Over the Garden Wall (2014)

Watchseries; "Over the Garden Wall" is a Cartoon Network miniseries that was shown on TV in the November of 2014. It is a beautifully crafted tale of friendship , love and courage that follows the adventures of Wirt and his brother Gregory as they attempt to travel home in the mysterious world , " the unknown". The series as a whole is a perfect blend of light hearted comedy and dark, creepy setting. For one thing the comedy and jokes are actually funny, hilarious at some points very reminiscent of the weird humor of adventure time ( I will touch on that later), this comes as no surprise as writer, story boarder and creator Patrick McHale worked with Pendelton Ward in the first two, arguably best, series of adventure time . Wards craft and love of character has clearly rubbed off on McHale who here creates a series so supremely beautiful and touching , there really hasn't been anything like it before in the world of cartoons . The characters for one are extremely likable and memorable all throughout , Wirt representing the cynical teenager ( without overdoing the cliché) and his little step brother Gregory is wonderfully memorable and funny throughout , if you have a younger sibling I guarantee you will find similarities . To be honest I feel the plot of the series is best to let you discover as it feels to me like true magic watching it, bringing me back to my childhood whilst still feeling like an complex show. Now to the craftmanship of the show, the title cards at the start of each episode add to the literary narrative reminiscent of the best silent films shown on old grainy, projected screens in an old cinema . Credit should go to art directors Nick Cross and Nate Cash as the series subtley blends from beautiful colour in the lighter scenes to pitch black terror in the darker ones invoking a sense of fear and dread inside us all. The music also deserves a special mention , written by McHale and performed by " The Petrojvic blasting company", a gypsy folk band . The score is elegant and delightful invoking nostalgia as well as adding to the mystery and whimsical comedy of each chapter . The setting of the unknown is hauntingly beautiful and surreal ranging from fantastical colour backgrounds to dark, murky forest reminiscent of Snow White . Each chapter invokes a different aesthetic , for instance the whimsical episode, " Schooltime follies " brings into mind the work of children's illustrator Richard Scarry in the style of the animals , whereas the episode , "Songs of the Dark lantern " brings into mind the everlasting animation of Max Fleischer . The series as a whole seems to be inspired by a whole lot of classic and fantastic things , for instance the world , "the unknown" seems to be a beautiful mix of Walt Disneys Snow White and Miyazakis Prince Monokoke . Two animation pioneers , the steamboat in chapter 3 is a not so subtle reference to Disney . Similarly the old witch " Lady Whispers" could be taken directly out of " Spirited Away" .The miniseries as a whole reminded me of a stronger , more fleshed out version of the classic Adventure time Episode "Finn the Human" in terms of the characters and animation style . This work of art fits in perfectly with the new wave of seeming "adult shows" from Cartoon Network, with adult back stories yet all the traits of a fantastic kids show. The ending is a heartbreaking one that is best left unspoiled . The miniseries as a whole shows a deft range of emotional anguish and is overall the sto

"Over the Garden Wall" is a Cartoon Network miniseries that was shown on TV in the November of 2014. It is a beautifully crafted tale of friendship , love and courage that follows the adventures of Wirt and his brother Gregory as they attempt to travel home in the mysterious world , " the unknown". The series as a whole is a perfect blend of light hearted comedy and dark, creepy setting. For one thing the comedy and jokes are actually funny, hilarious at some points very reminiscent of the weird humor of adventure time ( I will touch on that later), this comes as no surprise as writer, story boarder and creator Patrick McHale worked with Pendelton Ward in the first two, arguably best, series of adventure time . Wards craft and love of character has clearly rubbed off on McHale who here creates a series so supremely beautiful and touching , there really hasn't been anything like it before in the world of cartoons . The characters for one are extremely likable and memorable all throughout , Wirt representing the cynical teenager ( without overdoing the cliché) and his little step brother Gregory is wonderfully memorable and funny throughout , if you have a younger sibling I guarantee you will find similarities . To be honest I feel the plot of the series is best to let you discover as it feels to me like true magic watching it, bringing me back to my childhood whilst still feeling like an complex show. Now to the craftmanship of the show, the title cards at the start of each episode add to the literary narrative reminiscent of the best silent films shown on old grainy, projected screens in an old cinema . Credit should go to art directors Nick Cross and Nate Cash as the series subtley blends from beautiful colour in the lighter scenes to pitch black terror in the darker ones invoking a sense of fear and dread inside us all. The music also deserves a special mention , written by McHale and performed by " The Petrojvic blasting company", a gypsy folk band . The score is elegant and delightful invoking nostalgia as well as adding to the mystery and whimsical comedy of each chapter . The setting of the unknown is hauntingly beautiful and surreal ranging from fantastical colour backgrounds to dark, murky forest reminiscent of Snow White . Each chapter invokes a different aesthetic , for instance the whimsical episode, " Schooltime follies " brings into mind the work of children's illustrator Richard Scarry in the style of the animals , whereas the episode , "Songs of the Dark lantern " brings into mind the everlasting animation of Max Fleischer . The series as a whole seems to be inspired by a whole lot of classic and fantastic things , for instance the world , "the unknown" seems to be a beautiful mix of Walt Disneys Snow White and Miyazakis Prince Monokoke . Two animation pioneers , the steamboat in chapter 3 is a not so subtle reference to Disney . Similarly the old witch " Lady Whispers" could be taken directly out of " Spirited Away" .The miniseries as a whole reminded me of a stronger , more fleshed out version of the classic Adventure time Episode "Finn the Human" in terms of the characters and animation style . This work of art fits in perfectly with the new wave of seeming "adult shows" from Cartoon Network, with adult back stories yet all the traits of a fantastic kids show. The ending is a heartbreaking one that is best left unspoiled . The miniseries as a whole shows a deft range of emotional anguish and is overall the sto

Over the Garden Wall watchseries. As I was watching Over the Garden Wall with some friends, I found myself commenting, more than once, how charming this would be/is for kids. It's got anthropomorphic creations (birds and horses and other things that talk, pumpkin-headed farmers, frogs in a band on a river-bank, magical and funny and weird dreams, or a dream, from a child), and yet it has a sophistication to the writing that kids appreciate; one might think that they will only take in the lowest-common denominator - put on whatever, it's fine, it's for kids - but this is smart stuff. This is also really great for adults, the ones at least who can tap a little into their childhood sense of awe, because of the humor and irreverence. Over the Garden Wall is like taking Adventure Time, transferring the other-worldly into early 20th century Americana, folk tales, even some Alice in Wonderland (the structure for me is very Wonderland, especially with a young character getting lost and on a series of episodes), and adding some songs as well that are reflective of the period.

The story follows Wirt and Gregory (Elijah Wood and the young Collin Dean, who has been on Adventure Time a couple of times), brothers who seem to be lost in the woods and are trying to find their way home. Their main adversary appears to be 'The Beast', who is being stalked by the Woodsman (Christopher Lloyd in a wonderful part - you can't always tell if he's good or bad or both). As one can imagine, or hope for, a lot of wild and crazy things happen to these young people, such as the pumpkin farmers (what are they digging for in the farm?), the frogs on the boat (and suddenly there may be some singing from Gregory's frog, who's name always changes), and John Cleese as both the possibly deranged landowner of a spooky mansion and an old woman. Even Tim Curry gets a good character as 'Auntie Whispers', who is 'protecting' her niece, a possessed girl.

The creators of 'Garden Wall' suffuse many scenes with some nightmarish moments, but it's all with a light, absurd touch, and a lot of this is helped immensely by Collin Dean's performance and the writing for the character of Gregory. This is a little kid who has zero filter; he'll say the truth of something no matter what, even if it's a moment (especially if it is) when the smart thing would be to lie or shut up. That's where so much humor comes in - also watch and listen how he sings ever so cheerfully at times - since in many scenes Wert is trying to get by on a fib or a lie or a trick, or doesn't have that sense of boundless optimism. It's one of the most charming acting voices for an animated character in as long as I can remember, and accentuated by the gigantic pupils - made to make him look cute as a button - and head-gear (he's an elephant, after all!)

There's a real sense of play and, equally, danger (the final episode with the Beast, Auntie Curry), and I found myself laughing a lot, but I also found I took this story a little more seriously than I would an Adventure Time or something else with Patrick McHale's name on it. It takes from some folk tales and fairy tales, but it has an identity all its own. It's creepy and weird and adorable and heartfelt, and it carries both the awe and innocence of being a little kid and the disillusionment of being a teenager like Wert. And did I mention the songs are a lot of fun and contribute to the atmosphere? It's like taking in old ragtime songs (some of the time) and giving t

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, this show, this sweet little mini series, this golden show! I am always looking for good cartoons, in a weird way the shorter the better (short and sweet right). However, most short cartoons were canceled (for example: Clone High or Mission Hill). This is not the case for OTGW, which plays like a movie, 10 episodes multiplied by each episode's 11 minute run time is only 110 minutes (or an hour 50 minutes). Yet what I imagined would simply be some odd Adventure Time show about two brothers in the woods turned out to be so much more.

The animation is sweet, dark and fluid. The backgrounds are very well done, especially because they are of nature. This really helps keep a deep and real feeling throughout the show, as these two simple cartoons are traveling through a dark and dementedly palpable world. Speaking of the world may I mention that it has two great things going for it (and these two things blend well together). One: it takes aspects form the 1700's, 1800's and early 1900's and Two: this fantasy world is American. I'm not some horn tooting nephew of Uncle Sam, but I am proud to see any show or animation really take advantage of 350 odd some years of "American" (Europeans in America) history, music, culture and atmosphere. This can add to the creep factor, but also grows on you. This show feels like it was made by an American Hayao Miyazaki; in the same way HM uses his Japanese culture to heighten the world. The magic and old time world in this show and Hayao's worlds are so familiar in a completely different way. Plus the two have old women with giant heads, spirits, magic, nature, human like frogs, adventure, strong females, and young protagonists in a fairytale environment. The world actually feels like the "Frog and Toad" books I read as a child.

Don't let me forget that this show is also a musical in a sense. As many cartoons do now (I'm looking at you Adventure Time) the characters sing in every episode, accompanied by fantastic music (that matches the various American eras), and I quite enjoy the opening song as well.

The voice acting is superb with Elijah Wood, an actual child (which I appreciate in animation) by the name of Collin Dean, and Melanie Lynesky taking center stage. Yet Christopher Lloyd and many others provide there talents too. The characters themselves are very real and multidimensional. Wirt is one of the best heroes in a long time, with a fantastic arc and a very unsure demeanor, Greg (his brother) is an adorable, optimistic and surprisingly bright boy who lives in his own cute little world, but not so cute that he doesn't also live in the real world, and Beatrice is a sassy, brave and loyal friend. I also like the clean character designs, I mean they're simple but also fluid, fresh and different.

I don't want to spoil any part of the story, but I will say all your questions are answered and everything wraps up beautifully. The episodes are unique but they are all touched upon again, connect, and add to this singular plot. Sometimes you will start somewhere unexpectedly new (or rather without precise context) and this can be disconcerting, yet it does make sense. And more importantly the episode will start somewhere and stay somewhere, 11 minutes never flew by so quickly on a river ferry or a grammar school (the music also contributes to the speed of the episodes). Nod of course to writers: Tom Herpich, Amalia Levari, and Patrick McHale. Also the director Nate Cash (this

What can I say about this show? It has to be expirienced to grasp it, because of all these interesting characters which appear in the different episodes.

The main characters Wirt and Greg make up this pair of brothers of which Wirt is an insecure but straight one and Greg is a goofball with high spirits. Even though both serve a purpose in the series I kind of hated Greg most of the time, because the goofball role came of not as comedic but just stupid like a no-brain moron most of the time, but he gets better over time.

We encounter many interesting characters and scenarios through the episodes on their journey through the forest. Creepy stuff happens and they somehow solve it.

An unsetteling feeling hangs over every episode and the gorgeous backgrounds are made with great attention to detail to suit every feeling we're supposed to feel and that is the core purpose of art! One of the highlights of this mini-series.

Worth watching for everyone who enjoys well crafted animation and fairy-tales.

This story was a piece of artwork. I loved how thick the plot was, but all it needed was 10 episodes, 5 if you want to make them 30 minutes each. Yes i agree this show isn't really meant for the younger crowd but then again since when was Cartoon network only for children? Since when did they agree to only design shows for a certain age group? Cartoon network has always been for everyone, all ages. So seeing them make a show like this that was more targeted by my age group, made me happy to know that a network channel is also appeasing to the older range group. The story has a lot of symbolism and does teach us all a powerful lesson, but you must be old enough to understand. If a 6 year old watches this, they won't understand much, but if someone my age were to watch it, they would understand the powerful meaning behind every character. Behind the show. And would truly understand what is Over the Garden Wall.

In May 2014, Stuart Snyder, the man responsible for single-handedly destroying Toonami, bringing in live-action schlock to CARTOON Network, establishing the "NO GIRLS ALLOWED"* policy for cartoons, declaring that boys only like comedy (as a member of that demographic, I can assure you that such a statement is completely asinine), and ultimately killing every good show the network made resigned as the President of the Network. And oh what glorious day it was.

If Cartoon Network made this series as an apology for the sins of Snyder, then it succeeded. This series is dark, atmospheric, weird and pretty scary at times. It's not bright, it's not dumbed-down, it doesn't hold back on the creep factor, especially for Tim Curry's character, Auntie Whispers, and it takes its audience seriously. And even though the cast has a lot of celebrity actors (aside from Tim Curry, they also got Christopher Lloyd and cast Elijah Wood as one of the two main leads), they got them because they knew these guys were perfect for the roles. The story is revealed a snippet at a time and from what little I've gathered from the two episodes it strikes me as being just as dark as the setting and atmosphere.

Oh, and just to put icing on the cake, they stuck the old Cartoon Network Studios animated logo on to the end of it like they used to for shows like Samurai Jack and Power Puff Girls, followed by the classic Cartoon Network logo with the Cartoon Cartoons theme dubbed over it.

They're back, and this is only the beginning of what I hope is another era akin to that of the late-90s/early-2000s.

*IMDb does not allow me to spell the word "GIRLS" with a backwards "R". Please pretend that it did.