Re-watch Review: OVER THE GARDEN WALL

In the world of entertainment, holiday-specials can be as timeless as the holidays that inspire them, but there’s only one calendar celebration for all things creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky: Halloween! Like many Americans living in the 21st century, my understanding of history surrounding the 31st of October has been bogged down by centuries of consumerism and late night monster movie marathons. I know there was a time when Hallowe’en was something more than just an excuse to throw one’s costumed child out into the streets to nag strangers for candy, but that’s what it has become. This is all the more prevalent in most American halloween specials like, It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), and Trick R Treat (2007); while these classics certainly capture the aesthetic and “rituals” of the holiday they, like many others, are woefully divorced from the true “spirit” of All Hallow’s Eve. But praise be to the Great Pumpkin, himself, for there IS such a special that exists that not only “gets” the Halloween spirit but fully encompasses the zeitgeist of its Americana origins and thy name is: Over the Garden Wall (2014). 

Created by Patrick McHale and produced by Cartoon Network, Over the Garden Wall, is a 10-part animated miniseries showcasing the adventures of two young brothers, Wirt (played by Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean). The series begins with the brothers lost in a strange and capricious forest called “The Unknown,” that’s home to many mysteries along with an monster known only as, “The Beast.” Along the way Wirt and Greg come across a wide array of colorful characters that seem inspired by the art of Arnold Lobel (Frog & Toad), Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit), and Edward Gorey (The Gashlycrumb Tinies) acting as proverbial angels and demons the brothers must confront, defeat, or help in order to find their way back home. Each 22-minute chapter of this animated odyssey is rife with life lessons and morals that are craftily hidden in plain sight by an incandescent script brought to life by mesmerizing magical-realism and mellifluous folk music. Challenging and/or too-close-to-home subjects are elegantly addressed in ways that never deviate from the plot and always feel inline with the character’s and their motivations. The result is an enriching experience that “tricks” the audience into confronting such topics as: trust, bravery, identity, sovereignty, forgiveness, responsibility, love, and of course, death. Over The Garden Wall is an absolute treasure of storytelling and animation that’s greater than the sum of its brilliant parts.

Elijah Wood as Wirt (left) & Collin Dean as Greg (right)

I’ve viewed OTGW at least half a dozen times by now and my admiration for the series has doubled with each additional viewing. There are simply too many things to enjoy that it’d be madness to try and list them all in a single sitting. At first you’ll become entranced by the ethereal visuals but then the dialogue sucker-punches you with the juxtaposing (yet equally entertaining) banter between our young protagonists; whose camaraderie is the heart and soul of the story. There’s so much characterization given to Wirt and Greg that you not only emphasize with them effortlessly but can also understand their motives, actions, and reactions. To put it simply, everything that occurs in OTGW “makes sense,” which is saying something in a 110-minute long cartoon with talking animals, witches, and mix tapes. But an animated character’s only as good as their voice talent, fortunately the cast is excellent in their roles. Wood’s melodramatic loquaciousness makes for a ridiculously serious and awkward teenager in Wirt; think high-school Dante Alighieri. Dean’s positively delightful and as the ridiculously ridiculous younger brother, Greg, who has the voice of a Peanut’s character with the jubilant energy of Steamboat Willie. Melanie Lynskey’s adorably authoritative as the bluebird Beatrice, Christopher Lloyd chews the scenery wonderfully as the misgiven Woodsman, and Samuel Ramey’s delectably dark and imposing as The Beast. 

I honestly can’t find anything negative to say about this flawless, marquise-cut of sphalerite that is OTGW. Well, there may be a few kind of scary scenes that might be a bit much for really young viewers. Nothing ever goes too far into nightmare-fuel territory but at times it can come close. However, this is a Halloween special, so one has to expect a certain amount of spookiness so long as it’s fun, handled well, and has a happy ending; which it does. It’s almost hard to believe that each episode’s based on an actual circle of Dante’s Inferno, with surprisingly child-friendly attention to detail. In fact, there’s a tremendous amount of references to classic myths and stories regarding the afterlife, which shows just how much effort the series creator’s put into this modern cyclorama of a playful dark fairy tale. Though OTGW was released by a television studio whose prime demographic is targeted at children, its reverence for mature themes told through implication and visual-suggestion makes for a complex narrative that younger audiences can understand (without being traumatized) and older audiences will find engaging (and possibly eye-watering). In fact, it’s because of these themes and allusions to death that captures the real “spirit” of the holiday OTGW surrounds itself with. After all, Halloween in many regards can be seen as a celebration of change where fall transforms into winter, scary becomes fun, and death becomes a topic far from taboo. Over The Garden Wall is an ethereal, knee-slapping, special that’s so perfect in its design and connection to the holiday that it’ll make you want to watch it again and again; as well as force your friends and family to watch it year after year until it’s tradition.