The Emmy Award-winning mini-series, “Over the Garden
Wall,” which aired on Cartoon Network in November of 2014, was a welcome little
surprise to both myself and my friend Holly as we watched it together in
college, breaking up the usual “Steven Universe” conversations we would have
around that time. The show follows the story of two brothers, Wirt and Greg,
who have found themselves lost and are trying to get back home as they meet a
talking bird, pumpkin-headed villagers, and a whole host of strange, whimsical
creatures and characters that try to help or harm them along the way. Spanning
a week, with two episodes being aired a night rounding out the 10-episode span
by Friday night, the show was just absolutely brilliant from start to end. It
should probably come as no surprise then that the creator of the show, Patrick
McHale, was one of the many early contributors behind “Adventure Time” and its
first five seasons, a show that has acted as ground zero for quite a few
now-established showrunners, comic creators, artists, and creative types in
general still working in and around animation. Over the Garden Wall has
received really nothing but praise and appreciation since airing so while little
needs to be said of the quality of the show, this would be the perfect
opportunity to speak about themes and aesthetic and how they contributed to the
success of Over the Garden Wall and can help other writers strike gold as well.
Over the Garden Wall is a lovely concoction of
yellows, oranges, browns, and similar rustic, earthy colors as it introduces us
to a world that seems to live within a story book found in a musty old attic.
The primary focus of the show’s aesthetic certainly seems to be an association
with classic Americana with some episodes playing with the more lighthearted, Romantic
literary influences of the time while simultaneously maintaining the common good-vs-evil
elements of such work, which we clearly see in the main protagonist/antagonist
relationship between the two boys and The Beast who, appropriate to old folk
legends and stories told to frighten children, wants to lure them into the
woods. Many ideas crash together to create the show’s overall aesthetic,
though, as the show proves itself to be creepy, unnerving, and sometimes downright
scary, and then charming, elegant, and nostalgic as the writing dances between
haunted gothic houses reminiscent of Poe, paddle boats on a river manned by
frogs who play ragtime music, Aesop’s fables-inspired old crones, and even a
few good thematic surprises toward the end of the show. Plenty of attention is given
to some of the earliest animation styles with an entire episode dedicated to
the vintage “rubber hose” style of the artform and the soundtrack is almost
like it was fished directly out of the past as it features many techniques that
try to recreate older recording styles and music genres that were popular over
a hundred years ago. All of these themes come together to create an experience
that feels authentic, cohesive, and celebratory of the rich history of American
culture, writing, music, and art. With some of the themes of this show roughly
laid out and explored, it would be a good idea to understand the concept of theme
and how such elements contribute to writing at their most basic.
The idea
of a “theme” is that it’s a sort of overarching element of what you’re working
with that is either constantly present in the visual style, such as the earthy,
fairy-tale vibe in Over the Garden Wall, an idea that influences and shapes the
dialogue and plot, such as the effort to make the writing fit that nostalgic
and magical art style, a piece of culture that you’re wanting to highlight
throughout, such as the many elements of old-world America seen throughout the
show, or any other similar majorly influencing pieces to the overall puzzle
that a writer is attempting to put together while drafting ideas for their next
project. Compared to musical harmony and
the blending of different instruments, or maybe the mixing of colors to create
new palettes, we mix themes to create something new and interesting, often strategically
to create a certain mood, to incorporate unusual characters and settings, or to
maybe help illustrate a greater idea. Over the Garden Wall is a fantastic
example of clever and creative theme blending to arrive at its rich, rustic,
immersive aesthetic.
When
sitting down to create a new idea, it’s important to understand the things that
you like and are able to break them down into little one or two-word bite-size
pieces that you can use as ingredients to then add together and slowly craft
your work’s aesthetic. Something as general as “set in space” is a massive
theme for your work because it already establishes the general setting of your
entire idea. This is where you want to start getting creative, though, and test
the waters with odd, unlikely pieces such as, perhaps, “elements of non-western
philosophy and religion” mixed in with “knights belonging to ancient orders”
and, finally, the simple tried-and-true “sword fights.” Before you know it, you’ve
accidentally created Star Wars and have gained millions of fans. Much like
George Lucas in this example, having pulled from his childhood cinematic loves,
truly the power of themes and aesthetics lend themselves to our inherent, unassailable
gift of a unique life lived. In some way or another you, as the creator, are
going to enjoy a slightly different set of ideas, themes, and character archetypes
than most other people. You will have been inspired by a set of influencing
shows, books, and movies that you can borrow from to help you on your path to
finding your own voice and creating your own world. The only limit to how
unique your work becomes, is how unique you are as the writer and how willing
you are to experiment with silly, unconventional, and potentially risky
combinations.
