"Here Comes Garfield" is an American 24-minute short film from 1982, so it has its 35th anniversary already this year. The name in the title already tells you who this is all about, but you should also know when seeing the names of director Phil Roman and writer Jim Davis as both worked on many other Garfield cartoons too. And then there is of course Lorenzo Music, who voices the title character in all these films and who is really an example of perfect casting and who elevates the material by so so much. Not that the material is any bad at all, on the contrary actually. The way the music is used here for example is pretty good and it made for one of the emotional highlights in the fantasy sequences at the pound. Actually, these scenes at the pound are maybe the main reason why I give this little movie such a high rating. It is not just genuinely funny on many occasions like the very ending about dignity, but it also offers depth and it's sad knowing what will happen to those animals who don't get taken. This one is all about the friendship between Garfield and Odie. I would not even say it's a love-hate relationships like in the comic books, but it's a genuine friendship really and there is one moment that is especially sweet, namely when we see Garfield caressing his buddy who doesn't even realize how hopeless his situation may be. There is no focus here really on Jon, even if he has some screen time at the beginning and end too, this one's all about the animals. It is actually a pretty simple story, but that's not a problem because of the runtime at all and because of the strong execution that allowed the film to deliver in terms of both drama and comedy. Comedy is probably more dominant, but nonetheless it was both funny and touching on several occasions. This was actually the beginning to a long-running series of Garfield cartoons, all between 20-30 minutes and all starring Music, who died way too early. This one here may be pretty different at times compared to the books, but on other occasions like the egg scene at the very end it feels fairly similar. I love both, but for different reasons. This film here was nominated for two Emmys and this may have been one reason why they did not stop with the character right away. Luckily for us as Garfield is just so memorable and entertaining, even if I may be a bit biased as I read the books at a pretty young age already. The Golden Age of Animation (Disney and WB cartoons) may have been long over by the early 1980s, but if this one here is what we get instead, then I am all for it and I cannot wait to check out the other films. Here comes Garfield and how he comes! I highly recommend the watch.
Review of Here Comes Garfield
