Well with the mediocre Garfield the Movie now playing in theaters (the few that have nothing better to show) it looks like the movie was one big rip off for fat cat fan’s. But on the contrary while the movie may not be great but where getting some great DVD’s featuring specials and complete seasons of the fat cat’s tv show because of it. Garfield has himself is the first one and for 10 dollars, which is the price for you and a friend who will never speak to you again to go see the life action movie, you get 3 great TV specials now on DVD.

All of these contain the voice of Lorenzo Music doing the voice of Garfield. Now Bill Murry’s Garfield in the movie was pretty good, it kept the live action movie from being the worse movie I’ve seen since return to never land. But let’s face it Music was the fat cat and he hit’s every line in all of these specials with grace and eaze and his jokes are always funny.

Here Comes Garfield.
The first fat cat special that aired in the early 80’s and dang does Garfield look different then he does today. He’s fatter, he walks on all 4 most of the time and his eyes are smaller. Any way’s the first special is pretty much a 22 minute, much simpler, and a lot better version of Garfield the live action movie.

The episode starts out with Garfield getting up, waking Jon up and then getting fed. But he starts a fight with Odie and he’s out on his keister. While Odie and him have fun outside the next door neighbors dog starts to attack Garfield. But when Garfield and Odie chase the dog back to the owners house and start to pick on it the owner calls the pound and they manage to catch the dim witted pup. Since Garfield can’t tell Jon what’s gong on exactly he mopes around for a while. After a late night binge he decides the only way to save the dim witted pup before he get’s the big sleep is to orchestrate the largest pound break in the history of the city.

My thoughts.
The first Garfield Special does have a lot in common with the movie. Minus Jon for the most part and Liz, and the Happy Chapman characters in this we have basically the same idea. Garfield has gotten Odie in to trouble and he has to get him out before something really bad happens to Odie. Of course Garfield doesn’t seem to be has shallow, after all the next door neighbors fuzz ball of a hound deserves to be picked on, Garfield and Odie where just following up on his actions. But it’s Garfield who takes it to far and get’s Odie in trouble. Like the movie though Garfield doesn’t emeadily jump up and go to Odie’s rescue, he’s to lazy for it. But once he decides to get up enough nerve he’s out to rescue Odie. The ending and the whole pay off’s a lot better then the movie.

This made for tv special was made in 1982 and I am presuming extremely low budget because there’s a few scenes where the Garfield model appears different, and the colors can often change. Luckily this is the only one that has that problem, and it’s still a classic. By the way one of the biggest nit picks in the live action movie is that Garfield dances around, well just for the record Garfield begins the special by getting up and dancing to the theme. But in Garfield style once the music stops he falls down and goes to sleep.

Garfield on the Town.
Probably the best out of all of them, Garfield on the town has a bit better animation, and the Garfield that we know of him today starts to emerge. But it’s several years before what we saw in the Garfield and friends tv show, and what he is in this movie though. So while his face looks about right he’s still attached to a really fat body that has to walk around on all four.

In this one Garfield is forced to go to the vet when he and Odie destroy the house in one of there fights. While driving there he falls out of the car while fidgeting and winds up on the wrong side of town. While at first he thinks that it’s his lucky day getting rid of Jon and not having to see the vet. But it isn’t long before the tabby realizes he’s in trouble, and it get’s worse when he runs into a group of vicious alley cat’s known has the claws. When he hides in an abandon Italian restaurant he runs into his mother and the rest of his family. And while he’s glad to find his past he also find’s out that you can’t go home again.

While the original special was good this one’s a lot better. We see Garfield’s mom which has made a few appearances in the script, and we see his family. Unlike Garfield who is now a fat house cat the rest of his family doesn’t have it to well. There forced to be mousers to survive (something Garfield refuses to do) and they have to put up with other alley cat gangs attacking them. Something Garfield has never imagine doing.

Liz the vet makes a small cameo appearances in this, but in this appearance we see how screwed up they made her part in the movie. Jon call’s her up to ask about Garfield which right away turns her off, and when Jon tells her that he’s worried that Garfield might get hit by a car, she tells him to go call a tow truck. Mean and a bit sassy is the way Liz the vet is supposed to be, not the happy go lucky always smiling one that is in the movie.

Garfield get’s a life.
The last one and it’s definitely not to the same caliber has the last 2, mainly because there going for a pure comedy and nothing really touching. It also focuses more on Jon then it does on Garfield and Odie. By this time it’s 1991 and Garfield and Friends is one of CBS biggest shows next to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of course. And this special plays like a 22 minute extended short from the show. The animation looks like it does on the show and by this time we pretty much have the Garfield we all know and love today he walks on two feet and isn’t has fat has he was before.

In this one we find Jon and Garfield being bored with there lives so Garfield digs up a book on how to get a date, and they hit the mall, the beach, and the single clubs only to have Jon embarrassing himself in the process. So when they see an ad advertising Lorenzo school for the personality impaired they decide to sign up for classes. Could the nerdy Lroenzo help Jon get a date, and how come Garfield is accepted in all of these places.

Now don’t get me wrong this isn’t a bad special, unlike the live action movie there’s some actual real laughs here. Like Jon getting mocked for disco dancing and commenting that you learn a dance and 14 years later they change it. And Garfield’s line about Jon eating a tape here after a failed pick up line at the rental place is pretty funny to. We also see how funny the movie could have been if more of the Jon from the comic strip was put into the move. Now don’t get me wrong Breckenmyer didn’t do bad has Jon, or at least Jon from the beginning of the comic who’s problem wasn’t that he was a loser but he was just extremely average. However if they made Jon a loser like he is now, and Liz well Liz they could have some pretty funny stuff going between them in the movie.

DVD extra’s.
Not much in the extra department you have a Spanish language track and an option to play the specials at once or watch them individually. You also have a short 5 minute look at behind the scenes of the live action movie. Other then that there isn’t any thing really big about the extra’s on the disc. But what do you expect for 10 dollars.

The video quality isn’t bad but it’s nothing to write home about either. Like the Teenage Muntant Ninja Trutles DVD the video quality in this is probably better then those old deteriorating VHS you have.

Final Recommendation.
He’s fat cat, cool cat, look out here comes Garfield on his first DVD, and hopefully a lot more to follow on DVD. The movie was a disappointment but the DVD’s that are coming out featuring the tubby tat aren’t going to be.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4