The Garfield Movie marks the big screen return of the iconic orange cat who hates Mondays and loves eating lasagna since 2004’s Garfield: The Movie. In this new entry directed by Mark Dindal, the titular character is on a mission to discover what actually happened to his father when he was a kid, and the truth will lead him on a journey filled with the sense of humour the character is known for but without the charm previous iterations of the cat displayed.
The Garfield Movie follows Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, as a young cat bothered by the disappearance of his father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson). Since the big cat left his son behind when he was merely a kitten, Jon (Nicholas Hoult) was forced to adopt him, making Garfield live in the same house as Odie (Harvey Guillén), but when a dangerous mission makes Garfield reunite with his biological father, his past will catch up to him, with the relatives needing to work together as a team if they want to survive. Unfortunately for them, the dangers they face on the screen aren’t the worst part of The Garfield Movie.
The screenplay by Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove and David Reynolds left much to be desired. There’s an understanding that The Garfield Movie is meant to be enjoyed by the younger members of the audience, but that doesn’t mean that the emotional elements that could elevate the story should be ignored in favour of the younger viewers getting to watch something that merely looks silly. Even if the animated production constantly tries to sell the relationship between Garfield and his biological father as the movie’s emotional center, the charisma isn’t present on the screen.
As the titular orange cat finds himself involved in a mission bigger than anything he could’ve imagined, he and the audience are introduced to a wider ensemble voice cast, which includes Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames and Cecily Strong. Unfortunately, regardless of how hard the ensemble attempts to make this family adventure better, the story falls flat, leaving the viewer with a desire to watch something more amusing featuring the character created by Jim Davis back in 1978. For a character that shines due to his pessimistic perspective on the things that happen around him, the team couldn’t find a way of making Garfield’s attitude amusing instead of constantly annoying, and by extension, the film suffers from not being entertaining enough.
Before he started working on The Garfield Movie, Mark Dindal worked on Chicken Little. This animated adventure perfectly captured the transitional phase Walt Disney Animation Studios was going through when the title was released. While the creativity seen in that title occasionally appears in The Garfield Movie, there is a significant dip in quality. The Garfield Movie drags for a long time, with a story probably being improved by a shorter runtime. It’s safe to say that the story’s protagonist hates Mondays, but that doesn’t mean this adventure had to feel like it ran for a week.
There are moments of amusing sincerity found in The Garfield Movie, such as the sense of loneliness developed by the titular cat throughout his life. But even with Garfield’s negative attitude towards everything around him, you can’t have the character breaking the fourth wall and constantly addressing the audience. The viewer knows how to connect with the cat’s disdain for his routine; audiences, especially the younger audience members, don’t need to be told when to laugh at Garfield.
With an occasionally charismatic voice cast that tries to save a sinking ship, The Garfield Movie introduces an uninteresting version of the classic character. One that might hate Mondays and love lasagna but, unfortunately, a Garfield that doesn’t have enough charisma to carry the property into a new age. It’s certainly nice to see Mark Dindal sitting in the director’s chair again, even if The Garfield Movie isn’t as entertaining or engaging as his previous work. The only way out is for Garfield to be loved by the younger members of the audience, who might turn this animated misfire into a box-office hit.
Rating: 5/10