Over the Garden Wall: The Complete Series

Over the Garden Wall is one of those little miracles of animation. Making its debut on Cartoon Network in 2014, Over the Garden Wall has since created a cult following for its gorgeous animation style, cozy autumnal feel, irreverent characters, and incredible soundtrack. The most important aspect of this show, which gives it legs and timeless longevity, is that it is for children yet never panders by shying away from dark themes and images.

The story Over the Garden Wall follows two brothers decked out in ridiculous raiment. There’s the caped, pointy red hat worn by older brother Wirt, voiced by Elijah Wood, and his rambunctious little brother Greg, voiced by an incredible child voice actor, Collin Dean, who sports a teapot as a hat. The brothers emerge from the mist into a forest without a clue as to how they got there. They deduce that they must be lost in search of a way home. Throughout each of the ten ten-minute episodes, Wirt and Greg, along with a talking bluebird, voiced by Melanie Lynskey, spend time in a new, strange set piece in their wandering deeper into the Unknown while avoiding a shadowy singing figure in the darkness known only as “The Beast”. A loose modernization of Dante's Divine Comedy, Wirt and Greg wander through the Unknown, as Dante visited the 9 Circles of Hell, where each episode mirrors one of the circles. There are plenty of deep dives online that go deeper into the specifics, which are worth checking out.

Each episode runs about 10 minutes, and the entire mini-series can be finished in roughly 2 hours. Each episode is a little bite-sized piece of autumn that is gorgeous to look at, and each episode usually has, if not its own song, then definitely some incredible background music. Each episode has its own incredible design of characters and landscapes, which derive inspiration from old-timey turn-of-the-century postcard designs, especially in episodes two and three. I love the design of the village, which is full of people donning pumpkin heads and burlap during a harvest festival. I also love the design in the following episode of the animals in the schoolhouse sitting and singing adorably and old-timey as Greg leads them in a rendition of “Potatoes and Molasses. The scenes towards the end of the series, where you find out how Greg and Wirt got into the Unknown and their battle with the Beast, are such a phenomenal ending to this series. I revisit this series every October since my first time seeing it, and I am so glad that this finally has a physical release, so I don’t have to rely on whether or not it will be on a streaming service, which is becoming more and more unreliable, as many Over the Garden Wall fans have found out in recent years.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray 
Over the Garden Wall: The Complete Series leaps over to physical media thanks to Warner Bros. The entire series is delivered on a single BD-50 Blu-ray disc housed in a standard Blu-ray case, featuring the cover art from the show’s original poster.

This release looks incredible. This new Blu-ray release is shown in 1080P, and the animation runs smoothly; there are never any skipped frames or distortion as the characters move. This release does an immense service to the artistic style and direction of Over the Garden Wall. The autumnal colors are warm, the oranges and tans of the crops, and all the costumes are immaculate. Later in the series, when it gets darker, those scenes juxtapose deep blacks and bright whites and look amazing while doing it. The entire show is just one of the best-looking animated mini-series I’ve ever seen, and this Blu-ray is for sure the definitive copy of this show.

The audio in this release is superb. Presented in DTS-HD MA 2.0, this release does wonders for the phenomenal soundtrack. The dialogue is well mixed and crisp, which enhances the incredible voice acting tenfold. The mixing is perfect; the dialogue and loud portions of the soundtrack never spike. What I love most about this show is the soundtrack; the music harkens back to turn-of-the-century tunes while being all original compositions. Almost every episode has its own song; there is music throughout, which I would absolutely purchase and listen to on its own.

The supplements included in this release are small but very interesting. There is the original Pilot Tome of the Unknown, which is an excellent extra episode of the show. There is also a behind-the-scenes featurette, which is nice to see. My favorite supplement is a composer's cut of each episode, which shows each episode without a dialogue track so you can hear the amazing music, an inspired choice.

• Tome of the Unknown (HD 9:00)
• Behind the scenes (HD 8:20)
• Composer's Cut Music-Only Tracks

I am so glad that Over the Garden Wall: The Complete Series finally has a physical release. This series is such a great yearly watch, and for me and so many others is a great way to usher in the Fall season. The show itself is one of the most charming series I've ever seen, with amazing voice acting from Elijah Wood, Christopher Lloyd, and John Cleese. The characters and every set piece are such a fun time, and it is especially great because the show goes into some dark places. The minimal supplements leave a bit to be desired; however, the Composer's Cut is an inspired addition to this release. This show is incredible, and the fact that this is finally on physical release is worth the money in this uncertain time of streaming. Highly Recommended