Over the Garden Wall: Finding Dante in the Unknown

“The Unknown is at turns gothic and autumnal, grim and threatening or comforting and even silly, with seasons of harvest and hearth giving way to snow and silence.”

- Martin Cahill

In this episode of Risking Enchantment I'm joined by professional animator Robyn Conroy to discuss the little known gem of autumnal animation that is Cartoon Network's 2014 Over the Garden Wall.

The story centres on two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who find themselves lost in strange woods, adrift in time, in a place called The Unknown. With the help of Beatrice, an impatient bluebird they travel through this mysterious place encountering strange and eerie situations in search of a way home. Throughout their journey, they outwit a series of minor antagonists, yet The Beast— an unidentifiable, manipulative monster — consistently looms in the brothers’ shadows, waiting for their moment of weakness.

In the episode we discuss our love for the show and it's grounding in the virtues of hope and self-sacrifice, as well as the rich tapestry of literary and artistic allusions which form a backdrop to the story. In particular we look at how the series draws on Dante's Inferno, and how show creator Patrick McHale embraces nostalgia and Americana in order to create a uniquely American fairy tale for the modern age.

Music: Ashton Manor by Kevin MacLeod

Hosts: Rachel Sherlock, Robyn Conroy

Follow Rachel on social media: @seekingwatson

Follow Robyn on Instagram: @robynconroyart

Follow the podcast on Instagram: @riskingenchantmentpodcast

Find out more at www.rachelsherlock.com

Sign up for our email list at www.rachelsherlock.com/podcast

 Robyn's previous episodes on Risking Enchantment include:

• Stranger Things in Stranger Times: Nostalgia in the Digital Age
• The Prince of Egypt: An Epic in Animation
• Cartoon Saloon: Celtic and Christian Coexistence

 

Works Referenced:

Over the Garden Wall (2014)

“Over the Garden Wall Deep Dive: Background & Cultural Context” by Bella Trucco

The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

‘“Where have we come and where shall we end?”: An Examination of Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporaryof Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall as a Contemporary Otherworld JourneyOtherworld Journey’ by Kayla Justice

Over the Garden Wall is Dante's Inferno (Symbolism Analysis) by Trey the Explainer

Is Over The Garden Wall About Having Faith? by PBS Digital Studios

 

What We’re Enjoying at the Moment

Robyn: Midnights by Taylor Swift

Rachel: The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff