Garfield's Fun Fest

Last updated
Garfield's Fun Fest
Garfield's Fun Fest Coverart.png
DVD cover
Directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé
Written by Jim Davis
Based on Garfield
by Jim Davis
Produced byJim Davis
John Davis
Starring Frank Welker
Gregg Berger
Tim Conway
Greg Eagles
Wally Wingert
Jason Marsden
Jennifer Darling
Neil Ross
Stephen Stanton
Fred Tatasciore
Audrey Wasilewski
Narrated byTim Conway
Edited byAaron Seelman
Music byKenneth Burgomaster
Production
companies
Distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States/Canada)
Velvet Octopus (International) [1]
Release date
  • August 5, 2008 (2008-08-05)
Running time
76 minutes
CountriesUnited States
South Korea
LanguageEnglish
Box office$3 million

Garfield's Fun Fest is a 2008 animated comedy film based on the comic strip Garfield . It was produced by Paws, Inc., in cooperation with The Animation Picture Company. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis as a sequel to Garfield Gets Real . The film was released on DVD in the United States on August 5, 2008, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, and was pre-sold internationally by sales representative Velvet Octopus. [2] It is the fourth Garfield film, and it was later followed by a fifth film, Garfield's Pet Force, in 2009.

Contents

Plot

Sometime after the events of the first film, Garfield is reading a book about the origins of Freddy Frog, his pond, and the beginning of humor to Odie. At breakfast, Jon reminds Garfield that Arlene wants to do a dance with him this year for the Annual Fun Fest, but Garfield is not interested in changing his 29-year comedy routine, nor is he worried about losing, and believes he will win again, because he won the Fun Fest 29 times, and the 30th Annual Fun Fest is to come tomorrow night. Arlene finds a different dance partner, Ramone; a heartbroken Garfield leaves alone. Garfield attempts to perform a new act that is done by himself, but he bombs it due to Ramone's heckling, and his ego is deflated. Worse, Arlene and Ramone seem enamored.

At the studio's cafeteria, Odie gives Garfield a letter. When the duo opens it, they see that it's a map that leads to Freddie Frog's (from the opening scene) pond; Garfield plans to travel to the pond and drink the water in order to be funny and win the show, hoping to impress Arlene. Arlene watches him leave and realizes she has hurt Garfield's feelings. She then runs outside of the studio, but Garfield and Odie are already gone. Garfield and Odie follow the map and eventually, seemingly, make it to the pond after many obstacles and encountering the funny animals who have drunk from the pond. There, an oversized frog - Freddy - tells them that is not the pond they are looking for. Freddy agrees and leads them onto many trials that involve learning how to truly be funny. But Garfield fails to understand what the trials were about. They continue to the Funny Pond, with Garfield learning about self-deprecating humor. Meanwhile, Fun Fest director Charles worries, as Garfield was the main focus for Fun Fest and is missing. Ramone steps in and takes his place. While Arlene is disappointed that Garfield was gone and worried that he is jealous and hurt, Ramone manages to win over the audience and judges with his quips and accent.

Back in the forest, Garfield attains the pond, drinks from it, and begins to feel funny. Garfield dances around and moves playfully until he remembers Fun Fest. Garfield takes some pond water in a bottle, and Freddy gives Garfield and Odie a hang glider; they soar over the forest, thanking the animals that helped them along the way. They crash land at the Fun Fest just in time for Garfield's scheduled slot. Garfield prepares to drink the Funny Water he stored, but the bottle had been destroyed in the crash landing, and all the water is now gone. Feeling that he has lost his funny forever, Garfield gives up and leaves. From behind a curtain, Garfield watches Arlene and Ramone dance and slinks off heartbroken. Arlene and Ramone spot him as he leaves. Arlene tries to get to him, but she is pulled back by Ramone and back into dancing. Freddy shows up and tells Garfield that the funny water was just plain water and it was never the funny water that made him funny, but rather himself that was funny, because of what he has done over his adventure, and that this should not even be about being funny. Freddy encourages Garfield to follow his heart by telling him this will be the only chance to prove himself. Knowing that Freddy's right, Garfield regains his hope. Determined to set things right with Arlene, Garfield goes back to the stage.

Arlene meets Garfield on stage, and they dance. Not wanting to be upstaged, Ramone confronts Garfield and the two cats fight. In the process, Garfield rips off Ramone's clothing, revealing Ramone to be a robot. Using one of Ramone's robotic arms, Garfield rips off the legs and robot face, revealing it to be Nermal in a robot suit, much to Garfield and Arlene's anger and to the shock of the crowd and judges. As the crowd cheers for Garfield's performance, they boo Nermal and force him to shamefully get off the stage, disqualifying him. Garfield and Arlene share an encore and Garfield apologizes to Arlene for not even trying to dance with Arlene, as this was more important than winning. However, the two win cheers from everyone and win the contest by getting the first perfect score in Fun Fest history. Garfield and Arlene are crowned winners of Fun Fest while Nermal starts thinking of other ideas for next year's Fun Fest much to Odie's disbelief.

Cast

Release

Garfield's Fun Fest was released on DVD on August 5, 2008, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. [3] International sale rights were held by Velvet Octopus. [4]

Box office

The film opened in nine countries. Its most profitable market was Brazil, where the film generated $729,560 in revenue and opened at sixth place with $219,801. [5] The film had a 2013 re-release in Portugal, and opened to $9,048, finishing eighth at the box office. The film dropped to 14th and 19th in its second and third weekends and finished with $21,705. [6]

Critical response

Paul Mavis of DVD Talk said in his review: "Maybe the problem is that Garfield creator Jim Davis, who wrote this movie, can't translate his humor into an 80 minute film. What's funny in a three-panel strip becomes drawn out and forced in a feature-length film. The obvious video-game structuring of the scenes is to be expected, I guess, in these days of rampant, voracious synergy, but that doesn't make the film any more palatable." [7]

Video game

A Nintendo DS game that is based on the film was released on July 29, 2008. [8] It was developed by Black Lantern Studios and published by DSI Games in North America and Zoo Digital Publishing in Europe.

Sequel

Following the success of Fun Fest, a sequel to the film, titled Garfield's Pet Force , was released on June 16, 2009. It is the final instalment in a trilogy of computer animation Garfield films, including Fun Fest and Garfield Gets Real . [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>Garfield</i> Comic strip created by Jim Davis

Garfield is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis. Originally published locally as Jon in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character Garfield the cat, Odie the dog, and their owner Jon Arbuckle. As of 2013, it was syndicated in roughly 2,580 newspapers and journals and held the Guinness World Record for being the world's most widely syndicated comic strip.

<i>Donnie Darko</i> 2001 American film by Richard Kelly

Donnie Darko is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly, and produced by Flower Films. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze and Noah Wyle. Set in October 1988, the film follows Donnie Darko, an emotionally troubled teenager who inadvertently escapes a bizarre accident by sleepwalking. He has visions of Frank, a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who informs him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Marsden</span> American actor (born 1975)

Jason Christopher Marsden is an American actor, director and producer, who has done numerous voice roles in animated films, as well as various television series and video games. He is best known for his voice roles as the voice of the Disney character Max Goof, since 1995, Prince Haku in the English dub of Spirited Away, Chester McBadbat in The Fairly OddParents, Matt Olsen/Shaygon in W.I.T.C.H., Chase Young in Xiaolin Showdown, Nermal in The Garfield Show and the title character in the Tak and the Power of Juju video game trilogy from 2003 to 2005. He is also known for voicing Thackery Binx in Disney's cult classic film Hocus Pocus (1993).

<i>Garfield: The Movie</i> 2004 film by Peter Hewitt

Garfield: The Movie is a 2004 American comedy film based on Jim Davis' comic strip Garfield. Directed by Peter Hewitt and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, it stars Breckin Meyer as Jon Arbuckle, Jennifer Love Hewitt as Dr. Liz Wilson and features Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield, who was created with computer-generated imagery.

Here Comes Garfield is a 1982 animated television special based on the comic strip Garfield by Jim Davis. It was the first half-hour Garfield TV special. It is directed by Phil Roman and features Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield the house cat, as well as the voices of Sandy Kenyon, Henry Corden and Gregg Berger.

<i>Garfields Halloween Adventure</i> 1985 American TV special

Garfield's Halloween Adventure is a 1985 American animated television special based on the Garfield comic strip. It is directed by Phil Roman and written by Garfield creator Jim Davis, and features the voices of Lorenzo Music, Thom Huge, Gregg Berger and C. Lindsay Workman. It originally aired on CBS on October 30, 1985.

<i>Garfields Thanksgiving</i> 1989 Garfield TV special

Garfield's Thanksgiving is a 1989 American animated television special based on the Garfield comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast on November 22, 1989, on CBS and was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program at the 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards. The events of the special take place during the second season of Garfield and Friends. It has been released on both VHS and DVD home video. On overseas DVD copies of Garfield's Holiday Celebrations, this special is replaced with Garfield in the Rough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield (character)</span> Fictional comic strip cat

Garfield is a fictional cat and the protagonist of the comic strip of the same name, created by Jim Davis. Garfield is portrayed as a lazy, fat, cynical and self-absorbed orange tabby Persian cat. He is noted for his love of lasagna and pizza, coffee, and sleeping, and his hatred of Mondays, Nermal, the vet, and exercise.

<i>Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties</i> 2006 film directed by Tim Hill

Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties is a 2006 adventure comedy film directed by Tim Hill and written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow. It is the sequel to Garfield: The Movie (2004), and stars Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Bill Murray reprising their respective roles as Jon Arbuckle, Dr. Liz Wilson, and the voice of Garfield. New cast members include Billy Connolly, Ian Abercrombie, Roger Rees, Lucy Davis and Oliver Muirhead in live-action roles and Tim Curry, Bob Hoskins, Rhys Ifans, Vinnie Jones, Joe Pasquale, Richard E. Grant, and Jane Leeves as the voices of the film's new animal characters. In the film, Garfield, Odie, Liz and Jon travel to the United Kingdom, where Prince, another cat that looks exactly like Garfield, is ruling over a castle after the death of his owner. His reign is soon jeopardized by an evil aristocrat, who plans to remodel the castle into condominiums, destroy the estate, and get rid of Prince. The story is loosely inspired by Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper, while its title is a parody of Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.

<i>Garfield Gets Real</i> 2007 American film

Garfield Gets Real is a 2007 American animated adventure comedy film based on the comic strip Garfield. It was produced by Paws, Inc. in cooperation with Davis Entertainment, and The Animation Picture Company and distributed by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It was written by Garfield's creator Jim Davis, who started working on the script in the autumn of 1996. It is the third Garfield film, after Garfield and Garfield: a Tail of 2 Kitties. This was the first fully animated Garfield production since the 1991 television special Garfield Gets a Life, and the series finale of Garfield and Friends. The DVD was shipped to stores on August 9, 2007. Gregg Berger, an actor from the original series, reprises his role of Odie, while Garfield was voiced by veteran voice actor Frank Welker, and Jon is voiced by Wally Wingert. The film received unfavorable reviews.

<i>Lost Boys: The Tribe</i> 2008 film by P. J. Pesce

Lost Boys: The Tribe is a 2008 American black comedy horror film directed by P. J. Pesce, which serves as a sequel to the 1987 film, The Lost Boys. The film stars Tad Hilgenbrink, Angus Sutherland, Autumn Reeser and Corey Feldman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briana Evigan</span> American actress

Briana Evigan is an American actress and dancer best known for her roles in the Step Up series and for her scream queen roles in numerous horror films. Born in Los Angeles, Evigan is the daughter of actor Greg Evigan and his wife Pamela, a dancer, model and choreographer. She began dancing and acting at a young age, graduating from Los Angeles Valley College with a degree in speech and communication.

<i>S. Darko</i> 2009 film by Chris Fisher

S. Darko, also known as S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale or S Dot Darko is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Chris Fisher and starring Daveigh Chase, Briana Evigan, and Ed Westwick. It is a sequel to the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko.

<i>Garfields Pet Force</i> 2009 animated film directed by Mark A.Z. Dippé

Garfield's Pet Force is a 2009 animated superhero comedy film based on characters from the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield and loosely based on the Pet Force novel series. It is the third and final installment of the animated trilogy, following Garfield Gets Real and Garfield's Fun Fest. Also, it is the fifth Garfield movie overall. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United States on June 16, 2009, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, while it was pre-sold overseas by sales representative Velvet Octopus. It was written by Garfield creator Jim Davis. It was released theatrically in 3-D in select countries such as Poland, Italy and Spain, and became the most profitable film in the trilogy. It is the last Garfield film to be distributed by 20th Century Fox, ten years prior to Nickelodeon's acquisition of Paws, Inc. in August 2019, as well as the 2024 film The Garfield Movie, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label.

<i>The Garfield Show</i> Animated television series

The Garfield Show is an animated television series produced by Dargaud Media and Paws, Inc. It is based on the American Garfield comic strip created by Jim Davis. The animated series focuses on a new series of adventures for the characters of Garfield, Odie, and their owner Jon Arbuckle, alongside staple characters from the strip and a number of unique additions for the program. Both Davis and producer Mark Evanier, who previously wrote episodes for the 1988 original cartoon animated series Garfield and Friends, co-wrote stories for the program, with the cast including Frank Welker, Wally Wingert, Julie Payne, Jason Marsden and Gregg Berger. Welker and Berger had previously voiced various characters in Garfield and Friends.

H3 – Halloween Horror Hostel is a 2008 German horror-parody television film, part of the TV series ProSieben Funny Movie. The film was directed by Michael Karen and written by Stefan Barth.

<i>The Frog Kingdom</i> 2013 Chinese film

The Frog Kingdom is a 2013 Chinese animated adventure drama film directed by Nelson Shin. A United States dub of the film was released on video on demand and on DVD in the United States on June 30, 2015, by Lionsgate and Grindstone Entertainment Group.

<i>The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game</i> 2018 comedy video game

The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game, is a 2018 comedy adventure video game created by independent Australian developers Grace Bruxner and Thomas Bowker. Gameplay revolves around the player's role as Frog Detective, a detective frog who is trying to solve a mystery.

<i>The Garfield Movie</i> 2024 film by Mark Dindal

The Garfield Movie is a 2024 American animated comedy film based on the comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis. Directed by Mark Dindal from a screenplay by Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove, and David Reynolds, the film stars Chris Pratt as the voice of the titular character, alongside the voices of Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang, and Snoop Dogg. In the film, Garfield is reunited with his long-lost father, a street cat named Vic, before being forced into joining him on a high-stakes adventure. It is the sixth Garfield film adaptation since Garfield's Pet Force, which was released fifteen years prior.

References

  1. ↑ "Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko starts shooting May 18".
  2. ↑ "Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko starts shooting May 18".
  3. ↑ Garfield's Fun Fest. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (DVD). Century City: Walt Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International. November 24, 2019. ASIN   B0017XOFCS . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Donnie Darko sequel S. Darko starts shooting May 18".
  5. ↑ "Garfield's Fun Fest". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Garfield's Fun Fest 2013 Re-release". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ Mavis, Paul (August 25, 2008). "Garfield's Fun Fest". DVD Talk . United States: Internet Brands . Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Garfield's Fun Fest". GameSpy . Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Alcon Plans A Series of Fully-CG 'Garfield' Features". Cartoon Brew. 25 May 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.