Timeline-GA/Garfield: The Movie

***Garfield: The Movie*** (identified on-screen as ***Garfield***) is a 2004 American computer-animated adventure comedy film based on Jim Davis' comic strip of the same name. Directed by Eric Armstrong and Chris Wedge and written by David Lindsay-Abaire, Kiel Murray, Lowell Ganz, and Babaloo Mandel based on a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen, it features the voice talents of James Arnold Taylor, Cameron Diaz, Mel Gibson, and Bill Murray. Garfield the lazy orange cat has everything a cat could want. Then, he gets something he doesn't want: a dog named Odie that Jon Arbuckle brought home from veterinarian Liz. But after Odie runs away, Garfield is motivated to go rescue Odie himself.
Produced by 20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky Studios, Davis Entertainment Company, and Paws, Inc., *Garfield: The Movie* premiered on April 23, 2004 in San Francisco, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 11, 2004 by 20th Century Fox. While it was praised for its animation, voice cast, faithfulness to its source material, screenplay, and James Newton Howard's musical score, it was criticized for its plot, runtime, consistency and story. It grossed $485 million against its budget of $60 million, becoming the third-highest-grossing animated film of 2004. It spawned a franchise, with a sequel in 2006; a third film in 2009; a computer-animated television series that aired in 2010; three video games based on the films; and a reboot film, with the involvement of TSG Entertainment, Skydance Media, and Chernin Entertainment, set for release on December 22, 2023 by 20th Century Fox.

## Voice cast

* Bill Murray as Garfield, a lazy, fat, and cynical orange tabby Persian cat who has an intense passion for food, particularly lasagna; he has a hatred for Nermal and particularly Odie, but once he went missing, he starts to worry. He serves as the central protagonist of the film.
* Frank Welker as Odie (vocal effects), a dachshund/terrier dog breed mix.
* James Arnold Taylor as Jon Arbuckle, Garfield and Odie's owner. When both Odie and Garfield go missing, he enlists the help of Liz, his love interest, to which she agrees to help him find them.
* Cameron Diaz as Dr. Liz Wilson, Garfield's vet, and Jon's love interest. When Odie and Garfield go missing, she helps Jon find them.
* Mel Gibson as Kevin J. "Happy" Chapman, a local television host. When he spots Odie on a missing poster and finds him on the listed address, he uses him as his ticket to New York City to be a regular contributor on *Good Day New York*. He is the brother of Walter J. Chapman, and serves as a central antagonist of the film.
* Fred Tatasciore as Walter J. Chapman, a TV news journalist who reports on relevant events. He is the brother of Happy Chapman.
* Alan Cumming as Perniskitty (his real name is revealed to be "Sir Roland"), an irascible bicolor cat.
* Pharrell Williams as Louis, a quick-witted mouse.
* Chris Rock as Nermal, a small grey tabby cat and Garfield's naïve best friend.
* Candi Milo as Arlene, a purple-shaded Russian Blue cat and Garfield's love interest.
* Eddie Murphy as Luca, an aggressive Doberman Pinscher who guards the house next door to Garfield.
* Grey Griffin as Sonja, Garfield's mother.
* Samuel L. Jackson as Vic, Garfield's father.
* Richard Kind as Dad Rat
* Debra Jo Rupp as Mom Rat
* Wyatt Smith, Jordan Kaiser, Dakota Fanning, Alyson Stoner, Jackson Brundage, Zach Tyler Eisen and Grace Rolek as unnamed kid rats – Kid Rat No. 1, Kid Rat No. 2, Kid Rat No. 3, Kid Rat No. 4, Kid Rat No. 5, Kid Rat No. 6, and Kid Rat No. 7 respectively.

## Production

*Garfield: The Movie* entered production in 2001. Originally to be a live-action/CGI animated hybrid, with the film set to be directed by British director Peter Hewitt, Jim Davis turned down the idea immediately for a fear that it would ruin the reputation of the *Garfield* series. The project was picked up by Greenwich-based Blue Sky Studios in March 2002, after finishing their debut feature-length film *Ice Age*.

Jim Carrey was originally interested in voicing Jon Arbuckle. However, James Arnold Taylor was given the role. Bill Murray was signed to voice Garfield after he heard that the Coen brothers - Joel and Ethan - signed to write the screenplay for the film. Cameron Diaz was cast as Dr. Liz Wilson, after Tress MacNeille offered to take the role.

## *Garfield (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)*

### Producer

James Newton Howard

***Garfield (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)*** is the licensed soundtrack album for the film. The album contains the 14-piece score composed by James Newton Howard, and features songs from talented hip-hop artists. The album was released through Varèse Sarabande Records on June 15, 2004.

## Release

*Garfield: The Movie* premiered on April 23, 2004 in San Francisco, California, and was released in theaters on June 19, 2004, in time for Garfield's 26th anniversary. During its theatrical run, it was preceded by an Ice Age short film, *Gone Nutty*.

## Home media

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film on VHS and DVD on October 19, 2004. The special features includes an audio commentary with director Chris Wedge and Garfield voice Bill Murray, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes animatic, and the music video for Baha Men's film-exclusive track *Holla!*. The film was released on a 3-disc Blu-ray on October 11, 2011.

## Reception

### Box office

On its opening weekend, the film debuted in 3,094 theaters and earned $21.7 million. The film grossed $173.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $311.6 million from international markets, accumulating $485 million worldwide.

### Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 67% of 135 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.15/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "*Garfield*'s big-screen adventure is on full display with quality animation, top-notch voice performances and a courageous soundtrack, even though the plot falls flat on its face." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 68 out of 100 based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* rated it three-and-a-half out of four stars, saying the film was "charming and adventurous". Joe Leydon of *Variety* wrote, "CGI is something that the orange lasagna-loving cat has never dabbled in before. But while Bill Murray does a good performance, the plot falls flat."