See more movie reviews

Garfield's Pet Force (G)

common sense media says

Iffy messages and guns make this a good one to skip.

parents & educators say
See all 4 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Garfield is thrown into the role of action hero when an alien invader turns his world upside down. The alien and Garfield both shoot a gigantic laser gun that turns normal people into zombies. Younger viewers might be frightened by the weird zombies and the destruction of the peaceful town. Adults might wonder why the Garfield franchise decided to make a lazy cat into a gun-toting action hero. There's also some rude behavior, name calling, and sexual innuendos.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: Let's see, besides the gun play, the food obsession, and the sexual innuendo, what other substandard messages are there? Oh, how about that no one is safe from aliens taking over the universe at any given time? And that people will take advantage of nice guys like the Emperor of Dorkon just for their own gain?
Positive role models: The character who saves the universe is a lazy, gluttonous, sarcastic cat. Rude behavior (farting and belching) is played for laughs.
Violence & scariness: A big laser gun dominates the plot of the movie. Vetvix wields it to turn people into scary and weird zombies, and Garfield uses it to reverse the spell. The zombies look strange and may be scary for young kids. Also, there's destruction of homes and buildings by a big monster.
Sexy stuff: Women are objectified subtly and not-so-subtly. All females have shapely bodies dressed in clingy clothing. Betty has a huge bosom, which makes her appetite for Garzooka even more suggestive. Multiple kisses at the end of the movie. Women jump on male characters and kiss them.
Language: "You idiot," "this sucks," and the like.
Consumerism: Garfield, consume? Heck yes, a whole package of hot dogs, lemonade, anything he can get his hands on.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: In order to become the Pet Force, Nermal, Arlene, and Odie have to drink a potion, which gives them special powers. 
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Garfield's Pet Force

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
  • Families can talk about the violence here. Why does Vetvix want to destroy everything? Does she give a reason? How does hearing those words make you feel? Check out these tips about how violence in the media affects kids.
  • How are the females in the movie portrayed? How do the male characters behave toward them? Are they treated as equals?
  • Garfield's obsession with food is a joke, obviously. And it does allow for some of the humor in the movie to come through. But who allows him to overindulge? Could Jon set boundaries? Is being fat funny?

What's the story?

What's the story?
Far off in another galaxy, a clever professor creates a device that can switch the DNA of two creatures so that they become zombies. His gun is hijacked by an evil alien named Vetvix (voiced by Vanessa Marshall), who steals the gun and forces the Professor and the Emperor to do her bidding. The Pet Force, led by Garzooka (Frank Welker), tries to stop him, but they are thwarted by Vetvix. Garzooka then scans the universe for DNA replicas of the Pet Force, which leads him to Garfield (Frank Welker) and his gang. Mass chaos ensues as Garfield tries to save the universe from an alien invasion.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

As much as we might want it to be the good old wisecracking Garfield from the funny pages, this movie falls short of any expectations. Sure, kids who like action might be entertained by the space chase and the superhero comic book qualities of the story. But this movie pushes some boundaries that fans might not expect; whoever thought roly-poly Garfield would be wielding a gun? The two funny lines in the whole movie come from Garfield, and they relate to his food obsession. The rest is pretty much pulp.

Kids who love Garfield are better off checking out the TV series or even the live-action movie.

Movie themes & details

Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Director: Mark A.Z. Dippe
Cast: Frank Welker, Vanessa Marshall, Wally Wingert
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 78 minutes
DVD release: June 16, 2009
MPAA Rating: G
MPAA explanation: General Audiences
This review was written by Joly Herman
 
 

Review It

 

Review Garfield's Pet Force

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.
 

Most useful reviews by all members

Dr. Weird
parent of 14 year old
10
 
Skip it.
The worst take on Garfield ever.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (7) | read my mind (7)
perfectionist
teen, 15 years old
7
 
Not a very good movie.
When this movie first came out I was a huge Garfield fan. But it was NOT a good movie. One of the things that surprised me the most was that Garfield said, "Well this sucks." I mean, in a kids movie??!?!??! The women in this movie get inappropriate too. I would not recommend this movie unless you are really bored and you don't have anything else to do.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (7)
08c08
kid, 10 years old
8
 
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (5) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (6)
Miranda ...
kid, 11 years old
2
 
Greatest movie ever!
I love this movie! But some kisses. I watch garfield all the time and he made me laugh so hard I almost threw up! Nothing is wrong with garfield but sometimes garfield has a crush on some female cats.
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (4)

More reviews ...

An independent voice for families
Age-appropriate reviews
Advice on the big issues
 

vote now

Will you see Garfield's Pet Force?

Won't miss it
On the fence
No way

Already seen it? What do you think?

I recommend it
It's a pass
 

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

Fun animation choices
For kids who love animals
Browse more movies
About our rating system
ON: Content is appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child, some content may not be right for some kids
OFF: Not age appropriate for kids this age
Our child development rating guidelines