"The comic strip hasn't been funny in years, but Bill Murray rescues the movie from the same fate (with) his purringly petulant voice performance."
Rob Blackwelder SPLICEDWIRE
"An amusing film that won't disappoint fans of the long-running comic strip."
Meg Jones MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
"I don't know who had the idea that Bill Murray would be the right actor to do Garfield's voice, but the casting is inspired."
Roger Ebert CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
"I recommend it as a family film that kids will enjoy and adults will find unexpectedly pleasant."
Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT
"A delightful feline festival."
Harvey S Karten COMPUSERVE
"With his acerbic wit, masterful way of using vocal intonations and attitude, Murray shows why he is the only person who can make Garfield come to life."
Willie Waffle WAFFLEMOVIES.COM
At A Glance
"Garfield: The Movie has the same slapstick/sophisticate tone as its print counterpart." Eleanor Ringel Gillespie ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
"It's about time that Garfield became a big movie star," says producer John 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." Davis and his co-producer Brian Manis had been pursuing the creator of "Garfield", Jim Davis, for several years trying to gain the rights to put Garfield on the big screen. Finally agreed, deciding yes, it was time to bring the worlds most famous cat to the movies. But why did it take so long? "I've always treated Garfield as a real cat," says Davis. "He actually exists like that in my head. A new technology can now represent him in this authentic way." While both Jim [the creator] and John [no relation] share the same surname, they also shared another important ideal that was critical for "Garfield" becoming a movie. They both "wanted to be faithful to the essence of Garfield, which has made Garfield a worldwide, household name for over twenty five years." Garfield's creator Jim Davis goes so far as to admit that there is a lot of Garfield in Jim and vice versa. "I'm thirty percent Garfield," he revealed. "I don't jog, I love Lasagna, and I love to relax." So what does he do with the rest of Jim Davis. "The other seventy percent of me, I put into Garfield's owner Jon. I'm a daydreamer, and I draw on my college dating experiences for failures in Jon's love life." So what does he attribute Garfield's popularity to?. Several reasons he says. "He's a physical animal when it comes to humour, and kids love that." That's the little ones covered but what about teenagers? "Teens identify with his resentment for authority," he said. "He's very much his own cat." Well that covers the 'rebellious years', but what about adults? "On an adult level, he relieves our guilt about such little foibles as over-eating, sleeping too much, not exercising enough, or being unmotivated," Davis says. So in a nutshell, Garfield speaks a generational language? "He has the courage to say and do a lot of things that we wouldn't. So he speaks for a lot of us." To bring Garfield's story to the screen, John Davis approached scriptwriters Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. The two writers travelled to Muncie, Indiana to meet Garfield's creator. "Jim was a great resource for us," Sokolow [who with Cohen had written the scripts for "Cheaper By The Dozen" and "Toy Story"] said, adding that Jim Davis had "this uncanny ability to immediately see in our script what is true to Garfield and what is not quite right." After meeting Davis the next task for the writers was to sift through twenty five years of comic strips and come up with a theme. The one they chose has universal appeal. Sibling rivalry! But there was one important factor, essential for the success of Garfield. His voice.
"We looked for someone with a biting, satarical, iconic and brilliant sense of humour," Davis said. So who fitted the bill? "We were fortunate enough to get the perfect person," he said, "comedy legend, Bill Murray". Those who go to see "Garfield The Movie" will agree with the films producer who says, "Bill Murray is hilarious. He has just the right delivery and attitude to be the cat. It was perfect casting." How perfect John? "I couldn't be happier," he said. The next question is where did they find Garfield's new housemate Odie? Now I shouldn't tell secrets but here's one for the kids. Famous animal coordinator Larry Madrid had just the dog. A half dachshund, half cairn terrier mix named Tyler. "I had worked with Tyler on another movie and I thought he'd be perfect for Odie because he looks cartoonish with his long body, short legs and expressive eyes," Madrid says. And here's another secret kids. Tyler had a stand-in. A doggie double. Guess who it was. None other than his identical sister Chloe. Oh yes, "Garfield The Movie" is full of surprises and the best surprise is this. "It's just purr-fect feline fun for eveyone." With a sequel in the wind (which I hear will reunite the main stars from this movie with comedian Billy Connelly) called "Garfield: A Tale Of Two Kitties", the future looks bright for the cat everyone loves.
Meet The Creator
Everyone, well just about everyone, has heard of "Garfield" but how many know much about his creator Jim Davis? Davis was born in Marion Indiana USA and raised on the farm of his parents James and Betty Davis along with his younger brother Dave [nicknamed 'Doc']. The world may never have known of Garfield had Davis led a healthy life while growing up. He may have followed in the footsteps of his parents had he not suffered from Asthma. Forced to spend many hours indoors the young Jim Davis whiled away the hours drawing. He admits those early drawings were pretty bad. So bad that he had to label them. They say practice makes perfect and so it was for Davis. By the time he was attending Junior High, his asthma was on the improve. After completing high school Davis attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He completed his university years by majoring in Art and Business. Some say he also majored in the art of practical jokes. He then spent two years working with Tom Ryan the creator of the "Tumbleweeds". Davis learnt much during these two years and it led to him creating his own comic strip, "Gnorm Gnat". He was once told, while trying to sell the concept, "It's funny, but bugs? Who can relate to a bug?". He persevered for five years until he killed Gnornm off by crushing the bug to death with a giant foot that fell out of the sky.
One thing Davis had noticed about the newspaper comic pages was that there were lots of strips which featured dogs. Yet strangely, none of them featured a cat. Davis had an advantage when it came to cats, after all, he had grown up on a farm and as he recalled, "the barnyard had its share of strays; about twenty five, at one time", he recalled. Combining his childhhod memories, his wit and talent, Davis came up with the worlds most famous cat, "Garfield". Many wonder where the name came from. Well Davis named him after his grandfather, James Garfield Davis. On June 19th 1978 "Garfield" made his debut in 41 US newspapers. A few months later the Chicago Sun-Times cancelled the strip. After 1300 angry readers protested "Garfield was reinstated. The rest is history. Today "Garfield" is a world wide phenomenon with his own studio, Paws Inc which looks after his global interests. How popular is "Garfield"? Well he appears in 2570 newspapers and is read by 263 million readers around the world. "Garfield", the lasagna loving, fat, lazy, bossy, self centred, orange ball of fur has rewarded his creator with a host of awards. Four EMMY AWARDS; National Cartoonist Society Best Humour Strip Award in 1981 and 1985; the coveted Reuben Award in 1990; the Elzie Segar Award 1990; induction into the Licencing Hall Of Fame in 1998 and his most recent; being named The Most Widely Syndicated Comic Strip In The World by the Guiness Book Of Records.
Jim Davis is married to Jill Davis. They have three children. James, Ashley and Christopher.
Crew Bytes
"Garfield The Movie" was .......
directed by Peter Hewitt ["The Borrowers", "Thunderpants" and "The Candy Show"]; screenplay by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow ["Cheaper By The Dozen", "Toy Story", "Goodbye Lover" and "Money Talks"]; production design by Alexander Hammond ["Donnie Darko", "The Contender", "Capital City" and "Dead Simple"]; edited by BAFTA Award winner Peter Berger ["Like Mike", "Fatal Attraction", "Les Than Zero" and "The Promise"]; costume designer Marie France ["The Borrowers", "Coneheads", "Tom and Huck", "Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey" and Gridlock'd"]; director of photograhpy by Dean Cundley ASC ["Apollo 13", "Flubber", "Halloween", "What Women Want" and "Jurassic Park"]; produced by John Davis ["Daddy Day Care", "Paycheck", "I, Robot" and "Behind Enemy Lines"]; original music by EMMY Award winner Christophe Beck ["Under The Tuscan Sun", "Cheaper By The Dozen", "Bring It On" and "A Cinderella Story"].
"Garfield The Movie" was executive produced by Neil Machlis ["Dr Doolittle 2", "The Birdcage", "Postcards From The Edge", and "Bedazzled"] and co-produced by Michelle Iperato Stabile ["Scrooged", "The Birdcage", "Primary Colors" and "Regarding Henry"] and Brian Manis ["Twister", "The Client", "The Firm" and "Ali"].
Casting About
"Garfield The Movie" stars .......
Breckin Meyer ["Roadtrip", "Go", "Kate and Leopold", "Rat Race" and "Clueless"]; 1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Award winner Jennifer Love Hewitt ["The Suburbans", "Sister Act 2", "Heartbreakers" and "The Tuxedo"]; Stephen Tobolowsky ["Groundhog Day", "Sneakers", "Thelma and Louise", "Memento" and "Adaptation"]; Evan Arnold ["Monster In The Closet", "The Willies", "Caught in the Act" and "Spider-Man"]; Mark Christopher Lawrence ["Caddyshack II", "That Darn Cat", "Planet of the Apes" and "K-PAX"]; Vanessa Christelle ["Garfield The Movie"]; Daamen J Krall ["Runaway", "Father of the Bride", "Babe" and "Lilo & Stitch"]; Michael Monks ["Snapdragon", "Air Force One", "Hijack" and "Nobody's Baby"] with BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award winner Bill Murray["Caddyshack", "Groundhog Day", "Stripes", "Tootsie" and "Ed Wood"] as the voice of "Garfield".
The Story
"The movie is far from a cat-astrophe, but it's also nowhere near purr-fect." ....... Peter Howell TORONTO STAR
That big ol' orange bundle of overweight fur who has graced the pages of newspapers for many a year has managed to make the leap into the big time with his very own movie. Yes, Garfield comes alive in his very own feature film, "Garfield: The Movie". Garfield's in big trouble. His owner Jon has Garfield's nose out of joint when he brings home a cute cuddly dog, Odie. Instantly jealous because newcomer Odie is getting all the attention, Garfield locks him out of the house. Odie runs off and is kidnapped by an evil television personality, Happy Chapman. Garfield coudn't be happier now he has his patch back. But Jon and veterinary surgeon Liz are really concerned. They don't suspect Garfield so now it's up to the fat cat to save the day. He sets out to rescue his new housemate.
The Verdict
"Purr-fect fun for the family. "Garfield The Movie" is sure to have the kids sqealing with delight at his onscreen antics. Bill Murray voices the star giving the fat orange cat just the right finishing touch. Those who aren't fans of the comic strip, but love an animated feature, could do far worse than seeing "Garfield The Movie". Good opportunity for the family to have a fun day at the flicks with "Garfield" that lasagna loving feline."
The Voice Cast
Bill Murray
Nick Cannon
Alan Cumming
David Eigenberg
Brad Garrett
Jimmy Kimmel
Debra Messing
Richard Kind
Debra Jo Rupp
Jordan Kaiser
Wyatt Smith
Alyson Stoner
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Garfield
Louis
Persnikitty
Nermal
Luca
Spanky
Arlene
Dead Rat
Mom Rat
Kid Rat
Kid Rat
Kid Rat
The Cast
Breckin Meyer
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Stephen Tobolowsky
Evan Arnold
Mark Christopher Lawrence
Vanessa Christelle
Daamen Krall
Eve Brent
Bill Hoag
Michael Monks
Mel Rodriguez
Juliette Goglia
Ben Kronen
Fabio Serafini
Jerry Hauck
Jerry Giles
Evan Helmuth
Annalea Rawicz
Leyna Nguyen
Joe Bays
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Jon
Liz
Happy Chapman
Wendell
Christopher Mello
Miss True-Value
Announcer
Mrs Baker
Roy the Lodge Member
Deputy Hopkins
Security Officer
Little Girl
Older Man
Red Cap
Cop
Conductor
Steward
Information Agent
News Reporter
Raccoon Lodge Member
The Crew
Directed by Peter Hewitt
Adapted from the Jim Davis comic strip "Garfield"
Written by Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow
Produced by John Davis
Executive Producers Neil A Machlis & Brian Manis
Original Music by Christophe Beck
Cinematography by Dean Cundey
Film Editing by Peter E Berger
Casting by Brennan Dufresne & Risa Bramon Garcia
Production Design by Alec Hammond
Art Direction by Suttirat Anne Larlarb
Set Decoration by Gary Fettis
Costume Design by Marie France
Production Manager Michele Imperato Stabile
Run Time 75 minutes
Rated G [AUST]
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