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Overview

Hare Force is an episode from the sixth season of Garfield and Friends.

Synopsis[]

Booker and Sheldon re-imagine The Tortoise and the Hare as an epic-scale science fiction fantasy.

Plot[]

Orson is about to read the classic story of The Tortoise and the Hare to Booker and Sheldon as their bedtime story. The chicks first complain about the previous book Orson read them, then they show no interest to the story, since they already know what will happen. Despite the complaints, Orson reads them the story. Booker interrupts, asking to be waken up when the story reaches the end. Orson ignores the criticism and reads the entire story to his unwilling audience. Having finished, he asks the chicks about the moral of the story. Booker answers in a way, which disappoints Orson. Sheldon admits that he and Booker are unimpressed with the predictable outcome and lack of events. Orson asks if they can make a better story. The chicks proceed to prove Orson, that they have proper ideas. Having placed Orson in Sheldon's bed, the chicks bring a computer to improve the original story.

First, they redesign the tortoise to give him more attitude. The initial muscled tortoise is rejected by Booker, so Sheldon develops a second version - a space hero who battles dinosaurs on an alien world. Later on, the chicks turn the hare into an intergalatic villain bent on universal domination. With redesigned characters, the chicks proceed to tell their story. One day, as the tortoise is battling a dinosaur, he receives a holographic message from the hare with intent to mock him. The tortoise declares that they should have a race, and the hare declares the prize will be mastery of time and space, eternal control of the universe and a cookie. The tortoise agrees with heroical bravado.

The race begins with the hare taking an enormous lead, leaving the tortoise light years behind. Being certain of an easy victory, the hare elects to land on planet made of glue and soon takes a nap there, giving the tortoise a chance to catch up. The chicks are thrilled with how they are writing the revision. They wish they could see the climax themselves. Orson suggests they use their imaginations to be there and see for themselves. The chicks do so, and imagine themselves spacesuits and a rocket. With that, they are in the story.

Sheldon asks about the story progress, so Booker turns the visual at the hare, who wakes up to find that he has overslept. Having set his spacecraft to the full speed, the hare eventually reaches past the tortoise, taking the lead again. Orson and Sheldon think this will contradict the sense of the original tale. Booker replies, that the issue is much worse than that, for the hare's space ship is heading directly to a crash course with their rocket. Orson and the chicks panic, for they need to quicken their own vessel fast. In an act of despair, Sheldon kicks a button as Orson suggested him, that anything is made up. Their vehicle joins in the race before the hare can claim victory. The maximum speed activated by Sheldon lets them cross the finish line first.

Orson and the chicks are celebrating victory on the board of their space rocket. Therefore, Sheldon controls the universe, Booker is the master of space and time, and Orson gets the cookie, which turns out to be his favorite chocolate chip taste.

Characters[]

Main characters[]

Major characters[]

Minor characters[]

  • Fox
  • Space dinosaur

Trivia[]

  • As a running gag, in both the classic story and Booker and Sheldon's revamped version, the fox uses a gun to signal the start of the race, only for it to shoot a white flag with the word 'BANG!' instead of an actual gun shot.
  • This is one of the few episodes to not feature Roy Rooster or Wade Duck.
  • The Fox from the earlier seasons reappars in this episode, although he has a silent role in this episode. During Orson's story of the "Tortoise and the Hare", The Fox has orange hands and feet, rather than black hands and feet.

Cultural references[]

  • The Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare is recited in a straightforward fashion by Orson, then remade by Booker and Sheldon.
  • The tortoise is initially proposed as a ninja warrior, alluding to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Booker and Sheldon quickly dismiss the concept, doubting that anyone "would ever want to watch a show about" it. The initial concept of heroic tortoise does resemble the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in terms of body shape.
  • The concept for a space tortoise fighting reptiles in the outer space seems at least partially inspired by Warhammer 40.000, which revolves about Space Marines' legions fighting monsters in the outer space, including reptiles.
  • The Space Hare's vessel seems to have its design based on Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk aircraft.

Goofs[]

  • While Booker changes the Hare's design on computer, the Hare changes cheek color from gray-white into the same dark gray tone as the rest of his color.
  • The space dinosaur loses eye sclera during the combat with the space tortoise.
Garfield and Friends
Episodes

"Pest of a Guest / The Impractical Joker / Fat & Furry" • "Rip Van Kitty / Grabbity / The Big Catnap" • "The Great Getaway / Scrambled Eggs / Hansel and Garfield" • "The Sludge Monster / Fortune Kooky / Heatwave Holiday" • "One Good Fern Deserves Another / Goody-Go-Round / The Black Book" • "The Legend of the Lake / Double Oh Orson / Health Feud" • "Binky Gets Cancelled! / Show Stoppers / Cutie and the Beast" • "The Lasagna Zone / Sleepytime Pig / Yojumbo" • "Pros and Cons / Rooster Revenge / Lights! Camera! Garfield!" • "Polecat Flats / Hogcules / Brain Boy" • "Maine Course / No Laughing Matter / Attack of the Mutant Guppies" • "Robodie / First Aid Wade / Video Victim" • "The Curse of Klopman / Mud Sweet Mud / Rainy Day Dreams" • "Basket Brawl / Origin of Power Pig / Cactus Jake Rides Again" • "Binky Goes Bad! / Barn of Fear / Mini-Mall Matters" • "Attention-Getting Garfield / Swine Trek / It Must Be True!" • "Arrivaderci, Odie! / Gort Goes Good / Feeling Feline" • "The Bear Facts / Nothing To Be Afraid Of / The Big Talker" • "Cactus Makes Perfect / Hogcules II / Crime and Nourishment" • "T.V. of Tomorrow / Little Red Riding Egg / Well Fed Feline" • "Invasion of the Big Robots / Shelf Esteem / Housebreak Hotel" • "First Class Feline / Hamelot / How to Be Funny!" • "Mystic Manor / Flop Goes the Weasel / The Legend of Long Jon" • "China Cat / Cock-a-Doodle Dandy / Beach Blanket Bonzo" • "Lemon Aid / Hog Noon / Video Airlines" • "The Mail Animal / Peanut-Brained Rooster / Mummy Dearest"

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