Garfield: His 9 Lives (1988) Animated Cartoon Special

[NOTE:I have never read the book version but I have seen the cartoon] This is a great cartoon the way the stories mix are great but because there are so many i will have to do them sepretly.
In the beginning: A great look at how cats were made.
Cave Cat: a bit too silly
King Cat: also a bit too silly
In the Garden: Ummm... you just have to see it yourself words can't describe it.
Count Musician: one of the best ones
Stunt cat: a bit too short
Diana's piano: probably the saddest darn thing i've ever seen
Lab animal: my favorite out of the bunch
Garfield: at least they tried...
Space cat: the ending is a bit dark
I give it a 8 because it's not THAT good.

Not your average Garfield special

One of my favorite Garfield books has always been "Garfield: His Nine Lives." I admire its various art styles, as well as its constant theme that cats are superior to dogs (I happen to be a "cat person"). Reading that book made it feel like attending an art exhibit or an animation festival. I always wondered how the various stories would look in animated format. (Except for "Babes and Bullets" which got its own special - what the???)
Needless to say, I was very surprised when I found out that this masterpiece of a book had been adapted into a TV special. I was amused and confused. What to expect? The same elements that I had seen in almost every other Garfield special, let alone the TV series? Or the animation festival experience I always hoped it would be? Well thankfully, I have had the chance to rent it, and now I can tell you about its highs and lows as a project.
Like its literary counterpart, it certainly stands out as one of the most significant Garfield projects ever created by the Paws staff. I saw many surprises that I never thought I'd see. For example, four of his life-stories in the book have been replaced with new ones. For starters, the beginning "creation" sequence actually looked better than the book! Also "Cave Cat," "King Cat" and "Garfield" all resembled the TV series, with the standard animation style. The more humorous sequences were "Court Musician's Pet", "Stand-in" and "Space Cat," while pieces like "Diana's Piano" and "Lab Animal" aimed for the heart rather than the funnybone. And how would you picture a cat like Garfield as a stand-in for Krazy Kat? Amusing indeed.
On the other hand, this special also has its drawbacks. Its biggest one, unfortunately, happens to be the sequence "The Garden." It was always one of my favorite parts of the book, but the way Film Roman adapted it to animation was just AWFUL. While remaining true to the book, this segment's art and movement, coupled with Desiree Goyette's incredibly stupid and overdone narration, is sheer torture to even the biggest of Garfield fans (even fans of the TV specials). How corny can you get? I always imagined that "The Garden" might be adapted into a 3-D computer-animated sequence by PDI or Pixar, so it would look more like the book. Had it not been so badly done I would've given this cartoon a 5. Plus, I also would like to have seen "The Exterminators" and "The Vikings" in animated format - that would've been cool. I might have been creeped out by "Primal Self," though.
All in all, as far as Garfield specials go, this one is my favorite. It is one you should definitely not miss, whether you're a fan of animation, or Garfield, or both. Just stay away from "The Garden" - unless you're reading the book.