Jim Davis on Chris Pratt and the enduring appeal of Garfield
GARFIELD creator Jim Davis admits he was bowled over by Chris Pratt as the voice behind the beloved Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat in “The Garfield Movie.”
“Chris has great attitude in his voice and incredible timing,” said Davis. “I rate him a ten for funny. And one of the things he does is really bring the Garfield edge and attitude to the character, and so he really understood the character and absolutely nailed him. He’s great to listen to. You can sit back immediately and go, ‘Yeah, that’s Garfield.’”
In The Garfield Movie, the world-famous Garfield is about to have a wild outdoor adventure. After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father (Samuel Jackson) — scruffy street cat Vic — Garfield and his canine friend Odie (Harvey Guillén) are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
After nearly 50 years of comic strip stardom and hilarious TV specials, The Garfield Movie brings together everything that audiences love about Garfield —plus a few things they never knew.
For his part, Davis, who is one of the film’s executive producers, said he was thrilled to see an animated film break Garfield out of his three-panel confines.
“It goes without saying that Garfield gets out and around more in animation. Otherwise, why animate him? Garfield has the same personality in both mediums. However, since animation is more than three frames, Garfield must get involved with a plot demanding that he leave his bed.”
Davis said that he created the character to stand in contrast with the many dogs that were ruling the comics page at the time.
“I saw a lot of dogs doing very well — Snoopy, Marmaduke, Fred Basset, you name it. But there were no cats at the time. And I grew up on a farm with about 25 cats on average, and so I knew and loved cats. I thought, ‘Well, if dogs are doing that well, maybe I could use a cat.’ Cats are kind of standoffish — you know where your dog stands, but cats are aloof.”
Because of that, he says, “it’s natural to attribute human thoughts and feelings to cats. Garfield is a human being in a cat suit.”
Indeed, Davis says that Garfield’s staying power comes in the fact that his millions of fans recognize themselves in his foibles.
“I hold a mirror to the reader and show them back with a humorous twist. We’re made to feel guilty for overeating, not exercising, and oversleeping. Garfield relieves our guilt by enjoying all of those things,” he ended.
Join Garfield and his friends on their crazy adventure as The Garfield Movie, from Columbia Pictures opens in cinemas today, May 29.