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Credit: Cartoon Network
The fall season belongs to ghosts and ghouls, and it’s often the best time to watch the best horror movies out there. Unfortunately, not all of those movies are the most kid-friendly, and as someone who likes to share my love of movies with my child, I’m not looking to traumatize my daughter with the scariest movies I’ve yet to check out. Fortunately, I was reminded of the animated cult classic Over The Garden Wall from 2014, and decided to give it a shot.
I’m happy to say that my daughter and I blazed through all ten episodes in a weekend, and I think I’m going to be watching it every year with her going forward. It’s the perfect fall series I’ve been waiting for, and for the following reasons, a must-watch for any family looking for more stuff to enjoy during this season.
Credit: Cartoon Network
What Is Over The Garden Wall About?
Over The Garden Wall is a miniseries by Patrick McHale, who Cartoon Network fans may know as a creative force behind shows like The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, and Adventure Time. The story, created for the Halloween and fall season, was an elongated version of an acclaimed short he produced before, Tome of the Unknown.
As for the story itself, it opens with brothers Wirt and Greg wandering through a forest trying to find their way home. Along their journey they encounter strange things like skeletons who masquerade in pumpkin costumes, talking animals, and demons. Can they overcome all of this and get home, before being captured by The Beast? As a heads up for parents, the story gets much deeper in the back half of the ten episodes, but I’ll spare any spoilers for families to learn for themselves.
Credit: Cartoon Network
Over The Garden Wall Is Loaded With Celebrity Voices
For a miniseries that falls short of just under two hours, Cartoon Network tapped some serious voice talent for this project. The most notable of which at the time was Elijah Wood, who voices Wirt, with Christopher Lloyd being pulled in for the recurring voice role of “The Woodsman.” The show also tapped renowned opera singer Samuel Ramey, who had a strong body of work prior to Over The Garden Wall.
Those are just the main roles, however, as readers will hear characters voiced by names like John Cleese, Tim Curry, and even a young Jenna Ortega long before she ever played Wednesday Addams. It’s a stacked and talented cast, and while I think the series would’ve thrived without them, it’s a treat to hear famous voices throughout this story.
Credit: Cartoon Network
The Episodes Are Rich With Symbolism, But Light Enough For Kids To Enjoy
I think by the time Over The Garden Wall had the brothers arrive at “Pottsfield” and were told “You’re not quite ready to join us yet,” I assumed there was more going on with the series than what we were being shown. My young daughter, however, was locked in and completely taken by surprise by what the story eventually became in the end.
Spoiler alert for anyone who wants to skip this specific paragraph, but ultimately, this is a story about two brothers who, unbeknownst to them, are fighting for their lives after a devastating accident in the present day. It’s not entirely grounded in reality, of course, because I’m not sure there are cases of brothers having the same elongated dream while in a comas at the same time, but that revelation toward the end of the series really blew my mind and escalated it to a series I plan on watching every year.
Credit: Cartoon Network
It’s Just Spooky Enough For The Entire Family To Enjoy
My child is at a weird phase in life where she desperately wants to like spookier stuff and begs to watch things like Five Nights At Freddy’s or other movies that are well out of the recommended age she watches. For her to enjoy something, there has to be stuff that scares her, and anything less is considered “too babyish.”
At the same time, I know my kid, and I know she’ll be terrified if I show her things that are actually scary, and she’s going to lose nights of sleep worrying about it. Over The Garden Wall had those dark and spooky moments that assured her she was watching something that wasn’t entirely for kids, but it added in quite a bit of levity to keep her from being too scared throughout the entire thing.
Credit: Cartoon Network
Where To Watch Over The Garden Wall
Those looking to stream Over The Garden Wall during the fall season are in luck, because it’s available right now with a Hulu subscription. I was a bit disappointed not to see it on HBO Max, given it houses a lot of other Cartoon Network shows, but better it be available somewhere than not anywhere at all.
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For those who don’t have Hulu, Cartoon Network recently aired the entire series on a Friday and will do so again the first week of November, beginning on the 3rd and continuing with two episodes every night beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. Then there’s always the option of buying it on Prime Video for $7.99, which is a great deal, especially if it becomes a family tradition to watch it. Physical copies of the series can be found at Walmart and Target for around the same price, as well.
For those who feel like they’ve worn out all the typical Halloween specials and need something new to watch, I cannot recommend Over The Garden Wall enough. It’s fun, and I daresay a modern classic that will stand the test of time if enough people continue to watch and celebrate it as the years go on. Plus, with how much Millennials are hyping up Halloween each year, we need more specials to help prop it up. I say that without judgment, and as a Millennial passing my Halloween obsession on to my child.
As mentioned, Over The Garden Wall can be watched through any of the means mentioned above. Give it a shot, and be sure to check out some of the other recommendations CinemaBlend has for when it comes to spooky stuff to watch with the children.
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