Garfield Gets Real (2007 Video) User Reviews (25)

Another recent Garfield project that fails to deliver

[Beta_Gallinger · 5/10 · 10 September 2009]

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.

Good for young children

[caitlinmarieangelo · 4/10 · 27 December 2018]

When I was younger, I loved this movie. I watched it on repeat all the time and it always entertained me. I found the disc today and decided to watch it again for old times sake. The experience... is not what I remembered. Watching it now, I realise how flawed it is. For a Garfield movie, the jokes fall rather flat. The animation is almost terrifying in some moments and it's rather boring overall. So, I wouldn't say it's terrible. I'd say I grew out of this film around the age of eight, so therefore this is a movie for young kids only. Pre-teens and up will find little to no enjoyment while sitting through this, but overall it's not the most unbearable thing your child can make you sit through.

good for the kids,but has some scary looking characters

[disdressed12 · 5/10 · 30 January 2008]

i don't quite no what to make of this film.this is Garfield's first CG animated movie.i thought it had some amusing moments,but nothing laugh out loud funny.the story is very simple,so kids will be able to follow it very easily.the voices were very fitting for the characters.the CG in general looks nice and pretty.that's the good news.the bad news?some of the characters look quite freaky,almost scary,i think..i also found the movie very slow for much of the time.i realise i'm much older than the target audience.for kids,if they don't find some of the characters too creepy,they will probably enjoy it.adults might like it too,and if not,at least they know their kids are watching kid friendly entertainment.for me,i give Garfield Gets Real a 5/10

This Cannot Be Garfield

[SilverScreenQueen · 2/10 · 23 December 2008]

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.

Allowing Instagram to Decide What I Watch While in Isolation Day 12:

[Nathan_Needs_A_Username · 1/10 · 4 April 2020]

This is not just a bad film. This is one of the worst pieces of media I have ever consumed.

It amazes me that Garfield has been such an iconic and recognisable brand for so long and yet the quality of media produced by Paws inc. never seems to pass mediocrity and sometimes gives us mindbogglingly awful uses of the character such as Garfield Gets Real.

On the outset this film is supposed to be a critic about how stale the comic has gotten, being written by the creator, Jim Davis, himself my guess is that this was his attempt to show that their is still room for creativity and humor in Garfield. It's such a shame that Davis has never seemed to actually find any such creativity and humour.

How could they screw up Garfield this bad?! It's TERRIBLE!

[poothrowinmonkey · 1/10 · 6 February 2008]

OK I didn't watch the whole thing, I fell asleep, I didn't need to. I'll sum it up, I saw the first movie, they screwed up the characters (besides Garfield) on that. But this one is much much worse, lets see...none of the voices even sound at all like the old cartoons or even have half the of the character that they had. They all sound like they're on autopilot. It looks like it was made for 2 year olds, and here's the biggest problem, get this, Garfield's mouth moves with his words. His mouth is supposed to stay still because he's only thinking the words, he can't actually talk to john, if these morons had actually read a garfield comic strip or watched one of the cartoons before animating it they'd know that. Just as bad as the guys who made that pink panther cartoon series where he talked. It's upsetting to watch them take something I liked as a kid and dumb it down so far. See it didn't need to be dumbed down for kids, I watched the old garfield specials (before the show) when I was a kid and they were great, they were already basically for kids. This is pathetic, Garfield deserves better. Unfortunately according to this site it says Jim Davis wrote it, his strips have also been...not very funny for awhile, I think he needs to give it up, sorry to say, I still think the old garfield comic strips (collected in volumes) and the old TV specials are great. This DVD is horrid.

Avoid this or any other GCI Garfield movie

[nmoshuris11 · 1/10 · 11 February 2014]

One big waste of $10,000,000. Garfield is not supposed to be like this. He is supposed to be a cat who stays at home and can't speak. But I don't know what was wrong with Jim Davis. He has been doing comic strips everyday since 1978 and he "forgets" that Garfield does not do the comics himself, live in a real place and does not say a word. Another thing is the ugly sub-par animation. This is a movie and movies look better than TV shows. Looks worse than even the first Toy Story movie from 1995. They should not randomly change it from 2D to 3D animation. And yes, I am a true fan of Garfield (not the GCI TV program and movies) and. I am a kid.

Terrible, souless and painful to watch

[jackjarvis · 1/10 · 24 November 2020]

This film is probably the worst movie I have had the unfortunate pleasure of watching The story line is weak the animation is worse than a PlayStation 2 game. Everyone involved in this film should be embarrassed Don't watch it.

Very bad

[daviroberts-02746 · 17 September 2016]

This film is just an insult for the cartoon series and for Garfield fans, which grew up with those.

Surprisingly bad about this film is the animation, which looks like 1D, although it is 3D-CGI. The colours which were used are very flashy and unnatural, even in the real world, which has almost no differences to Garfield's comic world. Some animation looks very wrong, for example a scene, where Garfield has shaken ketchup out of its bottle.

The content can't make it up, because there aren't any jokes - and this is really a surprise, because that film was written by Garfield creator Jim Davis. It looks like if Davis would have taken early dialogues, which he didn't want to use in a strip.

The characters are in contrast to the comics and cartoon series unlikable, and Garfield itself isn't recognisable anymore, because the normally sarcastic cat became very gentle.

My opinion: Very bad. That film can be seen by young children, all other people should let the fingers from that film, even ingrained Garfield fans.

Surprisingly good!

[thomyx · 7/10 · 15 March 2009]

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

For kids

[ebobrow · 8/10 · 11 November 2007]

This film is not like the other Garfield films. The other ones anyone who loved the comic could watch. This film is JUST for kids and totters. The animation is really good for this type of film and the voice acting is great. The plot of the comic Garfield entering our world is an idea that could have been done much better if they filmed the "real" world stuff with real people because you just don't get the feel that he is in the real world.

If you are a regular Garfield fan over 10 or so you can just watch this on a Sunday afternoon as a time waster. If you have any, watch this with your kids. They will love it but could be confused never knowing who Garfield is. They will still enjoy it

This movie was a little decent, but it's complicated to call it the best Garfield movie

[whackamolewv · 6/10 · 24 June 2023]

Just like how I said in the title of this review, this movie is complicated to call the best Garfield movie, but this movie was still a little decent. I really enjoy Garfield and I really like to read Garfield and Heathcliff comic strips online, so basically I'm into the Garfield franchise. But I've seen better Garfield media than this movie. The computer-generated imagery didn't seem like Garfield's average animation. I really hope that upcoming 2024 Garfield Movie will be better than this. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I recommend you read this review after, because I'm now getting with the spoilers: At the beginning of the movie, it looked really wonderful and colorful. And when the scene changed in Garfield's house, it was a good thing Garfield was still being himself in a unique Garfield movie like this. Garfield was just complaining about Monday being today like always, just Garfield being Garfield. And if this movie was about comic strip characters, then I'm surprised Heathcliff wasn't in this movie, because Heathcliff is a comic strip character, too. After some research, I found out Garfield and Heathcliff's first appearances were in comic strips, and Heathcliff's comic strip came out before Garfield, so basically Heathcliff was the Garfield before Garfield!

A good movie

[nupreacher-696-72733 · 5/10 · 26 March 2010]

SilverScreenQueen, contrary to what you may believe, it was Jim Davis that wrote the script for Garfield Gets Real. I think it was a pretty good movie for the target audience. I like the byplay between Bonita and Walter culminating in Walter being forceful with her and her liking it. Jon nixed Walter's idea of an interdimensional portal, but isn't that essentially what Walter built in order to rescue them? And bringing Shecky along also changed the real world because it was Shecky that did everything so that his friends could eat. Another thing, if they had tape that automatically repaired the screen, then why did Eli have to ask prop boy for his special tape? I never really understood that.

Worst movie I have ever seen, and thats a compliment!

[HannaPotter · 1/10 · 26 July 2009]

This in my eyes is an insult to Garfield and to the movie world. It is on as we speak as my sister is watching it and I am sat cringing. It is stupid and the character/actor sound awful. I am child myself and if this was targeted for me then the company that made this has serious problems! I have never seen a movie as bad as this and that saying something as I have seen a lot of movies. No offence but you must have some issues if you like this movie I think this movie doesn't even deserve a 4 star rating on here! I mean this doesn't even compare to the real life Garfield movies and other things concerning him. I really think this should never have been made. Right i'm off to knock off this sorry excuse for a movie.

Loved it as a kid

[WeAreLive · 5/10 · 11 November 2017]

It has been 9 years ever since I first saw this movie so forgive me if I don't remember all of it. I begged my mom and dad to buy this movie at a store when I was younger and I was a fan of Garfield.

I mainly found it weird that they were showing a real world and a comic the world and there were some scary character designs in this movie.

Glad to be done with Garfield

[ericstevenson · 4/10 · 22 November 2017]

I believe this is the last of the Garfield movies I'll ever have to see in my life and boy am I glad. I realize that Garfield was something that has not held up as an adult. I guess you could say I grew out of it, but it just no longer entertains me. This movie features really bad CGI and everyone and everything just looks so ugly. I do admit that I like the premise as it shows how a comic strip is made. It's set up on a stage where a director takes pictures for the panels. That's actually an interesting setup. The main plot doesn't even appear until 24 minutes into the whole movie and for a film that's fairly short, that's a bad idea.

I realize now that I miss characters like Arlene appearing in the actual comics more. The only comic strip character that I recognized as appearing was Dagwood. It's just painful to watch this cheesy animation. It's rare that direct to video animated films use CGI like theatrically released ones and maybe this is the reason why. People don't seem to recognize Garfield even though there's comics of him right in front of their noses. It's not funny, it's just a dumb plot point. *1/2

An acquired taste

[jamjohnx3 · 7/10 · 16 January 2009]

Garfield is ready to make a comeback (after the live action movies) with a CGI movie, bringing the fat cat back to somewhat familiar territory: the world of animation. But Garfield purists beware, the jump to 3D comes along with a jump in plot. In order to summarize it, the odd premise must be tackled.

In Garfield Gets Real, Garfield, Odie, John Arbuckle and the rest of the cast live in the "cartoon" world. The idea behind this is that the characters acknowledge their own little fourth wall. They get up, go to work and "film" comic strips with their director and scripts like an actual movie, magically send the finished strips into the newspapers of the "real world" and then watch people's reactions through a magical window viewer that lets them see out of the newspaper. The premise is odd, a little juvenile, and feels like something reserved for fanfiction to introduce a Mary Sue (well, actually, there may be a little more thought put into than what a Sue writer would come up with).

Anyways, Garfield, like the lazy cat that he is, is now tired and bored of this everyday routine. When he discovers that it's possible for cartoons to go into the real world, he (and Odie through an accident) end up in the real world with no way back, and with the others left to watch in horror. Garfield and Odie go on to start their new lives, only to find the real world isn't all that he thought it would be cracked up to be, and that if he doesn't get home soon, his strip will be canceled.

If you compare this to the Garfield specials of old, you will probably be disappointed. Quite frankly this isn't on that level, as can be seen through its premise which is a little out there even for Garfield, but it is good for what it as. The voice acting is great, the characters are in character (Nermal is a nuisance and the first to try to benefit from Garfield's departure), but probably the most notable thing is the animation, which is excellent. There are several points where the level of skill is demonstrated, such as the introduction. In some cases I feel like they might be doing a little TOO much for something based around Garfield. I mean, Garfield doesn't exactly require Pixar animation.

My only real disappointment with this film is that, staying within the confines of the movie, it didn't play around with the idea of Garfield in the "real world" quite as much as I'd like. What he actually does there is quite limited, there just seemed like so much gag and humor potential wasted. That, and despite the animation that actual design between the cartoon and real world isn't that different. Really, the only way you can tell the difference is that the cartoon world is brighter and has certain absurdities like superheroes soaring through the air, bubbles coming out of tailpipes and ridiculous character design (that is, until you see the fat goth kid in the real world...he certainly takes the cake).

The First of the CGI "Garfield Trilogy"

[seanherbsrules · 10/10 · 26 February 2019]

I have to nothing to say about the plot, but there's comedic references here. And, since this is the first in this trilogy, the animation does go behind-the-scenes process from the Cartoon World to the Real World (Indianapolis, IN, but the name wasn't heard.), before the plot commences through around the city's newspapers called "The Herold Chronicle Standard Times Picayaue Press". Can someone get a break from being tried of comic strip processing?

Garfield is back and better than ever!

[tripdream · 8/10 · 18 December 2007]

Anyone who has seen the two live-action borefests and regretted every minute of it would do well to pick up this movie. My 5-year-old little girl loves this movie to death and she likes it much better than the other two. Having been a huge fan of the comic strip for years I was delighted to see that someone made a movie faithful to the source material. Every character looks and acts exactly as you expect them to and the animation is wonderful. You can tell that the animators took great care to craft something as amazing as the opening sequence, where the sun rises and spreads its light across the valley. Is it laugh-out-loud funny? No, but it really doesn't need to be, especially for the kids. Adults with an open mind and the heart of a child will find the movie entertaining as well. I would suggest that you rent this to see if this is something that your family will enjoy before plunking down the money to own it.

Impressive CGI. Don't understand the negative reviews

[tiffanie_says_stay_in_your_lane · 9/10 · 9 April 2024]

I grew up with Garfield. I mostly read the comic strips. I have a few DVDs of the cartoon episodes. Never really was a fan of Garfield and Friends though, because I felt like the extra characters weren't needed. I purchased this film on DVD when it came out. I still have it, but I watch it on YouTube, since I spend the majority of my time on my laptop. CGI isn't usually my favorite, but I don't understand the criticism. The animation really doesn't look all that bad. It looks a thousand times better than The Garfield Show. Garfield's body is all disproportionate and it's atrocious! In my opinion, he's much cuter here.

Garfield Gets Real is a different concept than the comics. Instead of the audience being able to hear Garfield's sarcastic thoughts as he goes throughout his days eating, and getting into all kinds of situations around his neighborhood, the story is changed around, and they're given a totally different perspective of Garfield. Along with Jon, Odie, Nermal, and Arlene - they're all living in a cartoon universe of sorts, called Toon World. They work at a place called the Comic Studios, and so do other comic strip characters. They make comics that are sent to the "The Real World," for humans to read. The film starts off quite depressing. Garfield is bored with his job. He's exhausted from his coworkers acting silly every morning, and telling the same jokes. I can identify with how he was feeling. I couldn't the first time I watched this, because I was 14, and therefore wasn't old enough to work. Kids won't be able to relate, so that aspect will go right over their head. There's a screen that separates Toon World from the human world. Wanting a change of scenery, Garfield steps through the screen. When everybody notices, the head technician, Eli, puts tape on the screen, so none of the other toons can go through. Odie also ends up on the other side, when he was trying to get his bone. They encounter a couple of stray cats and a dog. For the rest of the movie, Garfield and Odie work together to try and return to the Toon World.

Yes, I do acknowledge this film breaks a cardinal rule: Garfield talks, out loud. People who are hardcore fans of the original will be unhappy, but hey, I'm lenient with changes. As long as they don't ruin the story, anyway. I think it'll hold kids' interest, seeing as how they like CGI. I will admit - seeing Garfield portrayed as a celebrity (meaning, he was playing a cat who loved to eat and laze around the house, instead of actually BEING a cat who loved to eat and laze around the house), was a little disappointing for the imagination. But overall, it's an animated film that does have some funny moments and clever lines. It's a great choice for your family movie night if you have kids!

This Game Is Perfect

[balldoinyt · 10/10 · 27 November 2022]

Nermal. Nermal makes this movie great, amazing, perfection, can't be beaten by any other film director. I've never seen a better movie that this one, and only because of the cute grey cat herself, Nermal.

Nermal is so cute, somewhat annoying, but thats made up for by her perfect demeanor and her lovable activities, she's such an amazing cat, best cat to ever cat the cat cattery, its so raw i wouldnt do anything than watch it, nothing else Reminds me of this one FNF mod, Nermal Nermal Nermallin'. It's like this movie but in FNF, you'd love it if you like Nermal. It's so fitting.

Nermal Sweep forever.

better than avengers endgame

[tastytacos · 10/10 · 30 September 2020]

Best movie ever, 10/10. Mr. Flim Flam, Boomerang Lady, Left 4 Dead 2 Coach, Garf, Jon Cena, o d i e, and Yogi Bear star in this wonderful movie. How could this not win a award?! This is better than SpongeBob movie!

Loved it

[r-43215-87344 · 10/10 · 5 February 2022]

This video is cool I liked it but expect nermal because she so annoying all the characters in garfield are cool but not nermal she so ugly and not even a good character.

4.7/10? Are you joking me?!

[Elil · 8/10 · 8 July 2008]

Surely this film deserves more praise then it got. This is the third and best Garfield movie. Don't get me wrong. The previous two Garfield movie didn't show any resistance to the original fat cat and had countless differences with the strip. This is a Garfield movie done right.

The plot of the movie, written by Garfield creator Jim Davis, has Garfield tired of his old comic strip job. This is where we find out where a Garfield strip is made. It's like shooting a movie, but pictures are taken and are digital into a comic strip. The idea is very original. During the scene one part made me laugh unexpectedly and I won't give it away! Garfield then finds a way to get himself into the real world, and Odie gets into it too. Garfield enjoys life in real world, for a little while, but unfortunately he finds out his strip will be canceled, so he decides to try and get him and Odie back to the comic world.

The animation was fine for the movie, it had some best acting ever since the Garfield specials, and there are new and creative characters that you can get to know when you first meet them. There's also some funny parts in the movie and some fun action during the escape from the burning hotel scene.

Garfield Gets Real's not the best Garfield project, but the movie overall is smart, funny, cute, and you should be entertain from this movie. This is why I recommend this movie to Garfield fans young and old.

Two Paws Up!