Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Cat Comes Back!, November 28, 2007
Garfield Gets Real gets right what the recent theatrical releases got wrong. No real animals, Ghost Whisperer, spontaneous pop music dancing montage or trying to hard to be relevant. Creator Jim Davis was very much at the helm of this project and it shows. If you like the classic strip, television series and holiday specials, you will enjoy this straight-to-DVD picture.
The computer animation is striking and works to the project's advantage. The film takes place in the "comic world" where Jon, Odie and Garfield all live together in a house as equals and work as actors in the comics read by people in the "real world". The animation has a slight ink line in the comic world that vanishes in the film's real world. Besides that, there is little distinction between the two locations, but I didn't mind.
All the characters are back - and look like his and her cartoony self. Nermal, Arlene, some new characters and a few surprise cameos from other comic strip stars. The story could have used a layer or two of added depth and it is geared toward a younger crowd, but if you ever loved Garfield, this is the one you remembered.
Frank Welker voices Garfield (now that Lorenzo Music has passed away and Bill Murray is more of a film actor) with a near-seamless skill that will have you believing the cat is back. This is the first of three such films in the next two years. I'm glad they'll keep coming! I know it's trite to say, but I'm glad this cat got another life - and one without suction-cup paws.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
New Series of Garfield Movies Starts Here, December 17, 2007
GARFIELD GETS REAL is the famous cat's first computer-generated appearance and is out on DVD just in time for Christmas. Got a long vacation trip in mind over the holidays and just happen to have a DVD player in the family vehicle? Neighbor, you're in luck! GARFIELD GETS REAL is a new take on an old family favorite that will leave kids, and probably adults as well, crying in their seats as they watch Garfield in action.
I've had kids for the last thirty years, so I know a lot about kids' entertainment. Garfield the comic strip has been a staple in our house for most of those years. When Garfield was a cartoon, we watched those, and lately picked them up as DVD sets.
The live-action movie starring Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield was a hit, and we even picked up the sequel, GARFIELD: A TAIL OF TWO KITTIES.
GARFIELD GETS REAL starts out with Garfield getting tired of being a cartoon, so he decides to visit the real world after Odie discovers a hole in the screen that leads there. The computer-generated effects are awesome and PAWS, Inc. - the people behind the visuals - really outdid themselves on this one. It just really goes to show how much can be done with computer animation these days, and they're obviously masters of the craft.
Jim Davis provided the script and the characters are on the mark - if also somewhat quirky. I mean, I've known and loathed Nermal the Cat - Garfield's nemesis - for years, but I never figured he would be a young boy in real life!
And all the Garfield jokes and sarcasm are definitely in place. "Every time I hit bottom," Garfield says during a spectacularly bad situation, "somebody hands me a shovel."
Watching Garfield - and tag-along Odie - interact with the real world for the first time is a blast, but there's also a threat. If he's gone too long from cartoonworld, his comic strip is going to get canceled. So, lost in the real world, Garfield has to find a way to get home.
Frank Welker provides Garfield's voice. Lately Welker's been providing the voices of Fred Jones and Scooby-Doo in the latest round of cartoon featuring those characters. He does a masterful job here. Since GARFIELD GETS REAL is the first of a few new DVDs for the cat, hopefully Welker will be able to voice those as well.
In addition to the Garfield adventure, Jim Davis also provides some background information on the wonderful world of cartooning by having Garfield talk to other cartoonists about their craft. There's a lot of information here for folks interested in that, and a good overview for younger minds that may spark interest for them.
If you haven't picked this one up for Christmas yet, do so. It's a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for those times when you need the kids quiet on the road or at Grandma's house.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really Cute Movie, December 10, 2007
This movie is very very cute- and pretty well done too! I am a long time fan of garfield cartoons, comics, and the holiday specials. I thought it had a good story-- although some crude humor like a lot of burping etc. but it is funny how they do the animation along with it! If there is anything weird in this movie--- the excellent computer animation makes up for it. Really neat story. Nermal-- one of my favorite characters, is a boy in the movie-- that's well.... different. But an overall very cute and well made movie.-- much better than the garfield movies on the big screen in my opinion.
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