From comic strip to the small screen, Garfield has experienced it all. Now director Mark Dindal has taken the orange tabby cat and its antics to the big screen with The Garfield Movie.
Known for his dislike for Mondays, love of lasagna and for just being lazy, Garfield — created by Jim Davis — leaves the comforts of home to face the great outdoors in this new 3D movie. Fortunately, he has a few friends to help him pull through.
The story begins as the ever-hungry Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt) shares his origin story, revealing a bit about the trauma of being abandoned by his father Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson). But after finding his human companion Jon (Nicholas Hoult), life has only been a joyride for Garfield. Pampered to the hilt, Garfield has a big house, a cosy sofa and a refrigerator packed with food at his disposal, alongside his loyal canine friend Odie (voiced by Harvey Guillén).
And then one fateful night, Garfield is ‘cat-napped’ from his home. The captors — Roland (Brett Goldstein), a large Shar Pei, and Nolan (Bowen Yang), a small whippet — work as henchmen for Jinx (voiced by Hannah Waddingham), Vic’s disgruntled former associate seeking revenge on Garfield’s father. The feline father-son duo, along with Odie, must pull off a heist at a dairy farm to appease the angry white cat Jinx. They find help in the grumpy bull Otto (voiced by Ving Rhames) and the result is a madcap adventure where bonds are forged. Vic moving in with Garfield in the end will surely leave you with a lump in the throat.
The charm of The Garfield Movie lies in its faithful portrayal of the characters, invoking a strong sense of nostalgia. The dynamic between Garfield and his dad is the highlight, recreated by Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson. Among the rest of the cast, Harvey Guillén as Odie is endearing and Ving Rhames brings out Otto’s sarcasm.
The animated film is also able to channel the sardonic humour that characterised Jim Davis’ comic strips as well as Garfield’s vain yet lovable quirks. The scene where Vic teaches Garfield how to jump onto a moving train will have you in splits, with its nod to Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible films.
P.S: Stay back for the end credits for a lovely montage of cat videos from the internet.
