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Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer) is
about to propose to his fiancée, Liz Wilson (Jeniffer Love Hewitt) but doesn't have the chance to do so for she has to leave right away for London.
He decides to follow her to get a second chance to pop the all-important question. But unknown to him, Garfield and Odie, his pets, manage to tag a long as stowaways (in Liz's suitcase) to sabotage his marriage proposal. Meanwhile in London, the countess of Carlyle castle has willed her entire estate to her cat, Prince, but Lord Dargis (Billy Connoly) her nephew and next-in-line in succession is outraged that a cat would inherit the vast estate. He abducts Prince and tries to get to London. Garfield and Prince, exact look-alikes, cross paths; are mistaken for each other and exchange places. Garfield gets to enjoy being a Lord; while, Prince gets to taste the life of a commoner. Soon, however, the two cats are reunited in Carlyle castle and plot to turn the table on Lord Dargis.
Computer Generated (CG) characters juxtaposed with real live actors/actresses and real animals
have come a long way, indeed. Garfield and other CG animals are so natural, and their interactions with flesh and blood actors are also smooth, seamless and believable. Garfield
the computer cat, also plays a dual role here, as Garfield and as Prince—that makes for interesting viewing.
For creativity and effort, this sequel scores higher than the first. The plot is also more complicated and borrows from Charles Dickens' A Tale of 2 Cities
and Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper. Some Garfield "loyalists" will insist that the comic strip Garfield cannot be replaced by the filmstrip Garfield, but
people who appreciate computers technology—whether young or old—will see the high entertainment value of Garfield A Tail of Two Kitties.
Garfield, the anthropomorphic cat, is lazy, egoistic, sarcastic, a bit of a glutton and has an
attitude.
He is like most of us humans and that's why we find it easy to relate to him. The fact that he is only a cat, and a funny one at that, makes him popular. In a way, he eases our guilt for sleeping too much, eating too much and giving importance to ourselves too much. But for all his egocentricity, Garfield is not a bad guy. Why? Because he learns humility and the value of teamwork and in the end, works to achieve the common good. Garfield humbly accepts himself. In contrast, Lord Dargis, supposedly a human being, is a real bad guy. Why? Because he is pompous, duplicitous, villainous and murderous. He is bent on eliminating a cat, the rightful heir of an estate, in order to grab the property.
(Date Reviewed: 30 June 2006)
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