Garfield Gets Real

Garfield Gets Real
DVD and packaging
Directed by	Mark A.Z. Dippé
Produced by	Jim Davis John Davis
Written by	Jim Davis
Starring	Frank Welker Gregg Berger Audrey Wasilewski Greg Eagles Wally Wingert Jason Marsden Jennifer Darling Pat Fraley Neil Ross Stephen Stanton Fred Tatasciore
Music by	Kenneth Burgomaster
Production company	Davis Entertainment Paws, Inc. The Animation Picture Company
Distributed by	20th Century Fox Home Entertainment Lionsgate Home Entertainment (UK)
Release dates	August 9, 2007 (2007-08-09)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$10 million

Garfield Gets Real (also known as Garfield 3D in some regions) is a 2007 American CGI movie starring Garfield. It was produced by Paws, Inc. in cooperation with Davis Entertainment, and The Animation Picture Company and distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis, who started working on the script in the fall of 1996. This was the first fully animated Garfield film since the last Garfield and Friends TV episode aired in 1995, and the first to be written by Davis since the 1991 television special Garfield Gets a Life. The movie was released in theaters August 9, 2007, and the DVD was shipped to stores on November 20, 2007. Gregg Berger, an actor from the original series, reprises his role of Odie, but Garfield is now voiced by veteran voice actor Frank Welker, since the original actor Lorenzo Music died in 2001 and Jon is voiced by Wally Wingert, Thom Huge retired that same year. The film's success led to two sequels: Garfield's Fun Fest (2008) and Garfield's Pet Force (2009).

Plot

Garfield (Frank Welker) lives with canine Odie (Gregg Berger) and Jon (Wally Wingert) in what appears to be a suburban town inhabited by cartoon characters within the Comic Strip World. Garfield and the gang work at Comic studios with other comic characters. The comic strip is made in Comic Strip World, and sent to "The Real World" where it is printed in the newspaper. Garfield is tired of the same old jokes his friends crack, and is bored with his work and life in Comic Strip World. In fact, he even longs to go to The Real World.

Odie, unwilling to return a prop bone to the Prop Boy, tries to hide it and ends up opening a patch in the screen. The danger alarm is rung, and everyone panics. Eli (Greg Eagles), the Head Technician of Comic Studios explains to the comic characters that the screen separates Comic Strip World and The Real World, with no way back. Garfield sees his chance to go to The Real World (and eat the hot dogs opposite the news stand) and goes through the screen without anyone noticing. Later on, the comic characters realize Garfield is in the real world, and Eli blocks the patch in the screen that separates the real world by using special tape on it. Meanwhile, Odie also winds up in the Real World, and after he gets his bone back, he and Garfield go find some dinner. Garfield meets a cat named Shecky (Gregg Berger), who invites Garfield and Odie to dinner and a show. As they chat, Odie is chased by a gang of chihuahuas who want his bone. Garfield goes to save Odie, and eventually defeats the chihuahuas. Shecky and the duo head to a fence (which is known as Club Shecky) where the dinner and show is, where they meet two other pets, Waldo and Sheila. Shecky gets dinner by performing a "show" for the people who live in a building. The people who are trying to sleep get annoyed and they start throwing leftover foods at him. After dinner, Shecky brings Garfield and Odie to their new home, an abandoned hotel called Hotel Muncie.

The next day, Garfield finds a newspaper in the trash, and learns his strip will be canceled. Garfield finds an article in the newspaper asking people to audition and replace Garfield. Garfield and Odie head for the place where they are doing try-outs. The judges are not impressed by the others auditioning, and Garfield and Odie fail alongside them. The judges are more impressed in Hale and Hardy, a two dog act. One of the judges, Sid, decides to give Garfield one more chance: If Garfield's strip doesn't return to the paper in 24 hours, he and the judges will have to deal with Hale and Hardy. Garfield has an idea of building a bigger version of a concertina Wally (Neil Ross), another comic strip character, had invented (which has the ability to steal cookies) that can go through the screen back in Comic Studios and shares the idea with his friends back in Comic Strip world. Wally and the other comic strip characters then start building the giant concertina according to Wally's blueprints.

Later that night, Garfield and Odie return to Hotel Muncie. Hale and Hardy sneak in the hotel, go into Garfield, Odie and Shecky's room, and tie them up and taunt them before leaving. As they close the door, a candle is knocked over and it sets fire to a newspaper, causing the entire hotel to go on fire. Eli finds out about this and calls everyone to the screen. Wally and the others complete the finishing touches to the giant concertina. Wally then asks for two volunteers to come with him to save Garfield, Odie and Shecky. Billy Bear (Fred Tatasciore), another comic strip character who shares a strip with Randy Rabbit (Stephen Stanton), and Jon volunteer to go with Wally to save the three friends, and go through the screen by going into the giant concertina-tunnel built by Wally. They enter the burning hotel through a small hole in the wall, free the three friends, and prepare to escape, but the entire hotel is in flames and the ceiling begins to collapse, blocking the exits. Luckily, Shecky finds a trash cart that they can ride in. Jon, Wally, Odie, Garfield and Shecky jump in, and Billy Bear is about to push the cart, but Odie realizes his bone is missing and finds it on the floor in the burning room. He manages to retrieve his bone, but ends up on the chandelier in the process. Billy Bear pushes the cart and jumps in, too, and they go down the staircase. Garfield winds up on the chandelier, too, but the others eventually save him and Odie. The chandelier collapses, causing the cart and the chandelier to fall to the ground. The six duck as the cart crashes out of the hotel. The cart's wheel get wrecked, causing the cart to fling the six into the "Bonitanator." The door of the tunnel closes and disappears before the characters are transported back to Comic Strip World, soon after the newspaper catches fire and bursts into flames.

Some days later, Hale and Hardy are shown reading the newspaper and receive word that Garfield and Odie are back in the comic strips. Hale and Hardy are disappointed, and Waldo and Sheila are on their own now that Shecky is in the comic strips. The comic characters dance and celebrate the return of Garfield. Unknown to the comic characters, the chihuahuas have also gone through the "Bonitanator", and the film ends with them chasing Odie.

Cast

Cameos

Similar to the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Garfield Gets Real has cameo appearances by other comic strip characters:

• Dagwood Bumstead and Blondie from Blondie
• Grimm from Mother Goose and Grimm

References

External links

• Garfield Gets Real at the Internet Movie Database