Garfield's Halloween Adventure
Garfield's Halloween Adventure | |
---|---|
Created by | Jim Davis |
Written by | Jim Davis |
Directed by | Phil Roman |
Starring | Lorenzo Music Thom Huge Gregg Berger C. Lindsay Workman Desirée Goyette |
Theme music composer | Ed Bogas and Desirée Goyette (music and lyrics) Lou Rawls and Lorenzo Music (vocals) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Jay Poynor |
Producer | Phil Roman |
Editors | Mark R. Crookston Sam Horta |
Running time | 24 minutes |
Production companies | Film Roman United Media Productions |
Original release | |
Network | CBS |
Release | October 30, 1985 |
Related | |
Garfield's Halloween Adventure (originally titled Garfield in Disguise) is a 1985 American
The special, a
This is the fourth of twelve Garfield television specials made between 1982 and 1991.
Plot
Garfield and Odie head out trick-or-treating amongst other neighborhood children that evening. When Odie expresses fear, Garfield assures him the scary characters they see are only children in costumes, only to lift some of the masks and discover the characters are actually supernatural. By nightfall, Garfield and Odie arrive at a boat dock and Garfield decides to cross the river on a row boat to try to visit more houses. When Garfield tells him to put out the oars, Odie misinterprets the command and accidentally throws the oars overboard, leaving the boat adrift as the current carries Garfield and Odie down the river.
Soon, the boat arrives at an abandoned dock near a run-down mansion. They venture inside the home, thinking it is deserted, but are startled to find an old man sitting in an armchair. The man relates a story that exactly a hundred years ago, pirates, pursued by government troops, buried their treasure under the mansion floor and signed a blood oath to return for the treasure at midnight a hundred years later, even if it meant rising from the grave. The old man reveals he was the ten-year-old cabin boy whom the pirates had long ago. Garfield and Odie start to leave, and Garfield asks the man if he wants to come too, but he has disappeared. The man steals their boat and candy, stranding a mournful Garfield and Odie.
The mansion's grandfather clock chimes midnight, and Garfield and Odie watch as a ghostly ship materializes on the river and pirate ghosts emerge from the water. Garfield and Odie hide in an empty cupboard as the ghosts reclaim their buried treasure from the mansion's floorboards. As he and Garfield stay where they are, Odie sneezes, alerting the ghosts to their whereabouts. Making a run for it after they are discovered Garfield, and Odie jump into the river to escape, where Odie has to rescue Garfield as he cannot swim. Garfield and Odie get washed ashore and find their boat with their candy still inside and untouched. They go home happily, and Garfield repays Odie's rescue by reluctantly giving him his rightful share of the candy. Afterwards, Garfield decides to watch TV, only to see the old man wearing his pirate hat and hosting an all-night pirate movie festival. Instead, Garfield promptly turns off the TV and goes to bed.
Voice cast
- Lorenzo Music as Garfield
- Thom Huge as Jon Arbuckle/Binky the Clown
- Gregg Berger as Odie/TV Announcer
- C. Lindsay Workman as Old Man
- Desirée Goyette as Woman at the door
Production
Phil Roman, who previously directed Garfield specials Here Comes Garfield and Garfield on the Town, founded his own company called Film Roman to continue producing the specials. Garfield in Disguise was one of the first specials he made under his own company, after Garfield in the Rough.[1] Writer Jim Davis stated he intended the special to begin on a familiar tone, then "go somewhere that would at least scare 4-year-olds".[2] For the part of the old man, C. Lindsay Workman was cast as the voice, having previously voiced Garfield's grandfather in Garfield on the Town. Producer Lee Mendelson chose Workman, searching for a deep voice.[2]
The animation was carried out in Indiana, with Davis saying animators sought to achieve a "swirly, cross-dissolve" effect to portray the ghosts.[2] The animators also sought to give the ghosts a glowing affect. Workman's character was designed to emphasize his advanced age, with one staff artist urging the addition of warts and different-looking eyes.[2] For the musical score, Ed Bogas and Desirée Goyette were employed, having previously worked on Garfield television specials.[3]
Songs
- "Good Morning" (instrumental)
- "This is the Night (Trick or Treat)" performed by Lou Rawls
- "Scaredy Cat" (instrumental)
- "Breakfast" (instrumental)
- "What Should I Be?" performed by Lorenzo Music
- "Yo Ho Ho Ho" performed by Lorenzo Music
- "Scaredy Cat" performed by Lou Rawls
- "Yo Ho Ho Ho (reprise)" performed by Lorenzo Music
Broadcast and release
Announced as Garfield's Halloween Adventure,[3] Garfield in Disguise was originally aired on October 30, 1985, along with the 1966 Peanuts special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown,[4] on CBS.[5] In later years, it was often aired in the Halloween season along with It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.[6] By 1999, Garfield's Halloween Adventure was not regularly broadcast. 1999 would see the final airing on CBS on October 28.[7]
A 64-page illustrated book adaptation was published in 1985 by
Reception
In 1985, Rick Sherwood of the
In a 2013 roundtable, The A.V. Club writers analyzed Garfield’s Halloween Adventure, with Erik Adams judging the special to be distinguished in Garfield TV canon by "Its abrupt left turn into abject terror," and concluded it was nearly as good as It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.[6] Molly Eichel agreed "the special takes a left turn into something more sinister".[6] In 2015, Johnny Brayson of Bustle wrote "I may be in the minority, but I consider Garfield's Halloween Adventure to be on equal footing with Charlie Brown," citing its humor and horror.[7]
References
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators. Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 306.
- ^ a b c d Adams, Erik (27 October 2014). "Jim Davis wanted Garfield's Halloween Adventure to 'at least scare 4-year-olds'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Garfield Pounces Into Action for Halloween Special". The Evening News. 27 October 1985. p. 2E.
- ^ Flander, Judy (30 October 1985). "Garfield and Linus Find Halloween Spirit". The Ledger. p. 13A.
- ISBN 978-0307483201.
- ^ a b c Adams, Erik; Dyess-Nugent, Phil; Eichel, Molly; McGee, Ryan (30 October 2013). "Garfield has a traumatic, horrifying Halloween". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ a b Brayson, Johnny (26 October 2015). "9 Family-Friendly Halloween Movies That'll Remind You What The Holiday Is All About". Bustle. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ISBN 0345330455.
- ^ Jue, Teresa (4 November 2014). "Jim Davis talks 'Garfield' origins, holiday specials, and calls Garfield 'a human in a cat suit'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ Sherwood, Rick (20 October 1985). "Garfield's Up to Tricks in Halloween Cartoon". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 23.
- ^ a b "Jim Davis wins 3rd Garfield Emmy". The Bryan Times. 30 September 1986.
- Pearson Education, Inc., retrieved 2007-12-03
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (31 October 1988). "'MacGyver' returns with a Halloween episode". The Times-News. p. 17.
External links
- Garfield's Halloween Adventure at IMDb
- Garfield's Halloween Adventure on YouTube(official Garfield & Friends channel)