Don't Believe the Hype

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

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.

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).

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!

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.