Jon Arbuckle becomes concerned about Garfield and his behavior after he and Odie mess up his house at the beginning of the special. Jon drives Garfield to the pet hospital, but Garfield accidentally falls out of Jon's car and ends up getting lost downtown. Garfield runs into a large gang of unfriendly alley cats known as the Claws. After Garfield antagonizes the gang's leader, he flees into an abandoned Italian restaurant, where he is reunited with his estranged mother. The building was actually Garfield's birthplace and where he inherited his love for lasagna. Meanwhile, Jon calls Garfield's veterinarian, Dr. Liz Wilson, to tell her about Garfield's disappearance. Liz suggests that Jon would "want a tow truck". Jon then calls the town's local newspaper to run a Lost and Found ad to find Garfield and decides to cut his ad short as it would cost him too much money for a full size description.
The next day, Garfield meets the rest of his extended family, including his sickly half-brother Raoul, his cousin Sly, who is the security guard on watch for the Claws, and his tough maternal grandfather. Garfield is appalled to learn that everyone in his entire family are mousers. Meanwhile, the Claws finally track Garfield down, surround the entire building, and demand Garfield to come out. However, the family decides to fight the Claws instead of giving up Garfield to them. Garfield hides cowardly while his family fights the Claws and defeats them. Garfield's grandfather tells him that he is supposed to live with Jon instead. Reassured by his mother that they all envy his normal life at Jon's house, Garfield tearfully says goodbye to his family and misses them. Frightened, tired, and hungry, Garfield walks along a deserted street as it starts to rain. A car drives by and Garfield realizes that it is actually driven by Jon. Garfield chases Jon's car until he collapses on the sidewalk from exhaustion. When Odie finds Garfield unconscious, Jon pulls his car over to rescue him. Jon drives Garfield home and then puts him into bed for the night.
At the end of the special, Garfield wakes up at Jon's house the next day and wonders if his entire experience with his family was real or not. Garfield glimpses his mother looking at him through the window. As she leaves Jon's house, Garfield smiles and emotionally whispers to her: "Thanks Mom, for everything".
The special marks the first time the character of Jon Arbuckle is voiced by Thom Huge. Sandy Kenyon originally voiced Jon in Here Comes Garfield.[3] Huge later voiced Jon in the remaining specials and in the Garfield and Friends TV series.
Broadcast and release
The special was originally aired on CBS on October 28, 1983,[3] and was viewed by 40 million people.[4] It has been re-broadcast in subsequent years.[5]Ballantine Books published a 64-page illustrated book adaptation in 1983.[6]
In July 2004,[7]Garfield on the Town was released on the DVD Garfield as Himself, along with Here Comes Garfield (1982) and Garfield Gets a Life (1991).[8] It was released on another DVD compilation, The Garfield Holiday Collection, on November 4, 2014, sold only by Walmart, and was also made available for digital download on November 11 that year.[9]
In 2004, DVD Talk critic Randy Miller judged the Garfield as Himself specials to be "quite enjoyable," highlighting "a long-lost family reunion."[8] In 2014, with the release of The Garfield Holiday Collection, Jim Davis identified Garfield on the Town as a personal favorite, explaining, "Garfield actually meets his mother on that. It was very special."[9]
References
^Douglas L. McCall (2005). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland & Company Publishers. p. 231.
^Jeff Lenburg (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators. Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. p. 306.
^ abVincent Terrace (2013). Television Specials: 5,336 Entertainment Programs, 1936-2012 (2d ed.). McFarland & Company Publishers. p. 161.
^ ab"Garfield Is Back". The Town Talk. December 28, 1985. p. 29.
^"Television". New York. 10 September 1990. p. 196.
^Jim Davis (1983). Garfield on the Town. Ballantine Books.
^"Top DVD Sales". Billboard. July 24, 2004. p. 59.
