Over the Garden Wall (Review)

In 2013, animator Patrick McHale released the short film Tome of the Unknown. He envisioned the film's idea in 2004 and pitched the idea of this to Cartoon Network back in 2006, after graduating from college. However, he asked if the film could be feature-length, but this suggestion ended up being unsuccessful as he felt the film needed to be episodic, planning for it to be a three-season TV show. After working on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and Adventure Time. the network gave him another chance to pitch the idea, and luckily, they accepted it. Over time though, the film's format was changed from feature-length to a miniseries.

The miniseries was now called Over the Garden Wall, which aired throughout the week from November 3-7, 2014 on Cartoon Network. The miniseries followed half-brothers Wirt & Greg as they try to make it back home from a mysterious forest.

If you haven't seen the pilot, Tome of the Unknown, I'd recommend you to check it out first. In that short film, Wirt, Greg and a talking bluebird Beatrice are on the way to the city to search for a book called The Tome of the Unknown, which contains every forgotten thing, according to legend. On the way, they meet a vegetable man named John Crops, who, with his vegetable car, drives them to the "city", which ends up being some old-fashioned small farm community in the middle of the cornfield. A number of crows attacked the vegetable car, and the crew try to fix the car. Greg wanders off to the city's garden party and Crops meets a lady made out of cabbage. When the entertainment is delayed and canceled, Greg gets Crops to sing for the audience, which surprises the cabbage lady. When Wirt & Beatrice try to fix the car, they knock over a scarecrow, which causes the crows and giant turkeys to cause havoc and terrorise the city. Greg screams, which scare the animals away, only for Wirt & Beatrice to find out that it was a joyful scream, as he found a goose big enough for the three to travel on. The city is peaceful again and the crew continue their journey.

However, this miniseries isn't about them going to the big city. Instead, Wirt & Greg are lost in a mysterious forest called "The Unknown". In the first episode, a woodsman warns them of the "Beast", who is lurking through the forest. The Woodsman then lets them into his old mill, which they decide to stay in for the night, but Greg wanders off and leaves a candy trail, which attracts a wolf, which they think is the Beast. When the wolf goes into the water, it turns into a dog which spits out a little black turtle (which must've been the reason for the dog's transformation). They end up destroying the old mill, which angers the Woodsman, but he gives them directions to a nearby town, warning them to beware the Unknown.

Wirt & Greg then spot Beatrice, a talking bluebird, who they actually saw earlier on in the series. Greg helps her get out of the bush, and she tags along with them on their journey. Throughout the series, Wirt, Greg and Beatrice visit many places as they try to find their way back home: a town full of pumpkins, a school for animals, a tavern, a young girl's house with a cannibalistic mother and many more. The Beast and the Woodsman are following every step they take, with the Beast planning to turn them into trees to boost up the Woodsman's lantern (that has the Beast's soul). In the last two episodes, a lot is revealed: Wirt & Greg are from the modern world, and on a Halloween night, jumped over a cemetery's garden wall, where there were almost hit by a train. When Wirt tried to save Greg, they ended up falling into a lake, where they were unconscious for a while and ended up in the Unknown forest. The Beast is defeated by the Woodsman, when he realises that his daughter's soul is under the lantern and that the Beast lied about his daughter's soul. So he blows the lantern, killing the beast.

Over the Garden Wall is the first (and currently the only) miniseries created by Cartoon Network. No other show aired on the channel has used that format. And Patrick McHale and Cartoon Network really used the format very well. From start to finish, the story flowed amazingly and with each episode, the storyline got even more interesting. I wasn't left bored and tired after every episode and in fact, I was eager to watch the next episode.

If I could use 5 words to describe Over the Garden Wall, it'd be: dark, dramatic, scary, tense and fun to watch. It's a dark fantasy series, with a little bit of comedy elements from the characters, that makes the show interesting AND fun to watch. The show gives a retro vibe, especially the forest. The Unknown is a place that has this 19th/20th century feel to it. The way people dressed, the language, what they did and all that. Wirt & Greg's outfits are actually so suiting to the retro feel of the Unknown, it was really interesting to know they were from the modern world, and that their outfits were only Halloween costumes.

Now to break down the characters: Wirt is the older of the two, an awkward and poetic guy. He has a determined and serious perspective on things, and can be easily frightened. He also writes and recites poetry, and can play the clarinet. Gregory aka Greg is the younger half-brother of Wirt and is more of an energetic, silly and imaginative person, and he easily annoys his older brother. He's a positive and happy guy that has an optimistic and not really a serious perspective on things, like his other brother, which makes it easy for him to not be too concerned when it comes to danger. Beatrice is a talking bluebird, who scares the two brothers at first, but when Greg helps her out of the bush, she follows the two on their journey. She was actually a human girl, who threw a rock at a bluebird, but was cursed along with her family, being transformed into bluebirds. She wants to go to an old lady called Adelaide, so that she can undo the curse.

Other characters include:
The Woodsman, who warns the siblings of the Beast, and also carries a lantern that has his daughter's soul in it.
The Beast, who follows Wirt & Greg's every step, planning to turn them into Edelwood trees.
Adelaide, who tries to turn Wirt & Greg into her servants.
Sara, Wirt's crush in the modern world.
Jason Funderberker, who has some retarded ass voice and also has a crush on Sara, although Sara doesn't have feelings for him.

The miniseries flows very well, in my opinion. The story develops with every episode, and I'm never bored when watching an episode. The first few episodes see Wirt, Greg and Beatrice trying to go home, and they meet new people along the way. But it gets a lot more tense and serious, when Greg obeys The Beast's rules without knowing and Greg wakes up inside a tree. The last episode is where everything adds up and feels a lot more personal and darker than the previous chapters. The lantern, The Beast keeping The Woodsman's daughter soul, the siblings almost getting hit by a train, drowning, going to the hospital etc. It was very interesting, and the darkness of the show was amazing.

In conclusion, Over the Garden Wall is probably one of the best things Cartoon Network ever made. Such a dark and suspenseful series, with drama, a little bit of comedy and dark/gloomy vibes. The voice acting is great, the plot is amazing, the characters are awesome and overall, the whole series flows very well. No filler, no boring episodes, just interesting from start to finish.

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Review)

As a little boy, Nickelodeon was one of my favourite channels to watch. A lot of classic shows that I always loved to watch: Fairly OddParents, Spongebob, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Kenan and Kel, The Amanda Show, Drake and Josh. I could name a lot right now if I wanted to. I always enjoyed watching those shows and was never disappointed. I can't say the same nowadays, a lot of shows on Nick don't impress me right now.

I was only around 3 or 4 years old when Avatar: The Last Airbender (or The Legend of Aang, as they call it in the UK) premiered. I remember seeing it air on Nick and also CITV on the weekends, and even on school mornings. But as a young boy, I never managed to follow the story. I wasn't used to cartoons like this, and normally, I'd be watching more friendlier shows like Spongebob, Recess and Johnny Test. As I got older, I forgot about the show, and just started watching anything that interested me on TV.

But Nicktoons aired an old episode of Avatar back in 2013 around 9 or 10pm. I was 12, and watching it interested me, but again, I didn't get what was happening. So, after watching it and trying my best to understand it, I decided to start watching the series from start to finish, which I did on the February 2014 half-term. And God damn, it was one of my greatest decisions.

Some people might be asking me: so what is this Avatar show you speak of? Avatar: The Last Airbender is an animated series, that premiered in 2005 on Nickelodeon. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the show follows the adventures of the "Avatar" Aang and his companions, Sokka and Katara (and later Toph & Zuko in the second and third seasons) as they travel to a lot of places, trying to help Aang master the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire and Air) and defeat the Fire Nation.

So here's a little backstory. Over 100 years ago, Fire Lord Sozin, ruler of the Fire Nation, planned a world war to expand the territory and influence of his nation. However, the "Avatar" (apparantly named Roku) prevented Sozin's plans, defeating the nation. Unfortunately, after those events, the "Avatar" never came back. 100 years later, we see that the original Avatar passed away and was reincarnated as a 12 year-old boy named Aang. He learns of this status, and tries to escape with his bison Appa, but they were both forced into the ocean by a storm, encasing them both in an iceberg. Siblings Sokka and Katara discover Aang and manage to get him out of the iceberg.



The series consists of 61 episodes: 20 each in the first and second seasons, and 21 in the third season. Each season is referred to as "Books", which are named after the elements Aang needs to master: Water, Earth & Fire. The episodes are "chapters".

Avatar is of American origin, but takes a lot of Japanese anime influence with its style. The creators manage to keep the best out of both, with an anime look, but American sense of playfulness and humor, along with characterization. Aang is obviously the reincarnated Avatar, who is 12 years old and the last surviving Airbender. Throughout the series, Aang learns the three elements: Water, Earth and Fire, seeing that he had already mastered Air. He recruits Sokka and Katara on a quest to save the world from the Fire Nation. Sokka is the oldest of the siblings, and is a 15 year-old warrior of the Southern Water Tribe. He's the comic relief on the show, and has an immature and humourous side throughout the series. But he is seen as a warrior, who takes his role as protector seriously, especially when it comes to his sister or protecting his people from the Fire Nation. Katara, unlike her older brother, is a 14 year-old waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe (the only waterbender of the Tribe actually), so she has the ability to telekinetically control water and ice. She is seen as smart and a heroine in the series, and has a kind and generous personality.

Other characters include Toph and Zuko. Toph is a blind Earthbender, who has the ability to telekinetically control the solid earth and ground. She was born blind and has extensive earthbending skills which allow her to sense movements around her using vibrations. She appears in the second season, travelling with Aang and the siblings, and also teaching Aang earthbending. Prince Zuko is the son of Fire Lord Ozai and is an incredibly powerful Firebender. At the start of the series, he was the main antagonist, who wanted to capture Aang in honour of his father and to restore his right to the throne. Over time, he sympathizes with the oppressed and in the third season, learns that Avatar Roku, the previous incarnation, was his maternal great-grandfather which leads to his decision to teach Aang firebending.

Avatar: The Last Airbender tells a very interesting story. The plot of the Avatar, the four elements and war is something that can really interest a range of audiences, from kids to grown adults. There's more to it than just a regular show full of adventurous episodes. It tells a tale of trying to save the world from evil, and knowing yourself. Throughout the series, this is what Aang does, and also a lot of characters. At the start of the series, Aang only knew how to control air, but manage to improve himself when mastering the other three elements, which helped him defeat the Fire Nation. Zuko was an evil person who wanted to impress his father so bad, but realised it wasn't worth it, especially when he had his sister Azula coming from him. He later learned that he was the maternal great-grandson of the Avatar Roku and it was great to see him know more about himself and try to do more good this time,

The show blends a lot of storytelling elements together very well: action, comedy, romance, drama and character. It makes the show worth more than it actually is. The comedic character of Sokka, the kind and (sometimes) stubborn Katara, the fun Aang, the aggressive and serious Zuko and a lot more. Unlike a lot of shows, there's a lot more variety in the characters, and it isn't like they're all the same person. And I love it, with each character, there's a lot to show.

The first season (Water) is more of a quick introduction. We get to know the characters and how they're like. It's a very friendly season, and it's nice to get a glimpse of the characters' personalities, and also see Aang and the siblings travel many places for Aang to master waterbending. Zuko's aggressive self and the pain and stress he goes through to capture Aang and impress his father is something eyecatching and interesting to watch. Book 2 (Earth) is a lot darker, and is a lot more in-depth as we see the characters mature and understand their responsibilities. The culture of the Four Nations is enriched a lot more. Aang, Sokka and Katara make new friends, enemies and connections, and even learn new powers. Zuko's story starts to develop and I love it, he starts to become the most interesting part, and there's a lot more to him than just a guy that wanted to restore his right to the throne by capturing Aang. Book 3 (Fire) is a lot slower than the rest, to be honest. But we still get a lot from it. Sokka is a lot more mature and isn't just the comedic character he was on the first and second seasons. Zuko learns more about himself and turns from an antagonist to one of the main protagonists of the series. Aang's growth throughout the series is amazing though. I love how at first, he was seen as a fun and childish person, but has managed to mature throughout the series and begin to know himself as he masters the four elements.

Overall, I love this show. It's so good that I'm actually surprised that it's a Nick show, to be honest. Nickelodeon actually made a good decision accepting this show and not just airing comedy all the time. It has creativity, shows a lot of progression/growth and variety of characters. The anime influence is on point, and I love how they were inspired by a lot of cultures, which helped make this show a special masterpiece in the film and television industry. The plot is incredible, the characters and voice acting are impressive and each episode really flows well and aren't just randomly scattered episodes in each season. The show tells an interesting story, which leaves audiences with a overwhelmed feeling.

So... I made a new blog (Introduction)

It's in the title. I made a new blog, guys!

For some time, I've been writing on Blogger, creating a blog called L.I.F.E (Living in a Full-Time Era). Named after a De La Soul song on 3 Feet High & Rising, the blog was for me to express my opinions on hip-hop (or sometimes alternative and R&B) albums, old and new. Right now, I've put that on a little break and decided to create a new blog, which is the opposite of my other one, reviewing movies and TV shows that have interested me over the past few years. Welcome to The Cameras are Rolling...

I normally show off my interest in music. From a young age, I've always been interested in music. I wasn't really eager to learn instruments like that, but I loved listening to music and finding new shit to vibe to. But, I also had an interest in movies and TV. I remember dreaming to become a businessman and work with a lot of companies. I just hardly show my interest in movies & TV on social media as much as I do with my music interest. Which is why I created this blog, as a way to show my movies/TV interest. Not only will I be reviewing albums, but I will use this blog to review movies and television series, animation, live-action, whatever. Just a place to express my opinion, I might touch on a few articles and how I feel about it.

So yeah, this is just the introduction. I'm not gonna start blogging on here straight away, but doesn't mean my first review isn't coming. I just wanted to tell you readers about this. Look out for more reviews for me, both on here and the L.I.F.E. blog.

The Cameras are Rolling...