Electrified_Voltage
In the traditionally animated Garfield cartoons of the 80's and 90's (a bunch of TV specials, plus the long-running TV series, "Garfield and Friends"), the distinctive voice of the character was provided by the late Lorenzo Music. Since his sad passing in 2001 at age 64 from lung and bone cancer, there have been other Garfield projects (aside from the strip). In 2004, the character's first theatrical movie, simply titled "Garfield", was released, featuring the popular lazy feline as a CGI figure, voiced by famous actor/comedian Bill Murray, and live actors and real animals for all the other characters. In 2007, that movie, along with its 2006 sequel, were followed by this full CGI animated direct-to-video feature, starring voice acting veteran Frank Welker. Although both of these films have spawned sequels, neither of them is very good.Garfield lives in a suburban house with his owner, Jon Arbuckle, and dog, Odie, in the cartoon world. Other inhabitants in this world include Arlene and Nermal, also from the Garfield comic strip, and many characters from various other daily strips. Every day, these cartoon characters go to a studio to play their parts for the newspaper funnies. Garfield is tired of the same old routine, and longs for a life outside the comics. So, he escapes to the real world, and Odie soon follows as he tries to get a bone back. However, the two of them soon learn that their strip will be cancelled unless they get back into the comic world in 24 hours, and there is no known way back in from the real world! Fortunately, the other inhabitants of the cartoon world are trying to find a way to get Garfield and Odie back, but unfortunately, a muscular cat and dog really want to take their place, so they try to prevent the two stars from making it back in time! Frank Welker doesn't do a bad job providing the voice of Garfield, though it does sort of sound like a parody of the original voice. Replacing Lorenzo Music obviously wasn't easy. Of the three main characters in the series, the only original voice from the 80's and 90's cartoons featured here is that of Odie, provided by Gregg Berger. This means the voice for Jon was also replaced. Thom Huge provided that voice in the TV cartoons (except for the first one), and in this film, it is provided by Wally Wingert. There's something about Wingert's Jon voice that I didn't like. The film also doesn't quite capture Jon's famous antics. However, the biggest problem with "Garfield Gets Real" is that it isn't very funny. I smiled a bit during the scene where Odie hides the bone from the Prop Boy in his mouth and denies having it, and also smiled when Shecky (a cat Garfield and Odie meet in the real world) puts on a show so people will throw his dinner at him, but I never laughed. There are some fairly lame gags I could mention, such as the whoopee cushion joke that leads to real flatulence, and Garfield's hot dog fantasy, but I would say most of the gags are too average to be noteworthy.The 2004 live action theatrical Garfield movie is said to be strictly for kids, and I guess that's also the case with this direct-to-video computer animated film. "Garfield Gets Real" definitely bears more resemblance to the comic strip and traditionally animated cartoons than 2004's "Garfield" does, but there are still differences (not good ones) between the two. One major thing the two movies have in common is that they're not very funny at all, at least not for adults. There's one sequel to the live action film called "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties", which was released in 2006, and so far, two more direct-to-video computer animated features have come since this one ("Garfield's Fun Fest" and "Garfield's Pet Force"), but I obviously don't intend to watch any of those three films, since I don't like their predecessors. So, kids might like this 2007 non-theatrical animated feature, but if you're an adult who grew up with Garfield, then you might as well skip it and try watching some traditionally animated Garfield cartoons if you still like the character and are feeling nostalgic.
thomyx
This is what a Garfield adaptation should look like. Though 'Garfield Gets Real' may seem childish for the first time, it's recommended for all ages and for all Garfield fans. The storyline is very simple (but what can we expect from a children's movie?), and I think they should have put more effort into the visual side, but the final result is surprisingly good. Though in my opinion it's not as good as the live action movies, it's still enjoyable and fun. Some characters are a bit annoying, but it's not a problem for the kids. The fact, that the cartoon and the real world in the movie look exactly the same, is the biggest drawback of the film. A good family movie with some humor, cute characters, highly recommended. 7/10
SilverScreenQueen
Garfield is a philosophical, furry fat man originally intended by our disgruntled, coffee-slugging adults. But this is not Garfield. This is a fantasy show with a Garfield lookalike. It's watered down, badly animated, and contains horrible new characters such as Shecky, Sheila, Billy Bear, and that intolerable Bonita.Garfield is supposed to take place in a real-life setting in Muncie. This is a fake world with pseudo-physical properties that is home to the comic strip. It is an alternate reality to our own. I always preferred to think that Garfield lived right across my state border, not in a parallel universe.I don't know how Jim Davis ever allowed it (and its sequels) to ever come into production. This would be the worst Garfield film of all, if not for the Fun Fest. Awful. But then, that gives insight to my mind as well: I watched them, and I'm planning to see the Pet Force, just for the heck of it. Do we humans ever learn? I'm giving this one 2 stars, because I love Garfield. I don't think I can be that lenient on Fun Fest, though. Even my 8-year-old Garfield-loving sister couldn't stand this stuff. Give me "Babes and Bullets" any day, and leave "Gets Real" for your younger siblings and children.
