Over the Garden Wall Review

I love fall traditions: Halloween decorations, the whole spread at Thanksgiving, placing large cash bets on which trees will lose their leaves first (I got big money on red maples this fall) and, of course, watching Over the Garden Wall with my wife. This Emmy award-winning Cartoon Network mini-series is ten short, weird, wonderful episodes long that watches a bit like an unhinged children’s movie. The show was created by Patrick McHale who worked on Adventure Time and an earlier show called The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. And before we go any further, be warned: it’s weird.

So why has this strange cartoon become a cornerstone of my autumns? First, because it’s great. Elijah Wood (Frodo Baggins!) plays Wirt, a high-schooler lost in the deep woods called “the Unknown” with his younger brother Greg and a frog whose name is in question all ten episodes. The Unknown is an odd, mixed-up place: equal parts fairy tale, 19th century America, old-timey cartoons, dream logic, and about a dozen other things. Wirt’s quest is simple: find his way home. But to do that, he’s going to have to avoid the Beast.

Another reason it’s so perfectly fit for fall is the atmosphere: during the days there are plenty of beautiful, sunlit fields of golden wheat and pumpkins. Perfectly painted leaves fall and get caught in the breeze. But at night things turn, as I like to say to my students, spoooOOOoooOOOky. There are wolves, spirits, curses, witches, storms, and things out of your nightmares. The voice of the Beast will haunt you for a couple days after the viewing. Frankly, it’s amazing this thing was made for kids, but I’m not complaining, because it means I get to enjoy it.

The show is the perfect slice of October and November, both hair-raising and heart-warming; it’s solid viewing for kids, but better if you’re a little older and can notice the ideas that grow and evolve throughout: appearances and reality, responsibility and regret. Elijah Wood does an amazing job of being a put-upon older brother dealing with a crazy world before getting around to his own hang-ups. And I would be doing a disservice to the show if I didn’t mention the fantastic soundtrack: quirky, offbeat, and always a little different. The show feels more like folklore than a Cartoon Network show, and I think that’s what’s going to let it stick around.

So in this fall season of a particularly troubling year, I strongly recommend escaping into the unknown. 5 Jason Funderburkers out of 5. Available now on Hulu.