Garfield DVD Review:

Garfield's (Murray) life was pretty perfect. He had his owner John (Meyer) wrapped around his little paw, he ruled the cul-de-sac that he lives in, he could be as lazy as he wanted and eat his favourite lasagne all the time. Life couldn't be much better for a cat. Everything changed with John's potential sweetheart Liz (Love Hewitt) gave him a dog called Odie. Is the power in the Arbuckle household about to shift?

Jim Davis's much loved comic strip and cartoon series receives the live action treatment but is Garfield going to make any friends? Yes, but only some very young ones.

Fans of the comic strip and TV show will be glad to hear that the filmmakers have got their favourite fat ginger cat just right but then thrown him into a terribly scripted movie. The plot really lets the film down as our lazy hero is forced to endure an almost pantomime like villain and a typically sugary sweet Hollywood treatment that would make him cough up his lasagne. Why the filmmakers didn't get his creator Jim Davis to write the script we will never know.

Garfield himself is spot on, thanks to some fantastic computer animation and the voice of Bill Murray. Replacing the legendary Lorenzo Music, who sadly passed away in 2001, Murray brings Garfield's dry wit and sarcasm to live with great skill. There just isn't anyone else who could have voiced this much-loved character. The animation is first rate as CG Garfield effortlessly interacts with his environment and other cast members. Just watch his scenes with Odie on the chair and you will applaud the skills of the animators. That also applies to the rest of the animal cast. Some extremely well trained cats, dogs and rodents play them but the animation of their mouths and expressions is first rate.

Human cast is just there for show. Breckin Meyer doesn't really have much to do as John Arbuckle and he just isn't geeky enough to be Garfield terminally unlucky owner. Jennifer Love Hewitt is absolutely gorgeous but that just seems to be her career at the moment, nothing but eye candy. Stephen Tobolowsky does his best as Happy Chapman, the villainous TV presenter looking for his big break but he doesn't have the lines to make him a credible bad guy.

Garfield is a movie made for younger children and they will get a lot of enjoyment from it. For everyone else who grew up with the cartoon and comic strip, even their favourite ginger cat can't save the film's unimaginative script and sugary Hollywood coating. Hire out the cartoon and have some lasagne instead.

Star Rating = * * * (For Kids under 10)

Star Rating = * * (for everyone else)

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in 1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, this is a good transfer. The excellent CGI Garfield looks great, as the picture is extremely sharp throughout. The sound is also good, with a strong emphasis on Garfield's dialogue.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Audio commentary by Peter Hewitt and John Davis

The director and producer recorded this track a week before the movie opened and are still filled with optimism and love for the movie. The pair reveals how difficult it was shooting the film without its star, as Garfield was added in postproduction. They discuss the casting of the film and how Bill Murray was their first and only real choice for the role. They also talk about the CG process of creating the character, both on and off set and the writing of the story. This is a chatty and informative commentary from two people who feel passionate about their movie.

Deleted Scenes (16.36 mins)

These sixteen deleted or alternative scenes show you more Arlene, Odie and Garfield, the dog show and reveal how Garfield got into town. There are also a couple of rehearsal scenes that show how Garfield and Odie's dance was choreographed.

Garfield: Bringing the Cat to life (7.23 mins)

Producer John Davis, visual effects supervisor Dan Deleeuw, digital effects supervisor Karl Herbst, animator Matt Shumway and visual effects producer John Kilkenny reveal how Garfield was created for the movie. From conceptual drawing, through pre-vis and muscular models the crew show you how they created the characters and his performance on screen.

Games

Find Odie Maze Game

Guide Garfield through the air-conditioning vents so he can rescue Odie from the cruel Happy Chapman.

Mixing Moments with Garfield

Create you own Garfield cartoon on your TV screen.

Multi-Angle Content

Grab a number 2 pencil: The Evolution of Garfield (6.10)

Garfield creator Jim Davis takes you through the various design changes that Garfield has gone through over his near thirty-year history. You can watch Davis draw the versions of Garfield from two different angles.

Gone Nutty (4.48 mins)

An Ice Age animated short starring everyone's favourite nut-horder, Scrat.

Inside Look (4.17 mins)

Director Chris Wedge gives you a sneak-peek at the upcoming computer animated feature 'Robots'. He introduces you to the characters and gives away a few plot details.

Trailers

Previews for 'Two Brothers', 'The Magic Roundabout', 'Bratz' and 'Strawberry Shortcake'

Disc 2

- The Birth Of Garfield Featurette

- The Rise Of Garfield Featurette

- Garfield From Strip To Script Featurette

- Illustrated Technical Commentary Featurette

- Five Multi Angle Garfield Composite Workshop Segments

- Four Multi Angle Storyboard To Film Comparison Segments

OVERALL

This single disc version of the movie is a good mix for both kids and fans alike. You have the games for the youngsters and some good featurettes, deleted scenes and a history class from Jim Davis himself for the fans. While most Garfield aficionados will buy the two-disc set, the single disc package still isn't a bad option for fans of the movie, as Fox have done a good job. Well worth a rent.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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