Valid Reasons Critics Didn’t Like The Garfield Movie

Garfield is one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time. The lasagna-loving and Monday-hating orange feline has been a prominent staple in pop culture since his first comic strip appearance in 1978. Garfield has also appeared in several cartoon specials and TV shows, as well as a live-action adaptation starring Bill Murray. The Garfield IP has been itching for a new interpretation, and it got one with 2024’s The Garfield Movie starring Chris Pratt.

The Garfield Movie follows the titular cat and his canine pal Odie as they partner with Garfield’s estranged father, Vic, to conduct an elaborate heist. Despite likely breaking even at the box office, The Garfield Movie has not gotten the kindest reception. As of this writing, it holds a 5.8 on IMDB and a 36% on Rotten Tomatoes. Between Pratt’s lead performance, some dated pop culture references and product placement, and several illogical story elements, here is why The Garfield Movie was a letdown.

10 It Couldn’t Appeal To Adult Viewers

• On May 24, 2024, The Garfield Movie was released alongside Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.

One reason why Garfield is appealing to different demographics is that he makes jokes that toe the line between kid and adult-friendly. When reading the original comics, Garfield talks to the reader about his life in exquisite detail before ending the discussion with a solid punchline. Even when watching a show like Garfield and Friends, the character has a witty comeback to any situation involving Jon or Odie that he views as unimportant.

When it comes to The Garfield Movie, the film is more focused on attracting younger audiences. There have been some animated movies released recently that appealed to both kids and adults, such as Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and the Spider-Verse films. The latter were also made by Sony. Sadly, The Garfield Movie‘s main priorities rely on zany animation and slapstick humor that will only leave children entertained. Meanwhile, adult viewers will find the final product to be quite forgettable.

9 Jon Arbuckle Was Heavily Sidelined

• Jon is voiced by Nicholas Hoult, who is famous for films like The Menu, Mad Max: Fury Road, and the X-Men franchise.

Anyone who has read a Garfield comic or watched one of the animated shows knows how crucial of a character Jon Arbuckle is to the franchise. As Garfield’s owner, Jon must balance his life as a professional cartoonist while caring for his demanding and always hungry cat. Occasionally, Jon even tries to find himself a girlfriend but fails miserably and repeatedly due to his try-hard attitude or sabotage by Garfield.

From the trailers, one would get the impression that Jon would be an important part of The Garfield Movie, but that is not the case. There are scenes like Jon adopting Garfield at an Italian restaurant and little segments of him taking care of his pet. But, outside those scenes in the first act, Jon is frustratingly sidelined for the rest of the film, as viewers barely see him venture off to look for Garfield and Odie. Despite Nicholas Hoult’s impressive voice-acting, Jon felt like an afterthought, which made fans reasonably upset.

8 Some Plot Elements Were Illogical And Nonsensical

• The movie was directed by Mark Dindal, whose other credits include The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little.

Understandably, The Garfield Movie is targeted towards children, and they probably won’t think much about the coincidental things that occur. Still, this film throws a large amount of logic out the window. There are several elements worth mentioning of how nonsensical the story gets. For example, there is a literal plot device in the form of an app that translates an animal’s sounds into human words. The heroes also communicate with acorns that are supposed to act as earpieces.

Additionally, some characters change their motivations in the blink of an eye. The villainous cat Jinx wants Vic to steal a ton of milk to pay off a debt. However, after Vic delivers the milk to her, Jinx changes her mind, saying she never wanted the milk in the first place. Plus, there are multiple instances where characters should have been seriously injured. The cheese factory scene where Garfield and Vic touch boiling food or the climax involving a train on a very high bridge lets the audience know how much plot armor the characters have.

7 The Pop Culture References Felt Dated

• The Garfield Movie‘s soundtrack includes new songs by Jon Batiste, Keith Urban, and Snoop Dogg.

It has been a common practice for animated movies to feature pop culture references. After all, older viewers would get a nice chuckle out of something the children are not going to understand. Garfield is a character who has broken the fourth wall and done some celebrity name-drops many times in the past. The Garfield Movie managed to include many jabs at pop culture, although it failed to update them for a modernized audience.

There were a couple of clever jokes in The Garfield Movie, including a moment when Garfield compared an opossum to Oscar-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis. However, the rest of the references the film incorporates feel lackluster. Most notably, it has multiple mentions of Tom Cruise and his filmography. Along with Garfield remarking that he and Cruise do their own stunts, The Garfield Movie uses the tired trope of playing the Mission: Impossible theme music during an infiltration scene and the Top Gun anthem with drones instead of planes. The film even pokes fun at the TV show Shark Tank, which also feels outdated.

6 There Was Too Much Product Placement

• Some companies that The Garfield Movie collaborated with in the marketing include Olive Garden and Motel 6.

For those unaware of the meaning, product placement is when companies pay to have their products shown in movies and TV shows. The practice has been around for decades, and a few films have shown how to properly pull it off without it becoming distracting. DeLorean in Back to the Future or Reese’s Pieces in ET: The Extra-Terrestrial are famous examples. However, other movies include prominent products and turn into egregiously obvious commercials. The Garfield Movie has become a recent example of the latter.

From the opening scene alone, The Garfield Movie name-drops dating apps like Bumble and Tinder as a way for Jon Arbuckle to find a girlfriend. Later, in scenes where Garfield is enjoying his home life with Jon, Odie, and later Vic, he uses a Netflix rip-off service called “Catflix,” rides around on a Roomba, uses Sony headphones, and orders from Walmart, FedEx, and Olive Garden, which he also name-drops in a conversation. Blatant product placement can weigh a movie down, and The Garfield Movie occasionally exposed itself for its uninspired inclusion of multiple big-name companies.

5 The New Characters Are Forgettable

• Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein, who play Jinx and Roland, previously co-starred in the TV show Ted Lasso.

In comics and TV shows, several supporting characters populate Garfield’s life. The most notable are Jon Arbuckle and Odie. However, the Garfield franchise has had frequent appearances by other humans and animals. First, there is Liz, the veterinarian that Garfield dislikes and Jon has a crush on. There is Nermal, a cute cat loved by everyone but Garfield. There is even a female cat named Arlene that Garfield tries to win over from time to time.

While Liz and Nermal appear in The Garfield Movie, they are reduced to glorified cameos, while Arlene is nowhere to be found. Instead, The Garfield Movie introduces original characters, but they lack memorability. Save for a bull named Otto, voiced by Ving Rhames, these brand-new characters feel underdeveloped. Garfield’s father, Vic, is stuck with the stereotypical absent dad trope, and the evil cat Jinx quickly gets irritating like nails on a chalkboard. Meanwhile, Jinx’s henchmen, Roland and Nolan, are unappealing to look at, with one having too many muscles and the other looking like a mix between a hyena and Dante from Coco.

4 The Heist Plot Is Overly Ridiculous

• The Garfield Movie parodied multiple 2024 films in its posters, including Dune: Part Two, Deadpool & Wolverine, and The Fall Guy.

Garfield is a character who traditionally prefers to stay indoors and have adventures at home, which The Garfield Movie contradicts with its overarching heist plot. Previous Garfield comics and cartoons have shown the character surviving Mondays, getting into chaotic antics with Jon and Odie, and finding himself in hysterical scenarios that fans can relate to. Even the 2004 live-action film was mainly about Garfield trying to come to terms with sharing the house with Odie.

If The Garfield Movie was centered more on the main trio of Garfield, Odie, and Jon, then it would have been an easier and better recipe for success. Unfortunately, Sony decided to give the indoor cat an unconventional outdoor adventure where he, his estranged father, and Odie must break into a dairy factory and steal a ton of milk. This plot sounds like a far cry from the relatable and grounded situations the comics and cartoons were famous for. Between the drawn-out planning and the illogical events that happen once inside the factory, the heist elements don’t mesh together in a movie about a famously lazy cat.

3 There Was a Huge Lack of Sarcastic And Dry Humor

• Despite having no lines of dialogue, Harvey Guillén is credited as the voice of Odie.

After several decades of comic strips and TV shows, Garfield remains so beloved because of the sarcasm and dry humor that embodies him. In a traditional comic strip, Garfield does one of his usual activities, like sleeping, eating, or disobeying Jon’s commands. Then, he has a witty punchline to make the reader chuckle. The same can go for any of the TV shows, as Garfield is ready with a comeback line whenever Jon calls him out for something irresponsible. Coupled with his constant laziness, Garfield’s dry line delivery feels perfect to his personality.

As for The Garfield Movie‘s humor, it felt like the spark that worked in previous decades had disappeared for this new adaptation. While Garfield does sometimes speak to the audience, it becomes distracting because it’s Chris Pratt’s voice coming out of his mouth. Instead of consistent sarcasm, this new Garfield is spouting nods to pop culture and dialogue that sounds more energetic than slothful. Garfield has always been a funny character, but the jokes in The Garfield Movie played it too safe, lacking the same mockery in past iterations.

2 Chris Pratt’s Voice Performance Was Bland

• Chris Pratt’s other animated credits include The Lego Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

When Chris Pratt was cast in The Garfield Movie, the film got plenty of backlash. Pratt was an already-famous actor, yet Garfield fans believed he was hired just because of his star power. Still, Pratt had what it took to lead a movie, as seen with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the Jurassic World films. Plus, he has had experience voicing animated characters such as Emmet in The Lego Movie and Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The latter was another role he got backlash for but ended up being decent in the part.

Unlike The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Pratt’s voice performance in The Garfield Movie was as distracting and bland as everyone expected. Garfield is a character with a deeper voice and much-needed sarcasm, which made a talented individual like Lorenzo Music a perfect choice to play him in cartoons like Garfield and Friends. Even Bill Murray, who hated doing 2004’s live-action Garfield, had voice accuracy. As for Pratt, he puts in little effort, making Garfield sound like an average everyday person. In addition, Pratt’s Garfield sounds too energetic and less laid-back, making the voice performance an even bigger distraction.

1 It’s Inferior to Previous Comics And Cartoons

• TV shows featuring Garfield include Garfield and Friends (1988–1995), The Garfield Show (2009–2016), and Garfield Originals (2019–2020).

Since Garfield’s comic debut in 1978, the character has been defined by multiple key elements. Examples include his love for lasagna, his hatred for Mondays, his enjoyment of messing around with Odie and Jon, and his repeated lying around the house doing virtually nothing. Projects like Garfield and Friends,The Garfield Show, and even the 2004 live-action film have included these crucial factors. Based on the marketing, The Garfield Movie seemed to follow in the footsteps of past iterations.

In the film’s opening scene, Jon adopts Garfield in an Italian restaurant, which transitions into a montage of Garfield enjoying his life. Everything from the abundance of food Garfield consumes to the chaos of Mondays is revealed here. But, once those initial few minutes are over, The Garfield Movie becomes something inferior to previous comics and cartoons: an outdoor heist film of indescribable proportions. The film feels like Sony combined a Garfield story with a completely separate project to create what is now The Garfield Movie. This adaptation starts promising but rarely returns to the character’s best traits in favor of a plot full of hyperactiveness and nonsense that will baffle any long-time Garfield fanatic.