The feisty feline

Hold onto your lasagna!

Right from the pages of The Times Sunday comics section, that favorite morning-loathing, Odie-taunting, tart-tongued tabby is back for a slew of hilarious new antics in a new feature film.

Garfield the Cat, who celebrated his 30th birthday on June 19, has a brand new "straight to DVD" movie produced by Twentieth Century Fox called "Garfield 's Fun Fest."

This is his newest full-length computer animated feature film and it arrives in stores Aug. 5 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Written by Hoosier claim-to-fame creator Jim Davis, Garfield, Odie, Jon, Arlene and the rest of the gang, including Garfield's tiny arch rival Nermal "the world's cutest kitten," are gearing up for the town's annual talent show, which the community calls Fun Fest.

Having won every year, Garfield is convinced he can't lose, especially with his long-time sidekick Arlene, the slinky, pink, Madonna look-alike with a gap tooth, at his side. But when Arlene steps out with another partner, Garfield, never one to go it alone when friends are around, sets out with Odie on a quest to regain his lost humor mojo and get his funny personality back before show time.

Garfield continues to rank as one of the most beloved and enduring cartoon icons, with the most widely syndicated comic strips in the world. He garners 263 million readers and counting and more than nine million of his DVDs have sold to date. Garfield's Fun Fest, is G-rated and ideal for ages 6 and up.

It includes an exclusive comic booklet by Davis, DVD-ROM games like "Destination Fun Fest" and "Tango Toss" and more.

It will sell for $19.98 and there's additional information found at www.garfield.com.

The 80-minute movie is presented in cooperation with Davis' Paws, Inc. and in association with The Animation Picture Company/Davis Entertainment.

The movie, which is the sequel to last year's "Garfield Gets Real" (now available on DVD), was executive produced and written by Davis, directed by Mark A.Z. Dippe, codirected by Kyung Ho Lee and produced by John Davis and Brian Manis.

I'm carefully "pussy-footing" around the subject of Garfield the Cat, and the fact that this film is "straight to video."

Two years ago in June 2006, I teasingly chatted in this column about the second big screen movie featuring Garfield, "A Tale of Two Kitties" released in summer 2006.

At the time, I mentioned both the reviews and box office returns had been lousy for the feline's original big screen debut "Garfield: The Movie," after it premiered in 2004, starring Breckin Meyer as owner Jon and Jennifer Love Hewitt as his nurse love interest Liz.

That column prompted a very nice, yet firm, e-mail from Davis, via his personal assistant and media maven Kim Campbell from the cartoonist's own comic headquarters compound Paws, Inc. in Albany, Ind..

I wouldn't say there were any "claws" unsheathed in the e-mail received despite a few playfully catty remarks (which included a litter box reference).

But to keep the record straight, here's the reminder of the missive I received:

"Hello, Phil. Thanks for your column on Garfield's 'A Tail of Two Kitties,' but there are two things I would like to mention.

1) Box office returns did not stink for the first movie. 'Garfield: The Movie' took in over $198 million worldwide. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=garfield.htm

2) 'A Tail of Two Kitties' comes out June 16. That is a change from the June 23 date, which was previously published in press materials.

Thanks and best wishes. Hope you'll see the movie and review it again!"

Also for the record, while Bill Murray provided the voice of Garfield in the first two major motion pictures, cartoon voice legend Frank Welker, 62, did the meow mix vocal honors for both of these latest direct to DVD versions.

The late, great Lorenzo Music, who died of bone cancer in 2001 at age 64 and whose distinct mopey voice also gave life to the only heard, never seen Carlton the Doorman on the TV series "Rhoda," voiced Garfield from 1988 to 1994 for 114 episodes of the Saturday morning cartoon series "Garfield and Friends."

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

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