May 20th, 2024 
Jackson Murphy 
One of the most anticipated movies of 2024 for families and lasagna lovers is Sony’s CG feature The Garfield Movie. Following a successful start overseas, it opens in North America this Friday May 24th. In this Animation Scoop Q&A, director Mark Dindal (of Chicken Little and Cats Don’t Dance) and producer John Cohen (of The Angry Birds Movie) take me through the methodology behind the story, casting, marketing and more. (These interviews were conducted separately and were edited for length and clarity.)
Jackson Murphy: We’re doing this interview on a Wednesday. So I have to ask you if you hate Mondays.
Mark Dindal: (laughs) I think Monday is not my favorite day of the week as everyone. For sure. I especially remember as a kid on Sunday night thinking, “Ugh, it’s Monday. The weekend went too fast.”
JM: That dread, right? Yeah. For my father — the same thing. That dread as a child of going back to having to go back to school again, What are your early memories of the comic strip, the character… How did Garfield first come into your life?
MD: Well, mine was an interesting introduction to Garfield because I went to California Institute of the Arts in 1978 to study animation. That was the year that Garfield came out. Back then before the internet we were at school — nobody got the newspaper. No one had a television. No one even had a phone. And so there was limited exposure to anything new that was coming out. So I first experienced Garfield through the television specials because there was one television in the general area and we would gather together. Animated specials at that time were a treat. It was like finding a treasure. So that’s when I was first introduced to him — in the specials. And then I saw the compilation books, and then I saw the comic strips. So my exposure to him was kind of in reverse to everyone else just because of the circumstances at the time.
JM: That’s interesting. Yeah, there’s a lot of power to animated specials. We’ve seen Garfield in them. Of course, the comic strip, animated series and the Bill Murray movies. I remember seeing the first one at a drive-in 20 years ago. As a filmmaker, from your perspective and from the filmmaking perspective, what is so appealing about Garfield as a character?
MD: Well, there’s a universal quality to him, which there has to be because he’s been around for 45+ years. And what I thought was interesting, because we had access to the 45 years worth of comics in the database to do research… you could go to comics from last week or 30 years ago. And because he’s based in such universal things as loving food, hating Mondays, wanting to take a nap… there was a timeless quality. So that has kept him alive, I think, in such a relatable way all of these years. And what we had on the opportunity with this movie and what was part of the very first script that I read was the relationship with a character that we’ve never met in those 45 years, which is Garfield’s father, Vic, played by Samuel L. Jackson.
JM: And what did you want to explore with that?
MD: Well, I was really excited about that element from the start, because in a feature, especially, we always look for other facets to the character… other levels of dimension and depth you can explore. That’s a universal relationship, one that a lot of people can relate to. And it opened up possibilities as I sat with my story team and we thought about the different scenes and sequences and the way that Garfield could arc through the movie. So it gave us a chance to add to the humor and the sarcasm and the laziness that we all know. Here’s another facet of Garfield in terms of vulnerability and insecurity that we haven’t seen very much. I always like for a feature to be able to have extremes. You can have absurd comedy and visual humor, but then you also look for a place for some heart as well.
JM: Yes. And you see that in what you did with “Chicken Little”. You had that heart between Chicken Little and his father, voiced by Garry Marshall. So clearly there’s a lot of heart in what you want out of these kinds of father/son stories in animation, and it shows for audiences over different generations.
MD: Yeah, I think it’s a coincidence that they’re both father/son. But it can be in any relationship that we all relate to. You can find those emotional moments, and… that’s a real treasure to find in any film, especially in animation.
JM: What were the challenges for you and for your animation team as far as making the quick movements of Garfield and the other characters work?
MD: Well, I had a global animation team all over the world: Montreal, London, India, all over Europe, I think South America and Asia. And the challenge this time was that we made it during COVID, so we couldn’t be in the room. And for me, that’s always been a thing. I always met with the animators, we’re in the room, you’re acting stuff out, it’s kinetic, everybody can kind of feel the vibe. It’s a bit more of a challenge, as I’m sure anyone who has to work on Zoom feels. This group of animators, and there may have been 80 to 90 at the height, so got what I was talking about. And every animation dailies that I would go to, I encourage them [to] bring something of yourself. I can’t say enough about how they… just let their creativity shine through and it’s in spite of the challenge of the pandemic and working on video conferencing we were able to get that energy, energy happening. You know, against all those odds.
JM: We had Barbenheimer last summer. I truly believe Garfuriosa is happening. How do you feel about that, Mark?
MD: That’s a crazy mashup, isn’t it? How fun for theater goers. It’s like going from one restaurant to another. You get your favorite food over here and then you pop over to this one. So I think that’s fantastic.
Top Row: Mark Dindal and Jackson. Bottom row: Jackson and John Cohen.
JM: John, I love the mega marketing behind “The Garfield Movie”. What you have been doing on social media is incredible.
John Cohen: Oh, that is so nice of you to say. We are so excited about this movie and having so much fun with the campaign and everything about it. So I’m glad you’ve been noticing all the stuff we’re doing.
JM: Oh my gosh, all the different posters — I just saw the “Deadpool & Wolverine” one. It’s brilliant because you have these iconic characters in Garfield and Odie and the new characters that everybody will meet in the film. You have a lot to work with and a lot of fun to have. What do you love about Garfield?
JC: I think deep down we all feel like we’re a lot like Garfield and there’s great wish fulfillment in a character who gets to say and do all of the cynical and maybe a little judgmental things that we only wish we could. Garfield speaks for all of us in his observations and his honesty, his love of food and struggle with Mondays… his desire for rest and relaxation. [They] bring to light all of the many universal emotions and common bonds we all have.
JM: You have had the ability over the years to be behind the modern day movie entertainment relaunches of some iconic animation properties like “Alvin and the Chipmunks”, “Horton” and the Peanuts gang. And now Garfield. How does it feel to take care of beloved characters and want to make sure that they’re still good and pure and now appeal to a new generation and new audiences?
JC: I approach it really as a fan first and foremost. I grew up loving Garfield. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to get to make a Garfield movie. I was a kid who had Garfield and Pookie stuffed animals, and I had the classic McDonald’s mugs and used to draw my own really, really badly crafted comics with the characters. It’s such an honor to have been able to work with Jim Davis on this movie and to be able to hear his excitement, laughter and joy as we’ve shown him stuff over the last few years. This has just been the greatest thrill.
JM: What surprised you the most about what he saw in the transition from a comic strip to a fully CG animated movie?
JC: He is so, so knowledgeable about all things to do with animation and comedy, and he’s so passionate and excited about the process and about this movie. He watches just about every animated film. We knew when we got started that we wanted to find a story that had never been told in 45 plus years of the comic strip. And that’s a very tall order when there are that many great stories and arcs that have been a part of it. So we talked about a bunch of potential concepts, and when we first discussed the idea of introducing Garfield’s birth father, Jim just sparked at the idea and immediately saw the fun and the potential in that story.
JM: Nice. When it comes to Chris Pratt — he’s also Mario, Emmett in “The Lego Movie” and Barley in “Onward”. Now he’s Garfield. How do you feel that he is one of the voice actors of the moment when it comes to animation and motion pictures?
JC: He is so funny and he’s so fantastic at improvisation and at bringing these characters to life. And as you’ve seen through his career and in his roles, whether it’s on “Parks and Rec” or other things he’s done, he has in many ways embodied the personality of Garfield as a character. An absolute joy to work with.
JM: You have produced some of these animated films that have been released in the summertime — “The Angry Birds Movie” 1 & 2 and the original “Despicable Me”. Now “The Garfield Movie”. What do you love about animation in the summertime?
JC: Animation in the summer… animation is great at all times of year! I particularly just get excited for the summer movie season. There’s something about May rolling around and starting to feel the energy of these big movies coming out. And there’s nothing else like it. I look forward to it every year, but I get excited week after week for all the big movies. So to be a part of the summer movie slate of films is a dream come true.
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