Plot of Garfield: The Movie

The movie begins by introducing Garfield as a fat, lazy cat (voiced by Bill Murray) who lives with Jon Arbuckle (Breckin Meyer). He wakes up from a good night's sleep and awaits a tasty breakfast. When Jon doesn't wake up after trying to cuddle him he breaks Jon's grip on him saying he's "trying to avoid his duties". He cannonballs off a shelf onto Jon waking him up. After switching his liver flavored cat food with Jon's corned beef hash and after flushing the toilet while he is in the shower (tormenting Jon as usual), Garfield spots a pie outside on the neighbor's window. He tricks the Doberman Pinscher Luca (voiced by Brad Garrett) in order to get it and tangling his leash around many bushes and ceramic ducks. He also tricks his dimwitted neighbor cat Nermal (voiced by David Eigenberg) to tip over a milk bottle through a series of things you find around the house e.g. pots, a bucket in which Nermal has to get in so Garfield's trick works for him every morning (he calls it a game called "Astronaut").

After walking the cul-de-sac, Jon spots a mouse and counts on Garfield to get it. He refuses and tells Jon to catch it who runs after the rodent. He then trips on one of Garfield's toys and says "What good is it to have a cat, if it can't catch a mouse". Garfield then runs outside and catches up to it. It turns out to be Garfield's best friend Louis (voiced by Nick Cannon) and he was warned by him that he should not run around the house when Jon is home. Jon walks out after Garfield and sees Louis in his mouth. Jon is proud of him and when he leaves Garfield spits him out and spares his life. He only did it so Jon wouldn't hurt him.

At the telegraph tower, Happy Chapman (Stephen Tobolowsky), the selfish star of a Saturday morning show, and who features house pets on his show, is sick of owning his famous cat "Persnikkity" (voiced by Alan Cumming) for his show, because of his allergies and wishes for a dog to star along with him, perform on TV show Good Day New York, and to outdo his more successful twin brother Walter, a news anchor by becoming a star. After his show, Jon comes home with some food he bought at the store. Garfield pigs out of the lasagna trays and Jon is terribly disappointed. He is brought to the vet (he previously thought he was going to Chuck E Cheese's, Wendy's, Taco Kitty, and Olive Garden), with Jon and is checked out by Dr. Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a nice and attractive veterinarian and Jon's high school crush. Jon tries to ask her out when a dog is brought in. His name is Odie and Liz asks Jon to take care of him or he will not survive on his own. Garfield comes out of the vet's office and sees Odie in the car, and Liz ends up asking Jon out.

Garfield is not very happy, needless to say, now that a dog is running amuck in the house, sitting in his chair, getting the paper, and sleeping beside Jon when he is not allowed to. To make matters worse, Liz shows up and Jon, with Odie, leaves to go to the town dog show, and Garfield chases after them. At the show, where Liz is a judge and where Jon is in the audience with Odie, who dances to "Hey Mama" By The Black Eyed Peas. Garfield unwittingly walks right into there, and is spotted by the dogs competing in the show and runs away with them in hot pursuit. The music goes on and Odie leaps out of Jon's arms and attempts to dance (just as when Garfield was dancing back at the house). The judges are impressed as well as the audience. Garfield succeeds in escaping and Odie is rewarded by Happy, who is also a judge.