Oct 13, 2014

Six-minute preview of the CN mini-series "Over the Garden Wall"

At last weekend's New York Comic-Con, Cartoon Network screened a six-minute preview of "Over the Garden Wall," a new fantasy project from former Adventure Time creative director Pat McHale. The 10-episode miniseries will air for five consecutive nights on Monday, November 3 at 7 p.m. ET.

While I am very much looking forward to seeing the entire series, the previews reveal the weaknesses of building a whimsical cartoon world with limited TV animation. The generic movements do nothing for the eccentric characters that appear. Their actions needed a full range of movement, reminiscent of "Swinging Weddings" (frog vs. toad) and the personal animation style of Nick Cross, the project's art director. [It is clear that the combination of production design, storytelling, and music guarantees something unique and perhaps special. But what I love most about animation, and what I love most about animation, is the animation itself.