The same scene is depicted in Over the Garden Wall’s second last episode also titled Babes in the Wood. After their parent’s deaths, and a lot of other events, two child protagonists end up wandering around in the woods.Īt the end of the book, the children give in to the wicked cold of winter and lay down to die at the base of a tree. There have been many inspirations behind this work of fiction, such as Babes in the Wood, an 1879 children’s book. Whether it be the beast’s rendition of Come Wayward Souls hauntingly ringing in the deepest parts of the Unknown, or Greg’s upbeat and silly Potatoes and Molasses. The show is filled with approximately one song per episode. Wirt is anxious and overly-cautious whereas Greg is immature and optimistic - in the best way possible. The tone throughout the entire show bounces back and forth between childhood whimsy and the stinging bitterness of reality. The opening sequence starts with a cartoonish frog playing a sable upright piano.

The main antagonist of the series is a shadowy creature referred to simply as the beast. Greg looks like he is drawn out of circles and Wirt looks as though he is made out of triangles. The characters are made out of easily blended shapes. Over the Garden Wall is a new-age classic, with a carefully crafted, aesthetically pleasing background. McHale expanded the miniseries from his award-winning pilot Tome of the Unknown.

Over the Garden Wall has something for everyone. The series centres on two half-brothers, Wirt and Greg, as they experience numerous adventures while they’re lost in the Unknown. Over the Garden Wall is a ten-episode miniseries, created by Patrick McHale, premiering on Cartoon Network in November 2014.

Tome of the unknown