Garfield Gets a Life is the twelfth animated and thirteenth total Garfield television special.
Synopsis[]
Garfield, Odie, and Jon realize that their lives lack excitement and they're determined to remedy the situation. Join them as they explore everything from discos and dating services to makeover clinics.
Plot[]
Jon recognizes that he needs a life, as an escape from his boring existence as the guy who arranges his sock drawer. Garfield finds a book called "How To Make Friends And Fool The Rest". Jon tries to find some girls around town, with all of them finding him to be a dweeb. He is successful with one girl, whom he later realizes is just a mannequin. One night, he sees an ad on television for "Lorenzo's School for the Personality Impaired"; he sets out to attend.
The class teaches people how to make a good impression, and he meets a lady named Mona (her full name is "Mona Lisa") and starts a friendship with her without using any of the techniques they learned in class. Garfield starts feeling left out and jealous of Jon's friendship with Mona. Garfield then starts to get scared, because Jon and Mona's friendship could easily lead to dating, which in turn could easily lead to them getting married. And if Jon and Mona get married, they could easily end up having children, which Garfield would hate, because he assumes that the kid (or kids) would torment him.
Garfield tries to warn Jon to stop before he multiplies, only to annoy him. Mona scratches Garfield's back, which causes her to break into a sneezing fit; she reveals to Jon that she is allergic to cats (although she does like Garfield). Jon asks Mona if she can take a medication (which Mona has previously tried without success).
Realizing that a relationship between them might not work out due to Mona's allergy to cats, Jon gives her a ride home-and Garfield chaperones them by sticking onto the back window of Jon's car with suction cups.
Characters[]
Main characters[]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- Odie
- Librarian (voiced by June Foray)
- Library girl (voiced by Julie Payne)
- Priscilla (voiced by Julie Payne)
- Stinky (voiced by Gregg Berger)
- Ranger (voiced by Thom Huge)
- Station announcer (voiced by Frank Welker)
- Gunner (voiced by Frank Welker)
- TV sponsor announcer (voiced by Gregg Berger)
- Man #1 (voiced by Kevin Campbell)
- Man #2 (voiced by Gregg Berger)
- Woman at laundromat (voiced by Kim Campbell)
Songs[]
- "Monday Morning Blues" by B.B. King
- "Spare Time" by Lou Rawls
- "Shake Your Paw" by The Temptations
Book adaption[]
- The video store scene and Jon's interaction with the mannequin are omitted from the book.
- When Garfield and Jon are sitting in the park instead of playing the blues after many failed attempts to make friends, Garfield throws the book "How To Make Friends And Fool The Rest" into the trash.
Trivia[]
- This is the only CBS special directed by John Sparey instead of Phil Roman (who still served as producer).
- This is the second and last television special with music by Desirée Goyette and David Benoit.
- This is the last time Jim Davis wrote a Garfield film until Garfield Gets Real.
- An instrumental version of the theme song by David Benoit would also be included on Am I Cool or What? (under the title "Spare Time"), along with the other two songs in the special.
- The way Garfield attaches himself via suction cups to the car is similar to the "Stuck On You" toy.
- This is the only special to focus more on Jon rather than Garfield (despite the title).
- Jon's dancing has become an internet meme.
Cultural references[]
- Yukon Stinky is a parody of Dudley Do-Right from The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show.
Goofs[]
When Jon asks a woman to dance, the woman is given two different designs:
- 1. She is initially shown to have long blonde hair with a purple dress, pearl necklace, purple stocking, and purple heels.
- 2. As Jon is dancing to the song, the woman is shown to have her hair in a ponytail, hoop earnings, and different shoes.