Over the Garden Wall: Film Platypus

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I'm always a day late and a dollar short to things. In this case, it's about two years late. Late to what, you ask? Well, my wife and I finally got around to seeing Cartoon Network's mini-series "Over the Garden Wall". It's a show about two brother who become lost in the woods and travel through an eerie feast of New England Americana seasoned with a with worthy of Homestar Runner. In short, it's the show I wish I was brilliant enough to create. As Emerson might say, it was my own thought come back to me with an alienated majesty.

Beyond it's carefully researched aesthetic, the show is a delight for the classically educated. The bleeding edelwood trees have their true home in Dante's Inferno while the talking beasts and witches' cabins are firmly rooted in the Brothers Grimm. There are subtle grecco-roman touches too: the need for two coins to take the ferry across the river, for instance.

"Over the Garden Wall" is on DVD and can be watched on Hulu as well. There are ten episodes of ten to eleven minutes each. If you're looking for a quirky piece of Americana to lighten up your Saint Pompion's Day festivities, why not give "Over the Garden Wall" a try?

Note: eerie pumpkin man drawn by author of this post.

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