10 Best 'Over the Garden Wall' Characters, Ranked

Over the Garden Wall was Cartoon Network's first miniseries and remains one of its most beloved and creative intellectual properties. It follows two brothers, Wirt (Elijah Wood) and Greg (Collin Dean), who become lost in a mysterious forest called the Unknown. Accompanied by a talking bluebird named Beatrice (Melanie Lynskey), they attempt to find their way home while avoiding a menacing creature known only as The Beast (Samuel Ramey).

Ten years after its release, old and new fans continue to flock to the show for its beautiful art style, dark atmosphere, mature themes, and especially the characters. Through the use of stellar voice actors and strong writing, the characters all feel fleshed out and well-realized despite the show's short runtime, and all have compelling backstories, flaws, and growth. These are the best characters in Over the Garden Wall, ranked by how memorable and well-developed they are, the role they play within the story, and their place in the show's overall legacy.

Over the Garden Wall

Two brothers find themselves lost in a mysterious land and try to find their way home.

Release Date November 3, 2014

Creator Katie Krentz, Patrick McHale

Seasons 1

10 Miss Langtree

Played by Janet Klein

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

With some help from her father (Sam Marin), Miss Langtree (Janet Klein) opens a school for young anthropomorphic animals. Unfortunately, the school falls under hard times financially, made no better because a wild gorilla has begun to terrorize the students. Miss Langtree tries to keep their spirits up but is also dealing with heartbreak after her lover, Jimmy Brown (Thomas Lennon), leaves her.

Miss Langtree demonstrates how the show's characters always make the most of their limited screen time. Her voice perfectly captures the innocence and kindness of a woman trying her best in hard times, and Klein nails her Southern accent. Her constant habit of going into deep tangents about her feelings for Jimmy Brown provides some comedic moments, including an entire alphabet-themed song called "Langtree's Lament." Over the Garden Wall has many memorable characters, but Miss Langtree is quite memorable despite her relatively short part.

9 Lorna

Played by Shannyn Sossamon

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

Though she may appear to be a sweet, mild-mannered girl, Lorna (Shannyn Sossamon) is possessed by an evil spirit who enjoys devouring the living. To keep the spirit under control, the witch Auntie Whispers, voiced by the iconic Tim Curry, uses a magic bell to force Lorna to do chores so that she's too busy for the spirit to take over. When Wirt and Greg stumble upon the cottage, they misread the situation, and their attempts to help Lorna allow the spirit to regain control.

Lorna's situation offers a lesson about how, if you don't know all the details behind a situation, your attempts to help can sometimes lead to more harm. Yet there's also a story about how outside help can discover an obvious solution, which is what Wirt does when he uses the bell to banish the spirit from Lorna. As for her personality, Lorna is one of Over the Garden Wall's kindest individuals and sings a very cute duet with Wirt as they clean together.

8 Fred

Played by Fred Stoller

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

Originally staying at a roadside tavern, Fred the Horse (Fred Stoller) was abducted by Wirt when he rode off to help Beatrice when she was lost in a rainstorm. Fred reveals he can talk and helps give the group directions to the mansion of Quincy Endicott (John Cleese). Fred goes with Greg to distract Quincy so the others can steal money but grows suspicious of their host the further they go into his massive mansion.

Fred is a hilarious side character and a great example of how, sometimes, less is more. He only has a handful of lines between his two episodes, but each one stands out because of Stoller's delivery, which always sounds honest, even when showing his enthusiasm for crime. Fortunately, Fred turns his life around and gets a job working for Endicott as a delivery horse.

7 Quincy Endicott

Played by John Cleese

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

Eager to make as much money as possible, Quincy Endicott creates the widely successful Quincy Endicott's Health Tea brand. He uses his money to build a massive mansion and take his mind off his loneliness. Of late, he has found that his mansion has grown larger than he remembered and has become haunted by a mysterious woman.

Endicott is a blast and a chance for Cleese to showcase his fantastic and versatile skills as a character actor. Every line sounds like he's on the edge of a nervous breakdown, yet it's hard not to smile alongside him when he delights in Wirt and Greg's company or share in his worry when he fears he might be going mad. Fortunately, it turns out the ghost is his rival, Margueritte Grey (Bebe Neuwirth), whose equally huge mansion is connected to his, and the two become romantically involved.

6 Frog/Jason Funderburker

Played by Jack Jones

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

While traveling with Wirt on Halloween, Greg catches the last frog of the season (Jack Jones) and makes him his pet. The frog follows the brothers into the Unknown, and Greg spends much of his time there trying to think of the perfect frog name. In the end, Wirt suggests Jason Funderburker, the name of one of his classmates (Cole Sanchez).

The frog might not have a lot to say, but he's still a valued member of the group. He's shown to care about Greg's well-being and is even willing to give up opportunities for himself if it means staying with him. The frog also has a fantastic singing voice, which he uses to sing some of Over the Garden Wall's most melancholic and beautiful songs.

5 Beatrice

Played by Melanie Lynskey

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

After throwing a rock at a bluebird, Beatrice and her entire family were transformed into bluebirds and forced to abandon their home. Ashamed of what she did, Beatrice flew off and vowed to find a way to change them back to human form. This led to her striking a deal with the witch Adelaide (John Cleese), who would give her magic scissors in exchange for child servants.

Beatrice begins the adventure very distant and standoffish towards the brothers, trying to keep her distance so she doesn't grow attached. However, she softens up over time and becomes like an older sister to the duo. Beatrice especially forms a strong bond with Wirt, and the two help one another grow past their roadblocks. She is a great supporting character, a complicated and changing figure who undergoes a significant change throughout the story.

4 The Beast

Played by Samuel Ramey

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

All inhabitants of the Unknown fear The Beast, a cunning and mysterious creature who wanders the woods singing his terrifying song as he searches for lost souls. Those who fall into despair or exhaustion are transformed into Edelwood trees with human-like faces and leek oil instead of sap. The Beast then uses these trees to fuel his Dark Lantern.

Along with his creepy design and Ramey's phenomenal speaking and singing performances, what makes the Beast so effective is what he represents. He is every negative emotion personified into one being: the voice that whispers in the back of your mind that you can't do it or that it's better to remain lost in the dark than face your problems in the light. Thus, he knows how to prey on the insecurities of others to ensure that they keep trying until that last thread of hope has been cut. The Beast is among the greatest animated villains, a complex depiction of debilitating fear and insecurity brought to life through stellar voice work and animation.

3 Greg

Played by Collin Dean

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

The younger of the two brothers, Greg is an eternal optimist who looks at the world with a glass-half-full attitude. This allows him to remain calm in the face of danger and focus on the positives, regardless of how grim things are. It also means that he has a hard time planning for the future, as he can easily get distracted by whatever new thing crosses his path.

Greg is a beautiful representation of childhood innocence, allowing him to resist the despair of the Unknown longer than most. Whenever he sees someone in need, Greg jumps to help them, regardless of the risk, which leads him to make a selfless sacrifice near the end of the series. Greg also sees the best in people, such as how he never lost faith in Wirt, knowing that his brother would figure out a plan to get them home eventually.

2 Wirt

Played by Elijah Wood

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

The elder brother, Wirt, is the opposite of Greg in every way. Instead of being cheerful and optimistic, Wirt is paralyzed by fear and often overanalyzes situations so much that he talks himself into self-imposed isolation. Getting lost in the Unknown forces him into a position where he needs to get outside his comfort zone and think outside the box if it's going to get home.

Beneath Wirt's pessimism is a creative soul who can play the clarinet and bassoon pretty well and come up with on-the-spot poetry. He is the character who goes through the most personal growth as he learns to take responsibility for his problems and stop trapping himself in misery, which allows him to figure out the Beast's weakness. Elijah Wood's performance is also stellar, making Wirt sound appropriately confused and nervous while also reminding the audience that he is young and has time to grow out of his current state.

1 The Woodsman

Played by Christopher Lloyd

Image via Cartoon Network Studios

Fearing his daughter was lost in the Unknown, the Woodsman (Christopher Lloyd) goes to look for her and encounters the Beast. He takes the Dark Lantern from him, but the Beast tells him that his daughter's soul is trapped inside. Thus, the Woodsman becomes a recluse, scouring the woods for Edelwood trees to keep the fire lit while also trying to help any lost souls he comes across.

No character represents Over the Garden Wall quite like the Woodsman: his story is a tragic case of a good man forced into a prison of his own making due to grief and despair while doing what he can to ensure that others don't end up like him. The Beast is always close by, reminding the Woodsman of his task, much like how the nagging voice of doubt and misery keeps someone from facing their true problems. Lloyd's performance is nothing short of masterful, especially with how tired the Woodsman sounds, reflecting that he is the lost soul of the tale. It's only by blowing out the lantern and accepting his grief that he and the others can escape the darkness.

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