Hulu Walks Back Removal of Hit Cartoon Network Series

The spooky season is upon us and for many animation fans, there has been a go-to series that has been revisited with each passing year. While said television show was a limited series and a fan favorite, the Cartoon Network program wasn’t able to remain a part of MAX’s line-up. In this streaming day and age, subscribers have been worried about losing content in recent years and this particular series fits that bill. Luckily, while there had been rumors that the Cartoon Network show would be leaving Hulu, the streaming service confirmed to fans that this was not the case.

Over The Garden Wall is the series in question, first premiering on Cartoon Network in 2014 and harboring ten episodes to its name. Despite each episode being only around eleven minutes long, the impact that the Elijah Wood-led series had on the animation world cannot be overstated. The moody atmosphere, mature story, and amazing animation helped make Over The Garden Wall a hit and when fans saw on social media that there was a possibility of Hulu removing it from its library, many sprung into action. While it hasn’t been confirmed if this “revolution” helped turn the tide, Hulu assured fans that Over The Garden Wall was not leaving its service any time soon.

Over The Garden Wall: The Initial Fears

On Hulu’s platform, it appeared to many that Over The Garden Wall was getting the axe, listing an “expiration date” or September 19th. The announcement not only saw some major influencers take offense but Gravity Falls creator, Alex Hirsch, was stunned at the revelation. In a now-deleted Tweet, Hirsh expressed his frustration with the fan-favorite series potentially getting the axe. Luckily, the series will remain and animation fans are taking the opportunity to celebrate. 

Over The Garden MAX

While Over The Garden Wall might be safe on Hulu for now, the series was stricken from Warner Bros’ streaming service, MAX, last year in 2023. The platform was no stranger to “purging” some fan-favorite animated series as many fans are still raw regarding the decisions for MAX to drop shows like Close Enough, Infinity Train, Aquaman: King of Atlanta, Ok KO, and quite a few others. 

When Over The Garden Wall was dropped from MAX, series creator Patrick McHale expressed his disappointment regarding the decision, “It’s funny, I just saw this now. Coincidentally, I’ve been fighting the urge to tweet this all day: “I hope somebody is out there ripping and saving all the stuff on all these streaming services because I’m pretty sure so much of it is going to disappear and become lost media.”

What Makes Over The Garden Wall a Halloween Classic?

Over The Garden Wall feels like the perfect story for the fall season, seeing two brothers exploring a world of magic and mystery while wearing their Halloween costumes. Initially keeping their origins a secret, the limited series would unfurl Wirt and Greg’s story while incorporating hilarious tunes, spooky settings, and colorful locales. In many ways, Over The Garden Wall feels like the closest North American project to a Studio Ghibli film, maintaining a level of heart and creativity that might rival some of Hayao Miyazaki’s biggest works. 

While Over The Garden Wall is streaming on Hulu, it is also available to purchase digitally. Hopefully, the limited series will remain on the streaming service for years to come and allow more fans to discover its rustic tale. 

Want to stay up to date on this fall favorite? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for all the latest updates on the world of Over The Garden Wall.