The Garfield Movie Blu-ray Review
Score: 79
from 5 reviewers
Review Date:
A visually stunning Blu-ray with superb audio, 'The Garfield Movie' offers fun for kids despite lacking originality; a decent, albeit predictable, watch.
Disc Release Date
DTS-HD MA
Video: 92
The Garfield Movie Blu-ray delivers a vibrant viewing experience with exceptional 1080p visuals—vivid colors, excellent black levels, and crisp animation—and an unexpectedly robust 5.1 audio mix, leveraging well-defined bass and clear dialogue to create an immersive atmosphere, though it lacks Dolby Atmos support.
Audio: 89
The Garfield Movie's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track excels with robust bass, rich detail, and clear dialogue, enhancing an engaging mix of spatial cues and ambient effects that render the animated adventure vivid and well-paced.
Extra: 53
The Blu-ray of The Garfield Movie offers an engaging package of 38 minutes of extras, including the informative 'How-to-Draw' segment by character designer Taylor Krahenbuhl, a playful Gag Reel, an insightful 'Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure' featurette, and a unique Deleted Scene with Hannah Waddingham, all in 1080p.
Movie: 55
The Garfield Movie tries to modernize the iconic lasagna-loving feline with an uninspired caper plot that diverges from the character's beloved roots, offering mild humor but minimal originality in an overextended runtime. Despite a capable voice cast, including Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson, the film's generic adventure undermines its potential for reviving Garfield's classic charm.
Video: 92
"The Garfield Movie" Blu-ray delivers an impressive visual experience that fully capitalizes on the 2024 standards for digitally animated films. The 1080p HD transfer is a treat, with colors appearing boldy vivid and ditching the notion that bright animations can lack detail. Garfield's orange fur and Odie's contrasting shades pop against cooler backdrops, such as cityscapes and lush farms. The transfer maintains an inky black level, superb white balance, and freedom from any visible source or encoding artifacts, underscoring the film as a vibrant aesthetic success. Such robust presentation aligns with the colorful and whimsical spirit of the original Sunday comic strip, delivered with precision and clarity that invites viewers into its animated world.
Despite a preference for digital 4K versions available online, this Blu-ray edition doesn't shy away from showcasing high-fidelity video quality with its AVC encode. While it may lack the hyper-detailing found in some other high-tier animated releases, it more than compensates with seamless transitions and fluid movement, emphasizing its intended stylized animation. The balance of brightness and contrast ensures shadow details in darker scenes maintain their depth without sacrificing any geometric precision or overall sharpness. This Blu-ray’s offering stands out by efficiently utilizing the technological capabilities available at 1080p, yielding a viewing experience that is as spectacular as it is engaging.
Audio: 89
The audio presentation of "The Garfield Movie" on Blu-ray, encoded in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, demonstrates commendable technical execution befitting a modern animated film. The surround mix strikes an effective balance between immersive environmental ambiance and dialogue clarity. Dialogue remains crisp and well-centered, ensuring that conversations are always discernible amidst the dynamic sound effects. The surround channels engage effectively throughout, especially during vibrant sequences such as thunderous flashbacks and bustling urban settings. This usage of spatial awareness and ambient sounds enriches the viewing experience by accurately positioning elements within the acoustic environment.
The audio track delivers substantial bass performance through the LFE channel, enhancing action-packed scenes with punchy and clean low-end responses. Instances like rumbling vehicles and explosive action sequences are underscored by robust bass, providing a palpable sense of depth and energy. While not employing Dolby Atmos, the DTS-HD 5.1 mix maximizes its potential within its format limitations, creating a comprehensive soundscape. The front soundstage is expansive with well-executed directional cues that maintain an excellent balance between front and rear channels, allowing for seamless integration across the listening space.
The score and sound effects significantly contribute to the film’s adventurous theme, with musical elements resonating profoundly across the viewing area. Whether it's the subtle nuances of footsteps or the grandeur of orchestral compositions, the track maintains an admirable level of acoustic presence and fidelity. Ambient noises, such as cityscapes and pastoral sounds, are rendered with precision, reviving the animated world with vivid realism. Overall, the audio presentation of "The Garfield Movie" Blu-ray offers a compelling auditory experience that pairs effectively with its visual counterpart, demonstrating Sony's commitment to high-quality audio production in home media releases.
Extra: 53
This Blu-ray of "The Garfield Movie" offers a collection of vibrant and engaging extras that enhance the viewing experience for fans and families alike. Highlighting the creative process, the extras include both detailed behind-the-scenes insights and interactive content. The Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure and Cast of Critters segments provide engaging interviews with cast and crew, exploring Garfield's modern adaptation and celebrating the voice talent. The Gag Reel delivers entertaining bloopers, while Easter Eggs: Garnishes à la Garfield reveals hidden nods to the comic series, guided by director Mark Dindal. Art enthusiasts will appreciate Concept Art & Animation, which showcases animation progression and galleries of character designs. The Deleted Scene features a musical number with Hannah Waddingham that complements the end credits. To appeal to younger audiences, the How-to-Draw’s are instructional segments illustrating character creation.
Extras included in this disc:
- Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure: Cast and crew explore Garfield's historical evolution.
- Cast of Critters: Insights into the film's voice cast.
- Gag Reel: Fun outtakes from the voice recording sessions.
- Easter Eggs: Garnishes à la Garfield: Exploration of hidden references and jokes.
- Deleted Scene – “I’m Back” Animatic, featuring Hannah Waddingham: A cut musical sequence.
- How-to-Draw’s: Step-by-step drawing tutorials for key characters.
- Concept Art & Animation: Displays animation progression and environment galleries.
Movie: 55
"The Garfield Movie" presents an ambitious yet flawed attempt to modernize Jim Davis's beloved feline character. The film strays from Garfield’s quintessential lazy and witty persona, thrusting him into an unexpected action-adventure format reminiscent of a "Mission: Impossible" narrative. While this creative pivot attempts to bring new life to the character, it diverges sharply from the timeless appeal that fans cherish, resulting in a narrative perceived as generic and predictable.
The storyline centers around Garfield, voiced by Chris Pratt, embarking on a caper to resolve a convoluted family feud. When a past betrayal involving his father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), and the vengeful Persian cat Jinx (Hannah Waddingham) resurfaces, Garfield, Odie, and Vic find themselves embroiled in a milk heist. The plot deviates from Garfield’s classic lazy antics to an energetic heist scenario. Despite the fresh direction, it struggles to encapsulate the essence of the original comic and TV series' dry humor, leaning instead towards formulaic adventure tropes that dilute Garfield’s unique charm.
The film’s animation is competent but lacks the meticulous detail seen in top-tier animated features. Chris Pratt's portrayal of Garfield is steady yet unremarkable, while Samuel L. Jackson's performance mirrors this sentiment. The standout performance comes from Cecily Strong as Marge Malone, delivering much-needed comic relief amidst an otherwise lackluster narrative. Although flashback scenes offer some endearing insights into Garfield’s past and his relationship with Jon Arbuckle (Nicholas Hoult), these moments are scarce and overshadowed by the overarching narrative. Ultimately, "The Garfield Movie" struggles to satisfy both nostalgic purists and new audiences, resulting in a film that entertains periodically but never truly excels.
Total: 79
"The Garfield Movie" Blu-ray showcases a commendable technical presentation, even if the film itself stumbles in translating Garfield's charm from print to screen. Critics highlight the exceptional video quality with its 1.85:1 AVC aspect ratio delivering vibrant visuals and the DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio capturing an impressive soundstage. Despite lacking a compelling storyline, the Blu-ray package offers adequate entertainment with its array of extras that add some value to the release.
The film attempts to merge Garfield’s traditional humor with a heist storyline, resulting in an uneven narrative that may not sustain adult interest, though it should entertain young audiences with its lively antics. While not innovative or groundbreaking, its effort to provide some backstory does offer a nod to fans, though it may not resonate significantly with those accustomed to the comic strip's short-form storytelling.
In conclusion, "The Garfield Movie" Blu-ray is more a testament to Sony Pictures' technical prowess than cinematic excellence. It's unlikely to redefine Garfield’s legacy but provides a visually and audibly pleasing experience suited for a casual viewing. While it may not be a must-own title at full price, it holds potential as an engaging family watch or a budget-friendly purchase during sales. The recommendation, therefore, stands as a decent yet not essential watch for Garfield enthusiasts and families alike.
AV Nirvana review by Michael ScottRead review here
Video: 90
The Garfield Movie is a really robust and vibrant track, with a lot of action throughout that uses the bass channel WAYYYY more than I actually thought they would....
Audio: 100
The Garfield Movie is a really robust and vibrant track, with a lot of action throughout that uses the bass channel WAYYYY more than I actually thought they would....
Extras: 50
• Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure • Cast of Critters • Gag Reel • Easter Eggs: Garnishes à la Garfield • Deleted Scene – “I’m Back” Animatic, featuring Hannah Waddingham • How-to-Draw’s -- Garfield, Odie...
Movie: 60
No matter how mediocre the rest of the story is, it never fails to generate a laugh when Marge is large and in charge on screen....
Total: 70
The Garfield Movie is not going to win any academy awards for best animated picture, but it’s a gorgeous Blu-ray affair, with awesome video and amazing audio....
Blu-ray.com review by Martin LiebmanRead review here
Video: 100
Black levels are excellent, white balance is terrific, and the image appears free of any source or encode artifacts....
Audio: 90
Subwoofer content is great, with booming thunder and rumbling cars and trains, for example, adding some critical depth to the experience....
Extras: 50
Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure (1080p, 3:25): Cast and crew discuss building on the title character's history....
Movie: 40
Sure, the movie clings to the basics, like Garfield's love for food (which it uses as a plot device during the climax), but rather than stick with the tried-and-true formula of focusing on the character...
Total: 70
The character is best served in small chunks on comic strips and TV, so of course there has to be a 100-minute "adventure," and the adventure is not really interesting or unique or attention grabbing or...
High-Def DigestRead review here
Video: 80
And like a bright ocean jacket, these two animals stick out in a sea of cooler backgrounds that utilize the colors blue and green....
Audio: 80
Voices, footsteps, vehicles driving by, and other city and farm-like sounds are perfectly utilized with nuanced levels to bring this animated movie to life....
Extras: 60
- The cast and crew talk about adding the action element to the history of this character....
Movie: 60
Through a ton of capers and misadventures, this furry feline is having the time of his life and is not the Garfield everyone remembers, as the story dives into action territory rather than familiar dry...
Total: 80
The Garfield Movie isn't the cat everyone has known and loved over time, but the film brings some great backstory and some silly action scenes for little kids....
Home Theater Forum review by Todd ErwinRead review here
Video: 100
Colors are vivid and very pastel-like, replicating the color scheme of the Sunday versions of the comic strip as best it can....
Audio: 90
Sony has included a default DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that works very well, providing a nice wide front soundstage with plenty of surround activity in the more active sequences....
Extras: 60
Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure (1080p; 3:25): Typical EPK trailer that explains what the movie is about and bringing Garfield into the present day....
Movie: 70
It is that plot that tries to stuff Garfield, the world’s most laziest cat (and proud of it), into a heist movie, something that betrays the core character of the titular character, that causes the film...
Total: 80
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AVSForum review by Ralph PottsRead review here
Video: 100
Audio: 92
The elements of their adventure is the centerpiece of the presentation and sounds superb as the front and rear sound field’s never collide but work in unison to render the soundtrack with precise imaging...
Extras: 50
Gag Reel Easter Eggs: Garnishes à la Garfield Deleted Scene - Animatic, featuring Hannah Waddingham Indoor Cat, Outdoor Adventure Cast of Critters How-to-Draw: Garfield, Odie, Vic, and more!...
Movie: 50
As I watched I found myself chuckling here and there, but truth be told, the story, while serviceable enough, isn't conceptually strong or original....
Total: 73
Ralph Potts AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews Reference Review System: JVC DLA-NZ7 4K Ultra High-Definition Laser Front Projector (Calibrated with Calman color calibration software and Portrait Displays C6 HDR2000...
Director: Mark Dindal
Actors: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham
PlotGarfield, the lazy and sardonic orange cat, lives a comfortable life with his owner, Jon Arbuckle. His favorite activities include sleeping, eating lasagna, and pestering Jon's other pet, Odie the dog. One day, Jon unexpectedly brings home a mysterious ancient artifact he found at a garage sale, not realizing it holds special powers. When Garfield accidentally triggers its magic, he finds himself with unusual abilities that turn his mundane life upside down. Meanwhile, Jon's new neighbor, a retired archaeologist named Dr. Donna Meyers, senses something strange is afoot and becomes curious about the artifact.
As Garfield grapples with his newfound powers, he must also fend off a group of determined thieves who have discovered her whereabouts and seek to steal the artifact for their own nefarious purposes. Enlisting the help of Odie and Dr. Meyers, Garfield embarks on a series of comical and adventurous escapades to protect his home, all while learning valuable lessons about responsibility and friendship. The trio faces numerous challenges and hilarious mishaps as they strive to outwit the thieves. The story builds up to an exciting confrontation that will determine the fate of the artifact and Garfield's peaceful existence.
Writers: Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove, David Reynolds
Release Date: 24 May 2024
Runtime: 101 min
Rating: PG
Country: United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong
Language: English