The Garfield Showis an animated television series produced byDargaud MediaandPaws, Inc.It is based on the AmericanGarfieldcomic strip[1]created byJim Davis.The animated series focuses on a new series of adventures for the characters of Garfield, Odie, and their owner Jon Arbuckle, alongside staple characters from the strip and a number of unique additions for the program.[2]Both Davis and producerMark Evanier,who previously wrote episodes for the 1988 original cartoon animated seriesGarfield and Friends,co-wrote stories for the program, with the cast includingFrank Welker,Wally Wingert,Julie Payne,Jason MarsdenandGregg Berger.Welker and Berger had previously voiced various characters inGarfield and Friends.

The Garfield Show
Garfield & Cie
Genre
Based onGarfield
byJim Davis
Developed by
  • Philippe Vidal
  • Robert Rea
  • Steve Balissat
Directed byPhilippe Vidal
Voices of
Composers
  • Laurent Bertaud
  • Jean-Christophe Prudhomme
Country of origin
  • France
  • United States
Original languages
  • English
  • French
No.of seasons5
No.of episodes107 (247 segments)(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Jim Davis
  • Robert Rea(Season 1–4)
  • Maia Tubiana(Season 5)
Producers
  • Kim Campbell
  • Marie-Pierre Moulinjeune(Season 1-4)
  • Caroline Duvochel(Season 5)
  • Steve Balissat
Running time
  • 24 minutes(two segments)
  • 12 minutes(one segment)
  • 44 minutes(special episodes only)
Production companies
Original release
Network
Release2 November 2009(2009-11-02)
24 October 2016(2016-10-24)
Related

The animated series premiered on 22 December 2008 in France asGarfield & Cie,in early 2009 in Japan asガーフィールドとシー,and on 2 November 2009 in the United States. It ran for five seasons, with its last episodes airing in the US on October 24, 2016; Evanier stated shortly afterward that it was on hiatus.[3][4]On August 6, 2019, an untitledNickelodeonseries based on theGarfieldcomic strip was announced,[5]seemingly ending any chances ofThe Garfield Showcoming back.

Plot

edit

The show features loose continuity and is set in a different universe to the previous Garfield cartoon seriesGarfield and Friends,which is occasionally referenced. Liz is now considered a main character and has an official relationship with Jon to reflect their current status in the comic strip.The Garfield Showalso reestablishes Arlene as Garfield's potential love interest, as in the comic strip, (despite being advertised as a main character, her actual role in the series is minor). In addition, Garfield is now a talking character. Nevertheless, only other animals are usually able to understand him; Jon and other humans sometimes can.

The Garfield Showalso features many new characters that are part of the regular cast, such as Vito, an Italian chef whose cooking Garfield enjoys, and Harry, astray catwho acts as both a friend and a nemesis to Garfield. Squeak, Garfield's mouse friend that lives in Jon's house, appeared in the comic strip.

Episodes

edit
SeriesEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1262 November 2009(2009-11-02)23 December 2009(2009-12-23)Cartoon Network
22613 December 2010(2010-12-13)28 June 2011(2011-06-28)
3264 September 2012(2012-09-04)5 October 2012(2012-10-05)
4276 October 2015(2015-10-06)2 September 2016(2016-09-02)Boomerang
Special24 October 2016(2016-10-24)

Cast and characters

edit

Main characters

edit
  • Garfield(voiced byFrank Welker) is a lasagna-loving 8-year-old ginger tabby cat and the protagonist of the show.
  • Odie(voiced byGregg Berger) is a fun-loving 5-year-old yellow dog and Garfield's best friend.
  • Jon Arbuckle(voiced byWally Wingert) is Garfield and Odie's dorky owner who is employed as a cartoonist.
  • Nermal(voiced byJason Marsden) is a mischievous 7-year-old grey tabby cat with a cute appearance who is Garfield'sfrenemy.
  • Arlene(voiced byAudrey Wasilewski) is a kind yet snarky 9-year-old pink cat who serves as Garfield's love interest.
  • Dr. Liz Wilson(voiced byJulie Payne) is Jon's love interest.
  • Squeak(voiced by Gregg Berger) is a kind and loyal 6-year-old house mouse who invades Garfield's kitchen.

Recurring characters

edit
  • Eddie Gourmand(voiced by Frank Welker) is a famous overweight food critic whose opinions on restaurants have a major impact on their success. He often crosses paths with Garfield, as they both enjoy Vito's cooking.
  • Dr. Whipple(voiced byStan Freberg) is a recurring antagonist who, while helping others, is usually out for his own gain. Garfield often foils his plans. He is a parody ofDr. Phil.
  • Professor Thaddeus Bonkers(voiced by Jason Marsden) is a mad scientist whose discoveries tend to lead to disaster.
  • Doc "Doc Boy" Arbuckle(voiced byDavid Lander) is Jon's younger brother who owns a farm. Jon always teases him by calling him "Doc Boy," much to his irritation.
  • Aunt Ivy(voiced byLaraine Newman) is Jon and Doc Boy's bossy aunt who often harasses Jon whenever she comes to visit.
  • Vito Cappelletti(voiced by Jason Marsden) is an Italian chef who owns Vito's Pizzeria.
  • Harry(voiced by Gregg Berger) is a stray cat who lives in Garfield's neighborhood and is a sometimes friend of Garfield.
  • DrusillaandMinerva(voiced byLaura Summer) are two annoying twins that like to dress up any animal they come across, often Garfield. They are hinted to be either Jon's cousins or nieces.
  • Herman Post(voiced by Gregg Berger) is the mailman that works in Garfield's neighborhood. Garfield often plays pranks on him for "delivering nothing but bills". much to his dismay. He regularly earns salary raises as other mailmen are too scared of Garfield to permanently replace him.
  • Al the Dog Catcher(voiced by Wally Wingert) is a clumsy dog catcher who is often fired for his incompetence only to be rehired for lack of a suitable replacement. His associate is Pete (voiced by Jason Marsden).
  • Bruno(voiced by Wally Wingert) is a sadistic alley cat that bullies Garfield.
  • TheEvil Space Lasagnasare an alien race of living lasagnas that try to conquer Earth.
  • Hercules(voiced by Wally Wingert) is a meanchihuahua"with a bad attitude" who is actually a troubled loner deep on the inside. He sometimes associates with Mademoiselle Fifi, the chihuahua belonging to Jon's boss.
  • Mr. Barker(voiced by Gregg Berger) is Jon's kind but demanding former boss who commissions Jon's comics.
  • Anthony Allwork(voiced byJack Riley) is a lawyer and businessman who acts as an antagonist. He usually tries to come up with schemes to make himself richer. He has a soft spot for his son Jack.
  • Esmeralda Brubaker(voiced byTress MacNeille) is a museum curator who prioritizes science over any person's individual life. She'll stop at nothing to get what she wants and usually finds a way to do so legally.
  • Neferkitty(voiced bySusan Silo) is the leader of an ancient tribe of cats that once tried to take over the world and were banished to another dimension. Garfield tricks her into entering the human world alone where she is forcibly adopted by Liz's annoying niece Heather who renames her "Fuzzbutton," much to her chagrin. Since then, she swore vengeance on Garfield and Odie.

Additional characters

edit
  • News AnchorwomanWinona,Angelica,Bella Bellissima,Tyham,Aunt Esther,Queen Tania,andAbigail,voiced by Laraine Newman
  • Celeste,Chester,Lester,Mary Margaret Reporter,Squirrel #2,voiced byCandi Milo
  • Buckley,General Gorgonzola,Jim Davis,andMama Meanie,voiced by Gregg Berger
  • Fluffykins,Hippo,Mole,andSpencer Spendingtonvoiced by Stan Freberg
  • Mr. Arbuckle,Nimbus,Ricotta,andSpumoni,voiced by Frank Welker
  • Charley,Irv,andThe Lasagna King,voiced by Wally Wingert
  • Humphrey,Gnarley,andMr. Wilson,voiced by Jason Marsden
  • Brandon Scoop,King Glorm,andTyler Edge,voiced byNeil Ross
  • BiffandDirk Dinkum,voiced byFred Tatasciore
  • GloriaandNewscaster,voiced by Audrey Wasilewski
  • Mrs. ArbuckleandMrs. Wilson,voiced by Julie Payne
  • Jack AllworkandSandra,voiced byGrey DeLisle
  • FarleyandThe Sandman,voiced byJoe Alaskey[6]
  • AngieandScheherazade,voiced byMisty Lee
  • HostessandSquirrel #1,voiced by Tress MacNeille
  • LuceritaandTabitha,voiced by Laura Summer
  • Armstrong,voiced byPhil LaMarr[6]
  • Mrs. Cauldron,voiced byJune Foray
  • Cousin Ratzo,voiced byCorey Burton
  • Ghost Cat,voiced by Jack Riley
  • Ms. Gourmand,voiced byApril Winchell
  • Health Inspector,voiced byBob Bergen
  • Hiram “Hi” Pressure,voiced byMarvin Kaplan
  • Lyman,voiced byFrank Ferrante
  • Master Control,voiced byMark Hamill[6]
  • Mayor Graffton,voiced byChuck McCann
  • Metalla,voiced by Susan Silo
  • McCuckoo,voiced byBill Farmer[6]
  • Officer Reed,voiced byJewel Shepard
  • Nathan,voiced byMelissa Disney
  • Samuel W. Underberger,voiced byMaurice LaMarche
  • Varicella,voiced byRose Marie[6]

Development

edit

Development forThe Garfield Showbegan in 2007 to coincide with the strip's 30th anniversary.[7]Many crew members from theprevious animated series based onGarfieldthat debuted in 1988 returned to work onThe Garfield Show.

Broadcast

edit

The series premiered in France onFrance 3on 22 December 2008 and in Japan onNHKin early 2009.[citation needed]

The series also airing onGullisince, 25 October 2021 in France

English-language episodes started airing onBoomerang UKon 5 May 2009.

English-language episodes started airing onBoomerang (Middle East and Africa)and onBoomerang (Central and Eastern Europe)on 7 November 2009.

It aired onYTVin Canada from 13 September 2009 to 30 December 2011.

In the United States, it aired onCartoon Networkfrom November 2, 2009 to May 23, 2014. It also aired onBoomerangfrom February 4, 2013 to December 30, 2016.[8]

In Bangladesh, the series aired onDuronto TVfrom 12 January 2020.[9]

Home media

edit
The Garfield Showhome video releases
Season Title Episode count Release dates Episodes
Region 1
Vivendi releases
1 Odie Oh! 6 October 5, 2010 9, 20a, 21a, 22a, 25a
All You Need is Love (and Pasta) January 4, 2011 1b, 6b, 10a, 11b, 14b, 26a
Private-Eye Ventures April 12, 2011 1a, 2b, 4b, 11a, 13a, 15a
Spooky Tails August 23, 2011 2a, 3b, 15b, 17b, 18a, 24b
Dinosaurs & Other Animal Adventures January 10, 2012 3a, 12, 14a, 16a, 21b
Summer Adventures 7 May 29, 2012 5b, 10b, 17a, 18b, 19a, 22b, 24a
It's Showtime! 6 February 18, 2014 8a, 4a, 6a, 7, 13b
Best Friends Forever July 29, 2014 5a, 16b, 23, 25a, 26b
Holiday Extravaganza 5 September 4, 2012 8b, 20b, 27, 32
2
Spring Fun Collection 6 February 19, 2013 30b, 24a, 36a, 47a, 50b, 51b
Pizza Dreams June 25, 2013 28b, 31a, 37a, 40b, 41a, 48a
A Purr-Fect Life! October 22, 2013 29a, 31b, 38b, 39, 50a
Techno Cat 7 November 4, 2014 33a, 38a, 42, 43a, 48b, 49a

Reception

edit

Common Sense Mediagave the show 3 stars out of 5, saying "Infamous cat's antics are fun, if not exactly message laden."[10]

Kevin Carr of7M picturesgave the show 2 stars out of 5 stating that the animation felt unpolished compared to the direct-to-video movies and that the show was full of "throwaway stories" because it "aims for a more kid-friendly presentation of the fat feline." He concluded his review stating he preferred "old-school cell animation as the week-to-week series CGI looks too much like cheap video game emulations, but I’m not the target market of these things".[11]

Justin Felix ofDVD talkgave the show 2.5 out of 5 stating that "The Garfield Show isn't some great work of art, but it efficiently delivers cartoon animal fun that little kids would probably enjoy. The animation is a tad rudimentary and clunky at times, but it's good enough to pass muster for cartoon fare of this type."[12]

Mike Gencarelli ofMedia Mikesgave the show 3.5 out of 5 stating "it doesn’t compare to the classic Jim Davis cartoon but it is all we have right now."[13]

Video game

edit
The Garfield Show:
Threat of the Space Lasagna
Developer(s)EKO Software
Publisher(s)EKO Software (EU)
Zoo Games(US)
Platform(s)Wii,Microsoft Windows
ReleaseWii
  • EU:June 23, 2010
  • NA:July 8, 2010

Microsoft Windows
  • RU:December 2011
Genre(s)Party

The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna,apartyvideo game,was released in July 2010 for theWii.A PC port was released in 2011 exclusively inRussia.It includes over 12 minigames and supports theWii Balance BoardandWii Motion Plus.The game was critically panned for its short length, lack of interactivity and monotonous gameplay.[14]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^"The Garfield Show – Studios".The Garfield Show Diary. 19 December 2022.
  2. ^Perlmutter, David (2018).The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows.Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 228–230.ISBN978-1538103739.
  3. ^Evanier, Mark."ASK me".NewsFromMe.com.Retrieved11 February2017.
  4. ^Evanier, Mark."ASK me".NewsFromMe.com.Retrieved11 February2017.
  5. ^Steinberg, Brian (August 6, 2019)."Viacom Acquires Comic-Strip Cat Garfield".Variety.RetrievedAugust 6,2019.
  6. ^abcdeEvanier, Mark."Why I Haven't Been Sleeping Lately…".NewsFromMe.com.Retrieved5 March2014.
  7. ^"AWN Headline News".Animation World Network.
  8. ^"Boomerang Schedule - Cartoon Network".Cartoon Network.Time Warner. December 19, 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 2013-12-19.
  9. ^"Duronto Television's 10th season kicks off today".The Daily Star.12 January 2020.Retrieved4 July2022.
  10. ^"The Garfield Show".commonsensemedia.org.
  11. ^"7M Pictures - 'The Garfield Show: Pizza Dreams' DVD Review".7M Pictures.
  12. ^"Garfield Show: Odie Oh!".DVD Talk.
  13. ^"DVD Review" The Garfield Show: Holiday Extravaganza "".mediamikes.com.5 September 2012.
  14. ^"The Garfield Show: Threat of the Space Lasagna".IGN.
edit