| 1 | [[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garfield_and_his_holiday_specials_bpoxart_cover_but_that_just_the_tip_o_the_iceburgf_2447.png]] |
| 2 | [[caption-width-right:224:These are just the Holiday Specials.]] |
| 3 | A series of 12 animated TV specials based off the popular comic strip ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}''. All of them (except the first two, which were animated by Mendleson/Melendez Productions, famous for the ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Cathy}}'' specials) were animated by Creator/FilmRoman, and all of them were broadcast on Creator/{{CBS}} between the years of 1982 and 1991. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | The specials use the same voice actors and animation style, at least from ''Garfield in the Rough'' onwards, as the animated series ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'', though there is no official word on whether the specials and series are set in the same universe. |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The specials are as follows: |
| 8 | |
| 9 | * ''Here Comes Garfield'' (October 25, 1982): After [[PilotEpisode a series of vignettes introducing our fat cool cat]], Odie is locked in a dog pound, and Garfield must save him. |
| 10 | * ''Garfield on the Town'' (October 28, 1983): Garfield falls out of the car on a visit to the vet, and ends up being reunited with his mother. Won an Emmy in 1984. |
| 11 | * ''Garfield in the Rough'' (October 26, 1984): Garfield, Jon and Odie go camping. Unfortunately, a killer panther is there... Won an Emmy in 1985. |
| 12 | * ''Garfield's [[HalloweenSpecial Halloween]] Adventure/Garfield in Disguise'' (October 30, 1985): Garfield and Odie go trick-or-treating, and while doing so, wind up at a haunted house. Won an Emmy in 1986. |
| 13 | * ''Garfield in Paradise'' (May 27, 1986): Garfield, Jon and Odie go on vacation in the cheapskate's version of Hawaii. |
| 14 | * ''Garfield Goes Hollywood'' (May 8, 1987): Garfield, Jon and Odie attempt to win a talent show contest for people and their pets. |
| 15 | * ''A Garfield [[ChristmasSpecial Christmas]]'' (December 21, 1987): Garfield and Odie go with Jon to spend Christmas on the farm where Jon's family lives. Re-edited in 1991. |
| 16 | * ''ComicBook/GarfieldHis9Lives'' (November 22, 1988): An epic hour-long special where we see past and future reincarnations of Garfield (or Garfield's "Lives") . Based off a graphic novel. Has its own page. |
| 17 | * ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldsBabesAndBullets'' (May 23, 1989): A DeliberatelyMonochrome special that dramatically parodies FilmNoir. Based off one of the vignettes from ''His 9 Lives'' that didn't make it to the above special... and when it became by far the most popular vignette of the book version, the animation team decided to give it a dedicated special. Won an Emmy in 1989. Has its own page. |
| 18 | * ''Garfield's Thanksgiving'' (November 22, 1989): While Garfield is put on a diet much to his horror, Jon invites Liz over for Thanksgiving and attempts to cook the food. [[LethalChef It doesn't end well]]. |
| 19 | * ''Garfield's Feline Fantasies'' (May 18, 1990): Garfield has a variety of imagination sequences [[AffectionateParody Affectionately Parodying]] various films, including one where he portrays a treasure hunter named "Lance Sterling," a cross between ''Franchise/JamesBond'' and ''Franchise/IndianaJones''. |
| 20 | * ''Garfield Gets a Life'' (May 8, 1991): The final special -- Jon attempts to add some excitement into his life, and in the process, meets a woman who he really hits it off with, but this gets Garfield worried. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | All twelve were issued on four [=DVD=]s and three book collections in 2004 and 2005: |
| 23 | |
| 24 | * ''Garfield as Himself'': Collects ''Here Comes Garfield'', ''Garfield on the Town'' and ''Garfield Gets a Life''. |
| 25 | * ''Garfield's Holiday Celebration'': Collects ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure'', ''Garfield's Thanksgiving'' and ''A Garfield Christmas''. The book edition was originally released in 1997 as ''Garfield's Jolly Holiday 3-Pack''. |
| 26 | * ''Garfield's Travel Adventures'': Collects ''Garfield in the Rough'', ''Garfield in Paradise'' and ''Garfield Goes Hollywood''. |
| 27 | * ''Garfield Fantasies'': Collects ''Garfield's Babes and Bullets'', ''Garfield's Nine Lives'' and ''Garfield's Feline Fantasies''. Unlike the other collections, it was released on DVD only and did not have a companion book release. |
| 28 | |
| 29 | ---- |
| 30 | !!The ''Garfield Specials'' provide examples of: |
| 31 | %%''Garfield: His Nine Lives'' and ''Garfield's Babes and Bullets'' have their own pages; tropes for those works go there. |
| 32 | |
| 33 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 34 | |
| 35 | [[folder:General]] |
| 36 | * AnimatedAdaptation: Apart from these being based off the strip itself, many of the specials, ''especially'' the early ones, featured gags and lines adapted from original Garfield comic strips. ''His 9 Lives'' is an adaptation of (some of) the original graphic novel, and ''Babes & Bullets'' is an adaptation of the originally-prose story from ''His 9 Lives'' |
| 37 | * ArtEvolution: When watching the specials in order, you can see how Garfield has evolved over the years. The first two specials have Garfield drawn in his early 80's style. He still is for the first few scenes of ''Garfield in the Rough'', then the eyes slowly get larger during the rest of the special. And by ''Garfield Goes Hollywood'', he has the look he has in ''[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends Garfield and Friends.]]'' |
| 38 | * AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: |
| 39 | ** A HeterosexualLifePartners (then again, Odie's seen crossdressed twice in ''Garfield In Hollywood'') version. Garfield recurrently treats Odie shabbily, but Odie himself clearly cares for Garfield deeply as a friend, and Garfield, though he would never care to admit it, is often nice to Odie back; curling up to sleep beside Odie for the latter's comfort when Odie is apparently doomed to be put down in ''Here Comes Garfield'' (and then going on to attack the dogcatcher to save him towards the film's end), giving Odie his fair share of the candy in ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure'', and bartering with The Creator to give Odie nine lives back as well at the end of ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldHis9Lives'' are all prominent examples. |
| 40 | ** ''Garfield in the Rough'' deserves its own mention, especially since this applies to both Odie and Jon. Garfield, a chubby house cat usually too out of shape to even hunt mice, leaps onto the back of ''an escaped panther'', biting and clawing it in order to protect Jon and Odie from harm. Garfield doesn't take down the beast (in fact, at best he just made himself the panther's target), but he ultimately bought time for the park rangers to arrive and tranquilize the panther before any real harm was done. |
| 41 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: Garfield has a RunningGag of saying "nice touch" when something thematically appropriate (DramaticThunder upon the closeup of a spooky mansion, for example) occurs. |
| 42 | * BreatherEpisode: ''Garfield Goes Hollywood'', ''Garfield's Thanksgiving'', and ''Garfield Gets a Life'', all of which are more laid back compared to the rest of the specials. There's no moments that are explicitly PlayedForDrama or see the characters in genuine danger, and similar to the comic strip and ''Garfield and Friends'', are more gag-focused. |
| 43 | * CoolOldLady: Jon's Grandma, who appears in both the Christmas and Thanksgiving specials. In the Thanksgiving special, she immediately arrived at Jon's house to assemble a full meal for him and his date, including her cutting through a frozen turkey and turning it into croquettes. |
| 44 | * DarkerAndEdgier: While the original Garfield comic strip, as well as ''[[WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends and Friends,]]'' are GagSeries with NoFourthWall, the specials tend to be much more dramatic. ''Halloween Adventure'' in particular. |
| 45 | * DeliberatelyMonochrome: The entirety of ''Babes and Bullets'', the ComicStrip/KrazyKat scene of ''His 9 Lives'', and the first scene of ''In the Rough''. |
| 46 | * DigitalDestruction: The 9 Story DVD releases all suffer from severe deinterlacing artifacts that make the video jittery and pixellated. They are also strangely re-edited to put the opening credits ''before'' the scenes that lead into them and cover the edits with awkward fades to black, making mush of the opening scenes. |
| 47 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The two earliest Garfield specials, ''Here Comes Garfield'' and ''Garfield on the Town'' are a time capsule of the nascent years of the franchise. |
| 48 | ** Garfield is drawn in his early-80's style for both specials – he rarely walks upright and doesn't have big feet when he does. The production of ''Here Comes Garfield'' is actually the reason why Garfield's design would change in the comics and later specials -- Creator/JimDavis wanted to open with Garfield dancing but the animators struggled because Garfield had been designed with small, cat-like feet. The next special, ''Garfield on the Town'', still used the four-footed art style but notably Garfield is able to stand on two humanoid feet now when necessary. |
| 49 | ** The first two specials were animated by Mendelson/Melendez, who created the Peanuts specials, but directed by Phil Roman. Due to the demands of the studio also working on the ''Peanuts'' specials in the same window, it was decided that Phil Roman would form his own studio, Film Roman, to take on the work for future ''Garfield'' specials and later the ''Garfield and Friends'' TV show. While a lot of the same people worked on the rest of the animated series, there are noticeable changes in the presentation and style of the later specials that make them more in keeping with the look and feel of ''Garfield and Friends'', not the least of which was Garfield's character design shifting to the extremely recognizable look he has to this day. |
| 50 | ** ''Here Comes Garfield'' is the only cartoon where Jon isn't voiced by Thom Huge, instead being provided by longtime television actor Sandy Kenyon. |
| 51 | ** The soundtrack is also ''significantly'' different -- later specials and ''Garfield & Friends'' would use combination of synth-classical and synthpop. ''Here Comes'' has a ''swing jazz'' soundtrack with several songs performed by Lou Rawls. While later specials would always include a Lou Rawls song to open the proceedings, ''Here Comes Garfield'' featured multiple songs performed by Rawls. Notably, all of the specials ''and'' ''Garfield and Friends'' featured the same music team of Desirée Goyette (who performed the film vocals and many of the female voices in the franchise) and Ed Bogas (who was only missing for the last special). |
| 52 | ** A number of the other specials, and ''G&F'', featured unique storylines that didn't overlap with the comic itself, which went on to become its own beast. ''Here Comes'' is largely sourced from a number of strips during the early [=80s=] era of Garfield, stitched together to make one story. |
| 53 | ** Additionally, the third act of ''Here Comes'' is a lot more melancholy than many other ''Garfield'' works, and focuses around the idea that Odie is going to be put down by the City Pound for want of an identified owner (as Jon has no idea how much trouble they're in) and features Garfield reflecting on how they met and comforting Odie while he's cold. The scene feels a bit ridiculous today -- ''obviously'' Odie isn't getting put under -- but in 1982 Odie's PlotArmor wasn't guaranteed and so the sequence worked better. ''On the Town'' deals with the bittersweet reunion of Garfield with his family and learning that he doesn't fit in, but it's comparatively much lower stakes than the idea of one of the main cast ''dying.'' |
| 54 | ** Garfield himself is not nearly as much of a pun-master as he'd become in later shows, instead being much more of a StraightMan to the goofiness happening around him; there's also more of an emphasis placed, especially by the soundtrack, on him being a "cool cat". |
| 55 | ** For some even ''earlier'' installment weirdness, technically Garfield was first animated for a mostly live action special called ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gWfgV4NaS0 The Fantastic Funnies]]'' in 1980 produced by Mendelson/Melendez, which highlighted several contemporary strips and would briefly display examples of their humor in animated form. In addition to Garfield having a rounder design and Jon having a rounder head and different colored clothing, Garfield is voiced by Scott Beach who gives a very different performance to the rotund feline than Lorenzo Music would bring. Ironically, ''this'' was the first time Thom Huge would voice Jon Arbuckle. |
| 56 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Garfield. Under that lazy, cynical, self-absorbed exterior, there's quite a golden heart. He deeply cares for Odie and Jon, in his own way, and demonstrates it a few times. |
| 57 | ** In ''Garfield in the Rough'', he '''attacks a killer panther to try and protect them'''. [[HiddenDepths He's also a really good dancer]]. |
| 58 | ** In ''Halloween Adventure'', Garfield learns too late, after jumping into water, that he is unable to swim, so Odie saves him. Once back on dry land and once they rediscover their bags of trick-or-treating candies, they head home, where, in repayment, Garfield does something he considers "totally out of character for [him]" and "a great sacrifice on [his] part": he gives Odie his half of the candy. |
| 59 | * ManChild: There's a few hints that part of Jon's nerdy nature is because of this. Most blatant in the ChristmasSpecial; he and his brother Doc Boy love a children's book about Binky the Clown saving Christmas so much that they make their father read it to them each year, despite being grown men, and at one point they try to wake their dad up directly after midnight so they can celebrate Christmas Morning as soon as possible. |
| 60 | * NonStandardCharacterDesign: Many of the specials featured a character (usually the villain) drawn in a more realistic style compared to the other characters. Examples include the dogcatcher from ''Here Comes Garfield'', the panther from ''Garfield in the Rough'', and the old man and the pirates from ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure''. The latter is especially made creepy by the fact that he also has five fingers on each hand, unlike the other characters who have four. |
| 61 | * {{Novelization}}: All the specials (except ''Garfield: His 9 Lives'', which already was one, and ''Garfield's Feline Fantasies'', which was adapted into a storybook) were adapted into small graphic novels. The art in them tended to look hurried, even though in many cases the stories became more fleshed out. |
| 62 | * RunningGag: Every single special has a moment where [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Garfield turns to the camera and says "Nice touch."]] These moments occur after some impressive effect that generally helps emphasize the tone of the scene: for example, in ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure'', he does this after seeing the DramaticThunder behind the haunted house. |
| 63 | * ShoutOut: Plenty. These '''are''' ''Garfield'' cartoons, after all. See the individual folders for details. |
| 64 | * SpiritualSuccessor: ''Garfield and Friends'' tended to avoid holiday episodes (the specials speak for themselves), but in the season 2 segment "Heatwave Holiday", Garfield started a "Christmas in July" trend on a very hot day when he was trying to "think cold". Much later, ''WesternAnimation/TheGarfieldShow'''s second episode's opening segment was also Halloween themed, though in each case, this was the only segment with an overt holiday theme. |
| 65 | * TookALevelInBadass: Garfield between ''On the Town'' and ''In the Rough''. A gang of cats he accidentally pissed off attacks his family? He hides. A panther attacks Jon and Odie? It's go time. |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:''Here Comes Garfield'']] |
| 69 | * AnimationBump: Garfield's dancing at the start is a notably more complex and smooth animation sequence than the rest of the special. A Behind the Scenes segment in 1982 promoting the show shows the amount of work put into the dancing sequence as the animators wanted Garfield to move more like a slow, fat person than a cat. This included filming Desirée Goyette and modeling the animation to match her choreography [[https://youtu.be/umhgO1O2Psc?t=220]]. |
| 70 | * {{Bowdlerization}}: A strip of Garfield throttling Jon, like many others, was animated into a throwaway gag. However, due to the request of Creator/{{CBS}}, the throttling was changed to Garfield grabbing Jon's cheeks and shaking them violently. Jon's line "I'm so happy to own a cat, I could just throw up", is also shortened to just "I'm so happy to own a cat". |
| 71 | * BrickJoke: In the second act, Garfield breaks down the front door upon being impatient with waiting for Jon to let him in and the door falls onto Jon. Around the end, when Garfield and Odie return home after escaping the pound, Jon is seen screwing the door back in, which Garfield and Odie break down ''again''. |
| 72 | * DogsLoveFireHydrants: When Garfield, Odie and the other dogs and cats flee the pound, one of the dogs at one point stops to sniff a fire hydrant. |
| 73 | * DramaticThunder: Done when Garfield comes up to the dog pound that Odie is held in on a rainy night, followed by Garfield saying "[[LampshadeHanging Nice touch.]]" |
| 74 | * KickTheDog: Hubert, after getting annoyed by Garfield and Odie, calls the pound on them, leaving out the key detail they are his ''neighbour's pets''. He essentially sentenced Jon's animals to be euthenised out of petty spite. |
| 75 | * NewsMonopoly: Variant -- a bored Garfield tries to watch TV, but finds the exact same car commercial on every channel. |
| 76 | -->'''Man:''' You know, Pleasure Motors--''(click)'' You know, Pleasure Motors is conveniently located right here in Downtown--''(click)'' Of course, if you can't make it to our Downtown location, we have new locations under construction in Midtown--''(click)'' Uptown--''(click)'' And in the loop. ''(click)'' To Pleasure Motors, your business is our pleasure--''(click)'' Where our pleasure is your business--''(click)'' And our pleasure is none of your business! |
| 77 | * PilotEpisode: Effectively. It was the first outing of ''Garfield'' as an animated enterprise with an eye toward doing more if the public was receptive, and as a result, there's a lot of the weirdness one would expect out of a pilot, as detailed in EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in the previous folder. |
| 78 | * PoundsAreAnimalPrisons: There's a depressing scene of Garfield and Odie trapped and alone in such a pound. |
| 79 | * {{Retcon}}: In this continuity, Lyman is AdaptedOut, and Jon is instead shown to have brought Odie home himself when Garfield was a kitten. This would be maintained in ''His 9 Lives''. |
| 80 | * ShoutOut: Several: |
| 81 | ** [[Film/GoneWithTheWind "Rhett! Rhett! Whatever shall I do? Wherever shall I go?"]] |
| 82 | ** Garfield gripes about Odie, "Ten billion dogs in this world, and I get [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Tweedledee]] the Wonder Dummy." |
| 83 | ** When Garfield tries, but fails, to explain to Jon [[IDoNotSpeakNonverbal in pantomime]] that Odie was taken to the pound, he says, [[Film/CoolHandLuke "What we have here is a failure to communicate."]] |
| 84 | * SureLetsGoWithThat: When Garfield and Odie come home from the pound, Jon assumes that they were out all night singing on the fence and chasing cars while he was home worrying himself sick about them. They assure him they were do that. |
| 85 | * TakeMeToYourLeader: Parodied, as Garfield plays with the food on the table (in a direct adaptation of the December 28, 1980 strip): |
| 86 | -->'''Garfield:''' Take me to your leader, earthling, or I will atomize your face! |
| 87 | * TitleDrop: Garfield does this when he decides to rescue Odie from the pound: |
| 88 | -->'''Garfield:''' Look out, pound, here comes Garfield! |
| 89 | * WidelySpacedJailBars: Garfield and Odie are [[PoundsAreAnimalPrisons taken to the pound]]. Odie is thrown into the back of an animal control truck where the bars are more than wide enough for him to slip through. Later, when Garfield and Odie are in the pound, all the cage bars are wide enough for even Garfield to walk out, but nobody seems to notice. |
| 90 | [[/folder]] |
| 91 | |
| 92 | [[folder:''Garfield on the Town'']] |
| 93 | * BittersweetEnding: The end. Garfield finds his way back to Jon and Odie, but due to hiding in the battle with the Claws, he's been more or less forbidden to come back to the restaurant and implicitly even come near his family, including his long-lost mother, again. [[HopeSpot Though it's implied that Garfield's mother is checking up on him to see how he's doing]]. She's also apparently in the audience for Garfield's act on the fence in the intro to ''Garfield Goes Hollywood''. |
| 94 | * ButNowIMustGo: At the end, Garfield is ordered by his grandfather to leave and go back to his own home with Jon and Odie. Before he goes, Garfield's mother does conciliate him that his life with Jon is much easier and more comfortable than their lives in the abandoned Italian restaurant. |
| 95 | * DirtyCoward: Despite being the one who caused the climactic battle between his family and the Claws, Garfield himself spends the entire fight attempting to hide. |
| 96 | * FauxAffablyEvil: [[PunnyName Ali Cat]] can present himself as civil and reasonable when he wants to, but it's clearly just him trying to get what he wants the easy way. When he's refused, he's quick to turn violent. |
| 97 | * JerkassHasAPoint: Garfield's grandfather bluntly telling him to go home is undoubtedly harsh, but it's not hard to see where he's coming from. The family's restaurant took serious damage in a fight against the Claws to protect Garfield -- a fight Garfield didn't participate in. Besides, as Garfield's mother points out, he's just not cut out for their lifestyle and wouldn't enjoy it. |
| 98 | * LookBehindYou: Garfield's brother Raoul distracts Ali Cat during a fight by saying "Ain't that Haley's Comet?" |
| 99 | * ParentsKnowTheirChildren: Garfield's mother immediately recognizes him, whereas it takes him a few moments to realize who she is. |
| 100 | * PyrrhicVictory: Garfield's family succeeds in driving away the Claws but at the cost of their home (an abandoned Italian restaurant) being vandalized and broken into and some of the family members having been injured in the battle. None of the cats but Garfield is happy with the results of the battle. |
| 101 | * RememberTheNewGuy: Most of Garfield's family appeared only in one week of strips and ''Garfield On The Town'' without ever being mentioned again (except for his mom, who showed up in ''one'' other strip). |
| 102 | %%* ShoutOut: There was one to ''Theatre/WestSideStory''. |
| 103 | * VillainousGoldTooth: The leader of the Claws, Ali Cat, has a gold tooth. His gang intends to hunt down and harm Garfield. |
| 104 | * VillainSong: The Claws sing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CysKMVHGTU a song]] when they approach the abandoned Italian restaurant Garfield's family lives in while trying to find Garfield with the intent of harming him. |
| 105 | [[/folder]] |
| 106 | |
| 107 | [[folder:''Garfield in the Rough'']] |
| 108 | * AdaptationExpansion: The comic adaptation adds a few extra scenes. |
| 109 | ** During Garfield's meeting with Billy and Dicky, an additional sequence has Garfield actually giving them his name, and the trio get into a discussion on what foods are around to eat. |
| 110 | ** After the panther is dealt with, Garfield meets Billy again, who suggests he stay at the lake, but Garfield declines. |
| 111 | ** The final scene takes place after the main cast returns home, where Garfield and Odie play-attack Jon when Jon suggests going camping again the next weekend. It's followed by Garfield hearing scratches at the front door and opening it to see what appears to be the panther, back for revenge... but it turns out to just be a tiny kitten. Finally, Jon asks what they thought about the trip, only to get play-attacked again. |
| 112 | * CallBack: At one point, Jon turns on the radio set, and after a WeInterruptThisProgram report about the panther, "So Long Old Friend" from ''Here Comes Garfield'' starts playing. |
| 113 | * CampingEpisode: Garfield, Jon, and Odie go on a camping trip, only to be attacked by a [[PantheraAwesome panther]] that had escaped from a zoo. |
| 114 | * CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: When they heard the news about the escaped panther in Lake Woebegone on the radio, Garfield immediately went to packing up and going home. Jon forced him to stay incorrectly asserting they're miles away from Lake Woebegone (when they ''are'' in it), and even when Garfield was warned by the forest critters that the panther is in the area and he goes to alert Jon once more, Jon just ignores him. |
| 115 | * DeliberatelyMonochrome: The first scenes of the special are deliberately done in black and white to represent the color having gone out of Garfield's life. |
| 116 | * DoNotAdjustYourSet: The special opens with one of these, saying it isn't necessary -- the color has just really gone out of Garfield's life. |
| 117 | * EscapedAnimalRampage: An escaped panther stalks the woods where Jon, Garfield and Odie are camping. |
| 118 | * IHaveAFamily: Garfield thinks he's being approached by a predator when he encounters Billy Rabbit and makes several pleas to not be eaten. One of his claims is lying about having a wife and nine kids. |
| 119 | * InstantSedation: Somewhat averted; the park rangers are able to shoot the panther with a tranquilizer dart (just as it's about to pounce on Garfield), but while the sedative does its thing pretty quickly, there is a tense moment when the panther is still able to crawl towards Garfield and come close to clawing him. |
| 120 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Garfield himself. Though normally selfish and lazy, and initially running to the top of a tree in fear to get away from the panther, he doesn't even ''hesitate'' to ''dive from the tree'' '''onto the panther's back and claw away at it''' when it threatens the lives of both Jon and Odie; while he doesn't defeat the panther, he ''does'' manage to buy enough time for the park rangers to tranquilize the panther without anyone getting hurt. |
| 121 | * LetsGetDangerous: After most of an episode cowering in fear of the escaped panther, Garfield goes into near-PapaWolf mode to distract it when it menaces Jon and Odie. |
| 122 | * MockingMusic: A broadcast about a vicious black panther that's escaped from the zoo is followed with: |
| 123 | -->'''Woman on radio:''' [[BlackComedyBurst So long, old friend!]] [[MythologyGag I wish that I could see you once again-]]\ |
| 124 | '''Garfield:''' ''[immediately turns off radio]'' [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere That's it. Pack it in, we're going home.]] |
| 125 | * MonochromeToColor: The special uses this in its intro, as the title character bemoans how boring life at home is (with a DoNotAdjustYourSet warning). It switches to color when Jon suggests that they go on vacation. |
| 126 | * NonStandardCharacterDesign: The panther was designed with more realistic features as opposed to the more cartoonish look of most animals in the franchise. |
| 127 | * RealisticSpeciesCartoonySpecies: Played straight with [[EscapedAnimalRampage the panther]] (the realistic to everyone else's cartoony), making it look downright ''[[VileVillainSaccharineShow terrifying]]''. |
| 128 | * ScrewThisImOutOfHere: This is Garfield's reaction to hearing that an escaped panther has been spotted near the area where he, Odie and Jon are camping, though Jon isn't having any of it, thinking Lake Woebegone is miles away (when it's actually right where they're camped). [[spoiler:Inverted big-time later when said panther actually does attack the camp site. Initially, Garfield is able to escape, but when he sees Jon and Odie in trouble, Garfield ''[[LetsGetDangerous attacks the panther]]''.]] |
| 129 | -->'''Garfield:''' That's it. Pack it in. We're going home. I don't wanna be a panther snack. |
| 130 | * SuperPersistentPredator: The panther, which attacks Jon, Garfield and Odie at their campsite and ''smashes the driver-side window of Jon's car with its head'' (taking two tries to break it), then turns to go after Garfield after he drops on its back and claws and bites the panther. |
| 131 | * ThisIsMyHuman: When a panther threatens Jon and Odie, Garfield goes ''on the attack'' and draws claws and teeth on it. It doesn't do much but it does give time for the rangers to sedate the panther. Odie and Jon are grateful and GroupHug Garfield. |
| 132 | * VileVillainSaccharineShow: The panther lacks the same anthropomorphic, innocent wit of the other animals. It then nearly slashes Jon after breaking his car window and decimating his shirt before trying to hunt down Garfield, making this a rare instance of a villain that creates dramatic violence in Garfield-related media. |
| 133 | * YouWontLikeHowITaste: When he encounters Billy Rabbit, Garfield assumes that he's run into a predator and pleads not to be eaten. One of the things Garfield claims to avoid being eaten is that he is high in cholesterol. |
| 134 | [[/folder]] |
| 135 | |
| 136 | [[folder:''Garfield's Halloween Adventure/Garfield in Disguise'']] |
| 137 | * AdaptationExpansion: The ''Halloween'' book adds a subplot about Garfield stealing a ring (which is why the ghosts chase him down to the docks per the cartoon), and then adds a bit where they appear at his house to chase him some more until he returns it. |
| 138 | * AgonyOfTheFeet: Garfield's initial plan to get inside the OldDarkHouse is for him to kick down the door and have Odie scout the place out. Garfield injures his foot doing this. |
| 139 | * AndThatLittleGirlWasMe: After telling the story of the pirates and seeing that Garfield doesn't believe him, the old man tells him to "'''''Belie-e-e-eve''''' it, my friends.", then adds that "The pirates had a ten-year-old cabin boy. '''''I''''' was that boy." |
| 140 | * AntiSneezeFinger: Odie does this to himself while hiding from the pirate ghosts in a cupboard with Garfield, to try to stop himself from blowing their cover with an IllTimedSneeze. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. |
| 141 | * AsideGlance: Garfield's IgnoredEpiphany prompts one from Odie. |
| 142 | * BedsheetGhost: During the "Scaredy Cat" song, Garfield and Odie prepare to laugh at two different ghosts of this type (whom they think are just kids in costumes), only to find the first is actually a Bigfoot-like creature and the second is apparently a ''real'' ghost. |
| 143 | * BravadoSong: Garfield sings a song called "Scaredy Cat", which is about how he may be a lazy slob, but he's not a coward. Various times throughout the song, he comes across trick-or-treaters who turn out to be real monsters and he and Odie run in circles before dashing away as an offscreen backup singer chimes in, "[[BlatantLies The one thing he's not is a scaredy cat!]]" |
| 144 | * BreakingTheFourthWall: InUniverse. When Garfield says he hates Binky, Binky responds with a shocked expression. |
| 145 | * TheCabinBoy: The only living member of the pirates who buried treasure a century ago is the former cabin boy, now a hundred-and-ten year old man who lives in a creepy manor. |
| 146 | * CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Garfield as a pirate threatens to kill Jon, but won't on account of him being the only one who changes his kitty litter. |
| 147 | * CaptainColorbeard: Garfield is dressed as "Orangebeard the pirate captain". |
| 148 | * CostumeTestMontage: Garfield tries out many costumes during the "What Should I Be?" song while getting ready for Halloween before choosing a pirate costume. |
| 149 | * DirtyCoward: The old man who tells Garfield and Odie the story of the ghost pirates sneaks out and steals their boat, not even offering a chance for them to get on it. |
| 150 | * DramaticThunder: When Garfield and Odie approach the haunted house, thunder and lightning ensue. |
| 151 | -->'''Garfield:''' [[LampshadeHanging Nice touch.]] |
| 152 | * DressedToPlunder: The special has Garfield and Odie going out Trick-or-Treating dressed as pirates, Garfield [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal wearing a pirate hat and sporting a peg leg]], while Odie has a bandana, single earring, and striped shirt, and [[TheFool being who he is]], starts off with a peg on every leg. The ghostly pirates they run into later show more of the usual fashion sense, just more dead and decayed. |
| 153 | * EarlyBirdCameo: Binky the Clown makes his first on-screen appearance, before his physical debut in the strip (he was first mentioned in March 1985, a little over seven months before the special aired, but wasn't seen until September of '86) or ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends''. |
| 154 | * EvenTheDogIsAshamed: Odie [[AsideGlance glances toward the camera]] and shakes his head at Garfield when the latter expresses his greed for the loads of candy he'll receive from the houses at the opposite side of a river. |
| 155 | * ExactWords: As the boat gets caught in the current, Garfield tells Odie to "put out the oars." Odie immediately throws the oars overboard. |
| 156 | * ForHalloweenIAmGoingAsMyself: Garfield is showing Odie that the other trick-or-treaters are just kids by pulling a monster mask off one kid. But the next three turn out to be real monsters, with the third person Garfield unmasks (a long-nosed person with sharp teeth) revealing their mask is identical to their real face, and the fourth person, a BedsheetGhost, turns out to be an actual, invisible ghost underneath. Subverted with the second person unmasked -- it's a hairy monster, but they're also in a Bedsheet Ghost outfit. |
| 157 | * HalloweenSpecial: In which Garfield and Odie go out trick-or-treating and end up facing pirate ghosts. |
| 158 | * HeroicDog: As Garfield and Odie jump into the lake to escape the evil ghosts chasing them, Garfield quickly sinks under and is swept away by the current (he can't swim). A frantic, whimpering Odie immediately dives underwater to find him and pulls him to safety. As they reach the shore, Garfield tells him with complete sincerity [[IOweYouMyLife "I owe you one, old buddy"]]. It's especially touching considering that Garfield is always ridiculing and tormenting Odie -- he only even brought him along for trick-or-treating in order to get more candy for ''himself'' -- yet Odie didn't hesitate to save him. |
| 159 | * HorrorComedy: The special plays its horror elements surprisingly straight, but it's still ultimately ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'', which means that it has plenty of snark and slapstick to go around. |
| 160 | * IAteWhat: When Garfield finds a bowl of what he thinks is something like lasagna, it eats it, prompting Jon to ask since when he liked pumpkin innards. |
| 161 | -->'''Garfield:''' [[SpitTake Ptooe!]] Since never! |
| 162 | * IgnoredEpiphany: Flagrant: |
| 163 | -->'''Garfield:''' Wait a minute. Am I being too greedy? Should I share my candy with those less fortunate than me? Am I missing the true spirit of Halloween?... Naaaaah! Mine! All mine! Mine, I tell you! |
| 164 | * IllTimedSneeze: Odie sneezes at the wrong time while he and Garfield are hiding in a cabinet from some pirate ghosts. The sneeze is not only ''loud'' enough to attract the ghosts' attention, but it's powerful enough to blow the cabinet doors right open. With sheepish grins, Garfield and Odie close the doors again, and Garfield says, "[[TemptingFate Maybe they didn't see us...]]" Cue the ScareChord as the pirate ghosts come through the cabinet! |
| 165 | * IWantMyMommy: Garfield shouts this, when, after Odie puts out the oars in their rowboat [[LiteralMinded (as in, drops them off the boat and into the water)]], they start drifting downriver. |
| 166 | -->'''Garfield:''' We be at the mercy of the sea, matey! Topside! Topside! Batten the hatches! Trim the mains! Slip the sheets! Flibber the giblets! I WANT MY MOMMY!!! |
| 167 | * LiteralMinded: Garfield orders Odie to "put out the oars". [[TheFool Odie]] ''throws the oars off the boat''. |
| 168 | -->'''Garfield:''' I'd make him {{walk the plank}} if I had one. |
| 169 | * MarketBasedTitle: The special isn't sure what to call itself, even in the USA. The cartoon debuted as ''Garfield's Halloween Adventure'', but the novelization was called ''Garfield In Disguise'', suggesting that that was the original title. Depending on the re-release, one or the other (or ''both'') will change. Some prints of the book note on the first page that the title was altered. |
| 170 | * MetaphorIsMyMiddleName: Garfield tries to do this, but finds [[OnlyOneName it doesn't work very well]]: |
| 171 | -->'''Garfield:''' Halloween is my middle name! Gar-Halloween-Field... Oh, well. |
| 172 | * MistakenForAnImposter: Done while Garfield and Odie are out trick-or-treating, and Garfield removes the mask or sheet from another trick-or-treater in order to assure Odie that they're just kids in costume. The first time, he's right -- it's just a kid in disguise. The second time... it's a scary monster disguised as BedsheetGhost. The third time... a monster wearing a mask that looks just like its face. The fourth time... a BedsheetGhost with, well, nothing under the "bedsheet". |
| 173 | * NetworkSignOff: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when the TV started rebroadcasting with [[ShowWithinTheShow The Binky the Clown Show]], waking up Garfield. |
| 174 | * NinjaPirateRobotZombie: One of the costumes Garfield tries out was a robot astronaut hobo clown. |
| 175 | * OhCrapSmile: Garfield and Odie each give one after the latter blows their cover with an IllTimedSneeze. |
| 176 | * PirateEpisode: Combined with HalloweenSpecial -- on Halloween night, Garfield dresses like a pirate to trick-or-treat and gets Odie to come along with him for the sole purpose of getting twice as much candy. The two come to a haunted house inhabited by an old man who was the cabin boy of a band of pirates in his youth, and tells them that the ghosts of the pirates are expected to arrive for their treasure at any minute, then flees from them in Garfield's rowboat, leaving Garfield and Odie to face the ghosts alone. With help from Odie, Garfield safely makes it back home, and [[IOweYouMyLife rewards Odie for saving him by giving him his rightful share of the candy]]. |
| 177 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: If the old man was telling the truth about being there when the pirates hid their treasure, he'd be 110 years old. |
| 178 | * ScareChord: Two happen when the old man first appears and the pirate ghosts burst through a cabinet after Garfield and Odie. |
| 179 | * ScreamsLikeALittleGirl: Garfield and Odie both scream in a ''very'' high pitch during the song "Scaredy Cat", whenever they come across trick-or-treaters who [[TheReveal are not what they appear to be]]. This also doubles as HypocriticalHumor, because just before making the discovery, Garfield continuously sings that he may be a lot of things, "but the one thing I'm not is a scaredy cat." They do it again in the haunted house when, after warming themselves by the fire, they look behind themselves, see the old man and realize they aren't alone. |
| 180 | * ShoutOut: While digging around in a chest for costume supplies, Garfield finds [[Music/PuffTheMagicDragon balls of string and sealing wax and other fancy stuff.]] |
| 181 | * SkewedPriorities: Garfield is more concerned that he lost his candy and it's past his bedtime than that pirate ghosts are coming to get them. (He also laments losing the boat, but that was a valid worry giving that it was their only mean of escape.) |
| 182 | * TalkLikeAPirate: Garfield gladly indulges in this as Captain Orangebeard. Even first mate, Odie the Stupid, tries the growling version ("R-arr!"). |
| 183 | * TroubleFollowsYouHome: In the comic book adaptation only, Garfield and Odie have just escaped the haunted island and the ghosts pursuing them. As soon as they open their front door, the ghosts jump out at them and chase them up a tree. Garfield doesn't know what they want, but Odie realizes that they've come for a ring that Garfield swiped from their treasure chest back at the island. Garfield drops the ring into the palm of one of the ghosts, and they swirl out of existence. |
| 184 | * WaxingLyrical: As Garfield rummages through a chest to find costume pieces, among the things he tosses out are [[Music/PuffTheMagicDragon "strings, sealing wax and other funny stuff."]] |
| 185 | * YourTelevisionHatesYou: At the end, Garfield is too wired to sleep and opts to watch TV. He sees the old man from the island hosting an all-night pirate movie festival. Turning off the TV, Garfield suddenly decides he's very tired and turns in. |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[/folder]] |
| 188 | |
| 189 | [[folder:''Garfield in Paradise'']] |
| 190 | * AdaptationExpansion: The comic adaptation adds a couple of extra scenes, including the High Rama Lama calling "Wanda" to bring food to everyone during his first talk with Jon, and a scene where Pigeon calls that the waves are really good, leading to the High Rama Lama calling for a beach party, including hollering for "Wanda" to bring food again and scolding Monkey and Odie when they try to join in on the surfing instead of working on the car. |
| 191 | * AppeaseTheVolcanoGod: The volcano. However, it rejects the usual {{virgin sacrifice}} common to this trope when it throws out Princess Owooda when she attempts a HeroicSacrifice. What the volcano really wants is a vintage [=1950s=] car that contains the spirit of the Cruiser, who appeased it the first time. |
| 192 | * AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: In the climax, [[spoiler: the ghost of the Cruiser and his car emerge from the volcano and drive into the sky towards Heaven]]. |
| 193 | * BeachBury: In one scene, Garfield buries Odie in the sand, up to his ankles... and upside down (in a scene reminiscent of [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1980/08/14 an August 1980 strip]]). |
| 194 | * TheBlindLeadingTheBlind: Monkey, the dumbest of the Ding-Dongs, and Odie fix up Jon's rental car. |
| 195 | * CallBack: A trumpet version of the song "So Long Old Friend" from ''Here Comes Garfield'' plays after Odie's DisneyDeath, causing Garfield [[WaxingLyrical to start saying the lyrics]]. |
| 196 | * CargoCult: Jon, Garfield and Odie come across a native tribe that worships a '57 Chevy and its driver, "The Cruiser", who drove into a nearby volcano as a sacrifice. When they learned English, it was from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_party_film beach movies]]. |
| 197 | * CasualDangerDialogue: When the volcano begins erupting, Garfield looks and the camera and smiles while saying "Nice touch." |
| 198 | * ChekhovsVolcano: The volcano, which rumbles menacingly during the group's drive and then threatens to erupt in the climax. |
| 199 | * CuttingCorners: Jon's attempts at an affordable vacation backfire miserably. Booking third class leads to a barely functional flight with broken down seats and abusive staff ("When you travel, you ''pay'' for respect!") and their destination is a low-grade motel that at least has a pool...with no water in it, and close access to beach...by a helicopter. |
| 200 | -->'''Jon:''' This isn't what I bargained for. |
| 201 | -->'''Garfield:''' Oh, you "bargained" or it, all right. |
| 202 | * DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Odie and Monkey in the end, when they drive Jon's rental car into the volcano, leading to everyone thinking they're dead and mourning them... until they climb out a minute later, much to everyone's delight.]] |
| 203 | * EmptySwimmingPoolDive: Occurs, albeit unintentionally -- Jon's laying on the diving board over the empty pool, and said board breaks underneath him. |
| 204 | * HeroicSacrifice: Owooda attempts this, but the volcano won't let her, sending her tumbling back down the mountain. [[spoiler:Monkey and Odie appear to pull one when they drive the car over the volcano's edge to appease it, but they manage to climb out.]] |
| 205 | * HumanSacrifice: The island princess (and her cat) is sent to jump into an erupting volcano. Her rather cynical father comments that it doesn't so much [[AppeaseTheVolcanoGod appease the spirit of the volcano]] as it "plugs up the hole." Turns out the volcano is more interested in the convertible Jon rented. |
| 206 | * InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: A Great Gildersleeve-style [[HonestJohnsDealership sleazy salesman type]] shows up as a hotel clerk and then a car rental agent successively, prompting the lines, "You look familiar." "I have a brother in the hotel business." |
| 207 | -->'''Garfield''': Racket is more like it. |
| 208 | * LostTribe: PlayedForLaughs with the Ding-Dongs. They're an isolated culture--or rather, they ''were'' isolated until they met "the Cruiser," a Creator/JamesDean lookalike, in 1957. The Cruiser introduced them to the American pop culture of that era (beach movies, rock 'n roll, and the like), and the Ding-Dongs never progressed past that point, so they still talk, act, and generally live like it's the 1950s, which humorously isolates them even further. |
| 209 | * MundaneSolution: Brought up after Odie and Monkey's ([[DisneyDeath seeming]]) HeroicSacrifice: |
| 210 | -->'''High Rama Lama''': Aw Monkey, what did you have to go and do that for, ya big galoot? [[BoringButPractical We could have just shoved the car in]]. |
| 211 | * NewJobsAsThePlotDemands: The same person who looks suspiciously like Frank Nelson is both a hotel clerk and a car rental agent. He claims they're separate people, but Garfield isn't buying it. |
| 212 | -->'''Nelson-type man:''' (as the rental agent) ''Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehs?''\ |
| 213 | '''Jon Arbuckle:''' You look familiar.\ |
| 214 | '''Nelson:''' I have a brother in the hotel business.\ |
| 215 | '''Garfield:''' Racket is more like it. |
| 216 | * NotThisOneThatOne: Inverted. Stranded in a tribal village, the chief calls for his daughter and her cat to meet his guests [Jon and Garfield]. The first girl and cat they see are rather homely, but then the real daughter and cat emerge, both of them significantly more attractive. |
| 217 | * PaperThinDisguise: To get around the airline rule against pets in seats, Jon makes Garfield wear clothes but otherwise look like himself. |
| 218 | * PlaneAwfulFlight: The special opens with Jon, Garfield (and Odie stashed in a suitcase) taking a plane to a tropical island. While the airline is established as friendly and classy, it all deteriorates the moment Jon is revealed to have only paid for third class, being met with not-so-chipper-anymore stewardesses ("Your seat is in the rear with the rest of the slime!") broken down seats, non-functioning safety belts, and turbulence that sends them bouncing into the ceiling. Garfield's thoughts on the matter: |
| 219 | -->"Whoever said getting there is half the fun should be dragged out into the street and ''shot''." |
| 220 | * PlugTheVolcano: When the Paradise World volcano starts erupting. The village chief's daughter decides to sacrifice herself (and her unwilling cat) to prevent the island from being destroyed, and Jon asks the chief if it's to AppeaseTheVolcanoGod. |
| 221 | -->'''High Rama Lama''': "No. Uh, plugs up the hole." |
| 222 | * SharkFinOfDoom: Subverted -- Garfield panics when he sees what looks like a shark fin while he's floating on the water, but it just turns out to be Odie with his ears arranged to ''look'' like a shark's fin. |
| 223 | * ShoutOut: |
| 224 | ** Frank Nelson spoofing his ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'' persona. |
| 225 | ** Referring to the room that Jon and company have rented, the cheapest, most run-down flea-trap room in the entire hotel as the ... wait for it... [[spoiler:"Jack Benny suite."]] |
| 226 | ** Garfield imagines himself as Music/DonHo at one point, while the character named "The Cruiser" seems to be a cross between Creator/JamesDean and [[Series/HappyDays The Fonz]]. |
| 227 | ** Even though Jon's car rental is a 1957 Chevy, the red and white colors and trim and the fact that the car is apparently possessed are more likely to evoke comparisons with [[Literature/{{Christine}} a certain 1958 Plymouth]]. |
| 228 | ** The chief of the LostTribe of the jungle is the High Rama Lama, and the tribe itself is called the Ding-Dongs; put together, that's "Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong," a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KStsPPgeka4 song from the 1950s.]] |
| 229 | * StupidSacrifice: At the climax, [[spoiler:Odie and Monkey have apparently driven the car to their death in the heart of a raging volcano. The High Rama Lama points out they could have simply stopped the car, gotten out, and pushed the car in]]. Subverted on two counts: [[spoiler:first, Odie and Monkey actually survive, having apparently bailed out of the car shortly after it started to fall in, second, Monkey mentions "we gotta work on those brakes", suggesting that they had ''tried'' to stop the car but ''couldn't''.]] |
| 230 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The special has Princess Owooda resembling Liz and her cat resembling Arlene. |
| 231 | * YouGetWhatYouPayFor: Jon wanted a more affordable tropical vacation, so he chose a poor man's Hawaii, called Paradise World, but the hotel is shoddy, the pool doesn't have water, and there's only one car available at the car rental. Averted as [[spoiler:Jon, Garfield and Odie still manage to have fun time. The vintage convertible is beautiful and runs perfectly, and their meeting with the tribe provided an adventure that likely would have been worth much more than if Jon had decided to pay for a proper Hawaiian vacation.]] |
| 232 | * YouLookFamiliar: In-universe: when Jon and his pets go to rent a car, the car dealer, who looks like Frank Nelson, looks ''a lot'' like the motel manager, also looking a lot like Nelson, prompting Jon to say this very phrase to him. |
| 233 | -->'''Car dealer:''' I have a brother in the motel business.\ |
| 234 | '''Garfield:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Racket is more like it.]] |
| 235 | [[/folder]] |
| 236 | |
| 237 | [[folder:''Garfield Goes Hollywood'']] |
| 238 | * AdaptationDyeJob: In the comic adaptation, the Lemon Sisters (a set of singing chickens in the "Pet Search" national finals) have bright yellow feathers, fitting their name. In the cartoon, they have white feathers instead. |
| 239 | * AdaptedOut: The comic adaptation leaves out a sequence with another contestant at the "Pet Search" national finals, "Miles the Jazz Canary". He places fourth, while the Lemon Sisters are fifth (in the comic, they place fourth and no fifth-place contestant is named). |
| 240 | * BrickJoke: |
| 241 | ** When Jon, Garfield and Odie enter ''[[Series/StarSearch Pet Search]]'', they see a roller-skating bear as one of the acts. Later, there is a man named Herbie who spent 18 years training his pigeons to tap-dance, but when he presents them, they immediately fly away...and, [[HumiliationConga to add insult to injury]], the roller-skating bear skates into the scene and knocks into him. |
| 242 | ** Later, when Jon happily says that there's only one more act after theirs, Garfield comments that with their luck, it would be a dog that plays five instruments at once. Take a guess what the last act of the show was. (Although, he got disqualified because [[spoiler:he was actually a human in a dog suit]].) |
| 243 | * CelebrityIsOverrated: Parodied by Garfield himself. As Jon trots out the usual justifications for this trope, such as forgetting who they are and about the little people, Garfield welcomes all that in his usual snarky manner. It's still played straight with Jon though, as really, he's afraid that his pets will forget about him. |
| 244 | * IsThereADoctorInTheHouse: At the "Pet Search" talent show, there is an old woman who is trying to make her pet bird, which is most likely dead, perform tricks to the audience. After realizing what's going on, the old woman asks this question. |
| 245 | * PetContestEpisode: Garfield and Odie enter a local TV talent show called ''Pet Search'', where the winners can go on to the national finals in Hollywood. Garfield and Odie win handily due to the low bar set by the other contestants, but in Hollywood, the competition is extremely stiff, and their tango act is placed second after a cat who sings opera. |
| 246 | * ShoutOut: Garfield has a dream sequence in which he imagines himself in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', ''Royal Wedding'', and ''Film/SinginInTheRain''. |
| 247 | * TheShowGoesHollywood: Naturally, as Garfield, Odie, and Jon put together an act for the talent show ''Pet Search'' that gets them to the national finals in Hollywood. |
| 248 | * SuddenAnatomy: When the announcer says that a dog can play five instruments at once he grows an extra finger to emphasize this, which disappears seconds later. |
| 249 | * TheTelevisionTalksBack: Garfield, Jon and Odie are watching ''Pet Search'', where this trope happens twice: one when they learn about the U$1000 prize ("One thousand dollars?" "That's right, one thousand dollars!") and again when they learn about the trip to Hollywood ("I can't believe it!" "Well, believe it."). |
| 250 | * VocalDissonance: Being voiced by Thom Huge, Jon has a surprisingly good singing voice. It makes his supposed dorkiness particularly during his Wizard of Love act hard to believe even with the ridiculous Elvis clothes. Then again, his tepid reception was likely because the contest was for his pets (Jon tells his pets that they were great, to which Garfield retorts that Jon was awful), and he does manage to woo over [[GirlOfTheWeek women]] in the specials. |
| 251 | * WentToTheGreatXInTheSky: After breaking Jon's guitar, Garfield says it "went to the big tuning fork in the sky". |
| 252 | * YourMom: The special begins with Garfield trying to tell jokes while standing on a fence. After getting hit in the face with a pie, he yells "Your mothers wear army boots". |
| 253 | [[/folder]] |
| 254 | |
| 255 | [[folder:''A Garfield Christmas'']] |
| 256 | * AdaptationExpansion: The comic based on the special adds a few extra scenes, such as: |
| 257 | ** Turning Doc Boy's one use of "Don't call me Doc Boy!" into a RunningGag. |
| 258 | ** Doing the same with Garfield's MadLibsCatchphrase of "Whoever invented (insert phrase here) should be drug out into the street and shot". |
| 259 | ** Adding a bit of Jon wrapping Christmas presents at home before they get in the car (wherein Garfield wraps Odie as a present to try and give him away). |
| 260 | ** Replacing Jon's walk through the snow with the pets with a sequence of him doing chores (to his annoyance) with his dad and brother. |
| 261 | ** A bit of Grandma whacking Jon, Dad and Doc Boy each with a spoon (Jon for taste-testing, Dad for having his feet on the table and Doc Boy just because) as they're getting dinner ready. |
| 262 | ** A scene of Dad threatening violence against Mom over her remark about why they didn't just put the star on the tree before putting the tree up. |
| 263 | ** A bit of Garfield doing a GiftShake (lifted directly from the comic strip), followed by Jon and Doc Boy heading to bed (including a case of the "Don't call me Doc Boy" RunningGag), Grandma saying she'll be up a little longer and then Jon and Doc Boy ''in'' bed and Mom coming in to say goodnight. |
| 264 | ** Expanding on the scene of Odie making Garfield's present (instead having him try and fail to put the post of it into the base, and then get distracted by a sound made by Garfield throwing a corncob and going to investigate, allowing Garfield to drill a hole into the base and then assemble the gift himself). |
| 265 | ** Jon and Doc Boy walking into the room yawning on Christmas morning because someone turned their alarm clock off (and their dad implying he was responsible). |
| 266 | * AdaptationalIntelligence: Odie, normally known for his lack of brains, spends the special gathering miscellaneous stuff from around the farm and then single-handedly crafts a present for Garfield (a backscratcher) out of those items. Subverted in the comic adaptation, where Garfield is the one who makes a hole in the base and then assembles the whole thing ''for'' Odie while the latter is investigating a noise Garfield had made to distract him. |
| 267 | * DancePartyEnding: The last minute or so of the special involves the whole family dancing to "A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas". |
| 268 | * DreadfulMusician: Doc's attempt at playing "Oh Christmas Tree" on the piano in the 1991 version of the special. The rest of the family visibly cringes, and Grandma knocks him out of the way to spare them after less than a minute. |
| 269 | * DreamIntro: The special starts with Garfield waking up on Christmas morning to Jon in an elf costume, leading him to the tree with a trail of lasagnas, and presenting him with a gift-giving machine that can read his mind and generate whatever he's thinking of, followed by the opening credits. After that, Garfield wakes up for real and finds Jon telling him it's the day ''before'' Christmas and they're going to the family farm for the holiday. |
| 270 | * FireBreathingDiner: Garfield has a little taste of Mom's sausage gravy, unaware that Grandma secretly put chili powder in it. Fire inevitably flares up from his mouth, but Garfield thinks the gravy is perfect anyway. |
| 271 | * GiftShake: In a scene only in the comic version, Garfield reenacts a scene from the December 23, 1981 strip: |
| 272 | --> "Wonder what this could be?" (shakes it) "Gee, I hope it's for me." (''tinkle tinkle'') "Gee, I hope it's for Odie." |
| 273 | * HomemadeSweaterFromHell: Jon gets a Christmas sweater that flows far past the tips of his fingers. Downplayed though, in that he isn't shown having any problem with it. |
| 274 | * IfIDoNotReturn: When Garfield's taking the star to the top of the tree, he tells Jon "If I'm not back in an hour, send a banana cream pie after me." |
| 275 | * NotSoAboveItAll: Garfield spends most of "Can't Wait Till Christmas" grousing and snarking, but he eventually gets caught up in the song and sincerely joins in. Upon realizing this, though, he resumes looking sour. |
| 276 | * OhNoNotAgain: Jon and Doc's father is not keen on the family tradition of reading "Binky: the Clown Who Saved Christmas" every year, particularly since his sons are now adults. |
| 277 | * OrphanedPunchline: In the scene where the Arbuckles finish decorating their Christmas tree and have to put the star on, Dad asks why they can't just put the star on the tree first and then put the tree up, to which Mom replies by saying that "it just wouldn't be Christmas" if they did that. In the special itself, no response is given to that line, but in the ComicBookAdaptation, Dad replies ""One more remark like that, and you'll see stars, woman." |
| 278 | * OverlyNarrowSuperlative: This: |
| 279 | -->'''Jon:''' Doc Boy! How's my favorite brother?\ |
| 280 | '''Doc:''' [[PhraseCatcher Don't call me Doc Boy.]] And you've probably forgotten I'm your ''only'' brother.\ |
| 281 | '''Jon:''' Oh. ...You're right. |
| 282 | * ParentalBonus: There's a scene near the end where Garfield presents Jon's Grandma with a bundle of letters written by her (now deceased) husband when they were courting. Grandma reads the first letter aloud: |
| 283 | -->'''Grandma:''' "My darling, if the sea were of ink and the sky of parchment, I could not begin to write my love for you." (laughs softly) "When next we meet-" (pauses, reading silently) Oh... (puts a hand over her mouth, chuckling) Oh, ''my''.\ |
| 284 | '''Jon's Mom:''' Well, what does he say, Grandma?\ |
| 285 | '''Grandma:''' (quickly folds up letter, crossing her arms) It is inappropriate for a lady to talk about her romances, my dear. |
| 286 | * SavingChristmas: One Arbuckle family tradition is Dad reading ''Binky: The Clown Who Saved Christmas''. |
| 287 | * ScareChord: One occurs when Garfield realizes just how high up he is on top of a Christmas tree. |
| 288 | * TemptingFate: While Jon, Garfield and Odie are out walking in the snow, Jon talks about the "beautiful scenery". Garfield, who's walking with only his tail sticking out of the snow, grumbles about "''What'' scenery?" and continues on to say "In fact I'd go so far as to say things can't much worse than-" before getting cut off by banging his head into a water pump. He then lampshades it by adding "[[YouJustHadToSayIt I gotta quit saying that.]]" |
| 289 | * TrueMeaningOfChristmas: At the very end of the special, Garfield declares what he feels is the true meaning of the holiday (though he doesn't outright call it that, instead opening with "Permit me one sentimental moment here."): |
| 290 | -->'''Garfield''': "Christmas: it's not the giving, it's not the getting, it's the loving. There, I said it. Now get outta here." |
| 291 | * WhyAreWeWhispering: Garfield does this, a monologue variation. "...Why can't they come here where my warm bed is? And why... am I whispering?" |
| 292 | * YouJustHadToSayIt: When Garfield, Jon, and Odie are walking through deep snow: |
| 293 | -->'''Jon:''' This is what it's all about, right, boys? Hard work, crisp weather, and beautiful scenery.\ |
| 294 | '''Garfield:''' [''with only his tail showing''] What scenery? I think somebody turned the lights out. In fact, I'd go so far as say things can't get much worse than...\ |
| 295 | (''Garfield crashes into a snow gauge'')\ |
| 296 | '''Garfield:''' I gotta quit saying that. |
| 297 | [[/folder]] |
| 298 | |
| 299 | [[folder:''Garfield's Thanksgiving'']] |
| 300 | * ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: Liz puts Garfield on a diet that includes lettuce. Cats are obligate carnivores, so lettuce wouldn't be healthy for him. |
| 301 | * BalloonBelly: Garfield and Odie both have massive stomachs after Thanksgiving dinner. |
| 302 | * BreathHoldingBrat: Jon holds his breath until Liz says she'll go out with him. She eventually agrees after Jon faints from holding his breath in. |
| 303 | * TheCameo: Orson Pig from ''ComicStrip/USAcres'' appears in the waiting room at the vet. |
| 304 | * ComicallyMissingThePoint: Jon while prepping a Thanksgiving turkey reads the instruction "Rub skin with butter" as applying butter to his own skin rather than the turkey's. |
| 305 | * CostumeTestMontage: Jon goes through a serious of outfits to try to find one to impress Liz when she comes over for Thanksgiving Dinner. Garfield rejects each outfit with a raspberry until Jon dresses "as himself" in a simple suit and tie (but forgets his pants). |
| 306 | * DietEpisode: Liz orders Jon to put Garfield on a diet during one of their regular vet visits, which he, obviously, is already upset about. He's even ''more'' upset because it's the day before Thanksgiving. |
| 307 | * EvenTheDogIsAshamed: There's a quick shot of Garfield covering his eyes in embarrassment after Jon (who waited until the last moment to even begin preparing for his Thanksgiving dinner date with Liz), instead of rubbing butter on the turkey skin, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxjqdzvFzGM rubbed it]] on [[EpicFail his]] ''[[EpicFail own]]'' [[EpicFail skin]]. |
| 308 | * GladIThoughtOfIt: Thanksgiving dinner is seemingly ruined, so Garfield tries to get Jon to call his grandmother since she's the only one who could potentially salvage things for everyone. Unfortunately, none of the hints he's giving Jon are getting through to him. So finally, Garfield shoves a picture of Grandma Arbuckle in his face. |
| 309 | -->'''Jon:''' I know! I'll call Grandma! Jon, you're a genius!\ |
| 310 | '''Garfield:''' ...If he had a brain, he'd be dangerous. |
| 311 | * HereWeGoAgain: Liz decides that maybe Garfield can be taken off his diet and just get more exercise instead (and just in time for Thanksgiving dinner). After dinner Jon notices how [[BalloonBelly bloated and lethargic Odie appears]], and wonders if he should be put on a diet. |
| 312 | * IfICantHaveYou: A non-romantic example. Garfield is put on a diet the day before Thanksgiving, and thus he's not looking forward to what is usually his favorite holiday. When Jon isn't looking, he puts a bunch of garlic on the vegetables that Jon just threw into a pot without cutting, saying something like "If I can't enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, nobody will!" in a rather evil-sounding tone. He eventually regrets it after Liz lifts his diet, the reason why he did it since he had to suffer going on a diet during Thanksgiving. |
| 313 | * InflatingBodyGag: Jon continues flirting with Liz while she's taking Garfield's blood pressure, and this distraction results in her accidentally inflating Garfield with air--first just his hand, then his entire body. |
| 314 | * LethalChef: Jon clearly didn't do any research into how to cook a turkey before the big day, as he failed to notice that his recipe called for baking a thawed turkey for five hours until three hours before dinnertime, which is when he took the turkey out of the freezer. |
| 315 | * LiteralMinded: The turkey recipe says "Rub skin with butter". Jon then says "I don't know what good that will do, but okay," and rubs ''his own skin'' with it. |
| 316 | * MicroDieting: Liz the vet puts Garfield on a severe diet the day before Thanksgiving that includes getting half a leaf of lettuce to eat for lunch. |
| 317 | * MyGodYouAreSerious: While Grandma Arbuckle is making Thanksgiving dinner in the kitchen, Jon is distracting Liz until dinner is ready by telling her about the entire history of Thanksgiving. Liz thinks he's kidding until he starts going into detail about the holiday, causing her to realize that he isn't. |
| 318 | * OvenLogic: Jon turns up the oven to 500°F when the directions call for 325°F to cook the turkey faster. However, the turkey is [[EpicFail somehow still frozen solid after three hours]]. |
| 319 | * SawStarWarsTwentySevenTimes: Garfield's talking scale mockingly mistakes him for Orson Welles, and claims to have seen ''Film/CitizenKane'' eight times. |
| 320 | * SequentialSymptomSyndrome: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Garfield, when he fakes the symptoms of vitamin deficiency as Liz lists them off to get her to take him off his diet. |
| 321 | * ShoutOut: The ''Film/CitizenKane'' reference, where the talking scale utters "Rosebud..." as it dies. |
| 322 | * SupremeChef: After Jon fails to get Thanksgiving dinner ready, at Garfield's suggestion, he calls his grandmother to save the day, and boy, does Grandma deliver! |
| 323 | * WeightLossSalad: Jon puts Garfield on a diet the day before Thanksgiving. Garfield is served a single lettuce leaf. This exchange occurs: |
| 324 | -->'''Jon:''' Here, Garfield, have some food. According to your diet, you get this. |
| 325 | -->'''Garfield:''' That's it? That's all? Just one scraggly piece of lettuce? |
| 326 | -->'''Jon:''' Oh, I'm sorry, Garfield, that's not what you get. |
| 327 | -->'''Garfield:''' Well, I should hope not. |
| 328 | -->'''Jon:''' You get half a leaf of lettuce! |
| 329 | -->'''Garfield:''' [[SarcasmMode That's better!]] |
| 330 | * YouAreFat: RX-2, the talking bathroom scale from the comics strips, makes its animated debut. When Garfield asks the scale what his name is, the scale annoyingly "mistakes" Garfield for Creator/OrsonWelles, and claims to be a huge fan and [[SawStarWars27Times has seen]] ''Film/CitizenKane'' [[SawStarWars27Times numerous times]]. This is definitely a crack at Welles' weight. When Garfield has had enough of the scale, he destroys it, and the scale just says, "Rose... bud..." |
| 331 | [[/folder]] |
| 332 | |
| 333 | [[folder:''Garfield's Feline Fantasies'']] |
| 334 | * BananaSlip: The main fantasy revolves around searching for The Banana of Bombay, the first banana to be used in this gag. |
| 335 | * DisappointedByTheMotive: How Lance Sterling/Garfield feels about [[spoiler: Nadia's motivation for stealing The Banana of Bombay; using it to open a fruit stand.]] |
| 336 | -->'''Lance Sterling/Garfield''': ''({{Face Palm}})'' [[LampshadeHanging That is the dumbest reason I have ever heard!]]\ |
| 337 | '''[[spoiler: Nadia]]''': [[DeadpanSnarker It's your fantasy, fat boy!]] |
| 338 | * EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: We never hear the villain of the "Lance Sterling" fantasy get called anything other than "Fat Guy." |
| 339 | * FatBastard: |
| 340 | ** The [[MeaningfulName appropriately]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin named]] "Fat Guy" is the [[BigBad main antagonist]] of Garfield's "Lance Sterling" fantasy. |
| 341 | ** [[TheDragon Rameet]] is pretty big too, but unlike with his boss, most of his bulk appears to be [[StoutStrength muscle]]. |
| 342 | * {{Greed}}: Fat Guy's motivation for acquiring The Banana of Bombay is that he believes that it "belongs to the world," [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist by which he means]] he intends to [[AuctionOfEvil auction it off]] to the highest bidding country. Lance Sterling/Garfield is [[EveryoneHasStandards noticeably disgusted by this]]. |
| 343 | -->'''Lance Sterling/Garfield''': You low-born cur! How ''dare'' you seek to profit from the Banana of Bombay! |
| 344 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: Appropriately for a segment partly inspired by Franchise/IndianaJones, this is how the villains of the main fantasy [[spoiler: save [[DragonTheirFeet Rameet]]]] get defeated, albeit in a less fatal and more comical manner than the movies. Fat Guy [[spoiler: and Nadia]] sought The Banana of Bombay, the very first banana to be used in the [[BananaSlip classic gag]] for financial gain. In the end, [[spoiler: Lance Sterling/Garfield and Slobberjob/Odie use the peel to send Fat Guy, Nadia, and a group of [[ManicMonkeys monkeys]] plummeting into the Amazon River with that exact gag]]. |
| 345 | * IKnowKarate: In Garfield's fantasy, he and the villain each do this when they threaten each other: |
| 346 | -->'''"Fat Guy":''' I would like you to meet [[TheDragon my associate]], Rameet. He doesn't smoke, drink, eat or sleep. He's been trained in the martial arts, you know. Judo, karate, tae kwan do, jujitsu, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking machete-eating]].\ |
| 347 | '''Lance Sterling [Garfield]:''' Big deal. This is ''my'' associate, Slobberjob [Odie]. He doesn't think. He's been trained in [[BlackBeltInOrigami macrame, bansai, origami]], and he's nearly housebroken. |
| 348 | * ItBelongsInAMuseum: The Banana of Bombay was stolen from the "Museum of Humor" several years before the fantasy takes place, so Lance Sterling/Garfield seeks to return it in order to prevent "the end of humor as we know it." |
| 349 | * JawsAttackParody: Garfield tries to get at Jon's goldfish, only for the Jaws theme to start playing and for a shark to emerge from the fishbowl and scare Garfield. |
| 350 | * MacGuffin: The Banana of Bombay, the first one to ever be used for the "[[BananaSlip banana gag]]," is what Garfield and Fat Guy are both pursuing in the "Lance Sterling" fantasy, with Garfield wanting to [[ItBelongsInAMuseum return it to the museum that it was stolen from]], and Fat Guy seeking to profit off of it. |
| 351 | * MacGuffinDeliveryService: After Lance Sterling/Garfield prevents them from accessing the map on the Holy Ankh, Fat Guy and Rameet follow our heroes around the world in order to steal the Banana of Bombay from them. |
| 352 | * MrImagination: The special focuses on Garfield's Walter Mitty-esque flights of fancy. |
| 353 | * RaidersOfTheLostParody: The special had a scene almost exactly like the famous tile puzzle scene from ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk''. |
| 354 | * ShoutOut: The special references all sorts of things, such as ''Film/{{Casablanca}}'', ''Film/{{Vertigo}}'', ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'', ''Film/{{Jaws}}'', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', and even ''Film/{{Airplane}}''. |
| 355 | * StraightEdgeEvil: Parodied when the untrustworthy Fat Guy boasts that his "[[TheDragon associate]]", Rameet, in addition to being trained in various martial arts ([[BreadEggsMilkSquick and apparently machete eating]]), doesn't smoke, drink, ''eat or sleep.'' Slobberjob/Odie, in response, has his skills prefaced with how he doesn't ''think.'' ("Most impressive.") |
| 356 | * TwoHalvesMakeAPlot: At the start of the main fantasy, Fat Guy and Lance Sterling/Garfield each have a half of The Holy Ankh, which contains a map to The Banana of Bombay, and meet in order to join the halves together. As soon as the Ankh is whole again, Lance takes it and runs. |
| 357 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Nadia, while initially posing as a government agent sent to protect Lance Sterling/Garfield and Slobberjob/Odie from Fat Guy and Rameet, is really from a very poor country called "Moldavia", and seeks to steal The Banana of Bombay in order to promote tourism… by opening up a fruit stand. Lance Sterling is [[DisappointedByTheMotive unamused by that last part.]]]] |
| 358 | [[/folder]] |
| 359 | |
| 360 | [[folder:''Garfield Gets a Life'']] |
| 361 | * BeYourself: While the trope name isn't explicitly stated, it can be inferred that Jon's learned this -- towards the end of their date, he points out to Mona that they've had a wonderful time just talking together without having to rely on anything from the class they met in. |
| 362 | * BittersweetEnding: The special ends with Jon forced to break up with Mona because she's allergic to cats, but the two [[AmicableExes agree to stay friends]] and Garfield is pleased that Jon still sticks by him. |
| 363 | * CatapultNightmare: After his NightmareSequence, Garfield wakes up, sitting bolt upright in horror and clutching his tail after it got bitten ''in'' said nightmare. |
| 364 | * DiscoSucks: Jon attends a club and disco dances. A guy yells at him, "Hey, jerk! Disco is ''dead''!" |
| 365 | -->'''Jon''': Boy, you learn a dance, and then zango! Fourteen years later, they change it.\ |
| 366 | '''Garfield''': ''([[AsideGlance glancing at the audience]])'' Go figure. |
| 367 | * EndearinglyDorky: Is actually a plot point for Jon. His failures with women in the first half is due to him trying ''waaaay'' too hard to impress them. He's actually quite endearing when he is simply honest and open, which lands him a relationship (albeit a short-lived one) with Mona. |
| 368 | * EnfantTerrible: In Garfield's nightmare sequence of Jon and Mona's married life, when they aren't watching, their infant son gets a nasty look on his face before outright chasing down Garfield and purposely biting his tail, causing him to wake up. |
| 369 | * MooseAndMapleSyrup: According to Lorenzo, the teacher, speaking Canadian is easy: You talk like you normally would, but sometimes, you add an "Eh?". |
| 370 | * NightmareSequence: The special features Garfield having a nightmare that spurs him to try and break up Jon and Mona -- as he pictures what life would be like if Jon and Mona got married and had kids, he also pictures their infant son pursuing Garfield with a nasty look on his face before finally catching and biting his tail. |
| 371 | * ProfessionalVoiceDissonance: When Jon decides to go to the Lorenzo School for the Personality Impaired to try to get a life, he's surprised to hear how calm Lorenzo is compared to the hyperactive portrayal in the commercial. [[ThatSyncingFeeling Turns out it was a lip sync]]. |
| 372 | * SecondaryCharacterTitle: The final special may be called ''Garfield Gets a Life'', but the focus is surprisingly more around Jon. Even Odie gets DemotedToExtra in this one. |
| 373 | * ShoutOut: The ShowWithinAShow Garfield watches features a Mountie that looks and sounds almost exactly like WesternAnimation/DudleyDoRight. |
| 374 | [[/folder]] |
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