Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
Encyclopedia
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (also known as Garfield 2: The Prince and the Paw-per in the United Kingdom, Garfield: The Movie 2 or on screen by its working title Garfield 2) is the 2006 sequel
to 2004's live-action feature film
Garfield: The Movie. This film was directed
by Tim Hill
, written
by Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow, produced
by Davis Entertainment
for 20th Century Fox
, and was released in U.S. cinemas on June 16, 2006 (July 21, 2006 in UK).
The film borrows its storyline from Mark Twain
's The Prince and the Pauper
. The title alludes to Charles Dickens
' novel A Tale of Two Cities
.
), is living a luxurious life and is king of his castle, known as Carlyle Castle. On the other side of the world, Garfield the cat (voiced by Bill Murray
) is living in his owner Jon's house a year after the first movie and is thinking that he's the king of the home. That night, it is revealed that Jon invited his high-school crush Liz (Jennifer Love Hewitt
) over for dinner, and is planning to propose to her. Garfield finds a turkey at the dinner table and eats all of it, while Jon is about to propose but was unable to find the ring (because Garfield took it so that he cannot propose as Liz is a vet and he hates going to the vet). Liz tells him that she's been asked to travel to England and is flying there tomorrow. After she leaves, Jon feels sad that Liz is leaving. Garfield reveals to Jon that he took the ring, and tells him to give it back to the store, but instead, Jon decides to go to England to be with Liz.
The next day, Garfield thinks that he and Odie are going with Jon to England, but instead they are sent to the kennel where they are to stay while Jon is in London. Garfield throws a tantrum, and damages his and Odie's cage door. The two of them get out of the cage and escape into Jon's car. They hide in his luggage, throwing everything inside out the window. Meanwhile, at Carlyle Castle, Prince has just been named the new owner of the castle (as it said on the will of the past owner of the castle), but a man named Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly
), the nephew of the past owner, expected that the owner would give him all the land. Prince's assistant, Winston, is worried that Dargis will get rid of Prince in order to get the land, but Prince assures him that Dargis would not do such a thing. However, Dargis puts him in a picnic basket and throws him in a river which leads to London in order, just as Winston had thought, named as the owner of the castle. Jon arrives at his hotel and is about to propose to Liz when Garfield and Odie come out of his bag. Jon is surprised, and leaves Garfield and Odie in the hotel room while he and Liz go sightseeing. Garfield and Odie also go out in search of Jon.
Meanwhile, Dargis is feeling happy now that Prince is gone and tells the news some officials and tells them he will be the next owner of the palace. The animals who are kept in a barn in the palace receive the about Prince's disappearance from a crow. After sending a mouse to look around, they also find out that Dargis is planning to kill them in order to spare more land and serve them to the guests. Meanwhile, Garfield and Odie have been travelling all over England, searching for Jon and Liz. Meanwhile, the butler of Caryle Castle, Smithee, is told by Dargis to go to London to get his new suit. He finds Garfield and Odie during their travels and mistakes him for Prince, bringing him to the castle and leaving Odie alone. Prince manages to get out of a gutter in front of Odie, to his confusion. Jon finds the two and, mistaking Prince for Garfield, takes them back to his hotel room.
At the castle, the animals realize that Garfield is not Prince, due to his voice, but are not concerned as he just needs to look like him. Dargis mistakes Garfield for Prince, and unsuccessfully attempts to have him killed. At the hotel, Odie brings Jon and Liz's map to Prince. Prince spots Carlyle Castle on the map, and sets off to return to the palace.
Jon realizes that Garfield is gone and goes off with Odie to find him. Jon does not find him, but Odie finds a newspaper containing Prince's picture and shows Jon that Garfield could've been mistaken for Prince. Jon and Odie rent a car and head for Carlyle Castle. He meets up with Smithee and after explaining the story, he decides to come with them. Meanwhile, Garfield is thrown into a cell in the dungeon by Dargis. He is rescued by Winston. After over-hearing how the other animals really feel about him, Garfield decides to head back to London, but then comes face to face with Prince in a classic "fake mirror" scene, finding the truth after exhaling, causing his "reflection" to slightly faint due to Garfield's breath. Prince explains that he had been living Garfield's life for the last three days is found by the other animals. The animals ask Prince for a plan to escape from Dargis. Prince suggests that they pack up and leave, but Garfield tells them that they should fight Dargis, and decides to stay. The animals set traps all over the palace, with Garfield and Prince luring him into the traps. They manage to keep him off for a while. Jon and Odie arrive as Dargis gets a crossbow and aims it at the animals and the people who made Prince the owner. Odie bites Dargis in the leg, making him throwing the cross bow away. Dargis takes out a gun and threatens to kill Liz, who was also at the palace. A ferret enters Dargis' pants and starts running around, driving him crazy. He soon is knocked out and falls to the floor. Smithee brings out troops of the police to arrest him.
Liz sees Garfield and Prince, not knowing the difference between the two of them. Garfield kicks Odie off the chair they are sitting on in order to prove who is who. Jon takes out the ring and proposes to Liz. Liz happily accepts.
The animals, Garfield, and Prince party at the end of the film, celebrating their freedom.
, the studio was aware that the film would not make as much as the first, and only made it based on the worldwide success of the first film.
It became a huge success overseas, earning $113,011,707, or 79.9% of its worldwide gross.
giving it an 11% critical approval rating, with the consensus that the film is "strictly for (very) little kids, A Tale of Two Kitties features skilled voice actors but a plot that holds little interest." The film was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards in 2006: "Worst Prequel or Sequel" and "Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment".
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to 2004's live-action feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Garfield: The Movie. This film was directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Tim Hill
Tim Hill
Tim Hill is an American film director and television writer.He began his career in 1993 as a writer and storyboard artist for Rocko's Modern Life, he also created the Kablam! skit Action League Now!...
, written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by Joel Cohen & Alec Sokolow, produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
by Davis Entertainment
Davis Entertainment
Davis Entertainment is an American independent film production company, founded by John Davis in 1985.-Selected filmography:* Brewster's Millions * "Crocodile" Dundee * Predator * Superman IV: The Quest for Peace...
for 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, and was released in U.S. cinemas on June 16, 2006 (July 21, 2006 in UK).
The film borrows its storyline from Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
. The title alludes to Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' novel A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. With well over 200 million copies sold, it ranks among the most famous works in the history of fictional literature....
.
Plot
In a palace somewhere in England, a royal cat named Prince (voiced by Tim CurryTim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
), is living a luxurious life and is king of his castle, known as Carlyle Castle. On the other side of the world, Garfield the cat (voiced by Bill Murray
Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
) is living in his owner Jon's house a year after the first movie and is thinking that he's the king of the home. That night, it is revealed that Jon invited his high-school crush Liz (Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
) over for dinner, and is planning to propose to her. Garfield finds a turkey at the dinner table and eats all of it, while Jon is about to propose but was unable to find the ring (because Garfield took it so that he cannot propose as Liz is a vet and he hates going to the vet). Liz tells him that she's been asked to travel to England and is flying there tomorrow. After she leaves, Jon feels sad that Liz is leaving. Garfield reveals to Jon that he took the ring, and tells him to give it back to the store, but instead, Jon decides to go to England to be with Liz.
The next day, Garfield thinks that he and Odie are going with Jon to England, but instead they are sent to the kennel where they are to stay while Jon is in London. Garfield throws a tantrum, and damages his and Odie's cage door. The two of them get out of the cage and escape into Jon's car. They hide in his luggage, throwing everything inside out the window. Meanwhile, at Carlyle Castle, Prince has just been named the new owner of the castle (as it said on the will of the past owner of the castle), but a man named Lord Dargis (Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
), the nephew of the past owner, expected that the owner would give him all the land. Prince's assistant, Winston, is worried that Dargis will get rid of Prince in order to get the land, but Prince assures him that Dargis would not do such a thing. However, Dargis puts him in a picnic basket and throws him in a river which leads to London in order, just as Winston had thought, named as the owner of the castle. Jon arrives at his hotel and is about to propose to Liz when Garfield and Odie come out of his bag. Jon is surprised, and leaves Garfield and Odie in the hotel room while he and Liz go sightseeing. Garfield and Odie also go out in search of Jon.
Meanwhile, Dargis is feeling happy now that Prince is gone and tells the news some officials and tells them he will be the next owner of the palace. The animals who are kept in a barn in the palace receive the about Prince's disappearance from a crow. After sending a mouse to look around, they also find out that Dargis is planning to kill them in order to spare more land and serve them to the guests. Meanwhile, Garfield and Odie have been travelling all over England, searching for Jon and Liz. Meanwhile, the butler of Caryle Castle, Smithee, is told by Dargis to go to London to get his new suit. He finds Garfield and Odie during their travels and mistakes him for Prince, bringing him to the castle and leaving Odie alone. Prince manages to get out of a gutter in front of Odie, to his confusion. Jon finds the two and, mistaking Prince for Garfield, takes them back to his hotel room.
At the castle, the animals realize that Garfield is not Prince, due to his voice, but are not concerned as he just needs to look like him. Dargis mistakes Garfield for Prince, and unsuccessfully attempts to have him killed. At the hotel, Odie brings Jon and Liz's map to Prince. Prince spots Carlyle Castle on the map, and sets off to return to the palace.
Jon realizes that Garfield is gone and goes off with Odie to find him. Jon does not find him, but Odie finds a newspaper containing Prince's picture and shows Jon that Garfield could've been mistaken for Prince. Jon and Odie rent a car and head for Carlyle Castle. He meets up with Smithee and after explaining the story, he decides to come with them. Meanwhile, Garfield is thrown into a cell in the dungeon by Dargis. He is rescued by Winston. After over-hearing how the other animals really feel about him, Garfield decides to head back to London, but then comes face to face with Prince in a classic "fake mirror" scene, finding the truth after exhaling, causing his "reflection" to slightly faint due to Garfield's breath. Prince explains that he had been living Garfield's life for the last three days is found by the other animals. The animals ask Prince for a plan to escape from Dargis. Prince suggests that they pack up and leave, but Garfield tells them that they should fight Dargis, and decides to stay. The animals set traps all over the palace, with Garfield and Prince luring him into the traps. They manage to keep him off for a while. Jon and Odie arrive as Dargis gets a crossbow and aims it at the animals and the people who made Prince the owner. Odie bites Dargis in the leg, making him throwing the cross bow away. Dargis takes out a gun and threatens to kill Liz, who was also at the palace. A ferret enters Dargis' pants and starts running around, driving him crazy. He soon is knocked out and falls to the floor. Smithee brings out troops of the police to arrest him.
Liz sees Garfield and Prince, not knowing the difference between the two of them. Garfield kicks Odie off the chair they are sitting on in order to prove who is who. Jon takes out the ring and proposes to Liz. Liz happily accepts.
The animals, Garfield, and Prince party at the end of the film, celebrating their freedom.
Cast
- Breckin MeyerBreckin Meyer-Early life:Meyer was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the son of Dorothy Ann , a travel agent and former microbiologist, and Christopher William Meyer, a management consultant. As a child of divorced parents, he lived in California, Texas, West Virginia and New Jersey. He has an older brother,...
as Jon ArbuckleJon ArbuckleJonathan 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.... - Jennifer Love HewittJennifer Love HewittJennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
as Dr. Liz Wilson - Billy ConnollyBilly ConnollyWilliam "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
as Lord Dargis - Bill MurrayBill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live in which he earned an Emmy Award and later went on to star in a number of critically and commercially successful comedic films, including Caddyshack , Ghostbusters , and...
as the voice of 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... - Tim CurryTim CurryTimothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
as the voice of Prince - Bob HoskinsBob HoskinsRobert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
as the voice of Winston - Ian AbercrombieIan AbercrombieIan Abercrombie is an English actor, best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in Birds of Prey. He appeared as Elaine Benes' boss Justin Pitt during the sixth season of Seinfeld, and as a fastidious butler on Desperate Housewives.-Biography:He is the cousin of John Abercrombie, a jazz guitarist of...
as Smithee - Roger ReesRoger ReesRoger Rees is a Welsh actor. He is best known to American audiences for playing the characters Robin Colcord on the American television sitcom show Cheers and Lord John Marbury on the American television drama The West Wing...
as Mr. Hobbs - Lucy DavisLucy DavisLucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
as Ms. Abby Westminister - Rhys IfansRhys IfansRhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
as the voice of McBunny - Oliver MuirheadOliver MuirheadOliver Muirhead is an English character actor known for often portraying pompous country gentlemen. In 1986, he also directed the musical pantomime A Christmas Held Captive. In addition to acting, Muirhead has also lent his voice to various animated series such as P.J...
as Mr. Greene - Vinnie JonesVinnie JonesVincent Peter "Vinnie" Jones is an English film actor and retired Welsh footballer.Born in Hertfordshire, England, Jones represented and captained the Welsh national football team, having qualified via a Welsh grandparent. He also previously played for Chelsea and Leeds United. As a member of the...
as the voice of Rommel - Joe PasqualeJoe PasqualeJoseph Ellis "Joe" Pasquale is an English comedian from Grays, Essex, arguably most famous for his high-pitched voice, use of visual gags and more recently being crowned "King of the Jungle", on the reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!...
as the voice of the Claudius - Twin dogs Tyler and Chloe as Odie (uncredited)
Box office
The film grossed $28,426,747 in the U.S. box office (the first film made this in its first six days). According to 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, the studio was aware that the film would not make as much as the first, and only made it based on the worldwide success of the first film.
It became a huge success overseas, earning $113,011,707, or 79.9% of its worldwide gross.
Critical reception
The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
giving it an 11% critical approval rating, with the consensus that the film is "strictly for (very) little kids, A Tale of Two Kitties features skilled voice actors but a plot that holds little interest." The film was also nominated for two Golden Raspberry Awards in 2006: "Worst Prequel or Sequel" and "Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment".
Home media
- The DVD was released on October 10, 2006. The DVD includes a "Drawing with Jim Davis" featurette and two games: Garfield's Maze, and Odie's Photo Album. It also includes a music video, trailers, and footage not seen in theaters.
- An extended version (86 minutes) was released with the first Garfield film on a double-sided DVD.