Garfield needs no introduction, he’s the most famous recognisable orange cat in the world. Fat orange cats are synonymous with the name, Garfield. He has existed for almost 50 years but yet, it’s maddening to think that Garfield has never had an animated theatrical feature film until now. How is the lasagna-loving cat’s first foray into big-screen animation? It’s my pasta pleasure to say that while it’s nothing remarkable or Pixar-level, it’s fun for family and kids.

I Hate Mondays

Garfield is Garfield. He hates Mondays, loves lasagna and he’s a lazy fat cat. That’s all you need to know about Garfield before watching The Garfield Movie and that’s all you will get after coming out of watching The Garfield Movie. What I’m saying is that The Garfield Movie is a perfectly decent and fun animated movie but I never expected it to be a Pixar-level, and I was right. There’s no subversion of expectations here and it’s not any emotional tear-jerker in the vein of Pixar’s Up or Coco. The plot and narrative are generic and predictable by playing it safe (the premise is essentially a heist film), but it’s no less fun. The experience can be akin to watching most of the average animated movies from Illumination (the studio behind the Despicable Me and Minion movies).

The Garfield Movie is as simple as the jokes are in the Garfield comic strips, which were never complex to begin (which, in turn, is why they became so popular in the first place). That being said, the humour and comedy in The Garfield Movie are mostly catered to children and kids, so there isn’t much here for older viewers or adults to really laugh out loud at with a few exceptions such as a character surprisingly suggesting that Jon Arbuckle start using online dating apps like Tinder and several pop culture-related jokes.

Jinx in GARFIELD

So, yeah, The Garfield Movie is first and foremost a movie for kids and younger viewers, so don’t expect some of the darker or more cynical jokes from the comics (or anything Garfield-related on the Internet like Lasagna Cat). As for the animation, it all looks as good as a big-budget animated movie should, though it’s not as visually striking, vibrant or creative as the Spider-Verse movies (which are also by Sony Pictures Animation).

Just like he was in 2023’s Super Mario Bros. Movie, Chris Pratt is just fine as the voice of Garfield. The rest of the cast is just fine as well, but I wish we could have gotten more of Nicholas Hoult’s Jon Arbuckle. That’s probably the biggest flaw of the movie, in my opinion. There’s nothing wrong with exploring the relationship between Garfield and a deadbeat dad who abandoned him as a kitten (Vic, played by Samuel L. Jackson) but the movie would have been improved by replacing Vic with Jon instead. In the comics, it’s usually just Jon and Garfield most of the time. Perhaps a sequel can put more focus on Jon and his relationship with Garfield. As it is, there’s really not much depth in The Garfield Movie.

Fine Feline

The Garfield Movie offers a charming and harmlessly fun time for families and younger viewers, though it’s too generic and lacks depth or something special to truly attract older viewers. If you like Garfield, or cats in general, you’re still in for a good time. However, The Garfield Movie could have been a lot better if it took more risks and adapts more elements from the comics.

P.S.: Stay until the very end of the credits for a wonderful surprise, a special comic strip drawn by Garfield creator Jim Davis (but I won’t spoil what the comic strip is about).

FINAL SCORE: 60/100

We attended a press screening of The Garfield Movie courtesy of Sony Pictures Malaysia. The Garfield Movie premieres in Malaysian cinemas on 22 May 2024.