Tome of the Unknown: Harvest Melody

“Ain't that just the way?”

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This article is about the short Tome of the Unknown. For the collected edition of the 2015 Over the Garden Wall comics, see Over the Garden Wall: Tome of the Unknown. For the item mentioned in the short, see Tome of the Unknown (book).

"Tome of the Unknown: Harvest Melody", often shortened to "Tome of the Unknown", is a 2013 animated short film written and directed by Patrick McHale.

Synopsis

Wirt, his brother Gregory, and Greg's frog travel alongside a bluebird named Beatrice in search of a book known as "The Tome of the Unknown." The book is described as containing all that has ever been forgotten.

Plot

When the group of heroes grow tired of walking, Gregory suggests finding a goose to ride. However, Gregory finds a car belonging to a romantic songster made of vegetables. The vegetable man, named John Crops, dreams of traveling to the Big City and finding a gal who will love him and put an end to his loneliness. Therefore, Wirt drives to the city in John Crop's vegetable car in hopes that Gregory, Beatrice, and himself can keep the car if John finds his soulmate in the city. As the gang is traveling in the vegetable car to the city, a horde of crows attacks them which leads the car to veer off of the road into a crop field. While Wirt and Beatrice fix the vegetable car, Greg walks along with John to the city where John meets the Cabbage Gal, who seems to take a liking to him. However, when Wirt knocks down a scarecrow, the crows attack once again, wreaking havoc in the city. Fortunately, Greg scares them away by letting out a loud scream. Wirt is deeply concerned, thinking that his brother could have been hurt, but it turns out that he yelled because he found a large goose that they can ride on, as he suggested to them earlier in the chapter. John Crops then moves out into the country with his new gal while Wirt, Gregory, Beatrice, and Greg's frog continue their journey, on the goose, further into the unknown.

Songs

• "Can't You See I'm Lonely"
• "Shine On"

Release and Reception

In 2013, Cartoon Network released the pilot to several film festivals, including the 20th anniversary of the Austin Film Festival on October 24, 2013 and the International Children's Film Festival at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in May 2014. It received an honorable mention as one of the best short animations for children on September 21, 2013 at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. In February 2014, it won the Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 29th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where it was screened the month before. On May 19, 2015 it was released on Cartoon Network's official website and distributed digitally as a special feature on the DVD release for Over the Garden Wall on September 8, 2015.

Behind the Scenes

During the planning stages for Tome of the Unknown, McHale states that the Unknown was originally called the "In-Between."

Story Ideas

As the brothers strive to live out their story and find their way home, they interact with all the characters and stories included within the Woodsman's Tome of the Unknown..From the skinless witch who kidnaps people while they sleep...to the citizens of Frogland, who work along the river and talk with spit bubbles...to the terrible Mr. Whittles, who uses children's bones for his "ivory" carvings...etc., etc.

Sean Edgar and Patrick McHale, The Art of Over the Garden Wall

Although Tome of the Unknown was not continued as the main series, in the official artbook Patrick McHale and Sean Edgar provide a list of planned story ideas for potential episodes. Many of these stories appear to be the backbone and inspiration for Over the Garden Wall episodes.

• "Little Black Train" pilot: Wirt and Greg accidentally climb aboard a train headed for the afterlife on Halloween night, eventually ending up in a place called the Unknown, a mysterious place which lies between life and death. Getting home seems impossible until they befriend a wise old Woodsman (and his bluebird friend named Beatrice), who tells them they must live out all the chapters in the Tome of the Unknown to return home.
• "Bluebird of Happiness": The Woodsman tasks Beatrice with helping Wirt and Greg act out the next chapter in the Tome, where a siren in white lures travelers into the tall grass where a beast awaits to devour them. However, Beatrice gets fed up accompanying the two brothers, neither of whom are taking their quest very seriously. In the end, they realize that they need to work hard to get back home.
• "Lovesick Millionaire": Wirt and Greg get involved with a lovesick millionaire who has visions of a beautiful woman whom he wishes to marry. If they don't help him, he'll die, and he threatens to haunt them forever if that happens. When they start tracking down the woman, however, a hairy man keeps showing up to stop them. In the end, Wirt and Greg discover the hairy man is actually the woman they're searching for. She was cursed by the mother of her fiancé, who turns out to be the millionaire. After all the misunderstandings are cleared up, all turns out well for the reunited lovers.
• "Nightmare": To be added
• "Goosetown": To be added
• "Farmtown Follies": To be added
• "Frogland": To be added
• "The Toad and the Wishing Well": To be added
• "Ivory": To be added
• "Home": To be added
• "Last Fair Deal Gone Down": To be added

Trivia

• In Over the Garden Wall, Lorna can be seen reading a book titled "Tome of the Unknown" in the epilogue of the series finale, "The Unknown."
• A popular song from the early 20th century called "Shine On, Harvest Moon" was sung by John Crops.

Gallery

There are more images of Tome of the Unknown: Harvest Melody available in the Gallery.