Wirt: "Do you think it's some kind of deranged lunatic with an ax waiting out there in the darkness for innocent victims?"
Wirt: "This guy sounds loony. Maybe we should make a break for it. I-If we can. But he must know the woods really well, so we may need to knock him out first. Except that may turn out really badly, huh? Yeah, b-bad plan. Forget it. bad plan."
Greg: "Aw beans!"
Greg: "You have beautiful eyes."
Greg: "Spank! Spank! Spank!"
Greg: "Candy camouflage!"
Greg: "Wirt, he spit out that turtle and now he's my new best friend!"
Sometimes, I feel like I'm just like a boat upon a winding river, twisting towards an endless black sea. Further and further, drifting away from where I want to be, who I want to be.
— Wirt, Over the Garden Wall
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-09T20:35:12Z
[7.5/10] A charming and colorful introduction to this miniseries. This has an Adventure Time meets Miyazaki feel to it in the early going, which is a combo that really works for me. I like the setup here, with Wirt as the older brother who is, as his name portends, a worrywart and also a little dramatic, and Greg as the younger brother who is more sweetly naive and fearless to the point oblivious as they make their way through the woods. It sets up a good dynamic for their adventures, and I like the relationship between them.
That works here when the two brothers encounter a mill-working woodsman who seems a little dark and warns of a mysterious beast but is also willing to give them shelter and maybe directions. Wirt’s abject anxiety over this guy, in contrast to his little brother’s more childlike “just go with it” attitude makes for a nice contrast.
The animation here is also really nice to look at. The character designs have an old world toy look to them, which I like, and the wash of autumnal colors and dark spooky moods are inviting. The skirmishes and escape with the giant wolf creature is visually exciting and even a little gruesome in places, and the lighting in particular makes this feel distinctive.
There’s also a lot of laughs and fun little setups and payoffs. The banter between the two brothers is worth a smile even when it’s not going for an explicit gag. Greg’s various names for his frog, the running gag of him leaving a trail with the candy from his pants, and his effort to execute Wirt’s discarded plan are all good bits.
Christopher Lloyd also makes an impression as the woodsman, adding something dark and a little foreboding to all of this. His talk about the work of keeping the lantern going being his burden and Wirt being responsible for his brother’s actions as the elder sibling suggests a connection or a hard history there that we’re not privy to. There’s a strange, almost philosophical bent to him and his concern about the beast, which I found interesting.
Overall, this makes for a cool introduction to the miniseries, giving us the lay of the land and a good sense for the characters as we continue on Wirt and Greg’s adventures.