Entertainment
This Beloved 10-Part Miniseries Streaming on Hulu Is the Perfect Fall Binge
Cartoon Network’s Over the Garden Wall is 12 years old this year, but it’s still the undefeated champion of autumnal binge-watching. The animated miniseries is only 10 episodes long, and at 11 minutes per episode, the entire show runs the length of a movie. Find it on Hulu and watch it over the first weekend of autumn to get into the spirit of the season. Elijah Wood voices Wirt, an intrepid pubescent adventurer who’s just trying to get himself and his brother Greg home without getting stuck in the mysterious “Unknown.”
Over the Garden Wall was part of a wave of creepy, off-kilter media for kids, kicked off by the success of Coraline, which is still one of the scariest horror movies ever despite its PG rating. There’s no other show or movie that captures the spirit of fall as perfectly as Over the Garden Wall. With mystery, darkness, whimsy, and a song every episode, this miniseries will be loved by scaredy-cats and horror-enthusiasts alike.
‘Over the Garden Wall’ Evokes the Warmth and Nostalgia of Autumn
Over the course of the miniseries’ 10 short episodes, the setting slips from late summer to harvest season to winter. It’s not clear what period Over the Garden Wall is supposed to be set in; the silhouette of the clothes, the hard-to-place accents, and persistent moral anxiety give the miniseries a distinctly Victorian feel, but there’s a timeless nostalgia to the setting. The show isn’t concerned with period-specificity. Instead, Over the Garden Wall evokes the sense of childhood, but the nostalgia is not without the slight bitterness of something lost.
There are three episodes of Over the Garden Wall that secure its place in the autumn canon. The first is episode 2, “Hard Times at the Huskin’ Bee,” in which Wirt and Greg happen upon a village of people with pumpkins on their heads. It looks like they’re having a harvest celebration, but there are clues that something more sinister may be going on. Next is “Songs of the Dark Lantern,” the most musical episode in the series, in which an ensemble of town folk regale Greg and Wirt with songs. The imagery of the episode recalls Disney’s timeless autumn classic, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
“Into the Unknown,” the second-to-last episode of the series, is actually set on Halloween, featuring Greg and Wirt celebrating in costume. This episode’s soundtrack and design recall the 90s, giving new context for the world the boys have been traveling through, up to this point only called “The Unknown.” Cartoon Network doesn’t shy from a dark edge, and Over the Garden Wall is no exception. While ultimately very cozy and warm, the series hints at a descent into something dark and grim. The meaning of the show has been interpreted in many ways: as an allegory for depression, the entry into the dullness of adulthood, or for death itself.
This Hulu Binge is Never Scary, Only Spooky
The sweeping overtures, rich, hand-painted environments, and persistent chipperness of Greg, the younger of the brothers, gives a distinct storybook-feel to Over the Garden Wall. It’s a visual treat, recalling animated Disney classics like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The artistry is beautiful, and it adds to the sense of nostalgia, but the show itself is not overly self-serious. The writing is properly funny, with adorable quips from Greg and hilarious emo rants from Wirt. Each character the brothers encounter is fully-fledged and richly developed, creating a layered, interesting world for the main characters to play in.
In that world is a dark, mysterious figure, known as The Beast. The woodsman from the very first episode warns the boys of this evil, out there in the woods. Throughout the show, the boys are warned to be wary of The Beast and suspicious of those they encounter in The Unknown. As they travel deeper into the woods, they encounter increasingly dangerous characters, including an evil witch and a possessed maiden. Each of these characters feel folkloric, giving the brothers and their friends the obstacles they need to develop courage, strength, and wit.
The Unknown turns out to be a world in which disaster and tragedy do happen, but like in the fairytales, Over the Garden Wall argues that with an open heart, courage, and love, one will find a way. The dangers the boys encounter are necessarily dark and threatening, so that there’s an adventure worth having. Because the only adventure worth having is one that changes the adventurers. Over the Garden Wall knows that darkness is pleasurable, and it gives the audience just the right dose, balanced with levity and beauty so that viewers of any age and tolerance for fright can enjoy the show.
“Into the Unknown:” the Pleasure of the Dark in Cartoon Network’s ‘Over the Garden Wall’
Horror, especially when it’s made for adults, is often extremely bleak. Modern classics like Hereditary, Parasite, and newer contributions like Weapons and Obsession end with a darker world than they started with. In each of those stories, the status quo is always better, and changing it is always punished. By contrast, Over the Garden Wall is distinctly hopeful. Challenging the status quo is necessary and rewarded. The adventuring brothers travel through adversity and danger and learn something about themselves and the world.
Adult media treats hope as naive or cheesy. Children’s media, like Over the Garden Wall, Coraline, and Paranorman treat hope as radical. In the final 3 episodes of Over the Garden Wall, the boys get lost, and it starts to get very cold. A blizzard blows in, and Wirt, always the more pessimistic of the brothers, lays down to sleep. Greg goes out to try and do something, and he meets The Beast, with whom he strikes a terrible deal. Eventually, Wirt realizes his mistake and adventures out to save his brother. Wirt’s transformation is about accepting personal responsibility and filial connection, but it’s also about resisting his own darkest impulses. For Wirt, his dark impulse is toward surrender, but he learns that if hope calls for action, it is never naive.
- Release Date
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2014 – 2014
- Network
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Cartoon Network
- Showrunner
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Patrick McHale
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