It has been more than a decade-and-a-half since everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving, Monday-hating tabby cat showed up in a movie of his own on the big screen, but that will all be changing very soon. In a few dozen Mondays, that hilarious, grumpy, and undeniably iconic feline will be back in an animated feature film that will hopefully capture the comedy and heart of Jim Davis’ beloved comic strip and the animated series (and holiday specials) that followed in its wake.
We don’t yet know everything about the still untitled Garfield movie featuring the voice work of Chris Pratt, there are a few things we know about the upcoming theatrical release at this time.
What Is The Garfield Release Date?
Go ahead and make a reminder to put a pan of lasagna in the oven for May 24, 2024, as that is the release date for Garfield. In September 2022, Deadline announced that the latest adaptation of the classic comic strip, cartoon, and never-ending source of licensed merchandise would open over the Memorial Day weekend after Columbia Pictures decided to push back its release from the original February 2024 launch date..
With schools and many workplaces being closed for the holiday, maybe Memorial Day will be the one Monday Garfield actually enjoys.
Chris Pratt Is Portraying The Iconic Lasagna-Loving Cat In The Garfield Movie
Chris Pratt, the actor who wormed his way into our hearts as a man who fell in a pit on Parks and Recreation before leading some of the best Marvel movies, will soon add another classic character to the list: Garfield. In November 2021, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Pratt was not only the first addition to the Garfield movie cast, he was hired to portray that exercise-phobic house-cat in the upcoming movie. This news came months after word surfaced about Pratt earning the top spot in the upcoming animated Super Mario Bros. movie as the titular plumber, which is slated to be released on April 7, 2023.
Over the course of the past decade, Pratt has not only established himself as one of the biggest movie stars of his era with a ton of great movies but also one of the most dependable voice actors, having landed major roles in The Lego Movie (and its 2019 sequel) and the 2020 Pixar film, Onward.
Samuel L. Jackson, Ving Rhames And Nicholas Hoult Lead The Star-Studded Supporting Cast
Although there is no word on who will be voicing familiar characters like Garfield’s owner, Jon Arbuckle, or his canine friend Odie in the upcoming movie, a legendary actor will be portraying a new character when it eventually lands on the big screen. In May 2022, Deadline reported that Samuel L. Jackson had been added to the Garfield cast as a brand new character named Vic, who just so happens to be the feline’s dad.
But Jackson isn’t the only major Hollywood star to land a spot in the Garfield cast, as the voice cast has reached epic proportions at this point. In August 2022, Deadline announced that Jackson’s Pulp Fiction co-star Ving Rhames had been added to the cast, as had Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham, and Cecily Strong, though none of their roles have been revealed at this time.
Then, in November 2022, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang had joined the ranks of the all-star voice cast. But again, the identities of their characters have yet to be revealed. However, it is very unlikely we hear Goldstein and his ability to spew out a certain four-letter word as Jon Arbuckle.
The Garfield Movie Will Be Entirely Animated, Unlike Previous Adaptations
When the Garfield movie opens in theaters Memorial Day weekend 2024, it will be the first big screen adaptation to be fully-animated. Although the first theatrical releases — Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties — featured a computer-generated version of the character, voiced by Bill Murray, most of the other characters were real people.
Back in 2016, Variety reported that Alcon Entertainment had secured the exclusive rights to produce an animated movie based on the Garfield property, at which time the production company said its goal was to build a franchise of fully CG-animated movies featuring the iconic character and others from Jim Davis’ comic strips. Later on, in 2021, DNEG Animation, which worked on Ron’s Gone Wrong, revealed it had teamed up with Alcon for the upcoming Garfield movie.
The Creative Team Behind The Emperor’s New Groove Is Helming The Garfield Movie
With a movie like Garfield, especially one based on a franchise so beloved, there needs to be someone who is more than up to the task of taking it on, as well as someone with a strong track record. And, that person happens to be Mark Dindal, who was hired to direct the upcoming movie back in 2018, according to Deadline.
Although his name may not have the name recognition as the legendary Hayao Miyazaki, Pete Docter, or Brad Bird, Dindal isn’t some spring chicken trying to find his groove in show business. Over the years, Dindal has not only directed movies like The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little, he has also produced and animated classics like The Fox and the Hound, The Little Mermaid, The Rocketeer, Aladdin, and nearly two dozen others throughout his career.
But Dindal won’t be the only person from The Emperor’s New Groove to work on Garfield, as Deadline revealed in November 2021 that David Reynolds, who wrote the underrated Disney animated movie more than 20 years ago. Over the years, Reynolds has also worked on movies like Toy Story 2, Tarzan, and Finding Nemo.
Garfield Creator Jim Davis Is On Board As An Executive Producer
Jim Davis has been involved with the Garfield property ever since he created the beloved character more than 40 years ago in 1978. Since then, he’s assisted various productions ranging from the Garfield and Friends animated series to the previous big screen adaptations. Even though he sold the rights to the property to Alcon Entertainment back in 2016, according to Variety, he will remain on as an executive producer for the upcoming animated Garfield movie.
At this time, there are still quite a few things we don’t yet know about the upcoming Garfield movie, including who the various actors will portray, what the story will entail, and how much lasagna one cat can eat. Now would be a good time to check out the 2023 movie schedule to see what’s coming out in the next few months before checking out all the 2024 movies coming out alongside Garfield
