2
(nothing substantially religious)
8
(kid safe with positive messages)
7
(I watch it once every year)
As I review the old Garfeld TV specials I come to perhaps the most beloved of them all, "A Garfield Christmas." I enjoyed the Rudolph and Frosty stuff as a youngster, but I grew out of them relatively quickly. So not only was Garfield's Christmas special fun, it quickly became my mainstay of the season. I don't do the sappy, sentimental stuff much anymore, at least not in this form, but "A Garfield Christmas" makes it into my DVD player each and every season to this day.
The show opens with Garfield dreaming about getting a gift-giving machine for Christmas. He wants lots of stuff! He awakens to Jon telling him they’re going to the farm for the holidays, but Garfield is not too happy about that. When they arrive everything but Grandma annoys Garfield. He stays in a bad mood pretty much until Odie gives him a particularly thoughtful present. He finally comes to realize that Christmas isn’t about stuff, it’s about love.
Like all Garfield specials this is a mix of comedy, positive sentimentality, and singing. Garfield is his gluttonous best, and Odie shows that while he can't match wits with his feline counterpart sometimes the ability to think with his heart makes him the smartest guy in the room. Grandma is as tough as gravel, and Mom is syrupy sweet.
I'm not a fan of musicals, and I sometimes wish even the Garfield specials would knock off all the songs. I think of all of them, the Christmas special has the best, most entertaining songs. They tend to be amusing and catchy with Garfield's comical cynicysm peppering Jon's extreme exhuberance.
The animation quality is not necessarily impressive compared to some more modern toons. These tend to look dated with simplistic backgrounds (although that largely mimics the cartoon strip) and uncomplicated animations. I would liken it more to classic Looney Tunes than most modern cartoons. Some may find a charm in the retro look while others may find it too plain and boring.
Morality
There is nothing here that is the least bit questionable. It’s kid safe with positive messages.
Spirituality
Maybe this isn’t as Christmassy as a tale of baby Jesus or Santa, but its anti-materialistic message is fitting for any church-oriented gathering.
Final Thoughts
"A Garfield Christmas" is full of laughs and good feelings even if the song at the piano is a little too syrupy sweet and the closing song a little too corny. I enjoy the nostalgia of it, and it's one of the less twisted things I pull out for the Christmas season. I highly recommend it if you enjoy that classic comic strip type humor and don't mind the lack of muddling it up with an attempt to add something more "adult" to it.
Buying Guide
If you're looking for the classic Garfield holiday specials you can get them on DVD.
Your best bet is Holiday Celebrations release. The alternative is the Garfield Holiday Collection. There is a set for the Garfield Show, but that is for the newer CG version of Garfield, not the classic. This collection is NOT included in the Cat Tales box set.
The Garfield Holiday Collection sounds like a good deal, and has amusing cover art showing some promise. What's more is that in addition to the 3 holiday episodes are 2 more specials that are well worth seeing. However, comments on this set are anything but favorable. There are numerous audio and video problems reported to make this a potentially terrible viewing experience.
Final Recommendation:
The Holiday Celebrations release may not offer a lot, but if the reports of the Holiday Collection are true, it's the only acceptable DVD release of the holiday specials. I wish we got more focus on restoration and some extras even if just short features on Jim Davis and Lorenzo Music.
Garfield Holiday Celebration is a single disc DVD containing 3 holiday-themed specials.
Video
1.33:
This is the TV standard ratio. It has a little trash even a stray hair here and there. It's really not all that bad for an old TV episode but a long way from impressive.
Audio
2.0 mono:
The audio is mostly clear except for some minor white noise but not crisp. There is virtually nothing on the low end and it's entirely all from the front (not surprising for a mono mix).
Packaging
The case is standard plastic.
An insert has the cover art and a chapters list for all the specials.
The interface is very simple, even a little boring.
Extras
There are none.
Episodes
There are 3 episodes (each with its own review). They are presented in the order of the holiday rather than in the order they aired. So on DVD Garfield is reunited with Grandma at Thanksgiving though he won't meet her until Christmas.
Each episode is right about 24 minutes. There is a play all option