To a degree, I grew out of Garfield after a while; I'm still a fan of Here Comes Garfield, Garfield on the Town, and the Christmas and Halloween specials. But many of the specials, when I was finally able to see them, were definite disappointments (in the Rough, in Paradise, and especially Gets a Life). I did read the book His 9 Lives, and Babes and Bullets was a great story. I was finally able to see this special, based on it, today.
The TV changes lose some things- Garfield is his familiar cartoon self rather than the realistic, scary humanoid cat, and the supporting cast are turned from cats to people, which doesn't make sense, especially given they still have cat-like names. But much of the spirit and humour is kept, and that's what makes it a standout. When I read this book with my younger cousins, they were surprised I laughed as much as I did. Much of the humour went over their heads- jokes about being spayed, needing to see a body, etc. It's more mature and often wittier than your average Garfield. And, it kept the risqué ending- Garfield has sex with his secretary, though since she's a human in this version, that's technically bestiality. Definitely deserving of its Emmy.
The TV changes lose some things- Garfield is his familiar cartoon self rather than the realistic, scary humanoid cat, and the supporting cast are turned from cats to people, which doesn't make sense, especially given they still have cat-like names. But much of the spirit and humour is kept, and that's what makes it a standout. When I read this book with my younger cousins, they were surprised I laughed as much as I did. Much of the humour went over their heads- jokes about being spayed, needing to see a body, etc. It's more mature and often wittier than your average Garfield. And, it kept the risqué ending- Garfield has sex with his secretary, though since she's a human in this version, that's technically bestiality. Definitely deserving of its Emmy.