Customer Reviews

Garfield: Fantasies (Garfield's Babes and Bullets / Garfield's Feline Fantasies / Garfield : His Nine Lives)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I don't really remember much about the other two specials on this disk, I personally have been waiting a long time for Garfield, his nine live to come out.
His lives rang from being a prehistoric cave-cat, the beloved pet of an Egyptian pharaoh, the third he belongs to a girl named Chloe and they live in a "wonderland" like garden, the forth he belongs to a court musician, the next he's a stunt cat, then is my favorite life (he also says 6 must be his lucky number leading me to believe this is his favorite life too.) In which he is given to a little girl named Sara for her eight birthday along with piano lessons, he grows up with her as she grows into adulthood and become a piano player. The end of this story has always made me cry from the first time I saw it to this day. (and I'm 21 now) In life seven Garfield is a lab test subject that escapes and actually gets away in a most interesting manner. Number 8 is the life we all know and love in witch Garfield lives with John and Oddie. In this one we get to see Garfield in his first moments in the Italian restaurant he was born it before he is adopted by John. The ninth life Garfield give us a "sneak preview" of, Garfield and Oddie are astronauts going into space and has a great ending.

I recently recieved this DVD as a gift and was pleased with it in general. I rated it only as 4 stars simply due to the quality of animation- which was of the norm in the late eighties on up to today.

For those who feel this DVD is too "weird" or "dark" for children please take into account two things, first being that the "9 Lives" was actually revised for television and differs from the book which had much harsher language and some content that is actually bloody, where as "Babes and Bullets" first appeared in "9 Lives" the book as one of the lives and then as it's own more light-hearted and comedic book of the same title-the latter of which is the backbone for this animated special.

As for taking these away from younger viewers who may not "get" all the jokes, you're missing the point. You shouldn't be keeping the young one from watching but rather watching it with them. This is why some of the gags are more adult in nature and why these cartoons originally aired in prime-time, to appeal to a broader audience. These are classics which should be enjoyed by both children and the Child in those of us seeing them again!

Ok...I am a big Garfield fan and I loved the Garfield Holiday celebrations DVD that came out last year because those were some of my all-time faves..but...while the toons on this DVD are very good I'd like to see it more in the $10 price range, especially considering you get some 9 hours of material on the Garfield and Friends boxed sets for just over $30 while this DVD is just two hours. Oh well...you get two 30 minute Garfield toons and one hour long toon along with a Strawberry Shortcake trailer.

"Garfield's Nine Lives" is an hour-long Garfield special originally show in 1988. Garfield looks back on his various nine lives such as his prehistoric life, Garfield's life as a member of Royalty, Garfield in Silent movies, Garfield in the future and more.

"Garfield's Babes & Bullets" is a spoof of crime noir films as Garfield plays detective Sam "Spayed" working a case involving a mysterious dame. This one won an Emmy award.

"Garfield's Feline Fantasies" has Garfield fantasizing about commanding a sub and being an Indiana Jones-style adventurer.

To be sure, these are all great, especially Garfield's nine lives. I suppose $15 isn't so bad, especially for great material.

Never mind the other stuff. Garfield's 9 Lives is a must-watch, regardless of whether you are a Garfield fan or not. I don't, for the most part, even like Garfield (certainly doesn't hold a candle to Calvin and Hobbes), yet I can say without hesitation that this is the second best thing I've ever watched (and I have a good memory for what I've watched). Not seeing Garfield's 9 Lives should be a crime. It's the sort of stuff that could make you into a better human being. It is nothing like the rest of Garfield, be it the comic strip or the animated cartoon, but rather a series of 9 animated short stories, most of which weren't even written by Davis. Most of the rest of Garfield is a repetition of 'oh, he's so fat', 'oh, he hates Mondays', 'oh, he hates Spiders', 'oh, he hates Nermal because he's too cute', or one of a few other formulas that stopped being funny long ago. But the 9 Lives are unique and undeniably genius. Especially the third life, a heavily symbolic retelling of the story of the Garden of Eden which I'd rank as the single most brilliant 5 minutes of television ever produced by the human race (and it ends with them being innocent of the so-called original sin!), and the sixth life which through its horrendous sadness captures the essence of what it means for a human to love a cat (platonically of course). All in all, Garfield goes through the full spectrum of what a cat is, was, and could be. And the very end to it all meets the standards set by the rest and will not disappoint.

Interestingly enough, this also contains 'Babes and Bullets', which was originally one of Garfield's 9 Lives - in the book, that is. So all in all, you kind of get 10 lives with this DVD.

This is a collection of three Garfield stories that predates the Garfield and Friends show. If you're looking for a quick chuckle and notorious Monday jokes then you are going to be surprised by two of the three shows. These shows are not Saturday morning skits stretched out into an hour but instead each one is an alternate world onto itself. Sounds bizarre? It is a little but is one of those rare treats that appeals to both children and adults.

Garfield Feline Fantasies: An over active imagination sets Garfield out on an adventure that is clearly inspired by popular movies of the 80's and earlier. Of the three shows on the DVD this is probably the one that most resembles the Garfield of the comic strips. It's still fun to watch and has it's laughs but the main reason for buying this DVD is the following episodes.

Babes and Bullets: Garfield is a hard-nosed detective out to solve a murder. Yes, Garfield is solving a *murder*. Garfield narrates the entire plot line just like a Mikey Splane book from the 80's filled with dames, plot twists, and witty one-liners.

His Nine Lives: This show alone is worth the price of the DVD. It follows Garfield thru all of his past 7 lives and his future 9th life. It starts with "God" creating a cat. Not an old man with wings floating in clouds but a ghostly image of what looks like the outline of a mans face. Garfields lives are not all non-stop laughs (but some of them are just fun) as some of them tackle the issue of death and animal cruelty. It's not enough for me to just say this is bizarre or tackles an adult issue so I'm going to tell about one of the lifes.

*Spoiler* The story of Garfield's life is narrated by a woman who owned Garfield as a child. She learned to play piano with Garfield always sitting on the piano and listening to her play. The girl grows up and goes to college leaving her cat. She comes back with a husband and a child. Garfield is now an old cat and still looks for the woman to play piano for him even though she is too busy with her child. Eventually Garfield is too old to jump on the piano in hopes of her playing him a tune. The woman knows her days are almost over with Garfield and puts him on the piano and plays one last concert for him. As she cuts of the light to leave for the night Garfield moves to the piano keys and gently passes away. The woman is saddened by his loss but says "It was for the best anyway". As a pet owner and a father to a child I can tell you this episode cuts deep and still leaves me with bittersweet emotions.

Other reviews have brought up the issue of these episodes not being appropriate for a child. I saw these episodes on TV back when I was a child myself and remember them fondly. Babes & Bullets and His Nine Lives would not make the cut anymore on prime time television which is a shame.

If you are reading this review now, then you're probably already a Garfield fan of sorts, or at least know someone who is. For those of you that do know of the most recognizable cat in history, this is a must own for your DVD collection. If you are new to Garfield, trust me, you will want to pick up this video as well!

All three of the titles on this disc were originally aired as specials on television. The Garfield specials have won many accolades in the past, including a number of Emmys for their work. Just like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" or "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," the Garfield animated shows were (and still are) an integral part of many holidays and family viewing. The great part is they still hold meaning and poignance to this day.

The first episode was originally from the book "Garfield: His Nine Lives," the segment called "Babes and Bullets." In it, Garfield plays a detective, Sam Spayed (quote: "Are you Spade?" "I never know how to answer that.") who is hired to investigate an accident, believed to be murder. It definitely has some Bogart charm and nostalgia, especially being mostly in black & white. Not to give anything away, but there are a few twists involved.

Next, "Garfield's Feline Fantasies" explore the overactive imagination of a cat. Those of you who are cat owners out there can no doubt identify with Garfield's predicament, being a cat who dreams up all sorts of crazy notions. There's a bit of Maltese Falcon and Raiders of the Lost Ark tossed in for recognition and it's quite well done.

The last piece, however, is deserving of all five stars alone. "Garfield: His Nine Lives" is taken mostly from the book, but with a few differences. A few of the original stories were removed (including "Babes and Bullets") and replaced with equally amusing and clever stories. The latter of these three is a very touching and heart-warming addition about the devotion of a cat to its owner. Many of the vignettes are departures from the typical animation style that Garfield is known for. This helps the show overall, I believe, as each piece is set in its own world with its own style.

Garfield fans should definitely add this to their collection without hesitation. For fans of good family entertainment, animation, cats, humor, and quality viewing, this is also a must-own piece. Enjoy!

After watching an ubteenth generation VHS posting on YouTube several time I bought this DVD for one five minute segment only: "Diana's Piano" (aka "LIfe # 6" from Garfield's 9 Lives). I haven't even bothered to watch the other two specials.
I saw "9 LIves" when it first aired in 1988 and, when it was over" "Piano" was the ONLY portion I still rememberd! (I suspect it was not produced with Garfiend in mind.)
19 years later a neighborhood cat who prowled the streets at night latched onto me and eventually I did addopt her. (She's sleeping next to me as I write this!) As soon as I became an official cat owner I was glad to rediscover "Diana's Piano. Bassed on other comment's posted here (and YouTube) this short cartoon has become a cult classic and should be considered manditory viewing for all cat lovers/owners! (That and "Harry & Tonto".)

When i saw this i HAD to have it. I have the book feline fantasies, so when i saw there was a movie, i snatched it up...and it didnt dissapoint! For Garfield lovers it has tons of re-watchability, and my 5 year old daughter doesnt mind watching it over and over again. bright music and hilarious! the babes and bullets by lou rawls, puts you in the casblance mood for real...classic!!!!

I bought this set of Garfield videos for the second DVD, "Garfield: His Nine Lives." I had seen this DVD years ago on TV and enjoyed it very much. The entire set of three DVDs is very nice, however, but you have to be a Garfield fan to enjoy some of the humor.

My brother and I always enjoyed reading Garfield comics and books growing up, and I religiously watched "Garfield and Friends" on Saturday mornings. I still have on VHS the "Garfield Christmas Special" that my father taped almost 20 years ago now. I'm happy now to pass on that love for a good old comidical cat to my children, who are thoroughly enjoying their new Garfield DVDs. This old school cat is well worth the price tag!