It has been almost ten years since now over the garden wall First aired on Cartoon Network. The show will officially cross that threshold over the weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can’t preemptively celebrate one of the network’s crowning achievements and most enduring projects. but over the garden wall Not just a great show led by a great cast (Elijah Wood! Melanie Lynskey!! Christopher Lloyd!!!) but with an important message for audiences of all ages : This is also probably the greatest thing you can watch in the fall and embodies my love for the season.
over the garden wall was born out of a very strange time in Cartoon Network’s history. I mean that literally, as the network was led by some of the weirdest shows ever touted by some of the most unique creators of the late 20th and early 2010s. displayed as adventure time and Regular performances dominates the minds of television broadcasters and television viewers, and over the garden wall‘s creator Patrick McHale even played a major role in the development of the former. Cartoon Network became a home for weirdos and weirdos, and as much as I love what I grew up with, this is probably its most refreshing era.
The play tells the story of brothers Werther and Gregg who, after walking home through the woods on Halloween, find themselves in a strange world called “The Unknown.” In the show, all kinds of animals can talk, including a bluebird named Beatrice, and all kinds of strange towns and creatures coexist with people like you and me. Dressed in period clothing, the show seems to elevate pieces from American artwork and folk music. The show also draws heavily on folklore, which gives Unknown a sense of otherworldliness and magical history despite the show’s total running time of only 120 minutes. In one episode, Walt and Greg are on a riverboat carrying a crew of talking, singing frogs; in another, they’re rescuing a girl seemingly enslaved by a witch. There’s a haunted mansion, a haunting woodcutter, and an unseen beast that stalks the woods at night. It’s a strange show, and very enjoyable.
When I think of the strange and unknown, autumn first pops into my mind. The chill of early fall is completely magical, and after months of hot weather, it feels like an otherworldly gift. It’s cold and sharp, but also oddly comforting, I’d say over the garden wall Too. Autumn also feels like a time of profound change. When growing up, a new school year begins, and new people and experiences may change you profoundly. Just like leaves changing color and falling from trees, fall invites you to change with it, a scary and strange prospect. over the garden wall Acutely attuned to these ideas and anxieties.
Witt and Gregg have very different memories of their time in the unknown. Werther sees the autumn wonderland as a threat to his existence and fights it at every opportunity. Greg, on the other hand, was perhaps blessed by the forgetfulness of his childhood, welcoming it and its strangeness. He adopts a frog who goes by many names over the course of the show and takes every opportunity to befriend the locals. Likewise, Walt was a bit reluctant towards Greg at the beginning of the show, perhaps because they were actually half-siblings with different parents. He doesn’t lack care or sympathy for his brother, but he does put up a wall between them that collapses as the series progresses. Meanwhile, Greg respects and admires Wirt, as younger siblings are wont to do, no matter the circumstances. As time passes and Walt begins to open up to the world and bravely accept the possibility of change like his brother, if that’s not a fairy tale ending, what is?
maybe that’s the problem over the garden wall In fact: this feels like one of our few modern fairy tales. Just like the fairy tales we grew up with, there’s something for everyone who gives this show a chance. over the garden walllike many Cartoon Network shows of the time, and some of the series that followed, e.g. infinite train— is obviously aimed at children, but it could appeal to older viewers as well. I first watched it as a young man and with each journey back into the unknown it has only become more precious to me. The impact of this show was so profound that I only Ten years after it first aired on Halloween, the show’s cast remains a regular at this time of year.
over the garden wall It might start on Halloween, but Walt and Greg’s journey could also span the entire fall season. So if you’re looking for a product that’s compact, infinitely flattering, comfortable, and suitable for all ages, I highly recommend it. It’s been ten years and its luster has certainly not faded. It might just last forever.
