Garfield in Disguise (1985 TV Short)
9/10
Tricks and Plenty of Treats.
28 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Early morning of October 31, Garfield receives a very rude awakening by the Binky the Clown show, trying to get the viewers to do exercises, lest they become lazy and meaningless. However, some good news does come out of that cacophonous clown as mentions trick or treating, which instantly gets Garfield excited about the bag full of candy he'll no doubt acquire that night. He even decides to bring Odie along so he'll get twice as much candy, and he might even share a piece with him. So now it was up to the attic to find a proper costume among the sea of junk Jon had never thrown away. After a song and dance of what he should be, Garfield comes across the perfect costumes for he and his canine companion: pirates. Garfield is Orange Beard and Odie is his first mate, Odie the Stupid. So after Orange Beard scarfs down Jon's lasagna, they hit the streets in search of treats... as well as a few tricks, as some of the trick or treaters turn out to be real ghouls, ghosts and monsters. Well, I guess they like candy too. So Garfield and Odie get quite a haul, but the greedy cat decides he wants more. Pointing to some houses across the river, he suggests they go over there and get even more candy. They board an old row boat and head down stream. They venture off course because Odie the Stupid threw the oars overboard.

Eventually they reach land ho. A spooky old house with cool lightning effects. They investigate and find a fire in the fireplace, so they go inside to warm themselves when suddenly, they come across a scary looking old man who warns them of an inherent danger that would befall them all. It seems 100 years ago that night a group of real pirates were forced to bury their treasure on that very island, and they swore that they would return in 100 years to reclaim it, even if it meant coming back from the dead, at the stroke of midnight. Feeling they've heard quite enough, Garfield and Odie attempt to leave, when suddenly they find the old man had gone. Looking outside, they see him row away in their rowboat. Now they were stuck with no boat, no candy, dead pirates on the way...unless... when 12 o'clock struck and no ghosts showed up, they assumed they were safe. That's when the gleaming ghost ship arrived and the pirate ghosts came ashore. Garfield and Odie are discovered and the ghosts give chase. Their only option was to swim for it, but unfortunately, Garfield found out too late that he couldn't swim. Thankfully Odie managed to drag him all the way back to shore where, as luck would have it, the row boat with their bags of candy stood waiting. They return home in triumph, glad the night of chaos was finally over, and to show his appreciation, Garfield reluctantly allows Odie to keep his bag of candy. Then he relaxes by the TV, but when he finds out the only thing on are pirate flicks, he decides to hit the hay.

If you're a fan of classic Garfield cartoons, this is definitely one to see. Perfect to watch around the Halloween season. This was 3 years before Garfield & Friends premiered, which was a brilliant staple of Saturday mornings for years to come. The animation is standard, and pretty good for it's time, especially the look of the old man, whose voice really fit him. In fact, all the voice acting was great. The story was fun, the songs were catchy. Kids and adults will definitely enjoy this spooky little romp.
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