How well do you know Garfield ? On the occasion of the release of the animated film “Garfield: The Reluctant Hero”, exclusively in theaters from July 31, 2024, Ziggy shares 10 things to know about the most famous of ginger cats .
After nearly 50 years of fame in comic strips and TV shows, Garfield, the famous indoor cat who loves lasagna and hates Mondays, is coming to theaters on July 31 in “ Garfield: The Reluctant Hero .”
In this animated film, our favorite little, well, big redhead is about to be taken on a wild adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his father, Vic, a scruffy street cat, Garfield and his faithful roommate and servant Odie are forced to leave their comfortable lives behind to help Vic pull off a risky and hilarious heist. A first for Garfield, because the worst he's had to deal with so far was a stomach ache from eating too much lasagna and a particularly awful Monday.
In “ Garfield: The Reluctant Hero ,” exclusively in theaters July 31, 2024, Garfield will be true to himself, except his life just got easier. He still hates Mondays, but now he can order and have his favorite lasagna delivered with a single click. The real life of (pa)cat!
This animated film, which Ziggy is immensely proud to be a partner in, brings together everything we love about Garfield, but it will also reveal many things we didn't know until now, like his meeting with Jon.
While waiting to see him on the big screen, we share with you 10 things to know about Garfield, the most cynical, greedy but also funniest ginger cat of all.
10 Things to Know About Garfield
1. Garfield's real dad is Jim Davis.
In the animated film “ Garfield: The Reluctant Hero ” directed by Mark Dindal, our favorite redhead reunites with his dad Vic, a larger-than-life street cat who makes a living from petty scams of all kinds. If Vic is indeed his biological father on the big screen, his real father is called Jim Davis in reality, who is none other than his creator.
Born on July 28, 1945 in Marion, Indiana (United States), Jim Davis grew up on a farm with his parents, Jim and Betty Davis, and his little brother Dave, nicknamed Doc. As on most farms, many stray cats came and went, under the intrigued eyes of young Jim who spent long hours drawing in his room. After studying at the University of Muncie, he started in an advertising agency and became the assistant of Tom Tyan, who at the time was drawing a successful series in the United States, Tumbleweeds. At the same time, he created his first comic strip, Gnorm Gnat , but it was a failure... And it was only a few years later that Jim Davis had a revelation: while studying successful comic strips, he noticed that they represented a lot of dogs, but not cats! Combining his mischievous wit with his artistic skills acquired since childhood, Jim Davis came up with the idea of creating Garfield, a big, lazy, lasagna-loving ginger cat. According to Jim Davis, Garfield is a mix of all the cats from his childhood.
2. Why is Garfield called Garfield?
Jim Davis named his cat Garfield after his grandfather James Garfield Davis. According to him, his grandfather was a large, impressive, stubborn man, but he had a great sense of humor. Just like Garfield!
Between us, fortunately no big lazy cat known is named Ziggy, we might have taken it badly. Whatever. 😹
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3. Garfield almost disappeared
Garfield first appeared in 41 American newspapers on June 19, 1978. But several months after its launch, one of the most popular newspapers, the Chicago Sun Times, decided to remove Garfield from its pages. More than 1,300 angry readers demanded that Garfield be brought back, and when the demand was met, his adventures returned to their great delight.
4. Garfield is the most famous cat in the world.
Even today, Garfield is the most famous cat in the world!
Ask someone this question: “Name a ginger cat.” They will surely answer Garfield! Since his creation, Garfield has never ceased to entertain young and old alike, all over the world. His adventures have been published in more than 110 countries, making him the “most widely distributed cat in the world” according to the Guinness Book of Records. In France, the first Garfield album was published in 1984 by Dargaud.
5. Why does Garfield love lasagna so much?
Garfield is the most gluttonous of cats; he hates diets - it makes him hallucinate - fruits and vegetables, but loves hamburgers, pizza, popcorn, donuts, Chinese food and coffee which gives him many insomnias. But his greatest gluttony remains lasagna. Garfield was abandoned in a crate in front of an Italian restaurant, Mama Leoni, and the first dish he ate as a baby was lasagna!
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But that was before Ziggy created his Italian-flavored pâté in his image, classy, right? With chicken, tomato and olives, the Ziggy x Garfield pâté is as delicious as it is healthy: rich in quality proteins, starch and very low in carbohydrates and minerals for a perfect nutritional balance.
6. Why does Garfield hate Mondays?
Garfield hates a lot of things, especially Mondays. Just like us, right?! Monday is the first day of the week, there's no way around it. After such a great weekend, no one wants to get up and go to work. Even though he's not working, Garfield feels obligated to get up.
Garfield is, in and of itself, like us. That’s what’s made him such a hit for nearly 50 years. “ Garfield is a human in a cat suit ,” says Jim Davis. We also share the same passions for food and naps. “ We feel guilty about overeating, not exercising, and sleeping too much. Garfield relieves our guilt by enjoying all of those things ,” he adds.
7. No, Garfield is not such a lazy cat!
Contrary to popular belief, Garfield is not that lazy. On the contrary, he needs a lot of exercise. Exercise that involves walking from the refrigerator to the couch, rolling over in bed (yes, it builds abs!), lifting his fork, and annoying his faithful unpaid intern Odie.
Pssst: Garfield didn't pay us to say this. 🙈
8. Sharp-clawed villains
We know Garfield eating, sleeping, eating again or playing tricks on Odie. But in Garfield: The Reluctant Hero, exclusively in theaters from July 31, 2024 , he will have to face Jinx, a criminal who seeks revenge on her father Vic. Played by Hannah Waddingham ( Ted Lasso, Hocus Pocus 2, The Fall Guy ), Jinx is a cat with a lot under her paw. While she dreamed of a career in the world of show business, Jinx quickly joined Vic's team. But during a burglary that went wrong, Jinx found herself in the pound, with one idea in mind: revenge! With the help of her canine cellmates, Roland and Nolan, she will do anything to get back what Vic owes her. And to do that, she will kidnap Odie.
9. A 5-star cast
In the film Garfield: The Reluctant Hero , exclusively in theaters on July 31, several great actors lend their voices. Garfield is played by Chris Pratt ( Guardians of the Galaxy , The Tomorrow War , Jurassic World ), Vic, Garfield's father by Samuel L. Jackson ( Pulp Fiction , The Avengers ), Jon by Nicholas Hoult ( The Great , The Favourite ) and Odie by Harvey Guillén ( Puss in Boots 2: The Last Quest ). In France, it is the actor and comedian Kyan Khojandi who lends his voice to Garfield ( Bref , Chinese Puzzle , We Three or Nothing ).
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10. Garfield has a new favorite food!
This year, to mark the release of Garfield: The Hero in His Reluctance , exclusively in theaters from July 31, 2024, Ziggy is teaming up with the most anticipated animated film of the year to create a limited edition pâté and make all our little gourmands purr this summer!
Our Ziggy x Garfield pâté with Italian flavors (but still 100% made in France) is made with chicken, tomato and olives. Mamma Miaou!!
With Ziggy, gluttony is no longer a bad thing!
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