10 years later, we’re finally getting a follow-up to ‘Over the Garden Wall’

There’s a chill in the air, pumpkin drinks are back, and Target has restocked its Halloween section—in other words, it’s officially fall. What better way to celebrate than by rewatching Over the Garden Wall? And in honor of its 10-year anniversary, Cartoon Network is cooking up something special for fans.

Once in a while, a show or movie comes along that’s so structurally perfect it’s actually hard to put into words. For me, that’s the animated masterpiece that is 2014’s Over the Garden Wall. Created by Patrick McHale, the 10-episode miniseries follows Greg (Collin Dean) and Wirt (Elijah Wood), two brothers who must find their way back home after getting lost in the woods. Along the way, they’ll encounter plenty of mythical creatures in a fairytale-esque tale of hope, friendship, and facing one’s fears. Side note: the soundtrack (via The Blasting Company) absolutely rules.

It’s charming, imaginative, nostalgic, and even a little spooky, making it a staple on our annual Halloween watchlists. Essentially, it’s Dante’s Inferno for kids (and adults, okay?!), and 10 years later, it still holds up. Now, Cartoon Network and Aardman Animations are looking to celebrate Over the Garden Wall‘s milestone anniversary with a mysterious new project, and I, for one, couldn’t be more excited.

Cartoon Network teases Over the Garden Wall “special anniversary celebration”

Over the weekend, Cartoon Network announced that it would be collaborating with Aardman—this time, for a 10th anniversary celebration of Over the Garden Wall. While the studio didn’t offer much in the way of specifics, we did get a release date of November 3, settling once and for all that Over the Garden Wall isn’t strictly a Halloween series and rather, can be enjoyed all autumn long. A short clip also gives fans a sneak peek at Greg’s teakettle helmet and Wirt’s red wizard hat in a new (stop-motion?) animation style.

So, what is this “little gift from The Unknown?” Well, based on the language used in Cartoon Network’s announcement and McHale’s description of “a fun little thing to show our appreciation to fans of the series,” I wouldn’t get your hopes up about a full-length Over the Garden Wall sequel. Rather, it seems like a stop-motion TV special is in the works, given Aardman’s catalog of claymation classics like Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, and Shaun the Sheep.

An Aardman and Over the Garden Wall crossover is seriously a dream come true (A Grand Day Out has long been a comfort film of mine), but for now, it looks like we’ll just have to sit tight. It’s worth noting that Hulu mistakenly removed the series from its library earlier this month, making it appear the show had been purged from the streamer ahead of its peak rewatch season—jumpscare! Luckily, that wasn’t the case (or the streamer reversed course after receiving some harsh backlash), and McHale made sure to clear up any confusion on social media.

Now, not only are we being reassured that Over the Garden Wall isn’t going anywhere, but we’re also getting a new project. We can’t stop winning! Hopefully, we’ll receive more info on the upcoming TV special soon, but suffice it to say, it’s time to journey back into The Unknown for that annual Over the Garden Wall rewatch.