Yet another incarnation of the lazy cat has arrived. I watched the May 24, 2024 animated adventure comedy movie The Garfield Movie, based on the long-running comic strip. Directed by Mark Dindal, it is rated PG. Starring Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, and Harvey Guillén, it takes place in modern day suburbs and the countryside.
An orange tabby cat named Garfield has been living for years with his owner Jon Arbuckle and Jon’s other pet, a beagle dog named Odie. He has been enjoying a carefree life of eating and sleeping. One day, Garfield and Odie get kidnapped and are forced to help Garfield’s estranged father Vic on a heist. Garfield is not happy at all with having to work with his father, still bitter over being supposedly abandoned by him as a kitten. Can Garfield get out of this mess alive?
Since I was young, I have been a big fan of the Garfield franchise, mainly the era where he was voiced by Lorenzo Music in the TV specials and the show Garfield and Friends. I was interested to see what this movie would bring to the franchise. I have to say I enjoyed it. I will explain why by starting with the characters and voice actors. Garfield is his usual self in this movie. As someone who has had experience having cats as pets, the movie depicts the annoyance cat owners can have, being both too excited when the owner does not want that and not being cooperative when the owner does want interaction. I will say that I felt Garfield was a little too nice in this movie. While he does still snark and cause pet problems for Jon, he seems to have much better morals overall. But it does work for this version and he still provides the dry comedy we have come to expect from the character. This is the second time Chris Pratt has voiced a classic character, after Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While many fans of both franchises disliked Pratt’s casting and wanted someone else, I enjoyed him in both movies. He has the comedic delivery, but still enough charm to have us root for him. I also feel that the more moral Garfield may have been needed to have the plotline with him resenting his father. Speaking of which, I find Vic to be an interesting character. He seems rather insensitive at first, but we find more depth to him later. I also find it rather refreshing that Samuel L. Jackson is voicing a character who does not come off as that tough. I will lastly talk about the villain, Jinx. She is entertaining, being intimidating in an otherwise lighthearted movie. Being voiced by Hannah Waddingham, it is also funny to watch a psychotic cat as the villain. I feel that the characters and voice cast were strong overall. I wish there were more characters from the comics than just Garfield, Odie, and Jon for the main characters, and Liz and Nermal for cameos, but the new characters they created I did like.
I did like the plot for this movie. I believe this is the first time we have met Garfield’s father. The plotline with Garfield resenting him is done effectively, with the plot involving these two needing to get along. In addition, Garfield also must learn survival skills as he has spent most of his life being a house pet. They do show how Garfield and Jon met in this movie, which is a well-done scene that feels both heartfelt and funny at the same time. There is a real theme here about family and loyalty, also represented by how both Garfield and Jinx feel betrayed by Vic. I will say that I think they did not do a good job of making Jinx’s hatred of Vic look misplaced, but they did do a good job of that with Garfield. There are some exciting scenes involving jumping to trains and the heist.
Overall, while I had some problems with this movie, I was able to enjoy it nevertheless. It does not come close to topping the Lorenzo Music era for me, but I did like it more than the Garfield adaptations that came in between which I did not find very good. Watch it if you enjoy the Garfield franchise.
This is a movie about animals, with one plotline even involving the poor treatment of an animal. Unfortunately, animals seem to have it rough. While things are better than in the past, there are still issues with animals being abused, being hunted for sport, being put in kill shelters, being euthanized inhumanely, and many endangered species. As animals are living creatures who may be subject to suffering, it is our job to help where we can. Protesting and social media are good ways to go about this, but I can address more specific ways too. In regards to animals being abused, donate to charities that can help put a stop to this. If you are hunting any animals, it should be done for self-defense or food, not for sport. Considering buying pets from kill shelters to reduce the number of animals killed there. You should treat animals humanely and end their suffering quickly. If you do cause the death of an animal, you should also donate to charities. Animal rights is an important thing to focus on, as animals are always being harmed. Even the most dangerous animals are just acting on instinct, not evil. With all of this, we can create a world where animals are free to live safely.
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