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Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is a 2006 live-action movie based on the Garfield franchise, and sequel to the 2004 film, Garfield: The Movie.
Due to the Disney buyout of 20th Century Fox, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is available on Disney+.[1]
Synopsis[]
Jon and Garfield visit England, where a case of mistaken cat identity leads Garfield to rule over a castle. But his reign is soon challenged by the mysterious Lord Dargis, who has his own plans for the estate.
Plot[]
Two years after the events of the first film, Jon Arbuckle plans to propose to his girlfriend, veterinarian Doctor Elizabeth "Liz" Wilson, who is going on a business trip to London. Jon follows Liz to the United Kingdom as a surprise; after escaping from a kennel, Jon's pets, Garfield and Odie, sneak into Jon's luggage and join him on the trip. Garfield and Odie break out of the room of the hotel they visit due to boredom and subsequently get lost in the streets of London.
Meanwhile, at Carlyle Castle in the English countryside, the late Lady Eleanor Carlyle's will is read by the solicitors, Mr. Hobbs, Mr. Greene and Mrs. Whitney. She bequeaths Carlyle Castle to Prince XII, her beloved cat who lives a strong life of luxury, and who looks exactly like Garfield. This enrages the Lady's greedy, sadistic nephew, Lord Manfred Dargis, who will now only inherit the grand estate once Prince dies. Dargis traps Prince in a picnic basket and throws him into the river. Jon finds Prince climbing out of a drain and takes him to the hotel after mistaking him for Garfield, while Prince's butler, Smithee, finds Garfield in the street and takes him to Carlyle Castle after mistaking him for Prince.
In the grand estate, Garfield receives a great deal of special treatment from both Smithee and Prince's farm animal followers led by his loyal bulldog majordomo, Winston, who convinces his fellow animals to tolerate and protect Garfield in order to prevent Dargis from getting his hands on the estate, which he plans to turn into a resort by demolishing the area and slaughtering them all. With Garfield's presence, Dargis thinks Prince has returned and fears that the solicitors will not sign the estate over for him. He makes many attempts to dispose of Garfield, but fails every time due to the animals interfering. Garfield befriends the animals and teaches them how to make lasagna, while Prince learns how to be an ordinary pet. Despite them both enjoying their new lifestyles, they soon begin to miss their old lives, Garfield especially after overhearing the animals complaining about his slobby and selfish attitude. Eventually, Garfield and Prince meet each other face to face after both attempting to return to their old lives. Garfield, having understood what is at stake for Prince and his subjects, convinces them to help him defeat Dargis. Jon and Odie discover the mix-up and go to the castle, which Liz is coincidentally visiting.
Garfield and Prince taunt Dargis, whose plan is exposed, and the duo are seen by the solicitors. A blunderbuss-wielding Dargis barges in, threatening the solicitors if they do not sign the estate over for him while also taking Liz hostage. A crossbow-wielding Jon attempts to force Dargis to release Liz, only for Dargis to threaten to murder him for getting involved in the first place. Garfield and Prince manage to defeat him as Smithee alerts the authorities, and Dargis is arrested. Garfield, who had been trying to stop Jon from proposing to Liz, has a change of heart: he helps Jon propose to Liz and she accepts. The film (and the live-action movies in extension) ends with Garfield, Jon, Liz, Odie, Prince, and the servants celebrating the defeat of Dargis with a big party.
Cast[]
- Jon Arbuckle
- Dr. Liz Wilson
- Lord Dargis
- Smithee
- Mr. Hobbs
- Abby Westminister
- Mr. Greene
- Mrs. Whitney
- Garfield
- Odie
- Prince XII
- Winston
- Preston
- Nigel
- Claudius
- McBunny
- Christophe
- Eenie
- Meenie
- Rommel
Narrated by Roscoe Lee Browne
Crew[]
- Director: Tim Hill
Music[]
- Further information: Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties/Garfield: The Movie (Original Motion Picture Score)
No soundtrack album was released. The following licensed songs were featured in the film:
- "The Angels Sang" (James) by Ronnie James
- "Cat Scratch Fever" (Nugent) by Ted Nugent
- "Soul Limbo" (Jackson/Jones/Dunn/Cropper) by Booker T. and the MG's
- "Glad All Over" (Clark/Smith) by The Dave Clark Five
- "Pump It" (Adams/Pineda/Ferguson/Roubanis/Van Musser) by The Black Eyed Peas
- "Show You How to Do It" (Crowder/Parks) by Kakapo
- "Let's Move" (Yoshiaki/Fratantuno/Lapin) by Transcenders
Other songs featured:
- "Dixie" (Winston whistles it per Garfield's command)
- "Camptown Races" (Nigel sings a parody of it)
Video game[]
- Main article: Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (video game)
Video game adaptations of the movie were released in 2006. One was made for Nintendo DS, and another was made for PC and PlayStation 2.
Trivia[]
- According to Bert Livingston, general sales manager of 20th Century Fox, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties was made only due to the first film's international box office success. The sequel was not expected to do as well financially as its predecessor did.[2]
- In contrast to the previous film, Garfield and Odie are the only animals from the comic strip to appear in this movie.
- The novelization of the film concludes with Jon, Liz, Garfield and Odie flying back from London to the U.S. in first class. Jon and Liz later realize that Garfield and Prince have switched places prior to boarding, with the real Garfield back at Carlyle Castle, enjoying the royal status.
- The novelization also includes two scenes exclusively shown in the extended version of the film. The first is where Lord Dargis takes a morning swim in the pool before the reading of the will, only for a group of ducks to interrupt his swim. The second scene is a pool party Garfield hosts with the barnyard animals that Dargis sees just as he was trying to have tea with Abby.
Cultural references[]
- The plot is based on Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.
- The title of the film is a parody of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.
- When Garfield is first served a meal at Carlyle Castle, he wonders if he is on Fear Factor.
- After his first experience with lasagna, Prince holds up his bowl and asks "Please sir, can I have some more?", referencing Oliver Twist (also by Charles Dickens).
- Garfield alludes to The Silence of the Lambs when he talks about eating Odie's liver "with some fava beans and a nice chianti".
- Garfield's song in the castle is a variation of "Movin' on Up", the theme song of The Jeffersons.
- Dargis mentions the films Born Free and Free Willy.
- At one point Garfield insults Preston by calling him "Fruit Loops", a reference to the Froot Loops cereal mascot Toucan Sam.
- Garfield and Prince parody the mirror scene from the Marx Brothers film Duck Soup.
- Preston remarks that Garfield is "not even the cat formerly known as Prince", referring to "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince".