Here Comes Garfield is the first Garfield television special.
Synopsis
After Odie is captured by the City Pound, Garfield attempts to get him out.
Plot
On a sunny morning, Garfield awakes and dances to the opening song. Afterward, he complains about mornings and dogs after Odie gives him a fright. Garfield wakes Jon Arbuckle up, forcing Jon to make breakfast. Jon tells Garfield that he wouldn't have to feed him so much if he would catch mice but Garfield refuses. He goes to push Odie off the table, before he leaves to eat. Odie comes behind him, scaring him in which Garfield retaliates by shoving his food into Odie's face. Him and Odie start fighting before Jon tells them to go outside. The two pets enjoy romping in the flowers, until a small dog named Honey Bun bites Garfield's tail. Garfield threatens the dog before she runs to her owner Hubert. Garfield and Odie decide to pick on both of them as they get closer toward them. Hubert shouts at them to get off his property, but then attacks them with his stick but hits a hanging plant pot onto his head. Hubert receives a phone from Reba and angrily calls the City Pound to send a truck. Garfield flees, but Odie is too unintelligent to understand that he is being captured.
Garfield knocks onto the main door which Jon understands as him wanting to be let in. As he opens the door, it falls and crushes him. He then asks Garfield where Odie is. Garfield does different impressions before Jon, confused, asks Garfield if he has fleas, to which Garfield slaps him. Later, Garfield goes to watch TV, but finds that on every channel is "Pleasure Motors". He starts to miss Odie and remembers when they were just puppy and kitten. Garfield goes to bed before he wakes at Midnight. After having a large midnight snack, he gets the idea that he's going to get Odie out of the pound. He arrives at the city pound, and tries to take the keys from the City Pound Guard, only to get caught and locked up with the other animals. Garfield is asked if he's got any cigarettes before Odie meets Garfield again. He gets angry at Odie for getting both of them in the pound before one of the captured pets, Fast Eddy, tells Garfield to take it easy on him since Odie will be put down at dawn. He then tells Garfield why him, Fluffy and four other animals are in the pound before everyone goes to sleep. With no escape for either of them, Garfield consoles Odie through the night and stays close to him. When dawn comes, Garfield sadly remembers the time when he and Odie were kitten and puppy. A guard comes to drag Odie out as Garfield tries to stop him. Garfield and Odie hold each other's paws before Odie is pulled away.
Fortunately, a little girl and her family arrives to adopt a pet, and she selects Garfield. With the cage open, Garfield and the other pets run out. Garfield breaks the guard's grip on Odie, by biting him. Before Garfield and Odie can make it out, the city dog catcher blocks all animals. They attack him, managing to break the door down and they run home. As Jon is fixing the door, Garfield and Odie bash it down again, before they celebrate for escaping. Jon assumes that the pets had been out all night singing on the fence and chasing cars. He tells them that he has been worried sick about them, so they assure him that it was exactly what they were doing and give Jon a kiss. The next morning at breakfast, things are back to normal as Garfield derides Odie for begging at the table, but decides to try it himself after seeing Odie being rewarded with a steak from Jon. All Garfield gets is a plate of bacon and eggs, which he throws back into Jon's face before admitting "I'm only human".
Characters
Main Characters
Major Characters
Minor Characters
- Fluffy
- Honey Bun
- Reba
- City Pound Guard
- City Pound Animal Catcher
- Pleasure Motors Salesman
- Fido
- Rocky
- Charlotte
- Weird Larny
- Little Girl
- Skinny
Songs
- Here Comes Garfield by Lou Rawls
- Long 'Bout Midnight by Lou Rawls
- So Long Old Friend by Desirée Goyette
- Together Again by Desirée Goyette and Lou Rawls (also heard during the end credits)
Soundtrack
- Main article: Here Comes Garfield (soundtrack)
A soundtrack album was released by Epic Records on vinyl LP and cassette formats.
Trivia
- This is the only time Sandy Kenyon provided the voice of Jon Arbuckle.
- This television special, along with several others, has many quotes taken from the comic strip.
- The special's plot is similar to a 1981 comic strip storyline.
- Gregg Berger and Odie are not listed in the credits.
- Besides her contributions to the music of this special, Desirée Goyette was also the performance model for Garfield's dance during the title song.
Cultural References
- When Garfield attempts to tell Jon what happened to Odie, Jon simply asks if Garfield has fleas, to which Garfield replies, "What we have here is failure to communicate," a reference to the film Cool Hand Luke.
- During the food sequence, Garfield, with spaghetti on his head, imitates Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind.
Awards
| Organization | Recipients | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primetime Emmy | Jay Poynor Lee Mendelson Bill Meléndez |
Outstanding Animated Program | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy | Phil Roman | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Animated Programming | Nominated |