The Brilliant "Over the Garden Wall"--T.V. Review

By Nicholas Neyhouse on March 5, 2015

Last November Cartoon Network released a show titled “Over the Garden Wall”. This 10 part miniseries follows two brothers and

Over the Garden Wall

their frog as they get lost in the woods. Wirt, the older of the two brothers, speaks in a depressing poetic prose at times and represents teenage existential anxiety. Gregory, Wirt’s younger brother, represents the innocence of a young child as he acts goofy and says absurd things.

The two brothers run into the Woodsman who chops adle wood to make oil to burn for his lantern, and he warns them of the beast who will lie and play tricks on children. He tells Wirt that as the older brother his responsibility is to find a way home, and the Woodsman tells Greg he must give his frog a proper name. The two boys set off on their journey home and make a lot of new friends including Beatrice: a talking blue bird.

“Over the Garden Wall” elegantly fuses comedy and philosophical ideology into a beautiful story that oddly made me feel nostalgic. This nostalgia may derive from my memories of the well developed cartoons of my childhood, although I feel it also comes from the similarities I share with the characters and especially Wirt. Each of the main characters grows immensely, and they receive great attention from the creators. Patrick McHale, the creator of the show and main writer for the show, did an excellent job of creating a rich and full environment filled with characters that show complex emotions and handle difficult life decisions.

The show utilizes a beautifully crafted soundtrack that fills out the story, and it blends each of the protagonists’ adventures into one flowing tale. Some of the characters sing small solo songs that add to their overall charm, and they create light contrasts to some of the larger questions and problems about life the show speaks about. The animation consistently amazes me as all of the diverse images fit together like pieces to a complicated jigsaw puzzle. As well, the voice acting of Elijah Wood, Christopher Loyd, Melanie Lynskey, and Collin Dean is brilliantly executed. Each of the actors add even more depth to the already wonderfully written dialogue.

There really are not any downsides to this miniseries. The entire show lasts around an hour and forty minutes, so watching it in one sitting is similar to watching an animated film. As I write this I have seen the show four times, and I could seriously see myself watch it another 4 times before the end of the year. Each time I spend my time with this exquisite piece of animated artistry I receive a new message I missed the last times I viewed it. “Over the Garden Wall” deserves your attention, and I recommend it to anyone that enjoys quality entertainment.

Image Citation: Jihanian, Levon, and Laura Park. Over the Garden Wall poster. Digital image. Turner Broadcasting System, 30 Sept. 2014. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. <http://forkfrenzy.tumblr.com/post/98808293649/over-the-garden-wall-poster-by-me-and-laura-park>.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format