It's still always a delight to revisit these classic seasonal animated specials that were so much a part of my childhood. In addition to 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown', watching 'Garfield in Disguise', a.k.a. 'Garfield's Halloween Adventure', remains a tradition. The story has our favourite orange cat rudely awakened by the incredibly annoying Binky the Clown one morning who soon gets Garfield's attention by calling attention to Halloween night. And Garfield of course is not going to pass up the opportunity to go and collect a ton of candy, candy, candy, candy. In their attempt to maximize their candy collection, he and Odie take a boat to an island where a creepy old man spins them a tale of long dead treasure seeking pirates - who inevitably make an appearance. There's a lot of fun packed into these 24 minutes, including the catchy songs sung by the late, great Lorenzo Music, provider of Garfield's voice for so many years, and Lou Rawls. Funny comedy moments include those with Jon, who's only briefly on hand here, who has his pumpkin land on his head when Garfield startles him. Another hilarious sight gag arises when the odds and ends Garfield tosses about land on Odie and the cat gets a look at him. The scenes with the sinister old tale spinner and the ghosts, which could frighten the younger viewers, are fittingly spooky. And, in the end, it's touching the way Odie often looks out for his more selfish companion, and the way Garfield ultimately recognizes this and gives Odie what he's rightfully earned. The comic strip version of the story contains some additional material involving a purloined ring. Overall, 'Garfield in Disguise' is irresistible to this fan of the strip.
10/10
