Over the Garden Wall is really something special. Not only is it good on its own merit, but it also breaks some of the barriers of animation. Over the Garden Wall proves that not everything animated needs to be either a TV show or a movie... animation can tell a simpler story without having to stay longer than necessary. Yet, it doesn't need to be a "movie" in terms of structure. That is what makes Over the Garden Wall so interesting... in total length, it is only 100 minutes... a movie length... but it feels like it is much longer than that (in a good way) because it is structured into 10 minute chapters. This gives the miniseries a very unique feel for animation.
The atmosphere in this show is spot-on. The music fits its melancholy Americana fairy-tale setting, the colors and drawings fits with the bitter autumn tone, and the dialogue is never forced or drawing more attention than it needs to. That is another aspect I like about this series: It never really draws attention to itself. Nothing in it is really big or massive and the jokes are never really forced. Almost everything in it is subtle and quiet. Even when strange things happen, they aren't quite as upfront about it such as in other Cartoon Network shows like Adventure Time (which is still a great show).
The plot to the show is also a fairly strong point. At first, nothing seems incredibly attached, but once the show reaches its last two episodes, everything starts to make sense. Fortunately, this show has a lot of strong characters. All of them are voiced excellently except for Fred the Horse. Fred the Horse wasn't a bad character, but his voice... stuck out a little too much. He seemed like a character that was intentionally trying to be a cartoon; though thankfully he only talks in oneish episode.
The main characters: Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice are all likable. Wirt has an incredibly low self-esteem and is into a lot of unique interests but is also pessimistic and blames Greg for everything. Greg is his little step-brother who is always several steps behind everyone, but is still very useful in his optimism and resourcefulness. What is really nice about this series is that Wirt is not shown as "the brains" or the guy who has it all together. He truly is lost and he really is pathetic. The other nice thing is that Greg isn't always childishly dumb. Sometimes he really does have his act together. Both characters are strong. Beatrice is nice because she may not be pessimistic, but she doesn't care about fun or getting distracted. She simply wants to be finished with the issues at hand.
Without giving anything away, the show is unique in its ability to constantly surprise. I always think that I know where the show is going, but it always takes a clever twist. To make things better, all of the plot-twists (except for maybe one) all make sense upon watching the series a second time. If anything, the series IS BETTER the second time through because it is scattered with little hints and secrets that fit together.
All in all, a very good series that needs some recognition. I'm surprised how little attention this show has even though when it was first released everyone was talking about it. It is clever, smart, mellow, and beautifully crafted.
I hope to see more mini-series from Cartoon Network like this. And that's a rock fact.
The atmosphere in this show is spot-on. The music fits its melancholy Americana fairy-tale setting, the colors and drawings fits with the bitter autumn tone, and the dialogue is never forced or drawing more attention than it needs to. That is another aspect I like about this series: It never really draws attention to itself. Nothing in it is really big or massive and the jokes are never really forced. Almost everything in it is subtle and quiet. Even when strange things happen, they aren't quite as upfront about it such as in other Cartoon Network shows like Adventure Time (which is still a great show).
The plot to the show is also a fairly strong point. At first, nothing seems incredibly attached, but once the show reaches its last two episodes, everything starts to make sense. Fortunately, this show has a lot of strong characters. All of them are voiced excellently except for Fred the Horse. Fred the Horse wasn't a bad character, but his voice... stuck out a little too much. He seemed like a character that was intentionally trying to be a cartoon; though thankfully he only talks in oneish episode.
The main characters: Wirt, Greg, and Beatrice are all likable. Wirt has an incredibly low self-esteem and is into a lot of unique interests but is also pessimistic and blames Greg for everything. Greg is his little step-brother who is always several steps behind everyone, but is still very useful in his optimism and resourcefulness. What is really nice about this series is that Wirt is not shown as "the brains" or the guy who has it all together. He truly is lost and he really is pathetic. The other nice thing is that Greg isn't always childishly dumb. Sometimes he really does have his act together. Both characters are strong. Beatrice is nice because she may not be pessimistic, but she doesn't care about fun or getting distracted. She simply wants to be finished with the issues at hand.
Without giving anything away, the show is unique in its ability to constantly surprise. I always think that I know where the show is going, but it always takes a clever twist. To make things better, all of the plot-twists (except for maybe one) all make sense upon watching the series a second time. If anything, the series IS BETTER the second time through because it is scattered with little hints and secrets that fit together.
All in all, a very good series that needs some recognition. I'm surprised how little attention this show has even though when it was first released everyone was talking about it. It is clever, smart, mellow, and beautifully crafted.
I hope to see more mini-series from Cartoon Network like this. And that's a rock fact.