‘Over The Garden Wall’ Receives A 10th Anniversary Stop-Motion Makeover By Mikey Please And Dan Ojari
For the 10th anniversary of Patrick McHale’s extraordinary Cartoon Network mini-series Over the Garden Wall, Aardman Animations, along with directors Mikey Please and Dan Ojari, brought the story back to life in a stunning stop-motion tribute short.
McHale’s original series was a meditation on life’s beauty and strangeness, blending elements of Ub Iwerks’ surreal animation, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music. At its core, Over the Garden Wall explores a journey not just through the woods but through the self — a search for identity and understanding. The children in the story represent us all as they wander through a mysterious world, encountering friends, family, and strangers, surrounded by the sun, sky, trees, and animals. Shadows of the past, present, and future lurk within and beyond, symbolizing the unknown and yet-to-be-uncovered truths of life.
This stop-motion short, featuring intricately crafted wooden-style puppets with hand-drawn eyes and mouths, serves as a fitting coda to McHale’s masterpiece. Wirt reflects on the nature of his journey, questioning whether it truly ever ends and wondering if, perhaps, we’re all a little lost. Beatrice interrupts his musings, reminding him that life is about embracing the moment. This reflection feels especially poignant amid the chaos and uncertainty of our present time.
Please and Ojari — the creative team behind the Oscar-nominated short film Robin Robin — wrote the story in collaboration with McHale. The short features the return of original series stars Elijah Wood (Wirt), Collin Dean (Greg), Melanie Lynskey (Beatrice), and Frank Fairfield (The Toy Maker/Narrator). The puppets were created by Joshua and Nathan Flynn (aka Sculpt-Double), Laura Tofarides, and Rachel Brown, while the animators were Lee Wilton, Marie Lechevallier, and Suzy Parr. Full credits can be found in the Youtube video description.
A behind-the-scenes video documenting the production can be viewed below:
