Over the Garden Wall
Series, 2014, The 2010s, Set in The Unknown
Over the Garden Wall is #6 of 18 in release order and #6 of 18 in chronological order in the Modern Cartoon Classics.
The story
Two brothers, Wirt and Greg, find themselves lost in the Unknown; a strange forest adrift in time. With the help of a wise old Woodsman and a foul-tempered bluebird named Beatrice, Wirt and Greg must travel across this strange land, in hope of finding their way home. Join them as they encounter surprises and obstacles on their journey through the wood.
Over the Garden Wall recap
Two half-brothers, the anxious teenager Wirt and his cheerful little brother Greg, are lost in the Unknown, a dark autumn forest. Greg carries a frog he keeps renaming. They meet Beatrice, a bluebird who wants a witch called Adelaide to lift a curse on her family, and she agrees to guide them to Adelaide, who supposedly can send them home. Along the way they pass through a village of pumpkin people, a tavern, a school for animals, a rich man's sprawling mansion, and a girl named Lorna possessed by an evil spirit. A Woodsman tends a lantern that he says holds his daughter's soul, and the Beast, a dark creature that roams the woods, turns lost travellers into Edelwood trees. Beatrice confesses she planned to trade the brothers to Adelaide. Wirt, in despair, gives up, and the Beast begins to claim both boys. The ninth episode reveals how they got there: on Halloween night they fell into a lake.
Over the Garden Wall ending explained
In the last episode, "The Unknown", Wirt finds Greg turning into an Edelwood tree. The Beast offers to keep Greg alive if Wirt carries his lantern, but Wirt realises the lantern holds the Beast's own soul and hands it to the Woodsman, who blows it out. Wirt wakes in the lake and the brothers are rescued. Greg's frog glows, showing it swallowed a magic bell. Comics and a 2024 tenth-anniversary stop-motion short followed.
Where to watch Over the Garden Wall
Over the Garden Wall is streaming on Prime Video and Hulu in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Google Play, and Fandango At Home.
Ratings
IMDb 8.7/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Steven Universe, before Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
- Chronological order: after Steven Universe, before Star vs. the Forces of Evil.
What to watch before Over the Garden Wall
In release order, the essentials before Over the Garden Wall (2014) are Adventure Time (2010), The Legend of Korra (2012), Gravity Falls (2012), Bravest Warriors (2012), and Steven Universe (2013).
Cast
- Elijah Wood as Wirt (voice)
- Collin Dean as Gregory (voice)
- Melanie Lynskey as Beatrice (voice)
- Samuel Ramey as The Beast (voice)
- Christopher Lloyd as The Woodsman (voice)
- Jack Jones as Gregory's Frog (voice)
- John Cleese as Quincy Endicott (voice)
- Sam Marin as Hay Wagon Driver (voice) (uncredited)
- Emily Brundige as Sara (voice)
- Fred Stoller as Fred The Horse (voice)
- Cole Sanchez as Jason Funderberker / Additional Voices (voice)
- Shirley Jones as Beatrice's Mother / Additional Voices (voice)
Created by Patrick McHale.