense of awe and recognition, drawing connections from earlier they otherwise wouldn’t have, almost forcibly urging them to rewatch it from the beginning to cater to noticing details and implications.
But something else is revealed in episode 9: that Wirt and Greg nearly drown in a pond, and their adventures in the Unknown happen while they’re unconscious. This newly learned detail begs the question: is the Unknown Limbo? Is it Purgatory? Heaven? A place between life and death? Or is it just all a dream?
The woods can be considered to be the land of the dead, and the creatures they meet could have been people who passed on. The Edelwood trees, which the woodsman says are needed to be turned into oil to keep the Beast’s lantern burning, may be lost souls who lost hope and are now souls that belong to the Unknown, emphasized by the Beast’s proclivity to lure children into the Unknown. Begging this question if the Unknown is a Limbo state, paired with the show’s symbolism, themes, and even its parallels to Dante’s Inferno, is something to keep in mind while watching.
In its entirety, Over the Garden Wall feels like a melancholic dream that is familiar yet so distant. It balances whimsy and fun with macabre, balancing narratives of the boys’ characters with their forest adventures. The show is about transitions — between seasons, between identity, and between life and what may come after. Furthermore, the early 20th century-inspired soundtrack, composed by the Blasting Company, is a key factor in the show’s nostalgia factor. It is both silly and sincere. Its brief 10-episode lifespan is sparse but integral, allowing it to be a self-contained, detailed story that is meticulous and without fluff.
Over the Garden Wall is now available to watch on digital and on demand.
