It’s that time of year again.
Leaves are falling, the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, apple cider is brewing, and Over the Garden Wall is on the TV…
If you haven’t watched Over the Garden Wall yet this fall, you are definitely missing out. Complete with adorable characters and an amazing fall vibe, it is the perfect thing to get you excited for the season. Comprised of 10 ten-minute episodes, it’s about the length of a short movie. It’s perfect for a date night (or a self-love night!) curled up on the couch with a mug of hot apple cider/hot chocolate/tea and a soft animal by your side, hearing the fall wind blowing outside the window and curled up beneath a blanket…
Still not hooked? Alright. Here are the top reasons you should watch Over the Garden Wall before the season is over.
- It’s short.
The sad fact is that with my short attention span, I can’t get through most fall/Halloween movies without getting bored and switching to something else. If you relate to that fact, Over the Garden Wall is definitely for you. With a runtime of about an hour and forty minutes, it’s the perfect length to get through in one sitting without feeling like a. You’re wasting a lot of time or b. Getting bored. But if you don’t want to have to sit through the whole thing at once, the episodes are each about ten minutes long, making it perfectly bite-sized enough that you can go for one or two at a time.
- The music.
With a soundtrack by folk masters The Blasting Company, the Over the Garden Wall soundtrack is full of pastoral music that reminds you of being a kid and going to the pumpkin patch. It also features bangers such as Potatoes and Molasses and The Highway Man. Not to mention Old Black Train, which is featured in the second to last episode and makes me cry every time I hear it.
- The aesthetic.
It’s no secret that the autumn aesthetic of Over the Garden Wall is one of its major selling points. And this is for good reason! The color palette is rich with oranges and reds and fall leaves making up the majority of backgrounds. It also has a warm and cozy vibe, such as a school made up of talking animals. On the other hand, it has some very spooky moments. The main plot revolves around two brothers getting lost in the Unknown, an autumnal place lost in time and haunted by an antlered shadow called The Beast. It is populated by witches, a cult made of pumpkins, and a woodsman whose intentions are anyone’s guess. It’s cozy for its softness but also for its creepiness.
- Wirt and Greg.
At the center of Over the Garden Wall are the two (half) brother protagonists, Wirt and Greg, and their relationship is the heart of the story. Wirt, around 14, is a dramatic and silly loser (did I mention this show is hilarious?) who is mad at his brother Greg for getting them lost in the woods. Greg, around 7, is the little brother you wish you had. Wearing a teapot on his head and with a habit of getting into trouble, Greg’s childish innocence and humor make the show seem bright and crisp as a New England breeze.
- The twist.
And that’s all I’ll say about that! Give Over the Garden Wall a watch this fall (or at any time, the first time I watched it was in May), and enjoy the softness and coziness. Have a happy Halloween!