“Over the Garden Wall” tells the story of two half brothers getting lost in “The Unknown” and can not find their way back home. While searching for a way out, they run into a anthropomorphic blue bird named Beatrice. Whiling showing the brothers how to get home, the Beast, follows them through the woods in the hopes of turning them into trees.
The show was created by Patrick Hale and was originally going to be three seasons. Hale viewed the show more as a mini series, and planned on making 18 episodes. The show was made for Cartoon Network, and Cartoon Network turned down the 18 episodes idea, but agreed to create 10 episodes and a comic book series. The show aired for one week from the week of November 3, 2014 to November 7, 2014. In 2015, the series won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program, and has received extremely high ratings.
A fan remake of the "Over the Garden Wall" trailer.
The main reason why I think “Over the Garden Wall” is the best show is because of the unique story it tells. “Over the Garden Wall” is a dark, children’s show, and it works. I would hate to spoil the show for anyone, so I will keep it to a minimum. The show has a musical element to it, and is known best for the amazing soundtrack. With the music, it creates an eerie feeling to brother’s adventure. The story is also told in a storybook style, with each adventure being a chapter to the story. Episode 9 is a flashback prior to the brothers going to the going over the garden wall.
The brothers themselves are very unique in character. Not often, is their a story involving half brothers. The youngest brother is Gregory, or Greg, and is voiced by Collin Dean. He was inspired by Hale’s son. Greg is an animal lover, and a kind person who does not take life too seriously. Greg does what he wants and is very naive. His foil is his much older brother, Wirt. Wirt is a high schooler who is very awkward, shy, and a pushover. Wirt is voiced by Elijah Wood, most notably from “Lord of the Rings”. Together, they balance each other out, but also end up fighting often.
“Over the Garden Wall” also includes many conspiracy theories. The miniseries can be finished in two hours, but it is very heavily packed with dark twist and turns. Many fans believe that it is a metaphor for purgatory, with the Beast actually being the devil. If you search online, you can read many fan theories on this. Also, the miniseries may be short, but it continues into a comic book that is just as good as the show!
The official "Tome of the Unknown" short film.
Lastly, the show has a deep history to it. Before “Over the Garden Wall” a short film with Greg and Wirt was created called “Tome to the Unknown”. The show has been in the works for years. Often, you can listen to the sound tracks, watch old trailers, and read stories about the characters. It is more than just a miniseries; it has a whole fan base and different creations to it. After you watch the miniseries, you can continue to be a fan of “Over the Garden Wall”.
