History ComicBook / GarfieldHis9Lives

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''WesternAnimation/TheNineLivesOfFritzTheCat''. Which is ''Definitely'' [[WesternAnimation/FritzTheCat not for kids]].

* HopeSpot: "Space Cat" has Garfield attempting a desperation attack saying "[[PlotArmor I'm the hero]], and heroes never die. We always win our space battles. This oughta do it" [[spoiler:It doesn't work, and he literally meets God afterwards.]]

--> "Rats! Oh well, everything tasted like lead anyway."

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: "(The world's first and last Cave Cat) bought the farm for failing to feel the fetched frap tree."

* EvenEvilHasStandards: The Incredibly Huge Galactic War Fleet.
-->We of the I.H.G.W.F. have no hearts. We do, however, appreciate a tidy ship. We will give you 7 minutes instead of 5. Then we atomize you.

* ForbiddenFruit: In "The Garden"[[note]]In the TV special, it just happened to be renamed "In the Garden"[[/note]], Cloey's uncle Tod tell her and her cat not to open a crystal box he left in the garden. They inspect the box's easy-to-open latch... [[spoiler:and then avert this trope when they decide to respect Tod's wishes and never think of the box again.]]
-->'''Cloey:''' They loved Uncle Tod very much, and were thankful for the garden!

-->'''Garfield:''' I'd like to think I'll live forever, but hey, I'm only human.

* SugarBowl: Uncle Tod's garden.

** The opening theme song at the beginning of the film says, "When you've got nine lives, you've got nine of them to lose." Guess what happens at the end of "Space Cat"...

* HopeSpot: "Space Cat" has Garfield attempting a desperation attack saying "[[PlotArmor I'm the hero]], this has to work!" [[spoiler:It doesn't, and he literally meets God afterwards.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In "King Cat" had Garfield trying to protect his [[TooDumbToLive moronic Pharaoh/Owner]] from his scheming brother (after learning that if the Pharaoh kicks the can, [[FateWorseThanDeath Garfield will be stuck in his tomb along with him]]). [[spoiler:It ends with Garfield tossing a lit stick of dynamite in the pyramid without knowing the Pharaoh was inside, not knowing what it was until it was too late.]]

* {{Tuckerization}}: The alien captain is called "Commander [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Mendelson Mendelsen]]".

->''Cuz I'm a blues cat''
->''And I'm broke from paying my dues''
->''Cuz when you got nine lives''
->''You got nine ways to lose''
->- '''theme song of the AnimatedAdaptation'''

-->"We of the I.H.G.W.F. have no hearts. We do, however, appreciate a tidy ship. We will give you 7 minutes instead of 5. Then we atomize you.

'''Garfield:''' ''(shocked)'' [[OutOfContinues In his la... la-last life?]]\\

-->'''Cloey''': They loved Uncle Tod very much, and were thankful for the garden!

-->'''Attractive Female Cat:''' Are you Spayed?
-->'''Spayed's Narration:''' I never know how to answer that question.

* ProsceniumReveal: The book version of "Space Cat" ends with [[spoiler: Space Cat peering out of a VR booth called ''Survival'' and telling the kids in line that he thinks he's got it figured out now...]]

* BigDamnHeroes: Subverted in "King Cat." [[spoiler: Odie saves Garfield from the tomb at the end, but only to serve as his slave.]]

** Crossing with IronicEcho: "King Cat" opens and closes with the Pharaoh sending his pet to supervise the construction of the pyramids. [[spoiler: First, Garfield carried by dogs and whipping Odie. Later, Odie - the pharaoh's brother pet - carried by cats and whipping Garfield.]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In "King Cat" had Garfield trying to protect his [[TooDumbToLive moronic Pharaoh/Owner]] from his scheming brother (after learning that if the Pharaoh kicks the can, [[FateWorseThanDeath Garfield will be stuck in his tomb along with him]]). [[spoiler: It ends with Garfield tossing a lit stick of dynamite in the pyramid without knowing the Pharaoh was inside, not knowing what it was until it was too late.]]
* OffWithHisHead[=/=]DecapitationPresentation: Discussed one too many times by the VillainousHarlequin [[TheJester Jester]], not only before George Fredrick ("Freddie") Handel's concert, but also during said concert in which said jester uses the guillotine teeth to slice an apple, rips off the head of the picture of Handel, pulls off the head of the Handel doll, and even showing a slideshow of [[LosingYourHead cutting off each other's heads]], which is both scary and funny!

* {{Leitmotif}}: A... [[EpilepticTrees thought-provoking]] use in the epilogue. [[spoiler:Garfield and Odie happily return to life to music from "The Garden" - then God says "We have to stick together, you know" to a musical sting from "Lab Animal", while sporting glowing cat eyes also seen in that segment.]]

* "Diana's Piano": A young girl, Sara, receives a white cat, Diana for her 8th birthday along with her first piano lessons. Melancholic in nature, it details Diana's life with Sara as the girl grows up, goes to college and settles down with a family, all with Diana as part of it. Told in a flashback from the view of a middle-aged or elderly Sara.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: "Bought the farm for failing to field a fetched frap tree."
* AnachronismStew: In "Cave Cat" cavemen exist at the same time as dinosaurs, real-estate salesmen, and Creator/GeorgeBurns.

* CatsHaveNineLives: Though it's more of {{reincarnation}}. The book justifies it by having {{God}} with feline features.

'''Computer:''' I tell it like it is, baby cakes.

* ForbiddenFruit: In "The Garden", Cloey's uncle Tod tell her and her cat not to open a crystal box he left in the garden. They inspect the box's easy-to-open latch... [[spoiler:and then avert this trope when they decide to respect Tod's wishes and never think of the box again.]]

* FunWithAcronyms: "Space Cat" has '''O'''perations '''D'''ata '''I'''ndex '''E'''lement.

* SugarBowl: Uncle Jod's garden.

* WretchedHive: St. Paul, Minnesota. At least from the Vikings' perspective.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The "King Cat" Pharaoh is killed by a dynamite stick (which Garfield tosses aside as he doesn't recognize - [[LampshadeHanging "Whatever it is, it probably hasn't been invented yet"]] Once it blows, he states "Whatever it is, it works").

* EmbarrassingSlide: The "[[OffWithHisHead decapitation]] slideshow" in "The Court Musician" is briefly interrupted by a slide of the jester in a pool party.

* FreudianExcuse: Court Musician wasn't exempt. "I learned to think on my feet in my fourth life. Thinking was okay, I guess. [[AntiIntellectualism But now I avoid it whenever possible.]]"

* MediumBlending: "The Beginning" is live action, and the return of God in the ending too.
* MoodWhiplash: Two comedic segments, "The Garden", two comedic segments, the [[TearJerker sad]] "Diana's Piano", the scary "Lab Animal", and more comedic segments (though the ending of the last is kinda dark).

* OffWithHisHead[=/=]DecapitationPresentation: Discussed one too many times by the VillainousHarlequin [[TheJester Jester]], not only before George Handel's concert, but also during said concert in which said jester uses the guillotine teeth to slice an apple, rips off the head of the picture of Handel, pulls off the head of the Handel doll, and even showing a slideshow of [[LosingYourHead cutting off each other's heads]], which is both scary and funny!

* PottyEmergency: The aliens skip one minute of the "countdown to destruction". To justify, "I had to go to the bathroom!"

* TrrrillingRrrs: The VillainousHarlequin does this on addressing Handel and on the introduction of the concerto to the audience.

* TransformationSequence: The Vikings transform from their modernised selves after Garfield shouts "Booga!" Also present in "Lab Animal".

'''Garfield:''' ''(shocked)'' In his la... la-last life?\\

* AscendedExtra: Odie has a much bigger role in the TV version of "Space Cat" than he did in the original book's story.

* FunWithAcronyms: "Space Cat" has '''O'''perations '''D'''ata '''I'''ndex '''E'''lement.

* DistantFinale: "Space Cat". [[spoiler:Subverted; the short, at least in the book, ends with modern-day Garfield exiting a video game simulation booth.]]

* FunWithAcronyms: "Space Cat" has '''O'''perations '''D'''ata '''I'''ndex '''E'''lement.

* VengefulVendingMachine: Garfield attempts to use a vending machine, aboard his spaceship to order lunch, in the form of a cup of coffee and some pie, during his [[CatsHaveNineLives ninth and final life]]. The machine drops the pie, squashes it with a plate, pours coffee on it, and then crushes it with the coffee mug.

* "Court Musician": The king demands a concerto from George Frederick "Freddie" Handel and the jester delightfully informs him of the consequencesof disappointing the king. Under the pressure of finshing it in a single night, "Freddie" delegates part of the work to his pet, a blue cat.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The "King Cat" Pharaoh is killed by a dynamite stick (which Garfield tosses aside as he doesn't recognize - [[LampshadeHanging "Whatever it is, it probably hasn't been invented yet"]]).

* {{Tuckerization}}: The alien captain is called "Commander [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0578882/ Mendelsen]]".

Was also [[AnimatedAdaptation adapted into an Animated]] [[MadeForTVMovie Television Special]], which removed some of the stories and added a few new ones. "Babes and Bullets" was also made as a separate special. The new lives ("In The Beginning ...", "Cave Cat", "Lab Animal", "The Garden", "Garfield" and "Space Cat" remain, though some hae been re-ordered) of the AnimatedAnthology are:

* "Diana's Piano": A young girl, Sara, receives a cat, Diana for her 8th birthday along with her first piano lessons. Melancholic in nature, it details Diana's life with Sara as the girl grows up, goes to college and settles down with a family, all with Diana as part of it. Told in a flashback from the view of a middle-aged or elderly Sara.

* BookEnds: "The Vikings" begins and ends with two almost identical scenes, just set 1000 years apart.

* CatsHaveNineLives: Though it's more {{reincarnation}}. The book justifies by having God with feline features.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Some of the stories go to much darker places than standard ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' fare.

** Exterminators = not eating mice
** Lab Animal = fearing the veterinarian.

* MoodWhiplash: The extremely dark story "Primal Self" comes in between the childishly sweet and innocent "The Garden" and the almost purely comedic "Garfield".

* TransformationSequence: The Vikings after Garfield shouts "Booga!" Also present in "Lab Animal".
* TransformationTrauma: Lab Animal. Garfield (19-GB) goes from a tabby cat to a Jack Russell Terrier, complete with werewolf-style spine-cracking back arch and erupting claws.

* "King Cat": In AncientEgypt, King Cat is the favorite pet of King Amenhotep III, enjoying his life with slave dogs, but must protect his owner from the schemes of the younger brother

Was also [[AnimatedAdaptation adapted into an Animated]] [[MadeForTVMovie Television Special]], which removed some of the stories and added a few new ones. "Babes and Bullets" was also made as a separate special. The new lives ("In The Beginning ...", "Cave Cat", "Lab Animal", "The Garden", "Garfield" and "Space Cat" remain) of the AnimatedAnthology are:
* "King Cat": In AncientEgypt, the Pharaoh's sacred cat discovers what happens to him if the Pharaoh dies.
* "Court Musician": The king demands a concerto from "Freddie" Handel, and if the king doesn't enjoy it ... Under the pressure of a deadline, "Freddie" delegates part of the work to his pet, a blue cat.

* "Diana's Piano": A young girl, Sara, receives a cat, Diana, who goes with her everywhere, especially to piano lessons. Told in flashback, has a realistic art style and tone, and is depressing as hell.

* JustifiedExtraLives: In the TV special [[spoiler:God lets Garfield return because in his last life he was put in an "unfair position". And he gets all 9 because of the defect listed in CelestialBureaucracy. Garfield even gets the same deal for Odie by claiming ''he's'' a cat. (Or maybe God knows exactly what life Garfield's on and that Odie's a dog; He's just playing favorites. "We have to stick together you know...")]]

* ForbiddenFruit: In "The Garden", Cloey's uncle Tod tell her and her cat not to open a crystal box he left in the garden. They inspect the box's easy-to-open latch... [[spoiler:and then avert this trope when they decide to respect Tod's wishes and never think of the box again. [[FridgeHorror Then again... this was during Garfield's sixth life (third in the TV special)... and it HAD to have ended somehow...]]]]
** [[spoiler: Garfield mentions in the introduction that he dies of old age, but remained young at heart his entire life which was the point of the segment]]

* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: "Babes and Bullets" was made to a separate TV special. But there Garfield's a detective cat in a human world.

* VengefulVendingMachine: Garfield attempts to use a vending machine aboard his spaceship to order lunch, in the form of a cup of coffee and some pie, during his [[CatsHaveNineLives ninth and final life]]. The machine drops the pie, squashes it with a plate, pours coffee on it, and then crushes it with the coffee mug.

* "The Garden": A girl named Cloey and a certain orange kitten live in what may or may not be the Garden of Eden and confront what may or may not be Pandora's Box. Diabetes flavoured.

* DeathByAdaptation: ...sorta. In the book, "Space Cat" is [[UnwinnableTrainingSimulation a simulation]]. In the TV special, [[spoiler:Garfield really dies and has to meet God as he ran out of lives.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The opening theme song at the beginning of the film says, "When you've got nine lives, you've got nine of them to lose." Guess what happens at the end of "Space Cat"...

* ForbiddenFruit: In "The Garden", Cloey's uncle Tod tell her and her cat not to open a crystal box he left in the garden. They inspect the box's easy-to-open latch... [[spoiler:and then avert this trope when they decide to respect Tod's wishes and never think of the box again. [[FridgeHorror Then again... this was during Garfield's third life... and it HAD to have ended somehow...]]]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In "King Cat" had Garfield trying to protect his [[TooDumbToLive moronic Pharaoh/Owner]] from his scheming brother (after learning that if the Pharaoh kicks the can, [[AFateWorseThanDeath Garfield will be stuck in his tomb along with him.]]) [[spoiler: It ends with Garfield tossing a lit stick of dynamite in the pyramid without knowing the Pharaoh was inside, not knowing what it was until it was too late.]]