The general opinion is that animated films are invented solely for the entertainment of children. However, there are a number of happy exceptions, and one of the newest works of this genre was the cartoon Over the Garden Wall. It will be enjoyed by both children of all ages and adults. After all, although at first glance the cartoon will talk about things familiar to every kid – a mysterious forest, exciting journeys and a variety of fairy-tale characters, the main message is that a thinking adult will be strongly impressed after watching the film.
General information about the cartoon
The basis of the work was an animated short called “The Book of the Unknown” from Patrick McHale, who is currently the creative director of Adventure Time. The tone in the cartoon is set by music, which can be described as sad and thoughtful. As well as a poem, rendered at the very beginning: after reading it, it becomes clear that the viewer is waiting for adventures on the “other side”, which quite fit the definition of “gloomy adventures”.
However, for children, everything will be much easier. After all, the child, turning on the cartoon, will see two brothers who went for adventures in a mysterious forest. And in the course of the story, new sides and secrets of the forest are revealed to the main characters. And although the music that sounds in the picture has a pronounced sad note, the viewer will be reassured by the voice of the announcer: the cartoon will definitely end happily.
But what’s surprising is that although watching the movie may seem like a movie full of exciting events for the children, the brothers are traveling through the forest, adults find a lot of food for thought. Each episode of the animated series ends well, good wins and everyone rejoices, but adults want to cry and then ponder the background of the picture for a long time.
Features of building a cartoon
A peculiar autumn palette and appropriate music initially create a special mood for viewing. For autumn and winter evenings, such an animated series is the very thing to enjoy the comfort of home. You can call it a compelling and slightly dark autumn fairy tale, suitable for viewers of all ages!
The work has absorbed many works of English literature dating back to the 19th century. The action is accompanied by American music of the 20th century, which gives a unique atmosphere and a well-normalized share of tension. And also allows you to attribute “On the other side of the fence” to several modern genres at once:
drama; Family Film; fantasy; Adventures; detective; cartoon.
Equally important is the construction of each cartoon series, because they last only 10 minutes, which greatly facilitates the viewing of the picture. There is only one season, and the total number of episodes is 10. Therefore, you can watch the entire cartoon in one evening, filled with completely unexpected and new thoughts and sensations. It will take a very long time to “digest” them, because every reasoning viewer will find in the cartoon something important for myself.
Sequence of actions and development of the plot
Thanks to the opportunity for everyone who starts watching the cartoon Over the Garden Wall to find something for themselves in it, the picture can be considered especially interesting and ambiguous. For children, it will be an exciting journey of two brothers, Wirt and Greg. Under unhurried sad music and in the autumn forest, their adventures look especially impressive and entertaining.
The brothers in the cartoon are not relatives, but stepbrothers. Their names in translation mean “Wakeful” (the son of Patrick, the director of the cartoon, is taken as Greg’s prototype) and “Worthy”. The blue bird Beatrice, who accompanies the brothers in the gloomy forest, is also associated with the famous heroine of Dante’s work – Beatrice, who helped the poet overcome the dangers of the circles of hell.
However, not everything is as good as it might seem at first glance. The blue bird leads the brothers across the River Styx, promising that it will lead them to salvation. But in reality it brings them closer and closer to death.
There are many associative characters in the cartoon. For example, turtles, which in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch resemble black creatures, symbolizing human sins. It was they who expelled the first people from the created Paradise.
There is also an animal in the cartoon. They became the dog Beatrice, who ate one of the turtles. In one of the first episodes, the dog that became infected and turned into a demon belongs to Beatrice. This information will become available to the viewer in the final frames of the cartoon. And the house also belongs to the Beatrice family.
How will the cartoon end?
Explanation of the ending of the film Over the Garden Wall. At first glance, the end of the cartoon is full of positive. The main characters enter a world where everything is full of light and everyone is seen as very happy and friendly.
But, digging deeper, the thoughtful viewer understands that after the brothers were hit by a train, they ended up in the other world. There are no adults here, and the duck in the corner of the last frame is a hint of a joke. The viewer is deceived. Dig deeper…
