For the next installment in my segment on Christmas specials for classic animated shows, I’ll be looking at ‘A Garfield Christmas.’ Made in 1987, it features much of the cast from the Garfield show that was on around that time, including the late Lorenzo Music as the voice of the titular cat.
It starts with Garfield dreaming that on Christmas morning, he’ll receive as a gift a robotic Santa that can read his mind and give him any present he wants, sort of reinforcing his initial view that the only thing he finds important about Christmas is receiving presents. Then, his long- suffering owner Jon wakes him up and says that the two of them, as well as the lovable dog Odie, will be heading out to spend Christmas with Jon’s family on their old farm. Jon’s relatives include his doting mother, his rather grumpy father, his childish and shy younger brother “Doc Boy,†and his tough- as- nails grandma.
They enjoy various Christmas activities, then Garfield, seeing how lonely Grandma is around Christmas now that she’s a widow, sets out to do something nice for her, while all throughout the special, Odie’s been mysteriously putting together something for Garfield. It all leads up to a great Christmas for everyone.
About the only problem I have with this special is that the songs in it are kind of lame. None of them (Other than a rather pretty one that Jon’s mom plays on the piano later on in the special) are particularly necessary.
‘A Garfield Christmas’ is quite a fun special. Of course, Garfield is hilarious as usual, making one funny/ snarky comment after another (i.e. “Whoever invented the Christmas tree should be drug out in the street and shotâ€). Jon’s family is a hoot, ESPECIALLY the Grandma. For such a fragile- looking old lady, she frequently (And quite amusingly) shows she has more guts than many people 1/3 her age. She dominates every scene she’s in. Also, as funny as the special is, it has plenty of quite touching moments, especially in the second half. There is a scene in which Grandma is sharing with Garfield some memories of what her late husband was like around Christmas that, if they don’t bring you to tears, you should check to make sure you still have a pulse. Garfield’s little monologue at the end in which he reveals what he’s discovered about what Christmas is really about is also very well done, and seeing the eventual payoff of what Odie was preparing for him is pretty good, too.
And so, that’s ‘A Garfield Christmas.’ A very nice special, which can be seen on Youtube if any of you have an interest.
Come back later today for my next installment!
