Garfield: His 9 Lives
Encyclopedia
Garfield: His 9 Lives is a 1984 book (ISBN 0-345-32074-3) of illustrated short stories showing the "nine lives" of comic strip
character Garfield
. It was adapted into an animated television special
in 1988 as well as a screensaver
for download on the Garfield website.
The book is divided into ten segments; the first one displays the creation of cats in general, where the latter nine reveal events in Garfield's nine lives. Each of the nine stories has a short preface of Garfield in his modern incarnation, explaining how these various lives shaped aspects of Garfield's personality, such as the origin of his fear of the veterinarian, his love of destructive behavior, his proclivity for a slothful lifestyle, and his extremely playful side.
", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program of 1989.).
Garfield and Odie are killed in the end of Space Cat, and meet God in the afterlife. Because of the "unfair position" they were put in, (and because God's computers are 'on the blink' and wasn't able to keep track of the number of lives) the pair are given all nine lives back. After they vanish, the special concludes when God, with his cat-like eyes now visible, says "We have to stick together, you know."
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
character 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...
. It was adapted into an animated television special
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...
in 1988 as well as a screensaver
Screensaver
A screensaver is a type of computer program initially designed to prevent phosphor burn-in on CRT and plasma computer monitors by blanking the screen or filling it with moving images or patterns when the computer is not in use...
for download on the Garfield website.
The book is divided into ten segments; the first one displays the creation of cats in general, where the latter nine reveal events in Garfield's nine lives. Each of the nine stories has a short preface of Garfield in his modern incarnation, explaining how these various lives shaped aspects of Garfield's personality, such as the origin of his fear of the veterinarian, his love of destructive behavior, his proclivity for a slothful lifestyle, and his extremely playful side.
The book
- "In the Beginning" (written by Jim DavisJim Davis (cartoonist)James Robert Davis is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strip Garfield, which he signs as Jim Davis. He has also worked on other strips: Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, U.S. Acres and a strip about Mr...
, illustrated by Paws, Inc. staff): The cat is created. The manner of the cat's creation, with a higher being dictating instructions to his staff and the language used by the staff while 'designing' the cat, is strongly similar to the manner in which products are designed in modern corporations. The staff wonders why the creator sees fit to give cat nine lives opposed to the usual one, prompting the creator to reply that he likes cats, revealing that he has feline features. It is strongly suggested that Garfield himself is the first cat.
- "Cave Cat" (written by Jim Davis; illustrated by Davis, Mike Fentz, and Larry Fentz): In the Stone AgeStone AgeThe Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, the first cat emerges from the sea and is domesticatedDomesticationDomestication or taming is the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. In the Convention on Biological Diversity a domesticated species is defined as a 'species in which the evolutionary process has been...
. Cave Cat also meets his end when the vaguely reptilian giant dog (who resembles Odie and is termed Big Bob by the cavemen) attempts to play fetch with Cave Cat, throwing a tree at him and unintentionally crushing him. (This, as Garfield points out, explains why most cats fear dogs, and why Garfield himself tends to dislike and mistreat Odie specifically.)
- "The Vikings" (written by Jim Davis and Mike Fentz; illustrated by Fentz): A group of Vikings from the year 984984Year 984 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Asia :* Emperor Kazan succeeds Emperor En'yū on the throne of Japan....
, including Garfield the Orange, frozen in an icebergIcebergAn iceberg is a large piece of ice from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. It may subsequently become frozen into pack ice...
for a thousand years, thaw out and wake up in "an especially warm and lovely spring day of 1984", and attempt to 'pillage' St. Paul, Minnesota. They are forced to adapt to the modern era after a notable lack of success with traditional Viking activities, and comment how modern American society is a "barbaric" one which defended itself against the pillaging, as well as snapping the braBrassiereA brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
of the bosomy female Viking Helga. Defeated, they succeed in securing employment and a house, but lose their proud spirits in the process. Garfield's Viking incarnation snaps them out of their ennui after he rediscovers the Petrified Weasel of Booga; it restores their spirits, causing them to revert to their Viking selves and proceed to run off to the Arctic CircleArctic CircleThe Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
. The segment ends a thousand years in the future, with the strong implication that the same group of Vikings have been frozen in an iceberg and are about to thaw out once again in "an especially warm and lovely spring day of 2984". (This story explains why the otherwise lazy Garfield enjoys occasionally engaging in rampaging and destructive behavior he would seem too lazy to engage in, such as his constant attacks on the mailman.)
- "Babes and Bullets" (written by Ron Tuthill, illustrated by Kevin Campbell): Hard-boiled detectiveDetectiveA detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Sam Spayed investigates the suspicious death of a priest in a segment reminiscent of classic hard-boiled detective fiction, with occasional illustrations done in a manner much more realistic than the usual Garfield style. It was later adapted into the television special Garfield: Babes and BulletsGarfield's Babes and BulletsGarfield's Babes and Bullets is a half-hour animated television special based on a segment from the book Garfield: His 9 Lives. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast May 23, 1989 on CBS...
. Shortly before the story begins, Garfield appears, saying that the most significant thing he learned from this life was that he swore off work.
- "The Exterminators" (written by Jim Davis; illustrated by Davis, Mike Fentz, and Larry Fentz): A trio of Three StoogesThree StoogesThe Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy act of the early to mid–20th century best known for their numerous short subject films. Their hallmark was physical farce and extreme slapstick. In films, the Stooges were commonly known by their first names: "Moe, Larry, and Curly" and "Moe,...
-like cats chase a mouse, and mayhem ensues. Garfield comments that he officially retired from the 'rat race' following this life, leading to his strong dislike of mice as a food source.
- "Lab Animal" (written by Jim Davis; illustrated by Gary Barker and Larry Fentz): at a secret government facility, lab specimen 19-GB receives an unusual injection, followed by his escape from the military base. After swimming across a river, the serum has some unusual effects, causing 19-GB to become a dogDogThe domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
. Fortunately for 19-GB, he became the same species of dog the lab sent out to find him, allowing him to blend in with the search dogs. The pursuing soldiers then call off the search, as the dog looks at the reader with strange green eyes. Garfield claims that because of his experiences as a lab animal, he becomes nauseous at the sight of medical equipment. (This most likely explains his fear of the veterinarian.)
- "The Garden" (written and illustrated by Dave Kühn): Cloey and her orange kitten play in a magical, Wonderland-likeAlice's Adventures in WonderlandAlice's Adventures in Wonderland is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar, anthropomorphic creatures...
, garden, which was built by Cloey's joyful Uncle Tod. However, like the Garden of EdenGarden of EdenThe Garden of Eden is in the Bible's Book of Genesis as being the place where the first man, Adam, and his wife, Eve, lived after they were created by God. Literally, the Bible speaks about a garden in Eden...
there is a test of character of a chest the pair must not open. The pair approach the chest and after much suspense, the pair resists the temptation, believing opening the chest could harm Uncle Tod, and stay in the garden forever. The segment is written with flowery prose similar to overly romantic poetry, and the illustrations have a strong surrealistic quality, as well as having many sharp graphics and neon colors that were characteristic of the 1980s. Garfield is shown happily smelling a flower's fragrance and said that his sixth life was his favorite. "My body grew old, but I never, never, never grew up".
- "Primal Self" (written by Jim Davis; illustrated by Jim Clements, Gary Barker, and Larry Fentz): An orange housecat meets an ancient, primal, dangerous, possibly evil force, causing him to revert to an entirely feral state. It is unclear whether the housecat is corrupted by the primal force, or if its spirit is cast back into prehistory and stranded there, while the primal essence steals its body in the present day. The story ends with him preparing to attack his unsuspecting owner, an elderly woman; it is strongly suggested that he kills his owner afterwards. Garfield is shown to be terrified of the events in this life; he is depicted cowering under a blanket in his commentary on it, remarking that this life taught him that there are elements in a cat that are not to be toyed with.
- "Garfield" (written by Jim Davis; illustrated by Gary Barker and Valette Hildebrand; color by Doc Davis): Present-day Garfield meets lasagnaLasagnaLasagna is a wide and flat type of pasta and possibly one of the oldest shapes. As with most other pasta shapes, the word is generally used in its plural form lasagne in Italy and the U.K. Traditionally, the dough was prepared in Southern Italy with semolina and water and in the northern regions,...
, Jon, and Odie. This segment retconRetconRetroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
s the character's beginnings. Garfield notes that his current life is currently falling short of his expectations.
- "Space Cat" (written and illustrated by Jim Clements): While exploring outer space, your feline friend has a run-in with The Incredibly Huge Galactic War Fleet (IHGWF for short)Extraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
. The IHGWF doesn't like him, and shows it by blasting him to spacedust. It turns out he in a simulator, probably a computer game, and appears to be living in a world inhabited by both humans and anthropomorphic animals. The segment has a very strong resemblance to The Hitchhiker's Guide to The GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a science fiction comedy series created by Douglas Adams. Originally a radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1978, it was later adapted to other formats, and over several years it gradually became an international multi-media phenomenon...
series, in both tone and thematic elements. Garfield and his ship get destroyed by the IHGWF, then he is seen emerging from a simulator at a video arcadeVideo arcadeAn amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
, suggesting the life was only imagined or a video game. Garfield is shown as a cyborg during his commentary on it, remarking that while he'd like to live forever, he's well aware of his mortal state and refers to the segment as a 'sneak peek of his next life.'
The television special
The one-hour long television adaptation produced in 1988 featured four different "lives." (consequently leaving out four of the lives in the book: "The Vikings", "Babes and Bullets", the "Exterminators" and "Primal Self". "Babes and Bullets" was adapted into a television special of its own the following year: "Garfield's Babes and BulletsGarfield's Babes and Bullets
Garfield's Babes and Bullets is a half-hour animated television special based on a segment from the book Garfield: His 9 Lives. It once again featured Lorenzo Music as the voice of Garfield. The special was first broadcast May 23, 1989 on CBS...
", which won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program of 1989.).
- "In the Beginning" (directed by Phil RomanPhil RomanPhilip Roman , is an animator. He is the founder of animation studios Film Roman and Phil Roman Entertainment. Roman is of Mexican American descent....
): Unlike the rest of the special, this prologue sequence is shot in live-action. (The scene where the angels question why God gives cats nine lives varies slightly from the storybook version; God's feline features are not seen—yet; he simply states that it might make a good jumping-off point for a good story.) - "Cave Cat" (directed by Phil Roman and George Singer): Evolution takes place as cat first swims out of the sea into its neanderthal-like state.
- "King Cat" (directed by Phil Roman and John SpareyJohn SpareyJohn Sparey , was a cartoon animator and director. His first credit was Calvin and the Colonel. Sparey died on December 15, 2010.-External links:...
): In Ancient EgyptAncient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, the PharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
's sacred catCats in ancient EgyptCats , known in Ancient Egypt as mau, were important in ancient Egyptian society. Beginning as a wild, untamed species, cats were useful for limiting vermin in Egyptian crops and harvests; through exposure, cats became domesticated and learned to coexist with humans...
discovers what happens to him if the Pharaoh dies. Garfield claims 2000 BC was a good year to be an Egyptian cat, and misses those days. - "In the Garden" (directed by Phil Roman and Ruth Kissane): A young kitten and its human companion are tempted by a mysterious box in the middle of a wonderful garden.
- "Court Musician" (directed by Bob Scott): The king demands a concertoConcertoA concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
from "Freddie" HandelGeorge Frideric HandelGeorge Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
, and if the king doesn't enjoy it ... Under the pressure of a deadline, "Freddie" delegates part of the work to his pet, one of Garfield's incarnations, a blue cat in this life. Garfield himself states that it was during this life when he learned to think on his feet, but he now avoids thinking whenever possible. - "Stunt Cat" (directed by Phil Roman, Bill LittlejohnBill LittlejohnWilliam Charles Littlejohn was an American animator and union organizer. Littlejohn worked on both animated shorts and features from the 1930s through to the 1990s...
and Bob Nesler): Garfield is (briefly) a stunt doubleStunt doubleA stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
for Krazy KatKrazy KatKrazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
. As Garfield explains before it starts, this life was his shortest. - "Diana's Piano" (directed by Doug Frankel): A young girl, Sara, receives a cat, Diana, who goes with her everywhere, especially to pianoPianoThe 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...
lessons. (This is the only one of Garfield's lives, in either the book or movie, where the cat is explicitly identified as female.) This story is told in flashback. The images are reminiscent of paintings. This story is closer than any of the others to reality; the cat, Diana, is just a normal cat. Garfield says he fell in love with music in this life. - "Lab Animal" (directed by Phil Roman and Doug Frankel): Test animal 19-GB makes a daring escape to avoid dissection.
- "Garfield" (directed by Phil Roman, John Sparey and Bob Nesler): Dating back to 1978, Garfield is born and soon taken in by Jon, who then buys Odie.
- "Space Cat" (directed by Phil Roman, John Sparey and Bob Nesler): A "sneak preview" of his ninth life, Garfield and Odie try to retaliate when an enemy space fleet (led by an "Admiral Mendelsen", named after Film Roman producer Lee MendelsonLee MendelsonLee Mendelson is an American television producer. He is best known as the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials....
) threatens to destroy them.
Garfield and Odie are killed in the end of Space Cat, and meet God in the afterlife. Because of the "unfair position" they were put in, (and because God's computers are 'on the blink' and wasn't able to keep track of the number of lives) the pair are given all nine lives back. After they vanish, the special concludes when God, with his cat-like eyes now visible, says "We have to stick together, you know."
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 / Caveman #1 / "Junior" / Soldier / Computer
- 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 / Jester / Scientist #1 - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
- Mendelsen - 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...
- Chloe
Additional Voices
- Nino TempoNino TempoNino Tempo is an American musician, singer, and actor.A musical prodigy, Nino Tempo learned to play the clarinet and the tenor saxophone as a child. He was a talent show winner at four years of age and appeared on television with Benny Goodman at seven...
- Hal SmithHal SmithHal Smith may refer to:* Hal Smith , American actor* Hal Smith , American baseball player * Hal Smith , American baseball player [catcher/third baseman]...
- George Frideric Handel - Heather Kerr
- Sandi HugeSandi HugeSaundra "Sandi" Haseman Huge is a voice actress who is better known as the voice of Garfield's mom in the TV Specials, Garfield on the Town and Garfield: His 9 Lives. Sandi has also provided voices for characters in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. Sandi is also a motivational speaker...
- Garfield's Mom - Carolyn Davis
- Ed BogasEd BogasEd Bogas, born Edgar Noel Bogas, and sometimes credited as Edward Bogas, is an American rock musician and composer and whose work has been featured in films, animations, and video games.-Career:...
- C. Lindsay Workman
External links
- Garfield: His 9 Lives at the Big Cartoon DataBaseBig Cartoon DataBaseThe Big Cartoon DataBase is an online database of information about animated cartoons, animated feature films, animated television shows and cartoon shorts....
(one of the stories from the book was made into its own special)