Garfield's Thanksgiving (1989 TV Short) User Reviews

Still worth checking out

[Cube_TX · 9/10 · 25 August 2003]

Like all of the old Garfield specials televised before the Saturday morning cartoon show this videotape is hard to come by. I ordered it on eBay and received my copy today. I watched it with my girlfriend's two daughters (aged 9 and 2) and they loved it. They were brought up on the glitz of Disney computer animation but were very entertained by this archaic cartoon.

The jokes are classic, even if some of them are more for adults than children. I laughed uncontrollably during the Orson Welles joke when Garfield was on the talking scale. I highly recommend picking this tape up and watching it with your kids -- neither you nor they will be disappointed.

Another satisfying holiday treat.

[emasterslake · 7/10 · 10 January 2007]

Tommmorrow's Thanksgiving, and Garfield is looking forward to eating. But after a trip to the vet. Garfield was put on a strict diet due to his weight problem.

Jon Arbuckle manage to invite Liz(the Vet) to Thanksgiving dinner.

Which makes it harder for Garfield as he's going through a lot of pain as it is.

Will he survive the diet or will he get one taste of turkey? The animation in this one is just like in the popular TV series, as it was made when the TV show was still on the air. That and it's the only Garfield TV movie to have Liz as a Secondary character instead of a Minor character.

Contains the running jokes and gags you'd expect in any Garfield TV movie.

Thanksgiving with everyone's favourite orange cat

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 5 January 2019]

Have always been very fond of Garfield. He is a very funny and lovable character and 'Garfield and Friends' and his specials (like some more than others though) hold up very well today. Actually perhaps even better now as an adult but a child somewhat at heart than as a child. This is not nostalgia talking as there have been things loved as a child watched much later, and the question "what made me like this when younger?" Not so with 'Garfield and Friends' or his specials.

Still feel that way with 'Garfield's Thanksgiving', again not reviewed at the right time for the occasion being depicted but lets not worry about that for now, for me there has never been a right time to review anything (sometimes even to watch it). 'Garfield's Thanksgiving' is one of the least well known and shown specials of his and that is a shame. It is far from the best special (my personal favourite always having been 'A Garfield Christmas Special'), or even one of them, but it does deserve to be known more. Just because it is not as known well as some of the others doesn't mean it's bad, actually still consider 'Garfield's Thanksgiving' good and have always liked it.

Yes, 'Garfield's Thanksgiving' doesn't have the emotional impact or heart of some of the other Garfield specials, though it is not devoid of either. Others are more memorable.

Will admit too to connecting much more with other holidays like Christmas and Halloween than with Thanksgiving anyway, so that probably plays some part in why 'Garfield's Thanksgiving' doesn't connect quite as much.

There are many great merits with 'Garfield's Thanksgiving' though. The animation is still as colourful as remembered with the smooth drawing, far from sparse backgrounds and attention to detail holding up really well. Some of the other specials are more memorable in the music department, but the music and songs still fit with no problem and very pleasant and catchy listens.

Entertainment value, as to be expected, is non-stop, with some hilarious gags and wry and witty writing. Rarely have asides and sarcasm being funnier and more endearing for any character than with Garfield (Popeye the Sailor always entertained though with his asides and mumblings and Brain from 'Pinky and the Brain' also delighted with the sarcasm, though it was of the dark kind). Although not as strong as in other Garfield specials, the heart is there as is the charm, the sentiment being touching and not done in a preachy manner and the sweetness not being sugary. The story is thin but not dull and has a sweet ending.

Garfield is as hilarious and lovable as ever and can never get enough of Odie, who is so cute. Jon and Liz are likeable enough and Grandma is good fun. Have no qualms with the voice acting, Lorenzo Music has never been bettered, or even equalled, as the voice of Garfield.

Overall, not one of my favourites but have always liked it a lot and still do. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

So sweet

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 11 December 2004]

Once again, Garfield proves he can pull off more in 25 minutes than movies that take 4 times that long. It's Thanksgiving and Jon loves to make a huge deal of it. On a trip to the vet (keep a lookout for Orson the Pig in the waiting room) he manages to pluck up enough courage to ask out Dr. Liz on a date. Amazed? Well she actually accepts, how crazy is that? If only she knew what she was getting in to.

Jon doesn't plan the Thanksgiving dinner very well. He's got NO clue how to work a kitchen. And he's on the verge of blowing his big chance with Liz. But Grandma Arbuckle comes to the rescue. And so John, Liz, Garfield and Odie sit together at the table for lovely evening in which Jon actually manages to impress Liz. Well, will wonders never cease?

This TV special is one billion times what the poor Garfield movie is.

Excellent Holiday Film, A Must See for Families and Garfield Fans Alike

[novastar_6 · 10/10 · 22 November 2007]

Here is one of Garfield's least famous and least viewed holiday specials. In all my years I have never see it on TV even when they broad-casted the Christmas and Halloween specials, so I was very thankful when it came out on DVD.

What starts out as another ordinary day takes a sudden twist when Garfield, seeing the daily calendar page has an appointment for him to go to the vet, rips the page off and sees the next day is Thanksgiving. Garfield explains to Odie that Thanksgiving is the day everybody celebrates having food by eating as much of it and trying to eat every turkey, pumpkin and cranberry in existence. He shows the Thanksgiving page to Jon who takes him out to the grocery store to buy lots of food for tomorrow. But instead of going directly home, they head to the vet, who announces Garfield must go on a strict diet, while Jon tries to get her to go out with him. Liz settles for coming over to Thanksgiving dinner, which turns into a disaster when somebody like Jon Arbuckle is left to cook it. Garfield decides if he can't enjoy Thanksgiving dinner, nobody will, but the tables turn when Liz comes and Garfield acts weak so he can eat. With dinner ruined, there's only one thing left for Jon to do, CALL GRANDMA, who loves a challenge, and what he's done to dinner sure as heck looks like one.

This is a very funny and classic Garfield cartoon that I highly recommend to every family and Garfield fan in general, perfect for Thanksgiving. 10 out of 10 stars.

One of the weaker Garfield specials but still worth seeing!

[TalesfromTheCryptfan · 9/10 · 6 November 2009]

It's the day before Turkey Day, Jon takes Garfield to the vet for an appointment and he has a crush on Dr. Liz Wilson. The cat is recommended to go on a diet for once as it becomes kind of a nightmare for our hero as Jon invites Liz over for Thanksgiving dinner as he try to impress her as fast as possible to make her his girl.

Not as strong as some of the other specials especially my favorite ones being "Christmas" and "Halloween" but still a worthy part of the on-going Garfield specials of the 80's. The story is not too bad but does have a touching moment where everyone is at dinner enjoying their meal with a quality song, Pat Carrol does co-star as a guest as Grandma from the Christmas Special as she returns here.

Judging by your weight, you are...Orson Welles.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 26 November 2017]

'Garfield's Thanksgiving' is overall a lesser holiday special for everybody's favourite cranky orange tabby, but it's still solidly entertaining, thanks to a number of good laughs and some subtlety when it comes to the sentiment. The characters are as engaging as they've ever been, with Garfield (voiced by the eternally amusing Lorenzo Music) an irascible hoot as always.

He starts Wednesday off in typical style, demanding that Jon (voice of Thom Huge) fix him a big breakfast. He's in a good mood until he realizes that today he has an appointment at the vets'. He doesn't look forward to it, but Jon does, of course, since he's so madly in love with the veterinarian, Liz (voice of Julie Payne). Liz finally relents and agrees on a date, so Jon invites her to Thanksgiving dinner. He's in danger of botching the whole thing, but gets some last minute help from an appropriate source. Garfield, meanwhile, must go on a diet (horrors!).

There are some hilarious sight gags (such as when characters are holding their breath), and the eleventh hour arrival / assistance of Grandma (voiced by Pat Carroll) ensures some real liveliness. She stole much of the show in "A Garfield Christmas", and does the same thing here. Jon is as hilariously awkward as he's ever been, and there's a great series of gags when he's modelling outfits for Garfield. He also threatens to send Liz to sleep when he stalls for time by regaling her with Thanksgiving history. Odie (voice of Gregg Berger) is as endearing as ever.

The best jokes revolve around the talking scale; they're more for adults than kids, who won't understand the references, but they are priceless.

Overall, a likable, pleasant special, worth watching for any Garfield fan.

Seven out of 10.

Garfield's Thanksgiving

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 24 November 2016]

While not quite as poignant and memorable as Christmas, Garfield's Thanksgiving nonetheless charms with its food-loving feline forced into an unfavorable diet he wants no part of. Jon crushes hard on Garfield's vet, Doc Liz, but she's quite cold fish and less than lukewarm in agreeing to a Thanksgiving date at his place. She does though, but not before Jon nearly suffocates himself beet red by holding his breath. Garfield's at first jazzed because it's Thanksgiving time, but the diet bums him considerably. When he steps on the scale it tells him he's at the weight of Orson Welles! When Jon attempts to cook the feast, it turns out less than successful so grandma must come to the rescue while he bores poor Liz to nap with the Thanksgiving history lesson. Of course eventually Garfield gets to fill his belly even as Odie used his whistle during the diet prior to the big feast to keep our beloved cat in line... This is certain to be a treat for fans of the character and cartoon strip. Garfield's inner thoughts are often quite witty and amusing, particularly when Jon annoys him. Jon's persistent pursuit of seemingly uninterested Liz turns out to be a fun addition to the festivities involving Garfield and his dietary dilemma. Garfield's sarcasm is on full display and I personally, as a fan, wouldn't want it any other way. You know this just flies by and could have been even longer.

Roller-coaster of emotions for Garfield

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 25 November 2015]

"Garfield's Thanksgiving" is an animated short film from over 25 years ago. At the Emmys, it lost to the (very new) Simpsons that year. This one came out almost the same time when the Berlin Wall fell. The title implies that it is a great meal for Garfield, but that is only partially true. He has to suffer through quite a bit until he finally gets to sink his teeth into all the delicacies. Not only does John have a crush on one of Garfield's worst enemies, the veterinarian, but she also instructs him to go on a diet and she is invited over for Thanksgiving. Garfield is angry, so he manipulates the meal and Grandma has to step in for the rescue. I remember liking this short film more the first time I saw it, but it's still a good watch nonetheless. Jon, Garfield and Odie are just such memorable characters. I enjoyed this little movie and I am sure it will get you hungry too. Thumbs up for the world's coolest (and fattest) cat.

Decent Thanksgiving fare

[LuvSopr · 7/10 · 26 November 2020]

The first time I saw this special, my main takeaway was that I found the material to be thin compared to A Garfield Christmas (a very deft mix of pathos and comedy). A few years ago, I tried again, and was able to appreciate the end result more on its own merits.

The Thanksgiving special is closer in tone to the comic strip, especially Garfield's weight battles (the scale, the vet, etc.), with the only attempt at sentimentality coming during the dinner sequence (which, similar to one moment in the Christmas installment, has a maudlin song which feels like it was originally meant for some other project). In theory the decision to lean into less warm-and-fuzzy elements, and to double down on Jon's stupidity, could alienate a viewer, but the writing never goes so far as to seem mean-spirited. The late addition of Grandma (the always delightful Pat Carroll) gets the tone just right, and is a strong example of how to add in a character without getting in the way of the strip's familiar dynamics.

To reply to an earlier comment about the vet - I would say it's made very clear that she does not go along with Jon out of coercion; indeed, she happily ignores his tantrum and only after he has collapsed does she casually accept his invitation. She goes on to mostly keep the relationship, if one can call it that, casual, with the biggest sign of progress on Jon's part being that she agrees to another dinner a whole year away. If we want to read into the relationship that much, then I'd suggest the brief double take a viewer might do when they realize the same voice actress (Julie Payne) also played Jon's mother - a very Freudian element for a fun family experience.

Fat Phobia and Unhealthy Relationships

[catiephillips · 4/10 · 23 November 2020]

I remember loving this episode as a child but when I watched it with my daughter this past Thanksgiving I realized that it did not age well. The animation is classic, and I loved it - but the story...

It is fat phobic - which fits with classic Garfield but is not suitable for children given what we know now - John brings Garfield to the vet (Liz) and even though she says he is healthy in every way, he is fatter than he should be so she puts him on a strict crash diet (half a leaf of lettuce). It isn't until later in the episode when Liz sees how the diet is hurting Garfield that she considers exercise.

It ignores boundaries and unhealthy relationships - John has a crush on the vet - fine. He asks her on a date - fine. She says no - fine. Or it should be but John continues to repeatedly ask, she continues to say no - until he holds his breath until she says yes. This is wrong on so many levels.

Grandma is the one saving part of the show - she comes in, makes Thanksgiving dinner - has some great one liners (including cranberry sauce from a can) - and then she leaves.

I'm sure there are other problems with the episode, but those are the two that have been haunting me for over a month.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

[ExplorerDS6789 · 7/10 · 21 November 2021]

Since it's almost Thanksgiving, I thought it would be a good time to revisit a certain orange fat cat to whom every day is like Thanksgiving. Yep, good old Garfield got himself a Thanksgiving special, and unlike Halloween and Christmas, there aren't that many Thanksgiving specials, aside from Charlie Brown's. I never knew about this special until I bought the Garfield Holidays DVD. I don't remember ever seeing it on TV, so I assume it wasn't as popular as the others. How does America's favorite portly feline celebrate Thanksgiving? By eating everything in sight, of course, but let's see the events that lead up to the big day, shall we? It all began on Wednesday morning, when Garfield and Odie gave Jon his usual rude awakening, telling him to get thee to the kitchen and cook a truckload of pancakes. After his monstrous early morning meal, Garfield was about to kick Odie off the table when he noticed the tear-off calendar bearing a reminder that he had a vet appointment today. Determined to "make the day go away", he tears off Wednesday and discovers that Thursday is Thanksgiving. That's right, Thanksgiving, the biggest eating day of the year! He and Jon head to the store to buy a ton of food for the special occasion, but not before Jon remembers to take his reluctant cat to the vet. In case you didn't know, Jon's got a crush on the veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson, and will stop at nothing to embarrass himself in front of her to get her to like him. So, as Liz examines Garfield, Jon turns on the old Arbuckle charm and asks her 27 times if she'll go out with him, and he gets 27 no's in response, so like a little kid begging for a toy, he decides to hold his breath until she acquiesces. After diagnosing Garfield as being healthy, but too fat, Liz insists he go on a diet, and then reluctantly accepts Jon's invitation to Thanksgiving dinner, as she can't stand seeing dumb animals suffer. Suddenly, Garfield isn't looking forward to Thanksgiving anymore, because as we all know, it's the worst time of the year to start a diet. Now, we all know that Garfield won't take his diet seriously, but Jon certainly will, as he puts Odie in charge of making sure the cat doesn't eat anything fattening or sugary or delicious. Gave him a whistle and everything. How humiliating.

Thursday morning, with only three hours until Liz was due to come to dinner, Jon sets to work on cooking his Thanksgiving Day feast, and just how well does Chef Arbuckle fair? He's got a frozen turkey, no prepared stuffing, and when the cookbook says to rub butter on the skin, he rubs it on his own. Ha ha, oh Jon, you're a one man Abbott and Costello routine. After that, he goes to try on an array of goofy outfits and boy, he's got more outlandish costumes than an opera house wardrobe department. Deciding on a casual suit, he goes to welcome his date, and things get very awkward when she sees him without his pants. I know what you're thinking and you're wrong, he just absentmindedly forgot to put them on. So while he goes to check out his doomed Thanksgiving dinner, Liz is put off to discover that the diet has had no effect on Garfield, though to be fair, he's only been on it for one day. You can't expect to see instant results after only a day. In fact, if Garfield had lost a significant amount of weight within that time, it would be a much greater cause for concern. As a result, Liz decides to take Garfield off the diet and stick him on a steady regiment of mild exercises. Well, things may be looking up for the cat, but they're down for the Casanova. His turkey is hard as a rock. Well, it serves you right for not preparing it earlier, Jon, I mean you grew up on a farm and watched your mother and grandmother prepare dinner every year. You should know the bare minimum of preparing such a feast. That's when Garfield hit upon a brilliant idea: there was only ONE person who could help them now. But since the cat can't talk, he has to show Jon a bunch of Grandma's things before he gets the message that he should phone her tout de suite! In no time at all, Granny rides in on her Harley and takes full charge of the kitchen. She examines the turkey Jon tried to prepare and well, like the saying goes, there's no mix-up a chainsaw won't fix up. While that was going on, Jon tells Liz about what Thanksgiving means to him, even detailing his incredibly and pointlessly vast knowledge of the holiday. You know, the pilgrims were having a good harvest, so they invited their "Indian friends" to join them for supper. Yeah, it was the least the white man could do after slaughtering a bunch of the natives and stealing their land, but that's by the by. Good news: Grandma was able to save the turkey, and prepared some country style fixings, including her signature sweet potatoes and some pumpkin pie. She quietly sets the table and moseys on back to the farm. I'd say it wasn't a moment too soon, as Jon was boring Liz to tears with his tale of Thanksgiving around the world. So, did Liz like the meal? You bet she did. It was a happy Thanksgiving for everybody. After dinner, Jon tries to take the boys on a walk to work off the extra calories, only Odie is too logy to move, so Garfield gives him a little drill instructor action. Careful the dog doesn't vomit on your feet, Garfield.

So that was Garfield's Thanksgiving, and while it wasn't as good as the Halloween and Christmas specials, it's still a lot of fun and great to watch around that time of year. It originally aired a year after the premiere of Garfield & Friend, where we got to see Jon's further (and futile) attempts of trying to woo Liz, and while he didn't score many points there, at least we know they finally got together in the comic strip. As for this special, I liked the part where Garfield gets on the talking scale and it mistakes him for Orson Welles. It must have been an earlier model, because Mr. Welles was dead when this special took place. Speaking of Orson, watch for a cameo of that familiar bookworm pig during the vet visit. Oh, and of course the best part is when Grandma Arbuckle shows up to save the day. She's awesome! What would they do without her? As far as acting goes, Lorenzo Music is once again fantastic as Garfield, and Thom Huge, Gregg Berger and Julie Payne are great in their roles. Personally, I think Jon likes Liz so much because she looks just like him. Yeah, just put curly brown hair on her and she's the spitting image. You can't help but admire the absurd lengths Jon goes just to impress her. This time, he came pretty close. So, this Thanksgiving, in addition to the Peanuts' special, I suggest adding Garfield's Thanksgiving to the menu. Oh yeah, and there's one dish all these specials seem to forget: mashed potatoes. How can you possibly forget the taters?!