Meet the pawsome characters of “The Garfield Movie,” starring Chris Pratt, in cinemas May 29
Can’t wait to go on an exciting outdoor adventure with Garfield in The Garfield Movie? Get to know the pawsome characters (and Jon!) in the all-new all-animated movie about everyone’s favorite Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat.
Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/HnGusjY49-A
GARFIELD – Voiced by Chris Pratt
Garfield is a cat… a big lazy cat… a quick-witted comedic cat… a non-exercising-lasagna-loving cat, a prone-to-food-coma cat. Garfield is the furred distillation of humanity’s collective desire to do absolutely nothing… all day long… like we all wish we could. An icon of do-nothingness, Garfield hates Mondays and work. Food is his love language, and he speaks it fluently, along with its many dialects. He hates spiders and loves coffee. Contrary to popular belief, Garfield frequently exercises. His favorite workouts are walking from the fridge to the couch, turning over in the bed, lifting his fork and chewing food. He lives a perfectly pampered life in the burbs with his owner Jon and unpaid intern, Odie.
Chris Pratt was the filmmakers’ first choice to voice Garfield, and they even tested the idea by animating Garfield to a sound clip of Pratt speaking on a talk show. “I guess Chris just captures that laziness and sarcasm in his natural voice,” jokes director Mark Dindal.
JON ARBUCKLE – Voiced by Nicholas Hoult
Jon’s life changed for the better when a cute, orange tabby kitten interrupted his lonely dinner at Mamma Leoni’s restaurant on a dark, rainy night. Jon was immediately smitten by the cat who seemed to have a unique talent for eating Italian food. Happily, Jon adopted Garfield and moved them into a two-bed/two-bath in the suburbs… or maybe Garfield adopted Jon, rescuing him from his lonely life. He’s a cartoonist by trade and works from home, often falling asleep at his draftsman table. In Jon’s opinion, he, Garfield and Odie form the perfect family.
“Nicholas Hoult, who plays Jon, is incredibly talented,” says producer Andrew Kosove. “Hoult’s performance is both funny and empathetic.”
ODIE – Barked by Harvey Guillén
Odie is a loyal, sweet, and free-spirited dog who loves everyone, especially his lazy companion Garfield. He’s a faithful friend who is willing to do anything for Garfield except let him fail. Odie has a keen sense of foresight and introspection, often finding the inherent irony or absurdity in every situation. Odie is Garfield’s emotional ballast, anchor and center. Underestimated, but never undervalued, Odie is the glue which holds the family together – and because Garfield is ill-equipped for his outdoor adventure, thank goodness he has Odie to do all the work!
VIC – Voiced by Samuel L. Jackson
Garfield’s biological father, Vic, is a street hustling larger-than-life cat who has charmed and conned his way through life. He’s the kind of cat who is always on the move. As his former mentor once told him, “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to run out on in thirty seconds flat if you smell a dog or pound worker around the corner.” He disappeared from Garfield’s life long ago under mysterious circumstances. What you can count on with Vic is that you can’t count on him. Wherever he goes, mischief, mayhem and adventure are sure to follow.
To bring all of that to the role required an actor with the skill of Samuel L. Jackson. Producer Broderick Johnson notes that Jackson – like all of the great comedic actors – is adept at combining humor and heart. “Sam brings comedy, but also tremendous emotion, and he balances them very successfully – as well as anybody in the business,” he says.
JINX – Voiced by Hannah Waddingham
Jinx journeyed from her homeland of Britain to make it big in show business only to be met with the cold hard truth of failure. She fell on hard times and ended up on the street where she became part of Vic’s alley cat criminal crew. During one of their many heists, robbing a dairy named Lactose Farms, she was caught and sent to the pound. She felt betrayed by Vic. The hard prison life turned her simmering bitterness into a raging fire of anger. With the help of fellow canine convicts, Roland and Nolan, she escaped to collect what she’s owed by Vic.
Says director Dindal of Hannah Waddingham, “I think the performance she gave inspired the animation and made her a rich, sympathetic villain. Of course, she can’t succeed, but you understand where she’s coming from.”
OTTO – Voiced by Ving Rhames
If you drank milk or ate cheese in Garfield’s home state, it’s a sure bet you probably did it with a smiling bull named Otto watching over you. Otto and his soul-mate Ethel were the cow mascots for Lactose Farms, until they lost their jobs due to automation and corporate greed. He was put out to pasture and now spends his days grazing on a nearby hill just to get a peek at his beloved Ethel who is exhibited at a petting zoo. The years have softened his hide but hardened his resolve to rescue her. When Garfield, Vic and Odie need help breaking into Lactose Farms, Otto may be their only hope.
“When the character was written, we didn’t think of anyone other than Ving Rhames to play Otto, the lovelorn bull,” says producer Kosove.
ROLAND AND NOLAN Voiced by Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang
Roland and Nolan are Jinx’s henchdogs, her canine lackeys, her mutt flunkeys. They formed an alliance of convenience with Jinx when all three were fellow inmates at the maximum-security pound. Roland is a rotund Shar Pei with a South London accent who claims that “he never grew into his folds.” Nolan is a narrow-shouldered whippet whose frenzied attention span is only calmed by the gentle embrace of Roland’s flappy furry folds.
MARGE – Voiced by Cecily Strong
Marge is Lactose Farms’ head of security. With an accent that gives away her Minnesota upbringing, she makes it clear that they take their dairy extremely seriously in the upper Midwest, dontcha know. Tough and shrewd, Marge does everything she can to protect Lactose Farms from intruders. And if anybody gets hurt along the way… well, Marge would just say that you can’t run a dairy farm without breaking some eggs.
“Cecily came in and created the voice of that character in a unique way,” says producer Kosove.
In The Garfield Movie, the world-famous Garfield is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.
Join Garfield and his friends on their crazy adventure when The Garfield Movie, from Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International, opens in cinemas May 29. #GarfieldMovie
