Garfield makes his return to the big screen after almost two decades in The Garfield Movie. Likewise, director Mark Dindal (The Emperor’s New Groove, Chicken Little) is also making his return to animation with this new movie adaptation after years of trying to get multiple animated projects off the ground at various studios. Known for hating Mondays, lounging around, and devouring food (especially lasagna), Garfield has stood the test of time as an iconic cartoon character. With his origins tracing all the way back to creator Jim Davis‘ original comic strips from the ’70s, the orange feline has never lost his style. But now, Chris Pratt of Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World 4 fame takes on the task of voicing Garfield. He’s not alone, though, for The Garfield Movie features a star-studded voice cast including the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, and Nicholas Hoult.
The Garfield Movie starts off with the titular feline protagonist taking care of the usual business — eating, sleeping, and watching “Catflix” from his surround sound recliner chair. He’s the king of the house, with his canine friend Odie (Harvey Guillén), the recognizable yellow beagle of the franchise, and their human owner, Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult), satisfying all of Garfield’s needs. The film takes the audience back to when Garfield first met Jon as an adorable, yet abandoned and hungry kitten. The traumatic moment of being left behind by his father, which then led to his newfound connection with Jon, makes Garfield the cat he is today. But everything comes into question when Garfield and Odie are whisked away on a wild outdoor adventure.
Garfield and Odie soon cross paths with the large scruffy street cat Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), who turns out to really be Garfield’s long-lost father. Garfield and his dad must come to terms with their unexpected reunion while on a playful journey that is full of wholesome entertainment. They get into all sorts of hijinks, which include trying to pull off a high-stakes heist from a dairy plant called Lactose Farms with its own bull mascot, Otto (Ving Rhames). Despite the silly antics, this is a simple father-son story about reconnecting as Garfield and Vic heal their relationship after many years apart. Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson bounce back and forth with witty quips to help propel the plot forward. But as much as they try to sell their characters, the viewer still has to deal with constant stereotypes and cringe-inducing dialogue.
Following Frank Welker and Bill Murray’s vocal performances as Garfield, Chris Pratt’s take on the orange cat simply doesn’t compare. Pratt’s voice is far more gruff and uninspired than the other two performances. It’s generic in the way that a range of other Hollywood stars and experienced voice actors could have easily pulled off. The one silver lining is that just like in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Pratt is certainly good at playing into the script’s humor at times. There are some big moments where Pratt’s Garfield gets a good laugh, but there is nothing more to attain from the performance than what’s on the surface.
Unsurprisingly, Samuel L. Jackson puts in a great vocal performance as Garfield’s estranged father Vic. Unlike Pratt, Jackson actually tries to utilize his familiar voice to great effect. Meanwhile, Hannah Waddingham really plays into the cackling villain archetype with her character Jinx, a fiendish Persian cat. She’s good fun, but that should be no surprise as she’s become a reliable, go-to actor for Hollywood (as recently seen in The Fall Guy). Fellow Ted Lasso star Brett Goldstein and SNL‘s Bowen Yang also put in funny respective performances as Jinx’s dog henchmen, Roland, a brutish Shar Pei, and Nolan, a lanky Whippet.
Despite some admirable voice acting from the supporting cast, The Garfield Movie has nothing to add and will become just another entry in an endless catalog of forgettable 3D animated films. The screenplay feels as if someone asked an A.I. bot to consume all of the lackluster animated movies of the last decade and generate something that will satisfy families with the least amount of effort. Laziness and sticking to a well-proven formula make for the downfall of The Garfield Movie. Some might argue that this won’t matter because it’s bound to be successful at the box office and is “just for kids.” Without a doubt, The Garfield Movie will attract tons of children and families to theaters as many are familiar with the well-chronicled IP. However, in this case, the final product is so mediocre that it’s likely to become a distant memory.
While animation is far beyond just a medium for younger generations, a film adaptation like The Garfield Movie assists with that irritating stereotype because it’s quite tough to get through and will probably only be appreciated by children ages 2-10. This will definitely be a movie that parents and babysitters rely on to distract children in the background, especially when it eventually hits streaming. It might seem extremely harsh to be critical of The Garfield Movie since it will get the job effectively done with its young target audience. The real disappointment, though, comes from the trust one would put in director Mark Dindal as a true veteran in the animation industry.
Mark Dindal’s previous directing credit is 2005’s Chicken Little, and the long break in between was no coincidence. The filmmaker is best known for helming Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove and Warner Bros.’ Cats Don’t Dance. However, Dindal also played a pivotal role as an animator throughout the 1980s and 1990s as he worked on timeless animated pictures like The Fox and the Hound, Oliver & Company, The Brave Little Toaster, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid. His work in The Garfield Movie feels like a step back from his commendable past record in the animation world. Dindal has previously been open about his frustrations with being forced to work under creative interference from the major studios (the final version of Chicken Little is far from his original vision). The Garfield Movie could be another case of Dindal making the best of poor circumstances, but it’s hard to say for now.
While not an absolute dud, The Garfield Movie manages to slot in perfectly with its package instructions. A film for the whole family to enjoy now and forget about later.
The Garfield Movie hits theaters on May 24!
Release Date: May 24, 2024.
Directed by Mark Dindal.
Screenplay by Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove, & David Reynolds.
Based on Garfield by Jim Davis.
Produced by John Cohen, Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Steven P. Wegner, Craig Sost, & Namit Malhotra.
Main Voice Cast: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang, & Snoop Dogg.
Composer: John Debney.
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures, Alcon Entertainment, DNEG Animation, Prime Focus, One Cool Group Limited, & Wayfarer Studios.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 101 minutes.
Rated G.
