Who doesn't know that fat, orange, sarcastic, lasagna-loving, Monday-hating, tabby cat named Garfield? Of course, to know him is to love him, right? Originally published in 1976, the comic strip by Jim Davis (U.S. Acres) introduced us to the legendary cat, his owner Jon, and his best friend, Odie the Dog. Since his inception almost fifty years ago, Garfield has been immortalized in books, on television, and in film. Twenty years ago, a live-action/computer-animated film, Garfield, the Movie premiered in theaters with its sequel, Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties following two years later. This month a new animated feature entitled The Garfield Movie makes its way to theaters.
We first meet our beloved Garfield (Chris Pratt; Guardians of the Galaxy) in a flashback as his father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson; Captain Marvel), tells the baby kitten to stay hidden in a crate in a back alley and that he would "be right back". Cold and hungry, Garfield smells the delicious scents coming from the pizza place across the street and stares through the window at Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult; Mad Max: Fury Road) as he sits alone at a table eating a pizza.
Feeling bad for the kitten, Jon gives him a slice and before he knows it, Garfield has found a forever home. Years later the fat tabby and his friend Odie the dog are kidnapped by Jinx (Hannah Waddingham; The Fall Guy) who uses them as bait to lure Vic in. Once she has them all she tells Vic, that he and his son must hold up the milk farm where Vic left her years before, leaving her to be put in the pound. What starts as a simple, easy adventure turns into an almost impossible task as the milk farm has drastically changed for the worse. Working together, Vic, Garfield, and Odie, along with Otto the Bull (Ving Rhames; The Mission: Impossible Franchise) must get the milk, and save Otto's beloved.
Pratt embodies the essence of Garfield from his sarcastic humor to his giant heart that is buried underneath layers and layers of lasagna fat. His delivery of the lines is spot on and his comedic timing is never more apparent. Jackson is perfectly cast as Garfield's father who is a combination of a smooth street cat and an endearing father figure. Hoult is a surprise as the somewhat goofy yet lovable Jon who goes crazy when his cat and dog suddenly disappear in the middle of the night leaving food on the floor - a clear sign to Jon that foul play is at hand here.
Director Mark Dindal (The Emperor's New Groove) is right up his alley (pun intended) with this script and talented group of actors. His previous work has the same type of sarcastic humor as The Garfield Movie, where both the children and the adults in the audience find the characters cute and funny, making them laugh out loud. He combines slaps and pranks with witty dialogue spoken by Pratt, Jackson, etc. to create an amusing and joyous movie that, of course, includes a moral.
The Garfield Movie isn't quite the same as the old cartoon I remember being on television and in the comics but instead reflects some of the new "woke" culture. For example, in the past, Garfield always made Odie do stupid things for no other reason than to simply laugh at him but this time around Odie, perhaps, is the smartest one in the room at times. Despite this change, the movie is very well animated using the latest technology and has a good plot and script as well.
I think it is time to put some other animated features that came out earlier this year out to pasture (again, pun intended) and make way for the family-friendly film, The Garfield Movie.
Grade: C
