Over the Garden Wall is a ten-episode miniseries that aired on Cartoon Network in November 2014. Helmed by Adventure Time creative director Patrick McHale, it tells the story of two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who are trying to find their way home from a mysterious forest called the “Unknown.” Upon its release, the series was acclaimed by critics and general audiences alike, and went on to win an Emmy in 2015 for Outstanding Animated Program.
Over the Garden Wall has a lot going for it: memorable character designs, high-profile voice actors, incredible music, and sharp writing. But another, more subtle feature has not received the same level of attention: the way it perfectly suits the atmosphere of fall. With its fairytale inspirations and muted color palette, it captures what Vox calls the “loneliness of autumn” — the feeling that comes with falling leaves, colder weather, and the looming sense that another year is coming to an end. So, without further ado, let’s explore what makes Over the Garden Wall the ultimate fall series.
Autumnal Aesthetic
Cartoon Network
Over the Garden Wall takes place almost entirely in the magical forested world of the “Unknown.” At once eerie and enchanting, the “Unknown” is a setting that seems ripped straight from a fairytale. Though supernatural, it bears all the qualities of a dense Northeastern forest in fall, complete with fallen leaves, sparse branches, and the occasional stone or wooden cottage. Its color palette, too, brings autumn to mind, thanks to the art team’s use of gorgeous shades of orange, green, yellow, brown, and red.
Across its ten episodes, the series takes us through a number of fall-themed environments outside of the forest proper. In one chapter, Greg and Wirt stumble upon a quiet village that turns out to be occupied entirely by living pumpkins (which are actually skeletons wearing pumpkins for heads) in the middle of a seasonal harvest celebration. Other locales include cozy taverns, haunted manors, and a steamboat, each maintaining the fall aesthetic through careful choices in design. The overall effect makes Over the Garden Wall the ideal series to enjoy as the leaves change color and the air cools.
The Magic of Halloween
Cartoon Network Studios
While Over the Garden Wall isn’t properly about Halloween, the holiday does play a major role in the show’s frame narrative. The frame narrative is what sets the fantasy adventure of Over the Garden Wall in motion; we don’t see it until the second-to-last episode, in which it’s revealed that Greg and Wirt are actually modern-day children who got lost, fell into a pond, and magically woke up in the “Unknown.” This all took place on Halloween night, a fact that explains Greg and Wirt’s strange costumes.
The show’s Halloween frame narrative does not, like other Halloween-themed media, focus on monsters or horror. Instead, it creates an opportunity to explore what Halloween means for children and teenagers. Over the Garden Wall perfectly captures the magic of the holiday — the way children flood the sidewalks and streets; the gathering of teens and young adults at costume parties, and the ghostly, surreal atmosphere suffusing the night. With Halloween, unreality becomes as important as reality, and that may be why Wirt and Greg are able to enter the fantastical (and sometimes terrifying) fairy-tale world of the “Unknown.” Plus, the Halloween frame narrative helps to put audiences in a distinctly autumnal mood. It is, after all, the quintessential Fall holiday — sorry Thanksgiving!
The Charms of the Comfort Watch
A “comfort watch” is any series or movie you turn on in order to feel peaceful, restful, and (of course) comfortable. If you can imagine yourself enjoying it while curled up in front of a fireplace with a hot drink, it’s probably a good pick for a comfort watch. BuzzFeed has described comfort shows as feeling “like a warm hug,” which does seem to be their defining characteristic. While some may turn to media they enjoyed in childhood to conjure this effect, comfort TV need not rely on nostalgia. It can be fresh, new, something totally unknown, and yet still satisfy the desire for hug-like comfort. Over the Garden Wall is an excellent example of this. Though fans of the series may re-watch it whenever fall rolls around, it’s equally clear on a first viewing that it’s an all-time great comfort show.
Filled with equal parts whimsy and emotional depth, it’s a series that appeals to adults and children alike. For older viewers weary of the violence and misery in more “adult-themed” media, Over the Garden Wall provides a refreshing space of solace, though at the same time speaking to real-world issues of identity, loss, and family. Clocking in at only ten brief episodes, it’s short enough to tear through in one evening, unlike other shows that require a major time investment. And, most importantly, its characters and world seem tailor-made to produce feelings of comfort and warmth in the audience. When the narrative arc of Over the Garden Wall wraps up in a lovely, deeply satisfying finale, you may find yourself already planning your next viewing of the series. Don’t forget to bring blankets and cocoa.
