Upon first glance you’d be forgiven for thinking Over The Garden Wall’s short run time and 10 minute episodes would feel overly rushed and under-develop the characters but the bite-size episodes perfectly suit the series. From dancing pumpkins to a house full of all manner of creatures, Over The Garden Wall boasts an imaginative collection of creatures both big and small to bolster out its short but action-packed episodes. The voice acting is excellent too and the talents of Elijah Woods and Collin Dean have a great chemistry together, making you really feel these two are brothers. The dialogue is on point throughout the series and a mixture of witty, humorous exchanges between the characters keeps the tone lighthearted despite the grim surroundings the brothers find themselves in. There’s a loose overarching story involving a menacing forest dweller ominously called “The Beast” as it stalks the brothers through the woods but most of the content here focuses solely on the individual episodic content. Each chapter works as a stand-alone episode, exploring a different theme or problem the boys must overcome in order to continue on their way.

On their way back they uncover numerous colourful characters including bluebird Beatrice ( Melanie Lynskey) who accompanies the boys on their travels and chirps in with numerous humorous observations and advice for the brothers. The story begins with brothers Wirt ( Elijah Wood) and Greg ( Collin Dean) wandering through the vast woodland trying to find a way back home. The uniquely presented aesthetic helps too and with a tiny dab of adult humour thrown in, make this an animated series well worth checking out. Some positive themes including the idea of never giving up, the importance of family and not judging a book by it’s cover are really well worked into the story. It’s incredibly rare nowadays to find a TV series that’s gets the balance right between being accessible for kids and enjoyable as adults but somehow Over The Garden Wall manages to nail this perfectly. Over The Garden Wall is everything you’d want in an animated fantasy series.

Over the garden wall season 1 episode 7