The Garfield Movie by Mark Dindal is an animated film based off of the comics. Garfield is a lazy, lasagna loving cat who lives with his owner Jon, and his very energetic companion, Odie the dog, where the two animals live a very pampered life. Things were going as normal until one night, when getting a midnight snack, the two pets were kidnapped by some strays and held hostage to lure in Garfield’s father, Vic, creating an unexpected and unwanted reunion. Things were very awkward between Garfield and his father as Garfield had been abandoned as a kitten, left to survive in the streets on his own which left a lot of hate for his father in Garfield’s mind. Together, Garfield, Vic, and Odie are forced to go on a mission to a milk farm, to pay back Garfield’s father’s debt to the group that kidnapped them to try and settle any old differences. On this journey Garfield goes through a lot, he makes new friends, learns more about his father and what life was like before he met Jon, faces betrayal, and has to do a lot more physical activity than he’s used to.
This is a very heartwarming movie, and the animation was cute. When I first began watching, I was expecting a more childish film, but as the movie went on and we learned more about everyone’s backstories and why their lives became what they are now, I quickly realized that there were many layers to it and although it may not seem like it, there are a lot of deeper meanings to parts of this movie. This is why it’s a good movie for a wide range of people, specifically children and adults. I think this movie showed a lot of good messages like that family is the most importantly thing in life, which is shown as Garfield and his father have to put aside their differences to help each other out and do what’s best for one another, and realize that at the end of the day even though it may not seem like it, they will always have each other’s backs. I would rate this movie a 4/5 because as sweet as it was, there were some parts where my attention wasn’t held as much, which is due to the fact that it is geared towards a generally younger audience. There were lots of humorous parts throughout the movie that I can definitely appreciate, and the overall message was very cute and I loved the ending. This is a perfect film for children or any families, and although this may not be my top pick, I would be completely happy to watch it again.