Live and Let Diet: The 35th Anniversary of “Garfield’s Thanksgiving”

Image courtesy of John Ostvig

“Tomorrow’s Thanksgiving! That’s the day people celebrate having food by eating as much of it as possible!”

So says Garfield near the beginning of his holiday TV special, aptly entitled Garfield’s Thanksgiving, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. Like the character’s other two holiday specials for Halloween and Christmas and the TV series Garfield and Friends, Garfield’s Thanksgiving captures so much that made creator Jim Davis’ comic strip immensely popular.

As the special opens, Garfield (the iconic voice of Lorenzo Music) is excited about Thanksgiving, but that excitement fades when he is taken to the vet, Dr. Liz (Julie Payne), who puts Garfield on a diet. Garfield’s owner, Jon (Thom Huge), who is smitten with Liz, invites her to Thanksgiving dinner.

Jon attempts to keep Garfield out of the refrigerator by placing his clueless dog, Odie (Gregg Berger), as a security guard. However, Jon soon learns that he has bigger problems when he realizes he has no clue how to prepare Thanksgiving dinner. He reads that the turkey recipe states to “rub skin with butter,” and says, “Well, I don’t see what good that will do, but okay,” and then proceeds to rub the stick of butter on his arms and face.

Thanks to some convincing from Garfield, Jon calls his Grandma (Pat Carroll), who stealthily, and with some great visual gags, prepares Thanksgiving dinner in the kitchen, while Jon distracts Liz in the living room with a history lecture about Thanksgiving.

All ends well, as Grandma’s meal is perfect, and Jon, Liz, Garfield, and Odie sit down to their meal, while the soothing ballad, “It’s a Quiet Celebration,” is sung by Desirée Goyette, one of the special’s two songs by Goyette and Ed Bogas. The other song, “Make Thanksgiving One Whole Meal,” is sung by Lou Rawls.

One aspect of Garfield’s Thanksgiving that makes it so entertaining is the writing by Davis and Kim Campbell.

When Garfield is told that he will need more fiber in his diet, he flatly replies, “Fiber’s for sweaters.” When Jon welcomes Liz at the door, Garfield snidely adds, “Yes, come in, Doc. Are you fond of indigestion?”

Garfield’s examination at Liz’s office is not only peppered with great dialogue (Dr. Liz notes, “The good news is your cat is as healthy as a horse…the bad news is he is also as big as a horse.”), but the sequence also has great sight gags that happen simultaneously while Jon attempts to ask out Liz, including one where Garfield’s hand inflates thanks to a blood pressure cuff. It’s one of the many examples of how Garfield’s Thanksgiving balances well-executed animated moments while still retaining the look and tone of Davis’ strip. No doubt, thanks to the many veteran talents who worked on the special, such as Edy Benjamin, Ed Ghertner, and Ralph Eggleston, just to name a few.

And at the helm, as he was for all of Garfield’s holiday TV specials, is the legendary director, Phil Roman, who co-directed with Gerard Baldwin, Bob Nesler and John Sparey. Roman’s Studio, Film Roman, produced Garfield’s Thanksgiving.

Roman’s career dates back to the 1950s as an assistant animator at the Disney Studio, and he would later direct some of the Peanuts’ most popular specials, such as It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (1974) and 1973’s A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, which he co-directed with Bill Melendez.

When it came to bringing Garfield to life in animation, Roman recalled in a 1995 interview: “I worked closely with Jim Davis. Watching his character move was very exciting for him. Creating a character for a [comic] strip is two-dimensional, but it is very satisfying when it starts moving around and performing.”

Garfield’s Thanksgiving originally aired on CBS on November 22, 1989, and it earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program. It has since been made available on a DVD collection of all of the Garfield holiday specials. Garfield’s Thanksgiving can now be seen streaming on Prime Video and Peacock and is a beloved seasonal favorite of many.

When the table is set, and the candles are lit in the Thanksgiving dinner scene in the special, Garfield looks at the camera, smiles, and says, “Nice touch.”

Audiences have felt the same way for thirty-five years – like many of the famous feline’s outings, Garfield’s Thanksgiving deftly combines slapstick and sarcasm with warmth and heart, which all blend perfectly.