The Garfield Movie (2024); directed by Mark Dindal, with the voice acting of Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, and Snoop Dogg, among a variety of other stars; Garfield (Pratt) has an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father, Vic (Jackson), a scruffy street cat who draws him into a high-stakes heist.
Garfield has seen a wide range of iterations since his debut in a comic strip by Jim Davis on June 19, 1978. With almost 46 years under his collar, we have seen Garfield in newspaper comic strips, children’s books, cartoons, animated films and as a CGI cat in a few live action films. Over the years, Garfield’s adventures have been quite predictable. However, The Garfield Movie (2024) shows a different side to everyone’s favourite lasagna loving, Monday-hating, orange cat.
Here, Garfield struggles with accepting and acknowledging the abandonment issues he possesses after his father left him in an alley one night as a kitten. After being saved by his father 5 years later, Garfield struggles to believe anything he says or does for fear that he will abandon him again.
Although this is primarily a heist film, Garfield embraces other film trops, including skill-building montages, romance, and tear-jerking scenes. This adaptation of Garfield really makes me believe that he is more than what we’ve seen from him before: lazy, grumpy, bossy, hungry, sassy, and… did I say hungr?. Now, while Garfield is all of those things here, we do get to see more of the sides of him that he hides, including his emotions. Garfield is also a strong, caring, hungry, quick-witted, empathetic cat who is afraid of losing the ones he loves…plus he does all of his own stunts, like Tom Cruise.
Going into the theatre, I honestly wasn’t expecting much, but this film quickly grabbed my attention and held on. I left the theatre hoping to see more of the adventures this iteration of Garfield will go on. I think that, if this Garfield sticks around, he will bring in a new flock of fans of all ages.
The Garfield Movie (2024) wasn’t just a “kids movie”. This was a true family film. The theatre was filled with families, and everyone was enjoying what was happening on screen. Both parents and children alike were laughing along as Garfield found himself in wacky situations. From the various cat puns and colourful animation, to the relatable themes and yummy looking food, The Garfield Movie (2024) is a must see for older fans and hopefully new fans of this family-friendly feline.
Now we just need to know who Garfield’s mother is!
The Garfield Movie (2024) is exclusively in theatres on May 24th, 2024. Meow.
