Is The Garfield Movie Appropriate by the Ent. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch
Movie: The Garfield Movie (You can Watch Here, when available)
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Animated
Length: 1 hr. 44 mins.
Age suggested: 6 and up (For younger watchers, check out our “Is The Garfield Movie Appropriate?” Section below
Release Date: May 24th, 2024
Warnings: Abandonment, Comic violence, Scary creatures, Mild jump scares
The Garfield Movie Summary
The Garfield Movie delves into the past of Garfield. We get introduced to baby Garfield who is left by his father, but quickly finds Jon and settles in. Jump in time five years and Garfield is kidnapped, leading him to learn more about himself, his history, and his own abilities in ways that he never that he could.
The Garfield Movie Review
The Garfield Movie takes the classic comic strip character and aims to give him an emotional back story while sending him off on a new adventure. The plot is a bit simple, but does have a few sweet moments and quite a few laughs. It isn’t a simple task to give a cat who hates Mondays and loves lasagna a deep meaningful story arc. Throughout the movie, Garfield is presented as entitled and lazy, and honestly by the end, that really didn’t change much. I think this movie succeeded at creating a plot that will keep the viewer interested while providing enough secondary characters to cheer for and love.
Although Chris Pratt has had a lot of success in voice acting (See The Lego Movie and The Super Mario Bros Movie), there was a bit of a disconnect for me on this character, but he still plays the silly, lovable character well. The highlight to me was the Ted Lasso reunion of Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein who voice the main villain, Jinx, and her number one lackey, Roland, respectively. In particular, Jinx’s over the top performance made what could have been a straight forward basic villain and much more memorable character.
Overall, The Garfield Movie provides a number of laughs with enough of a plot without overstaying its welcome. With that said, for younger viewer, there may be some things to check out to make sure it is right for them.
Is The Garfield Movie Appropriate?
(Contains Spoilers)
The Garfield Movie is a pretty innocent kids movie, but does have a few things to note for younger viewers. The main one is that of the overall vibe and presence of some of the villains. For example, the two lackeys of Jinx are often shown as very menacing and dangerous creatures. Although none of this really comes to much, their presence is intimidating.
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There is a factory scene where the main characters are in lots of peril with fire, knives and other threats. There were a few specific scary moments of note. On was a bird gets eaten quite abruptly and another bird lands on an electric fence and is shocked in a bit of a jump scare moment. There is also one small moment at the end when two lovers are reunited and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” and they kiss then jump offscreen.
A Note for Adoptive/Foster Parents
The Garfield Movie revolves heavily around Garfield being abandoned as a kitten. Although we learn later that this was a misunderstanding, this feeling lingers throughout much of the film. We learn that Vic, Garfield’s dad, was looking for food for Garfield when he was put in a place where he couldn’t back to him quickly. By the time he returns, he sees Garfield in the care of Jon and decides to let him stay with Jon.
Vic does stay around, although Garfield does not learn this until the end of the film and spends much of the film feeling abandoned by Vic. In one moment of the movie, Vic seemingly abandons him again, but again to keep him safe. By the end of the film, Garfield and Vic are fully reunited and are living with Jon.
Favorite The Garfield Movie Quotes
And like every great story, it started on a dark and stormy night…
Once we were settled in, I even let John have a pet.
Just let the pepperoni’s healing power work their magic!
Please take me! I’m ready to go to that all you can eat buffet in the sky.
Part of me wants to be mad at her for kidnapping us, but you got to love her energy.
You’ve been quiet. Are you feline sad?
Is today a Monday? Because it feels an awful lot like a Monday.
Oh cheddar. Possibly one of my top 26 favorite cheeses.
I never understood the purpose of salad until this exact moment.
You gave me another chance. That’s all that matters.
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