Garfield e i suoi amici

Out of the blue this week I found an old tape of Garfield episodes I recorded back when the show played on Nickelodeon. I remembered how much I loved the show back in my childhood (I stopped watching around 12 or 13 due to school), and I watched it all the way through one night. Not only was I not disappointed after all these years, but in some episodes I laughed more than I did when I was a kid. Like The Simpsons and Ren and Stimpy, Garfield and Friends was a cartoon that could appeal to older kids and (some) adults due to its brand of cynicism and sarcasm, and still contained a wholesome, like-able quality for children of all ages. While I wasn't so much a fan of the US Acres shorts (though a few characters, like Sheldon and the duck with the inflatable tube, were always dependable), nearly every one of the old shorts I viewed on the tape were surprisingly good. I'm not too sure if the upcoming film adaptation will do justice to this or to the smart, original comics by Jim Davis, however this series proves that Garfield- brought to life by the recognizable voice of Lorenzo Music- was one of the more accessible cartoons of the late 80's and early to mid 90's. Grade: A

After the "Garfield" comic strip had been appearing in newspapers for ten years and several TV specials based on the strip had been made, Jim Davis' popular cartoon character finally got his own TV series, a Saturday morning cartoon. Unlike some of those cartoons, this one ran for many years. It was one of the shows I used to watch in my childhood, as I was a big Garfield fan at the time. Early in 2005, after I hadn't seen any episodes of the show for a long time and had since gone through adolescenthood, I purchased the Volume 2 DVD set, and really liked what I saw, making it clear that the show isn't strictly for kids. Since then, I've watched all the episodes on all five volumes of the DVD release, which hasn't changed my mind about the show.

Each episode is divided into three different segments (other than the quickies). The first and third segments always feature Garfield, the lazy, overweight, bitter, sarcastic, cynical feline from the strip. He lives in a suburban house with his owner, a dimwitted, clumsy cartoonist who is terrible with women, and a good-natured but not so bright dog named Odie. Garfield loves to eat, sleep, give Jon and Odie a hard time, watch TV, attack the mailman, etc. He has annoyances in his life, such as Odie licking him, Nermal, a kitten who is generally adored by people and gets on Garfield's nerves during his unexpected visits, and Binky the Clown, a goofy clown who appears on TV. Although Garfield is happy with his lazy lifestyle and doesn't like to leave the house much, he often finds himself on adventures, and it's often up to him to solve problems.

The second full segment of each episode is based on Jim Davis' short-lived, lesser known comic strip, "U.S. Acres" (a.k.a. "Orson's Farm"). This cartoon involves a group of anthropomorphic animals living on a farm together. The leader is a pig named Orson, a bibliophile who can get carried away with his imagination, but can also do some good with it. Other characters include: Roy Rooster, an obnoxious rooster who loves to play tricks on the other animals; Wade Duck, a cowardly duck who is afraid of just about everything and often runs in terror; Bo Sheep, a surfer dude sheep; Lanolin Sheep, Bo's loud-mouthed sister who loves to disagree with him; Booker, an adventurous chick who likes to try and catch worms, but they always outsmart him; and Sheldon, Booker's brother, who is still in his egg shell, with only his feet sticking out so he can walk. The farm often gets intruders, most notably the Weasel, who tries to steal the chickens and eat them, and Mort, Gort, and Wart, Orson's mean brothers (all bigger than him), who like to come to the farm to try and steal the vegetable harvest!

I don't recall seeing most of the episodes of this long-running show on TV during my childhood, but do remember some of the episodes I've recently revisited on DVD, and it seems they're mostly still entertaining. This includes the episode where Jon gets in trouble with the police for paying in cash instead of using a credit card, which I find funnier now than I used to! There are many episodes I didn't see as a kid which have cracked me up in recent years, with Garfield (often Jon and Odie as well) in some bizarre situations and meeting crazy characters, Jon pathetically trying to impress his date, among other things. Many fans clearly consider the "U.S. Acres/Orson's Farm" segments far inferior to the "Garfield" ones, but I disagree. I tend to find those very entertaining as well, with some of Orson's fantasies (sometimes a problem for the others on the farm), Roy's pranks, etc. My favourite character in these cartoons is the cowardly Wade Duck, who makes me laugh so hard, though the other characters can be really funny as well!

Sadly, Lorenzo Music, who gave Garfield his famous distinctive voice, passed away in 2001 from bone and lung cancer at age 64. Howard Morris, who provided the voice of Wade Duck (a voice which definitely fit the character), lived to be much older than Music, but died in 2005. I think this is a good time for me to say R.I.P. to both of them. Even though this show ended fifteen years ago, it's still memorable with a lot to like. Not all the episodes are that great (which is probably the case with any long-running show), and I don't find most of the things Garfield says at the end of the intro very funny, but overall, it's a great family cartoon show! It can obviously appeal to a lot of kids, and there are also things for adults to appreciate, including some clever satire that kids might not pick up. Forget the recent CGI Garfield, if you want good family entertainment for all ages, "Garfield and Friends" could be it!

I always Garfield and Friends, it's just fun, funny, and always great entertainment.

No matter what Garfield did in the show whatever it was eating John's food or whatever, it was simply funny.

The show is an true classes.

The voice acting is great with a great group of voice acting.

The music is great too, the theme is so catching and I sing along with the song.

The cartoon artwork is great.

Garfield and Friends is without a doubt a great show and is one of my all-time favorites.

This show never fells to entertain.

Overall if you get a chance to buy the show on DVD, buy it because Garfield and Friends is one of the best cartoon shows ever! GARFIELD AND FRIENDS RULES!!!!

"Garfield and Friends" was a really good show. I started watching it Saturday mornings with my sister in 1990 when I was 3 years old. I loved it. My favorite character was Odie, he was so cute. My sister's favorite character was Garfield, he was funny and clever. I liked both the "Garfield" and "U.S. Acres" part of the show.

My favorite "Garfield" episodes were: "Good Cat, Bad Cat", " Garfield Goes Hawaiian", and "Ode to Odie". Those episodes were classics. My favorite "U.S. Acres" episode (I can't remember the title of it) was about one character following a rainbow which led to a game show with prizes. That episode was really funny.

I think everyone should watch this show because it is a classic. I give this show 9/10 stars.

Garfield rocks! I grew up watching this show (and of course, the Christmas special is a MUST every year!) and own several of the Garfield books! Jon is a man forever without a clue about both fashion and ladies (can you blame the women he chased for turning him down?) and Odie was awesome too. I think a lot of us can relate to Garfield: we're crabby, lazy, love lots of food and TV, but underneath most of us have pure hearts of gold.

I LOVED the second theme song! ("We're, we're, ready, ready, to, to PARTY...") The first was pretty cheesy, in my opinion. Anyway, I too loved the Quickies and even the US Acres bits, especially Wade the Duck. ("The bunny rabbits is coming, the bunny rabbits is COMING!) HYSTERICAL! LOVED this show and I wish it was still on the air!