Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Twenty-Four' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated shorts that have been released throughout the course of film history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku media players - so let's dim down the lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published twenty-four days ago, you'll know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! ;-) :-D
Likewise... if you read my posts from 'Day Three', or 'Day Ten', or perhaps even 'Day Seventeen' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall they each featured a slightly longer animated short film than the usual creepy classics (of around 5-10 minutes) that I've shared on most days in this series of posts. The reason is: I decided to dedicate each Wednesday to my "MIDWEEK MEGATOON", and these films will typically be in the region of 20-30 minutes duration. Last week was a nineties 'toon, called "A Pinky And The Brain Halloween"... but this week I'm going to share one of my favourite Halloween animated specials from the eighties, entitled "Garfield's Halloween Adventure"! :-O ;-) :-)
Originally titled "Garfield in Disguise", when published in comic book form, the name was later changed to "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" for this short which, in my opinion, is a far better title. Released (i.e. first broadcast) on 30th October 1985, having been both produced and directed by the multi-talented Philip "Phil" Roman, this Halloween TV Special really captures the essence of this annual celebration and even went on to win an 'Emmy' for "Outstanding Animated Program" as part of the award ceremony in 1986. Written by Jim Davis, and starring Lorenzo Music as (the voice of) 'Garfield', alongside Gregg Berger as (the voices of) 'Odie' and the 'TV Presenter', not forgetting the contributions of Thom Huge as (the voices of) 'Jon Arbuckle' and 'Binky the Clown', plus a stellar performance by Lindsey Workman as (the voice of) the 'Old Man' who ups the scare factor no end!
The story begins just as dawn breaks, and we see 'Garfield' woken from his slumber by the sound of the television announcer for 'WBOR' welcoming viewers to the new broadcast day and introducing the (very loud) "Binky the Clown" show, which soon has 'Garfield' up and exercising with the host before realising what was really happening. By the time he wonders "What am I doing?", the clown is already advising viewers "Remember, kids: if you don't exercise with Binky, you're gonna to grow up to be worthleeeess!", prompting this response from the recently awoken cat: "I hate you, Binky!" who immediately wonders "Where's my remote control?", so he can silence the source of his distress! :-D
Having found his remote Garfield shuts off the TV... but, as he does so, he just catches a comment by 'Binky the Clown' about candy being readily available that night and frantically tries to switch it back on to hear more. When he realises it's Halloween, and there's candy to be had that evening, 'Garfield' is so overjoyed he bursts into song. After that, he sums up his feelings about Halloween:-
Realising it's a case of "Boom, you go out, you get candy. It's as simple as that", 'Garfield' surmises that this ethos applies equally to him: "Simple. That's me!", at which point he takes another nap. At some point later that day, he awakens with thoughts of candy in his head, saying: "Hello, Halloween" adding "What a glorious day, and a glorious night to go trick-or-treating... for candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy!", before steadying himself and setting-off around the house to get ready. He soon finds his "owner", a man by the name of 'Jon Arbuckle', in the kitchen carving a Jack-O-Lantern
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - published twenty-four days ago, you'll know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! ;-) :-D
Likewise... if you read my posts from 'Day Three', or 'Day Ten', or perhaps even 'Day Seventeen' of this month-long blogathon, you may recall they each featured a slightly longer animated short film than the usual creepy classics (of around 5-10 minutes) that I've shared on most days in this series of posts. The reason is: I decided to dedicate each Wednesday to my "MIDWEEK MEGATOON", and these films will typically be in the region of 20-30 minutes duration. Last week was a nineties 'toon, called "A Pinky And The Brain Halloween"... but this week I'm going to share one of my favourite Halloween animated specials from the eighties, entitled "Garfield's Halloween Adventure"! :-O ;-) :-)
Originally titled "Garfield in Disguise", when published in comic book form, the name was later changed to "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" for this short which, in my opinion, is a far better title. Released (i.e. first broadcast) on 30th October 1985, having been both produced and directed by the multi-talented Philip "Phil" Roman, this Halloween TV Special really captures the essence of this annual celebration and even went on to win an 'Emmy' for "Outstanding Animated Program" as part of the award ceremony in 1986. Written by Jim Davis, and starring Lorenzo Music as (the voice of) 'Garfield', alongside Gregg Berger as (the voices of) 'Odie' and the 'TV Presenter', not forgetting the contributions of Thom Huge as (the voices of) 'Jon Arbuckle' and 'Binky the Clown', plus a stellar performance by Lindsey Workman as (the voice of) the 'Old Man' who ups the scare factor no end!
The story begins just as dawn breaks, and we see 'Garfield' woken from his slumber by the sound of the television announcer for 'WBOR' welcoming viewers to the new broadcast day and introducing the (very loud) "Binky the Clown" show, which soon has 'Garfield' up and exercising with the host before realising what was really happening. By the time he wonders "What am I doing?", the clown is already advising viewers "Remember, kids: if you don't exercise with Binky, you're gonna to grow up to be worthleeeess!", prompting this response from the recently awoken cat: "I hate you, Binky!" who immediately wonders "Where's my remote control?", so he can silence the source of his distress! :-D
As 'Garfield' Wonders "What am I doing?", After Some (Unexpected) Rigorous Exercise...
'Binky' Says: "If you don't exercise... you're gonna to grow up to be worthleeeess!"
Having found his remote Garfield shuts off the TV... but, as he does so, he just catches a comment by 'Binky the Clown' about candy being readily available that night and frantically tries to switch it back on to hear more. When he realises it's Halloween, and there's candy to be had that evening, 'Garfield' is so overjoyed he bursts into song. After that, he sums up his feelings about Halloween:-
"Halloween is my kind of a holiday. Not like those other stupid holidays. I don't get pine needles in my paws. There's no dumb bunnies, no fireworks, no relatives, just candy!"
Realising it's a case of "Boom, you go out, you get candy. It's as simple as that", 'Garfield' surmises that this ethos applies equally to him: "Simple. That's me!", at which point he takes another nap. At some point later that day, he awakens with thoughts of candy in his head, saying: "Hello, Halloween" adding "What a glorious day, and a glorious night to go trick-or-treating... for candy, candy, candy, candy, candy, candy!", before steadying himself and setting-off around the house to get ready. He soon finds his "owner", a man by the name of 'Jon Arbuckle', in the kitchen carving a Jack-O-Lantern
and they discuss the subject of Halloween. After a quick snack, 'Garfield' decides to try and spook his doggie pal, 'Odie', by putting a sheet over himself and pretending to be a ghost. Then 'Odie' gets him back, and though 'Garfield' pretends he knew what was going-on... he finds himself walking-off and muttering some one-liners about 'Odie' under his breath. However, that gives him the idea of taking 'Odie' out trick-or-treating, so he can get double the candy. Having persuaded him, with the promise of a whole piece of candy all to himself, they set about finding some costumes to wear from the attic!
"What a glorious day, and a glorious night to go trick-or-treating... for candy, candy, candy!"
Jon: "I Was Carving A Jack-O-Lantern, Until You Arrived.... What Do You Think?"
Garfield: "Well... it's you!"
Jon: "Well... This One's Ruined!"
Garfield: "Boo! I Gotcha, Didn't I?"
"There Should Be Some Great Halloween Costumes Up Here, Somewhere, Odie..."
Knowing that "Jon never throws anything away" means that there's plenty of options for 'Garfield' and 'Odie' to choose from, when deciding what costumes to wear, but they eventually settle on pirates.
The First Box They Look In Yields Some Amusing, If Unsatisfactory Results...
Then 'Garfield' Finds An Old Trunk Containing The Halloween Costume Mother-load!
And Breaks Into A Song-And-Dance Routine, While Trying Various Outfits...
Before Settling On "Orange Beard, The Pirate Cap'n" And "First Mate, Odie The Stupid"!
Later That Evening, They Go Out To "Trick Or Treat" For Candy, Candy, Candy!
However, rather than reveal any more of the storyline to you at this stage, I thought I'd leave it for you to discover what 'Garfield' and 'Odie' get up to when they set-out on their "Halloween Adventure" and attempt to fulfil their seemingly insatiable need for candy. Suffice it to say they're put through a few spooky scenarios along the way... but, in order to learn what happens, you'll need to press the "Play" button on the video below so you can enjoy today's creepy cartoon classic in it's entirety! ;-)
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted twenty-four days ago... to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that walks you through the process step-by-step! ;-)
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video... watch out for the scene in which 'Garfield' and 'Odie', in their (dis)guise as "Orange Beard, The Pirate Cap'n" and "First Mate, Odie the Stupid", commandeer a boat "in the name of Orange Beard, the pirate!" and set-off across the river in search of - you guessed it - more "candy, candy, candy, candy, candy..." - only to have "Odie the Stupid" live up to the name by throwing the oars out of the boat after mistaking an order to "put out the oars" from "Cap'n Orange Beard" as meaning "get rid of the oars"... which is precisely what he did! :-O :-D
'Garfield' and 'Odie' Commandeer A Boat "In The Name Of Orange Beard, The Pirate!"
But "Odie the Stupid" Misinterprets An Order To "Put Out The Oars" !!
Having lost control of the boat, they end-up on an island in the river and find themselves with little option but to venture towards the spooky looking house located there. Having got as far as the front door, they decide to go inside... but, having done so, they discover that it is occupied by a scary old man. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then starts telling them a ghost story about a pirate crew who are due to return that very night - and, if you watch(ed) the above video, you'll know what's next! :-O
Losing Control Of The Boat, They End Up On An Island With A Spooky Old House...
And, With Little Or No Other Options, They Decide To Take A Look Inside...
Where They Find This Scary Old Guy, Sitting In His Armchair...
Just Waiting To Scare The Living Daylights Out Of Them With A Ghost Story !!
Of course, there are many memorable moments in this Halloween TV Special - far too numerous for me to mention them all in this post - so (instead) I'm going to round-off this article by sharing some images of related memorabilia that I came across while researching this article. These include poster art, comic book and DVD covers, some cool "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" clothing designs from a company called 'Fright Rags' in the United States, and a copy of an advertisement, placed by 'CBS' in 1985, for a double-bill Halloween 1-hour special of "Funny Tricks!" and "Special Treats!" with this cartoon classic right alongside another, in "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", from 1966!
If you're a fan of the 'Garfield' comic strips, then I can recommend this special feature which I found online... that draws (if you'll pardon the pun) a direct comparison between the "Garfield In Disguise" comic book version of this story, and the "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" TV Special shared here. There's also an interview with Jim Davis, published via 'The A.V. Club' website, in which the writer discusses "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" and shares some interesting anecdotes about the cartoon. Also, for true 'Garfield' geeks, there's this 'TV Roundtable' discussion from 2013... in which various writers from 'The A.V. Club' talk openly about their thoughts on "Garfield's Halloween Adventure". Lastly, to bring things more up-to-date, there's a recent article on the 'Bleeding Cool' website that was published only last month... in which they provide details (as well as a sneak-peek at some of the art) for a brand new 'Garfield' Halloween comic book story, called "Comedy of Terrors" that's out right now, having only just been published on 17th October 2018! :-D
"Garfield's Halloween Adventure" (1985) [Official Promo Poster]
"Garfield's Halloween Adventure" (1985) [Contemporary Fan Art Poster]
Garfield's Halloween Adventure (1985) [CBS Ad] - 'TV Guide' Magazine (Oct 26th - Nov 1st, 1985)
Comic Book Cover For "Garfield In Disguise" (The Original Title For This Story)
Updated Comic Book Cover (With Title Changed To "Garfield's Halloween Adventure")
Fright Rags "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" Clothing Range [Design #1]
Fright Rags "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" Clothing Range [Design #2]
Fright Rags "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" Clothing Range [Design #3]
Fright Rags "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" Clothing Range [Design #4]
Garfield's Halloween Adventure (1985) [DVD Cover]
If you're a fan of the 'Garfield' comic strips, then I can recommend this special feature which I found online... that draws (if you'll pardon the pun) a direct comparison between the "Garfield In Disguise" comic book version of this story, and the "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" TV Special shared here. There's also an interview with Jim Davis, published via 'The A.V. Club' website, in which the writer discusses "Garfield's Halloween Adventure" and shares some interesting anecdotes about the cartoon. Also, for true 'Garfield' geeks, there's this 'TV Roundtable' discussion from 2013... in which various writers from 'The A.V. Club' talk openly about their thoughts on "Garfield's Halloween Adventure". Lastly, to bring things more up-to-date, there's a recent article on the 'Bleeding Cool' website that was published only last month... in which they provide details (as well as a sneak-peek at some of the art) for a brand new 'Garfield' Halloween comic book story, called "Comedy of Terrors" that's out right now, having only just been published on 17th October 2018! :-D
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day 25' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" that you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website and show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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