Tagline: It’s all about Me-Ow!
He’s cynical, lazy and, literally, a fat cat. Now, Garfield, America’s favorite feline, is about to become a major motion picture star, in a film with broad-audience appeal. The live action / CGI picture is adapted from the syndicated cartoon strip read in 2600 newspapers by 260 million readers around the globe.
In his film debut, Garfield’s owner, Jon, takes in sweet but dimwitted pooch Odie, turning Garfield’s perfect world upside down. Now, Garfield wants only one thing: Odie out of his home and life! But when the hapless pup disappears and is kidnapped by a nasty dog trainer, Garfield, maybe for the first time in his life, feels responsible. Pulling himself away from the TV, Garfield springs into action.
Life couldn’t be sweeter for Garfield, everyone’s favorite feline. Parked on a comfortable chair in front of the television, feasting on his favorite dish, lasagna, and hurling insults at his beleaguered owner Jon (Breckin Meyer), Garfield is the master of his universe. When Jon takes Garfield to visit beautiful veterinarian Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt), she gives Jon a pepped-up, tail-wagging, panting creature that represents everything that Garfield loathes.
Garfield, meet Odic, a lovable, dim-wilted… dog. The wise-cracking cat is, for the first time in his nine lives, left speechless. The clueless Odic chases his tail till he’s dizzy, crashes into walls, and barks without cause, all to the unbridled delight of Jon who eagerly welcomes Odic into his home.
Odic toms Garfield’s perfect world upside down. Garfield’s solution: Out, Darn Dog. When the hapless hound disappears into the evil clutches of local celebrity Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky), you would think Garfield would rejoice. But he feels responsible for the fate of another. With uncharacteristic energy, courage and selflessness, Garfield manages to pull himself away from his lazy life and spring into action. He’s on the unlikeliest of impossible missions: to save Odic.
This adventure brings together Jon and Liz, as well as Garfield’s fellow felines Nermal and Arlene. But most importantly, it unites Garfield with Odic, who-while the finicky feline may never admit it – is really the best friend he has ever had.
Garfield, the world’s most popular comic strip character, is about to become a major motion picture star. The cat who brought us catch phrases like “I would like mornings if they started later” and “I’d rather pig out than work out” toplines a liveacfion/computer generated film adapted from the syndicated cartoon strip read in 2,600 newspapers by 260 million readers around the globe. Garfield finally has an epic story that is as large as his ego- one that can barely be contained by the big screen.
Producer John Davis, whose many hits include the all-audience pictures “Doctor Dolittle” and “Daddy Day Care,” was a natural to bring Garfield to life on the big screen. “It’s about time that Garfield becomes a big movie star,” says Davis. “He’s lazy, funny, crotchety and he has attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’re five years old or fifty; everyone can relate to him on some level.”
For several years, Davis, along with Co-Producer Brian Manis, doggedly (sorry!) pursued Garfield creator Jim Davis (no relation), for the rights to make a Garfield movie.
Jim Davis, after a quarter-century of drawing and writing the Garfield comic strip, decided it was time to bring his creation to the movies. “I’ve always treated Garfield as a real cat,” says Davis. “He actually exists like that in my head. And new technology can finally represent him in this authentic way.”
Garfield, The Movie (2004)
Directed by: Peter Hewitt
Starring: Liz Wilson, Bill Murray, Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Stephen Tobolowsky, Vanessa Christelle, Randee Reicher, Ryan McKasson, Susan Moore, Michael Monks
Screenplay by: Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow
Production Design by: Alec Hammond
Cinematography by: Dean Cundey
Film Editing by: Peter E. Berger, Michael A. Stevenson
Costume Design by: Marie France
Set Decoration by: Gary Fettis
Art Direction by: Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Music by: Christophe Beck
MPAA Rating: PG for brief mild language.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: June 11, 2004
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