Sony’s Animated Garfield Movie Starring a Miscast Chris Pratt Fails to Recreate the Success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish for What It Needed Most (2024)

Chris Pratt's The Garfield Movie lacked what made Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a great success.

Our beloved orange tabby Persian cat Garfield is back on the big screen after a long while with Chris Pratt voicing the character in The Garfield Movie. However, things were far from good which eventually affected the project at the global box office as it garnered negative reviews from critics and audiences alike.

While there’s still time for the movie to head to its streaming debut, it was unable to bring the same success that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish gained after its release two years ago.

What Went Wrong With Chris Pratt’s The Garfield Movie?

Sony’s The Garfield Movie has met with an underwhelming response from audiences and critics alike, leading to it becoming a disappointing project from what it was initially intended. One of the reasons that led to that outcome is the lead voice actor himself.

Since Chris Pratt was announced to voice the grumpy orange cat, fans have been skeptical about it, comparing it to Bill Murray, thevoice artist in 2004’sGarfield: The Movie, and its sequel Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties.

His lackluster lead vocal role in The Super Mario Bros. Movie further strengthened their doubts. Since the MCU actor has limited voice acting capabilities, many couldn’t shake off the idea that his work would be much more impressive, which seemingly turned true with critics’ harsh reviews.

As per Independent, Pratt’s Garfield is “a shapeless, charmless box-ticking exercise of popular animation trends collided with moneymaking opportunities.”

Apart from understanding the fundamental charm of the cynical feline, the movie has mirrored the shallow portrayal of the character. Fans who are familiar with the cynical cat are well aware of his canon traits, such as the fact that he loves lasagne and hates Mondays.

In the original comic strips and animated series, his traits are more humorous quirks without having any relation with any traumatic past, but the movie heavily deviated from that perspective, connecting his modern portrayal with a traumatic past. Even the plot is conventional and lacks depth, with almost every character featuring tragic backstories that at times become quite overwhelming.

The movie is filled with emotional rollercoasters for almost every character, be it his father, Vic (Samuel L. Jackson), or the villain, Jinx (Hannah Waddingham), who kidnaps Garfield to seek vengeance on her ex-partner-in-crime Vic.

Why Didn’t The Garfield Movie Achieve the Success of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish?

The 2024 movie continues to push all the emotional buttons with sob backstories that eventually make it dull. Other than that, its deviation from the traditional portrayal of the titular character gives it more of a reason to drown the project. While the movie tried its best to bring an emotional narrative to its plot, it was unable to achieve the same results that helped Puss in Boots: The Last Wish become successful.

The 2022 movie was a sequel to the spin-off filmPuss in Boots (2011), which follows the titular character who embarks on an adventure to find the Last Wish of the fallen Wishing Star with Kitty and Perrito to restore eight of his nine lives.

Despite revolving around a heavy theme with a compelling storyline that was filled with adventure and great emotional depth, it was clear that every creature was going through an internal struggle, pushingthem to seek the treasure.

However, the movie was consistent in overall character development and mending bonds without making it overwhelming. Puss’s character development seemed more relatable to audiences who went from an arrogant cat to a heroic character by the end of the movie. The movie further remained true to its traditional portrayal of Puss in Boots, unlike the new movie which offered a unique perspective on Garfield.

The 2022 movie grossed over $485.2 million worldwide whereas The Garfield Movie earned $103.8 million at the global box office.

Although no official streaming date has been released for the Garfield project, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is available on Peaco*ck TV.