Garfield's Fun Fest

"Halt! Officer Odie orders you to stop and help!"

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Garfield's Fun Fest is a 2008 CGI direct-to-video movie based on the Garfield franchise, and sequel to the 2007 film, Garfield Gets Real. It was released on August 5, 2008. Like the first film, it was written by Jim Davis. It was followed by the third and final direct to video film, Garfield's Pet Force.

Synopsis[]

Garfield wins the funniest comic strip at Fun Fest every year. When a handsome cat named Ramone arrives on the scene, Garfield faces stiff competition.

Plot[]

Garfield is reading a book of the origins of Freddy Frog and his pond to Odie when Jon tells them breakfast is ready. The duo rush downstairs and as they sit down and await for their meal, they are greeted by Jon serving them their food while doing his disco that he has been doing since the start of their comic. As Garfield and Odie tease him, Jon reminds Garfield that Arlene wants to do a dance with him this year for the Annual Fun Fest, but Garfield is not interested in changing his 29 year comedy routine, nor is he worried about losing, and believes he will win again, because he won the Fun Fest 29 times, and the 30th Annual Fun Fest is to come tomorrow night. After breakfast, they drive off and pick Nermal and Arlene up. After being annoyed by Nermal's guitar solo, Arlene is tired of the same old routine she is always on with Garfield, and this time, she does wants to try dancing. Garfield objects, as he says, "Don't fix what isn't broken."

After arriving at the studio, Garfield and Arlene rehearse for tomorrow's Fun Fest, when Arlene again wants to try dancing. When being asked by Garfield on what dance to do, she replies that she wants to do the Tango and gives him an outfit to wear for it. Still not wanting to ruin his 29 year winning streak and not wanting to look ridiculous, Garfield again turns her down and says if she wants to dance so bad, then she could find a different partner. At that moment, a cheesy-accent Mexican cat named Ramone arrives & becomes Arlene's dance partner making a heartbroken Garfield leave Arlene with Ramone.

Garfield attempts to perform a new act that is done by himself, but he bombs and his ego is left damaged by Ramone, who then gives insults that Nermal gave Garfield. During Ramone and Arlene's tango, he goes up to employee Eli's office & realizes that he has lost all his hope, thinking he has no humor left. As everyone begins to leave after the last segment, Garfield sees Ramone flirting with Arlene, which she enjoys, leaving him even more sad, even more hurt and even worser than before. The next day, Garfield still left in a tough place after yesterday, is woken up by a mime dressed Odie acting as an alarm clock. When he leaves his room, Odie notices an envelope inside Freddy's Book and takes it. On the way to work, Garfield watches Alrene get in Ramone's car and drive ahead to the studio, again reminding Garfield of his fear of losing her.

At the studio's cafeteria, Odie tries giving Garfield the letter, after multiple attempts from earlier, but to no avail thanks to his bad mood. Odie, having enough, shoves it into his hands, telling him it is from the storybook. When the duo open it, they see that it is a map that leads to Freddie Frog's pond; He plans to travel to the pond and drink the water in order to be funny and win the show, but after hearing how ridiculous that sounded aloud, he gives up the thought, until seeing Arlene star in Ramone's romantic strip for the Fun Fest, quickly changes his mind and runs out with Odie in tow. Arlene watches him leave and realizes the misunderstanding, much to Ramone's pleasure. She then runs outside of the studio, but Garfield and Odie are already gone following the map, leaving her sad on what Garfield thinks now.

The duo follow the map and eventually, seemingly, make it to the pond after many obstacles and encountering the funny animals who have drank from the pond. There, a over sized frog tells them that is not the pond they are looking for, but a pond where sewage gets dumped, after the duo swam in and drank it. Disgusted and infuriated, they scatter out of the pit & ask who he was and he tells them he is Freddy. The duo are excited to meet him and ask if they could have drink the funny water. Freddy agrees and leads them onto many trials that involve learning how to be funny and what it was about. When Garfield fails to understand what the trials were about, Freddy pins him inside a plank bridge and dunks him into the water unless he admits he is fat in the way of a joke. After a few dunks and a couple of jokes, Freddy releases him and they continue to the pond, with Garfield learning about self deprecating humor, and continue to the Funny Pond. Meanwhile, director Charles begins to grow worried as Garfield was there main focus for Fun Fest and was nowhere to be seen when it was hours from starting. Ramone then steps in and takes his place. The shows begins to start and Arlene is disappointed that Garfield was gone and was worried that he thinks what he saw of her and Ramone. Meanwhile, the latter has quickly won over the audience with his quips and accent.

Back in the forest, the duo make it to pond & are welcomed by Freddy, making it before them thanks to an elevator. Garfield drinks it and begins to feel funny, dancing around and moving playfully until remembering Fun Fest. After scooping up it up with a water bottle Freddy gave him, Garfield thank him as the duo prepare to leave but Freddy stops them and says he has a giant hang glider that will get them to the studio in time. While not knowing how to fly it, the duo plunge from the plateau, despite Freddy denying them being ready, and soar over the forest, thanking the animals that helped them along the way.

They crash through the window of the studio back home, right in time for Garfield's act. After making their way through the vents, they arrive at Eli's office. Eli is happy to see them both and informs Charles of this. Garfield prepares to drink the Funny Water he stored, only for the bottle to be destroyed from the crash landing and all the water now gone. Feeling like he has lost his funny forever and it is too late, Garfield gives up and leaves. Happy by this, Ramone announces his Tango Dance with Arlene to the audience and performs it. Garfield watches from behind the curtain and is amazed at Arlene's dance moves, but is disappointed by feeling like he has lost her. The two then spot him as he leaves, and as Arlene tries to get to him, she is pulled back by Ramone and back into dancing.

Joined and comforted by Odie in the alleyway & tells him what a great friend he has been by sticking beside him all these years and how he is upset about losing Arlene. Freddy shows up and tells him that not only is funny water just plain water, but also that it was never the funny water that makes him funny, but rather himself that was funny and it was because of what he has done over his adventure and that this should not even be about being funny and then encourages Garfield to follow his heart by telling him this will be the only chance to prove himself. Knowing that Freddy is right, Garfield regains his hope and goes back to the stage.

Ramone and Arlene continue their dancing, but are caught by Garfield wearing the clothes she brought for him. Arlene and everyone else is happy of his arrival, except Ramone. The audience encourages them as they begin to dance together, until Ramone snatches her. The two cats fight over the female during the entire segment. In the process, Garfield rips off Ramone's clothing, exposing his body to be mechanical and wired. As Garfield fights him, he also rips off his arms, revealing Ramone to be a robot. Garfield uses the arms to again combat him. As they progress, Garfield ambushes Ramone and rip off his legs. Ramone still continues to move and force Arlene to dance against her will. Having enough, Garfield grabs him by the face and surprisingly rips it off, revealing him to be Nermal in disguise. This angers Garfield and Arlene, while the crowd and judges are shocked. As the crowd cheers for Garfield's performance, they boo Nermal, compelling him to leave the stage, disqualifying him. Garfield and Arlene share an encore. Garfield then apologizes for not even trying to dance with Arlene, as this was more important than winning. Despite that, the two win cheers from everyone and win the contest. Garfield hands her the rose as they are crowned winners of Fun Fest while Nermal starts thinking of other ideas for next year's Fun Fest much to Odie's skepticism.

Garfield and Arlene then share a kiss as Freddie concludes the story and flies over the studio on his glider back home.

Garfield and Arlene - finally reunited 2008 — Garfield and Arlene celebrate their reunion with a kiss.

Characters[]

Main characters[]

Minor characters[]

Video game[]

Main article: Garfield's Fun Fest (video game)

A video game based on the film was released on August 29, 2008.

Trivia[]

Jon says he has been doing the dance routine since 1978, the same year the Garfield comic strip was first published nationally.
The 30th Annual Fun Fest parallels the Garfield franchise's 30th anniversary, which was also in 2008.
Almost every character, scenery, running gag, and background from Garfield Gets Real reappears in the movie, except those from the Reality World.
The story is somewhat similar to Around The World In 80 Days.
The superhero from Garfield Gets Real is shown posing for Fun Fest in the Comic Studios.
Among those at the Fun Fest audience is the slogan-man with a angry face in the middle who was in the 2000s Garfield shopping Internet channel. He is wearing a green shirt near an orange-haired citizen.
In the movie, Garfield does not understand the full meaning of humor. Conversely, he had taught pupils studying cartoons how humor was developed in "How to Be Funny!"
A dropbox archive allegedly created by the film's composer contains the film's entire soundtrack and can be found here.

Cultural references[]

While in the kitchen, Jon appears to dance to a variation of Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Boogie".
The following parodies are depicted:
- James Bond (Garfield's poses)
- Gone With the Wind (Garfield's poses)
- The Wizard of Oz (Garfield's poses)
- Lady and the Tramp (Garfield's poses)
- Tarzan the Ape Man (Garfield's poses)
- Titanic (Garfield's poses)
- Frankenstein (Garfield's poses)
- the Elvis Presley number "Hound Dog" (referenced by Odie)
- The Legend of Zorro (referenced by Odie)

Garfield's Fun Fest

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