A Garfield Christmas
Encyclopedia
A Garfield Christmas is a 1987 American animated television special
based on the Garfield
comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music
as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast December 21, 1987 on CBS
and was rebroadcast on CBS every year thereafter until 2000. Fox owned the rights to rebroadcast from 2000–2008, but did not do so. It was only recently rebroadcast again in 2008 on ABC Family
. It has been released on both VHS
and DVD
home video.
TV Guide
ranked the special number 10 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.
(voiced by Lorenzo Music
) is awakened by Jon
(voiced by Thom Huge) dressed as an elf
, who says it is Christmas
and Garfield must be treated to a large amount of lasanga before opening his gift, which consists of a robotic Santa which reads minds and produces whatever Garfield wants, pleasing him until Jon actually wakes him up and he realizes he was dreaming. Jon tells him it is Christmas Eve and that he Garfield and Odie
(voiced by Gregg Berger
)are going to the countryside to celebrate Christmas with Jon's family on their farm. Garfied wonders why they always go to the farm and wonders why they never come to their place instead. During the drive to the farm Jon talks about the Christmas' he had as a child. Making their animated debuts are the sweet and always cooking Mom (voice by Julie Payne
), hard working farmer
Dad (voiced by Pat Harrington Jr.), mischievous younger brother Doc Boy (voiced by David L. Lander), and the tough as nails Grandma
(voiced by Pat Carroll
). Grandma and Garfield quickly grow a special bond. Jon, Odie and Garfield take a walk while Grandma spikes Mom's sausage gravy, by adding chili powder. Jon and Garfield return for supper, while Odie works on something secretive and then sneaks back into the house. During supper Grandma sneaks some food to the pets. After supper they decorate the tree. Jon has Garfield put the star on, as no one else can reach the top of the tree. Next Mom asks Doc Boy to play a song on the piano
. Grandma shoves him aside, as he can't sing and plays her version of "O Christmas Tree". Mom then plays "Christmas In Your Heart", while Grandma tells Garfield about her beloved and deceased husband. Mom the then has Dad read a book called Binky: The Clown Who Saved Christmas. Dad is reluctant, as he is tired of reading it every year, but then reluctantly reads it anyway. That night Garfield finds out about Odie's suspicious activity and follows him into the barn
and sees him make something out of a piece of wood, some wire, a plunger handle and a hand rake. While there Garfield stumbles upon some old letters that he figures must be 50 years old. Jon and Doc Boy wake Dad at 1:30 am and ask if it's time to open presents. Dad answers no and angrily tells them to go to bed when they argue that it is technically Christmas morning now. The next morning, just when it seems like all the presents have been opened, Garfield gives Grandma the letters he found in the barn. These letters were love notes written to Grandma by her late husband
from when they first met and courted. Garfield finds out that Odie had been busy making Garfield the ultimate Christmas gift: a homemade back scratcher. This is a rare glimpse at Garfield's other side, as he learns one of the true meanings of Christmas and gladly thanks Odie for the gift. Everybody sings "A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas".
This special is available on the DVD
Garfield's Holiday Celebrations
.
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
based on the Garfield
Garfield
Garfield is a comic strip created by Jim Davis. Published since June 19, 1978, it chronicles the life of the title character, the cat Garfield ; his owner, Jon Arbuckle; and Arbuckle's dog, Odie...
comic strip. It once again featured Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast December 21, 1987 on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and was rebroadcast on CBS every year thereafter until 2000. Fox owned the rights to rebroadcast from 2000–2008, but did not do so. It was only recently rebroadcast again in 2008 on ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
. It has been released on both VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
home video.
TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
ranked the special number 10 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.
Storyline
In a brightly decorated house GarfieldGarfield (character)
Garfield is a fictional character and the title protagonist from the comic strip Garfield created by Jim Davis.-Personality:Garfield is an anthropomorphic ginger cat. He loves eating , and sleeping. He is teased about being overweight. He is also selfish...
(voiced by Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music
Lorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
) is awakened by Jon
Jon Arbuckle
Jonathan Q. Arbuckle is a character from the Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis. He has also appeared in the animated television series Garfield and Friends, the computer-animated The Garfield Show, and two live-action feature films....
(voiced by Thom Huge) dressed as an elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
, who says it is Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and Garfield must be treated to a large amount of lasanga before opening his gift, which consists of a robotic Santa which reads minds and produces whatever Garfield wants, pleasing him until Jon actually wakes him up and he realizes he was dreaming. Jon tells him it is Christmas Eve and that he Garfield and Odie
Odie
Odie is a fictional character in the Jim Davis comic strip Garfield. He has also appeared in Garfield and Friends, The Garfield Show, two live-action feature films, and 3 CGI films....
(voiced by Gregg Berger
Gregg Berger
Greggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
)are going to the countryside to celebrate Christmas with Jon's family on their farm. Garfied wonders why they always go to the farm and wonders why they never come to their place instead. During the drive to the farm Jon talks about the Christmas' he had as a child. Making their animated debuts are the sweet and always cooking Mom (voice by Julie Payne
Julie Payne
Julie Payne may refer to:*Julie Payne , American actress whose career lasted from 1959 to 1967...
), hard working farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
Dad (voiced by Pat Harrington Jr.), mischievous younger brother Doc Boy (voiced by David L. Lander), and the tough as nails Grandma
Grandma
Grandma is a female grandparent.Grandma may also refer to:*Grandma , a comic strip from 1948 to 1969*Khonnor or Grandma, an electronic musician-See also:*Grandmama *Granma...
(voiced by Pat Carroll
Pat Carroll (actress)
Patricia Ann “Pat” Carroll is an American actress. She performed in numerous stage productions, and portrayed the roles of "Bunny Halper" on CBS's The Danny Thomas Show, Shirley Feeney's mother on ABC's Laverne and Shirley, and is the voice of the villainous Ursula in The Little Mermaid film...
). Grandma and Garfield quickly grow a special bond. Jon, Odie and Garfield take a walk while Grandma spikes Mom's sausage gravy, by adding chili powder. Jon and Garfield return for supper, while Odie works on something secretive and then sneaks back into the house. During supper Grandma sneaks some food to the pets. After supper they decorate the tree. Jon has Garfield put the star on, as no one else can reach the top of the tree. Next Mom asks Doc Boy to play a song on the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Grandma shoves him aside, as he can't sing and plays her version of "O Christmas Tree". Mom then plays "Christmas In Your Heart", while Grandma tells Garfield about her beloved and deceased husband. Mom the then has Dad read a book called Binky: The Clown Who Saved Christmas. Dad is reluctant, as he is tired of reading it every year, but then reluctantly reads it anyway. That night Garfield finds out about Odie's suspicious activity and follows him into the barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
and sees him make something out of a piece of wood, some wire, a plunger handle and a hand rake. While there Garfield stumbles upon some old letters that he figures must be 50 years old. Jon and Doc Boy wake Dad at 1:30 am and ask if it's time to open presents. Dad answers no and angrily tells them to go to bed when they argue that it is technically Christmas morning now. The next morning, just when it seems like all the presents have been opened, Garfield gives Grandma the letters he found in the barn. These letters were love notes written to Grandma by her late husband
Husband
A husband is a male participant in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the husband regarding his spouse and others, and his status in the community and in law, vary between cultures and has varied over time...
from when they first met and courted. Garfield finds out that Odie had been busy making Garfield the ultimate Christmas gift: a homemade back scratcher. This is a rare glimpse at Garfield's other side, as he learns one of the true meanings of Christmas and gladly thanks Odie for the gift. Everybody sings "A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas".
Cast
- Lorenzo MusicLorenzo MusicLorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
- Garfield - Thom Huge - Jon Arbuckle
- Gregg BergerGregg BergerGreggory "Gregg" Berger is an American voice actor, who is known for his longtime role as Odie the dog from the Garfield franchise...
- Odie - Pat CarrollPat Carroll (actress)Patricia Ann “Pat” Carroll is an American actress. She performed in numerous stage productions, and portrayed the roles of "Bunny Halper" on CBS's The Danny Thomas Show, Shirley Feeney's mother on ABC's Laverne and Shirley, and is the voice of the villainous Ursula in The Little Mermaid film...
- Grandma - Pat Harrington Jr. - Dad
- David L. Lander - Doc Boy
- Julie PayneJulie PayneJulie Payne may refer to:*Julie Payne , American actress whose career lasted from 1959 to 1967...
- Mom
Songs
- "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" performed by Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
- "Can't Wait Till Christmas" performed by Thom Huge and Lorenzo MusicLorenzo MusicLorenzo Music was an American actor, voice actor, writer, television producer and musician. His best-known roles include voicing the animated cartoon cat Garfield, and Carlton the doorman on the CBS sitcom Rhoda...
- "O Christmas Tree" performed by Pat CarrollPat Carroll (actress)Patricia Ann “Pat” Carroll is an American actress. She performed in numerous stage productions, and portrayed the roles of "Bunny Halper" on CBS's The Danny Thomas Show, Shirley Feeney's mother on ABC's Laverne and Shirley, and is the voice of the villainous Ursula in The Little Mermaid film...
- "Christmas in Your Heart" performed by ensemble and Desirée GoyetteDesirée GoyetteDesirée Goyette is a singer, composer, lyricist and voice-over artist. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has voiced such characters as Betty Boop, Barbie, Nermal, Petunia Pig, Honey Bunny and numerous others for radio, television and toys...
- "You Can Never Find an Elf When You Need One" performed by Lou RawlsLou RawlsLouis Allen "Lou" Rawls was an American soul, jazz, and blues singer. He was known for his smooth vocal style: Frank Sinatra once said that Rawls had "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game"...
and Desirée GoyetteDesirée GoyetteDesirée Goyette is a singer, composer, lyricist and voice-over artist. She has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has voiced such characters as Betty Boop, Barbie, Nermal, Petunia Pig, Honey Bunny and numerous others for radio, television and toys... - "A Good Old-Fashioned Christmas" (ending song) performed by ensemble
This special is available on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Garfield's Holiday Celebrations
Garfield's Holiday Celebrations
Garfield's Holiday Celebrations is a DVD compilation of the 3 Garfield holiday specials, Garfield's Halloween Adventure, Garfield's Thanksgiving, and A Garfield Christmas. This DVD was released October 16, 2004.-Garfield's Halloween Adventure:...
.