“How the gentle wind beckons through the leaves, as autumn colors fall.” The Cartoon Network miniseries “Over the Garden Wall,” released in 2014, has been regarded by many online as one of the best shows to get you into the autumn mood. The cartoon, with its vivid yet cozy imagery and wonderful characters, cultivates an experience worth watching and is perfect for the fall season.
“Over the Garden Wall” follows Wirt and his younger brother Greg as they journey through the woods, referred to as the Unknown by those who live there, attempting to make their way back home. The audience, and even the boys themselves, have no idea how they ended up in the Unknown, creating an air of mystery within the opening moments of the first episode, “The Old Grist Mill.” Within the episode, Wirt and Greg are warned of the Beast, the miniseries’ antagonist, by the Woodsman, a mysterious old man who grinds Edelwood so he can keep his lantern perpetually lit for reasons unbeknownst to all but him and the Beast.
Early in their journey, the brothers meet Beatrice, a talking bluebird, who promises to take them to someone who will be able to aid in their quest home. Each episode, typically 11 minutes in length, showcases the three travelers in a different stage of their voyage, artfully fleshing out every setting despite the limited run time. Wirt, Greg and Beatrice encounter the likes of high society frogs, a tea merchant in love with a ghost and even a primary school for animals.
Throughout its ten-episode run, “Over the Garden Wall” explores themes of brotherly love, acceptance and the idea that not everything is as it seems. The Unknown, while whimsical in episode three, “Schooltown Follies,” is also unsettling in episodes such as “The Ringing of the Bell” and “The Unknown,” showcasing the aforementioned duality.
This is most evident in episode two of the miniseries, peculiarly titled “Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee,” where Wirt, Greg and Beatrice encounter a town filled with smiling “pumpkin” people celebrating the annual harvest festival. Something sinister seems to be lurking beneath their grinning facade, especially behind that of the monstrous Enoch, leader of the townspeople. The audience is left to ponder what that sinister feeling could mean, all the while watching as the three companions go deeper into the festival.
The songs of “Over the Garden Wall” significantly impact the show’s major thematic elements. A vintage, and sometimes off-putting, sound is infused within the songs in a way that makes many of them hauntingly beautiful. Some of “Over the Garden Wall”’s best includes “Into the Unknown,” the titular theme song, and “Patient is the Night,” along with the rather silly “Potatoes & Molasses.”
“Over the Garden Wall” also often utilizes frightening imagery as a tool to enhance the narrative. In “The Ringing of the Bell,” episode seven of the series, there are multiple instances where alarming images are used to warn the viewer of what is to come. Scenes surrounding Auntie Whispers, who Wirt and Greg must hide from as they attempt to help Lorna, the girl she controls with the ringing of a bell, a wall of skeletal remains and finally the demon Lorna eventually becomes, all harken back to the theme of not everything being as it originally appears.
For all the show’s triumphs, the characters are what truly makes “Over the Garden Wall” a worthwhile watch. Wirt, with his cynicism and initial cowardice; Greg, with his youthful optimism and Beatrice, with her brutal honesty, all complement and counteract one another, making their interactions especially enjoyable. Those who the main three meet throughout their journey are also very amusing, whether friends or foes. Some of the best include the likes of Lorna, Miss Langtree and Greg’s frog.
“Over the Garden Wall” has managed to remain relevant to fall festivities since its premiere over a decade ago and will surely continue to do so in the years to come.
