WARNING FROM THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: 5 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS AND REVIEW COMING UP! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO VIEW SPOILERS!!!!!!…..Enjoy and Great Day.
Hello, I’m The Detective Librarian, and I like to say to everyone’s favorite feline, Garfield. Now, we all know that Garfield first appeared in the newspapers in June 1978 & as you can imagine, it first occured 36 years ago. Not to mention that Jim Davis created Garfield. However, since the movie (in which I don’t plan on watching anytime soon), the CGI movies, “The Garfield Show,” and the new comics came, I thought the franchise went crappy. But apparently, audiences who grew up in the classic version of the franchise, they still prefer the 2-D animation with Lorenzo Music as Garfield instead of the CGI animation with Frank Welker as you know who. But, I’m not gonna talk about that right now.
Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of Garfield TV specials that had Lorenzo Music voicing Garfield since 1982-1994, which is from “Here Comes Garfield” to the TV series from 1988-1994, “Garfield and Friends.” This is “A Garfield Christmas.” It first aired on December 21, 1987. The special begins with Jon Arbuckle waking up Garfield with the house all decorated with the biggest gift of all,……..THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING, which is a robot that looks like Santa Claus with a Toys bag. How does it work? It reads your mind of what you really want and it comes to reality.
Jon wishes for a Santa helper’s hat or Robin Hood’s hat. Garfield wishes for diamonds, jewels, rubies, and ANYTHING ELSE I COULD THINK OF!!!!!!!!!!!!! The opening titles roll and soon we find out that it was just a dream sequence. Jon wakes up Garfield because Jon, Garfield, and Odie are going to Jon’s family at the farm for Christmas by packing up their presents and belongings. The gang then goes inside Jon’s car and remembers the good times when Jon used to live with his family before he met Garfield, Odie, and Lyman.
We get to witness a song sequence about what happened when his family celebrated Christmas. After this, our heroes arrive at the farm and get a happy family reunion, including Grandma, Jon’s mother and father, and Doc Boy, Jon’s brother. While Grandma prepares Christmas dinner which is putting chili powder on the sausage gravy like an evil old lady, our heroes go outside in the snow with Garfield not having a clue where he’s going due to the deep snow. Odie meanwhile is preparing a little Christmas surprise of his very own. Sudden foreshadowing………… Meanwhile, Garfield tries out the sausage gravy that obviously evil Grandma placed chili powder in and to his surprise, IT’S HOOOOOOOOTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I saw this in a “Garfield and Friends” quickie and the comic that the show is based on.
The Arbuckle family says grace and has dinner at the table. Grandma suspiciously gives the potatoes to Garfield and Odie, who are under the table. Now that’s over, it’s time to decorate our good old green bush, uhh I mean Christmas tree, heh heh. Garfield however, is chosen to put the star on top of the tree and as you can imagine: “Once a cat who ate lasagna was climbing a Christmas tree to place the star on top of it. He jumped and jumped but did not flee, he luckily found that he easily placed it on top of the tree.” Anyways I wasn’t expecting to write a poem or a nursery rhyme folks, continue.
Just as Garfield places the star on top of the tree, he falls back down but not flee. Oh wait, I just rhymed, uhh, Hi-Hit Entertainment and The Engine Inspector reference?
-At the Doctor’s Office-
DR. VICK NEWTON: Detective, you have rhymeitus, a rare disease while reviewing a classic or modern cartoon special, movie, or a sucky episode.
THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: That’s what I get for being like other reviewers like the Nostalgia Critic, The Engine Inspector (SkarloeyRailway01), arglefumph (Michael Gray), etc….. But I have to finish the review, PLEASE LET ME CONTINUE, DOC! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEEEASSSEEEEEEE!!!!!!!…….
(Reference to a Nostalgia Critic Gag called the Arnold Schwarzenegger Baby from “Junior”)
The tree is soon light up and we witness Doc Boy then Granny playing the piano like a crazy lunatic. Oh and I forgot to mention this earlier. When the tree was being decorated, Grandma was petting and talking to Garfield and after the piano scene, Grandma is seen petting Garfield for the 2nd time while looking out the window and we hear once again sudden foreshadowing involving her husband AKA Grandpa who died years ago. It turns out the family didn’t have much money. In other words, the Arbuckle family was poor before Jon was born. Jon’s father is then forced to read a Christmas book called “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” oh wait I mean “Binky the Clown Saves Christmas.”
BINKY THE CLOWN: HEEEEEEYYYYYYYYY, LIBRARIAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: AHHHHHHH!!!! Binky, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to go to your next show for the circus or do your “Screaming with Binky?” Oh wait it was in “Garfield and Friends” and is over now.
BINKY THE CLOWN: I JUST WANNA SAY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU, DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: Do you mind? I’m reviewing the special you’re mentioned in. BINKY THE CLOWN: OH SORRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: Thank you. Let’s try to continue this review despite a–
BINKY THE CLOWN: BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE LIBRARIAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE DETECTIVE LIBRARIAN: SHUT UP, BINKYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry about that folks. Let’s continue, shall we folks? Ok.
Odie then sneaks out of the house while everyone is asleep so that he can continue what he’s up to. Garfield sneaks out to where Odie is (inside the barn shed) and makes a surprising discovery. He finds old Christmas letters that were from Jon’s grandparents. Garfield realizes that the letters he found are five decades old. The Arbuckle boys wake up their father to ask if it’s time to open up their presents, even though it’s 1:30 in the morning and are sent back to their room. Gees, sometimes I think Jon and Doc Boy miss their childhood and refuse to grow up and move on.
The family wakes up on Christmas Day morning and the boys are desperate to open their presents first. Garfield then reveals his discovery last night to the entire family. Grandma explains that they’re love letters that her husband sent to her 50 years ago. Grandma is glad to discover those letters again after so long and thanks Garfield. Odie then shows Garfield what he’s been working on the entire special. It’s revealed to be a backscratcher with a fork scratching the back. Garfield enjoys the gift and gives out a speech of what Christmas is really about: “Christmas, It’s not the giving, it’s not the getting, it’s the loving.”
Awww, that’s so sweet and heartwarming, Garfield and plus, that shows that Christmas is about joy, spending time with your loved ones, giving, happiness, and Jesus’ birth in the Bible. The special ends with everyone having a splendid one last song that concludes the special.
THE END.
-POST-SPECIAL-FOLLOW-UP-
This is a good special. It’s nice to see Garfield and Odie prove that they care about each other. Even though they don’t get along at times and treat each other like brothers, friends, or rivals. I have to admit, I’m impressed with the special itself and again it was really good. Everything moves along nicely and it has it’s moments, especially the heartwarming and emotional ones. It’s a shame that newer “Garfield” related content from Jim Davis are not as nearly as good as the older productions. It definately brings back nostalgia for the fans.
Overall, this special is a good one and I would recommend it to any Garfield or Christmas special fan. I give “A Garfield Christmas (Special)” a 8.5/10. I’m The Detective Librarian and be prepared for a big surprise on a few days before Christmas. Stay tuned! In Loving Memory of Lorenzo Music (May 2nd, 1937 – August 4th, 2001).
The Detective Librarian 