Cartoon Network: Over the Garden Wall (DVD)

Over the Garden Wall follows the journeys of two half-brothers, Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Gregory (Collin Dean), who are lost in the woods seeking a way to return home. However, it is not long before they start to have strange and surreal encounters, including a talking bluebird named Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey) and other, more horrifying, creatures. Over the Garden Wall is an animated short series that originally aired on Cartoon Network in November 2014. It consists of ten episodes that are about eleven minutes long each. The animation in this series looks great. It takes a lot of inspiration from early American cartoons and animation styles, mainly from the first half of the twentieth century. This includes the amazing and often detailed backgrounds that evoke the various time periods being referenced such as colonial America, Revolutionary War-era, and early twentieth century. In addition, the episodes take place during autumn and the series does a great job of creating a story taking place during that time of the year. The characters are another bright spot that features an imaginative variety such as the pumpkin people in the second episode and various monsters seen in other episodes. The music is another bright spot. Not only does this series contain great background music throughout, but there are also several original songs that are catchy and often humorous. The story and writing are the strongest aspects of this series. It takes inspiration from such sources as American, and some European, folklore, Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, among others. It starts out with two boys lost in the woods and both these characters and the viewer watch the mystery unfold over the course of the episodes. It does a good job of building this mysterious world and the strange happenings that occur within it. It is also an excellently paced series. With ten episodes at eleven minutes each, the entire series can be watched in less than two hours and it uses that entire time well with no filler material or wasted time. In addition to the series, this DVD contains some bonus features including a behind-the-scenes featurette, the original pilot episode, and audio commentaries by creator Patrick McHale and art director Nick Cross. Overall, this is a masterpiece of animation. It features great characters, superb music, and excellent storytelling. I would recommend this series to anyone who likes animated stories or is looking for a family-friendly Halloween story.

A fall-themed adorable show. I love watching this show every year to get into the fall spirit and put me in a pumpkiny mood. This show is fantasy, spooky but not scary, magical and honestly emotional. If you’re looking for a fun new annual tradition I really suggest trying this out. I bought the DVD so I can have this every year and the DVD came in perfect condition. No damage, no issues.

Goated show. Good to stock up for the apocalypse (Jkjk).

Hidden gem of a show that everyone needs to watch.

This is one of my favorite shows ever. I introduced it to my sister a few years ago, and rewatching it has become a fall tradition for us. I bought this physical copy for her “boo basket,” so she could spread the obsession to her roommates and friends.

Best fall/ Halloween show. Funny, light hearted, whimsical but with some serious parts. It’s my annual show to watch that time of year.

I absolutely love this animated feature! The artwork, the voice acting and (most importantly) the music are perfect to set the mood on a cool autumnal evening. My only criticism is that it is not available on Blu-ray or 4K. I would also appreciate an option where you could watch all episodes without having to skip the opening titles and ending credits. I love the theme song and the spooky end music, but it stops the flow.

There's very few cartoons (or any show for that matter) that are able to redefine a whole seasonal tradition and genre. Over the Garden Wall is one of those. Every episode has a whimsical, darkly subtle, intelligent, and simply enjoyable plot and tone. It's also impossible not to love the brilliant voice talent (Elijah Wood being one example) and charming animation. There's no debating that this is Cartoon Network's best shows in recent memory. I don't want to spoil the story so I'll only give a brief summary. The story is about two brothers who find themselves inexplicably lost in a mysterious but quaint forest and its surroundings. So they go through unique and spectacular adventures to find out how to get home. The story is much more rich than this short summary can give justice to so please give it a watch to see for yourself. This show must be seen by kids and adults alike. The subtle meanings make it worthwhile for adults while its enchanting characters and stories are sure to please kids. Now November finally has its classic series sure to be enjoyed by countless people for many years to come.