Garfield on the Town is the second Garfield television special.
Synopsis
Upon getting lost, Garfield finds his family and rediscovers where he was born.
Plot
At the Arbuckle residence, Garfield wakes up but refuses to get up onto the cold floor. Using his bed, he jumps over to Jon Arbuckle for breakfast. While Jon gets him cat food, Garfield eats Jon's breakfast. While wiping his mouth with Jon's tie, Odie scares Garfield, who pulls the tie in fright, which chokes Jon. Garfield chases Odie around the house while destroying objects. Arbuckle becomes concerned about Garfield's behavior, and decides to take Garfield to the vet. During the drive, Garfield tries multiple ways to get out before falling out of the car. He realizes he has no bounds and tries to act cool by hitting on female cats, who all reject him. After some time, he finds that he misses his house and is cold. Back with Jon, he is worried about Garfield's absence and calls Dr. Liz Wilson who proves to be no help.
Being hungry, Garfield opens an alley can, before a tough cat, who claims to own it insults Garfield, calling him a "puffball". They both "shadow fighting", before Garfield thinks he has the upper hand. He follows the alley cat, only to find that the cat has a gang at his disposable. Garfield escapes by hiding in an abandoned building, before being approached by another cat. Garfield fears for himself until she reveals herself to be his mother, before they comfort each other. Meanwhile, Jon has a missing cat poster made. The next morning, Garfield is awoken by his mother before reconnecting with his childhood. He recognizes the building as an old Italian restaurant where he was born and first discovered a taste for Italian cuisine. His mother takes him to see the rest of his family who live further into the building, such as his sickly brother Raoul and his cousin Sly, who is the watch guard. Finally, Garfield meets his maternal grandfather, who boasts about their family's mousing history, before becoming ashamed of how soft and weak his domesticated grandson has become.
Sly suddenly warns that the same gang (The "Claws") Garfield dealt with have arrived at the building. They demand Garfield is brought out or they'll level the whole building. Though his grandfather is sorely tempted to give Garfield up, he refuses and the Claws attack. While Garfield cowers, his family manages to defend the building and the Claws retreat. Garfield is happy about the victory, but his grandfather orders him out, due to his cowardice, to which Garfield has no objections. Garfield's mother tries to reassure her son, telling him that not all cats can be mousers and that they all envy his easy life. Garfield pays his respects and excuses himself while his mother tells him she'll always be watching out for him and that she loves him. After Garfield remembers he is still lost, a rainstorm appears much to his despair before Jon's car passes. Garfield chases it before passing out. Odie luckily spots Garfield lying on the sidewalk before the two take Garfield home. The next morning, Odie wakes Garfield up, who is in his bed. Garfield questions if everything really happened before spotting his mother walking away from the house. Garfield then, to himself, thanks her for all her help.
Characters
Main Characters
Major Characters
Minor Characters
- Girl Cats (voiced by Desirée Goyette and Allyce Beasley)
- Chef (voiced by Thom Huge)
- Liz Wilson
- Sly
- Raoul
- Garfield's Family
- The Claws (two members voiced by Gregg Berger and George Wendt)
Songs
- "Just Another Crazy Day" performed by Lou Rawls
- "Startin' from Scratch" performed by Lou Rawls
- "Home" performed by Desirée Goyette
- "We Bad" performed by Desirée Goyette and Lou Rawls
- "Home (reprise)" performed by Desirée Goyette
Trivia
- This is the only special to have been co-written by Lorenzo Music.
- This is the first special in which Thom Huge provides Jon's voice.
- The circular eye style for characters is featured regularly for the last time in this special. The style appeared one more time in the first few minutes of Garfield in the Rough.
- Dialouge from the special was sampled in "Fat is Where It's At."
Book Adaptation
Differences between the special and the book adaption:
- When meeting his grandfather, Garfield declares that he will try his hand at mouse-hunting, in an attempt to impress him. His Grandfather orders that he will face the "training mouse", a giant rodent that's larger than him. The arrival of The Claws cuts Garfield's training short.
Awards
| Organization | Recipients | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy | Jay Poynor Lee Mendelson Bill Meléndez |
Outstanding Animated Program |