Everyone knows that Garfield loves lasagna and hates Mondays. But did you ever wonder why? Probably not, but The Garfield Movie answers the question anyway, as part of its mission of adding unnecessary emotional baggage to the beloved comic-strip cat. The sarcastic orange tabby has become an American institution since debuting in creator Jim Davis' syndicated newspaper strip nearly 50 years ago, and The Garfield Movie is little more than the latest brand extension for a character whose primary purpose seems to be merchandising and corporate sponsorship.
The purpose is on full display in the egregious product placement throughout The Garfield Movie, which is crammed with company logos, no matter how poorly they fit into the animated world. The Garfield Movie combines modern computer animation with character design that evokes Davis' comic strips, but for the most part the visual style is bright and generic, and that extends to the writing and voice performances as well.
Garfield has been adapted to movies and TV numerous times, most notably in the late '80s/early '90s animated series Garfield and Friends and a pair of '00s live-action movies. Lorenzo Music defined Garfield's onscreen personality with his deadpan delivery on Garfield and Friends, while Bill Murray continued that understated (or, less generously, bored) approach with his voice work as the CGI cat in the live-action films. Here, Chris Pratt voices Garfield in a bland tone that's largely indistinguishable from his voice performances as Mario in The Super Mario Brothers Movie or Emmet Brickowski in The Lego Movie.
While Garfield is known for his laziness and indifference, The Garfield Movie sends him on a grand quest, reuniting him with his long-lost father to undertake a dangerous rescue mission. A prologue establishes the previously unexplored back story of Garfield's parentage, showing Garfield as a kitten being abandoned in an alley by his father Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). Garfield sneaks into an Italian restaurant where he discovers the wonders of lasagna and meets his new human owner Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult).
Jon is a central figure in the Garfield comic strip and other adaptations, but he's mostly an afterthought here, as Garfield and Jon's pet dog, Odie, are abducted by sinister Persian cat Jinx (Hannah Waddingham) as part of her elaborate revenge scheme against Vic. Jinx demands that Vic, Garfield and Odie steal a delivery truck full of milk from a heavily fortified dairy, and much of The Garfield Movie is an extended riff on Mission: Impossible, complete with Ving Rhames doing a variation on his franchise role. Here, he's Otto, a morose bull who's been exiled from the dairy and longs to reunite with his beloved cow companion, Ethel.
What does all of this have to do with Garfield devouring lasagna and despising Mondays? Pretty much nothing, and while The Garfield Movie is a passable animated adventure at times, it turns a sardonic, misanthropic character into a generic cartoon hero, complete with a parental reconciliation arc.
Director Mark Dindal is best known for 2000's The Emperor's New Groove. Garfield is his first filmmaking effort in nearly 20 years, and he demonstrates brief flashes of the slapstick absurdity that made his Disney cult classic such a delight. Those moments are far too fleeting to carry the film, as they're outweighed by the tired obligations of contemporary Hollywood animation, from the parade of celebrity voices to the closing dance party.
Garfield may be more of a symbol than a character at this point, but that means he's malleable enough to fit into a variety of styles. The Garfield Movie could have used his name recognition for something fresh and original, as Dindal previously did with the Disney brand. Instead, it falls back on the familiar, propped up by in-movie advertising and hollow lessons for kids with short attention spans.
The Garfield Movie
