Garfield Trailer Features First Look at Chris Pratt in the Role

Sony Pictures Animation has released a trailer for The Garfield Movie, the upcoming animated feature based on the long-running newspaper comic and starring Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Chris Pratt in the lead role. The movie seems to fill in some blanks as to how Jon Arbuckle and Garfield first came together. It’s based on the iconic comic strip by Jim Davis, which first debuted in 1978. There were previously two Garfield feature films starring Bill Murray, which were released in 2004 and 2006, as well as innumerable TV and direct-to-video movies over the years. The character is one of the most merchandised in history, and also one of the most memed on the internet, with Garfield horror becoming its own shockingly common (and often shockingly bleak) subgenre online.

The character has also been appearing in a number of video games recently, including in the Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl franchise. The Garfield brand is now owned by Nickelodeon, so expect plenty more non-movie appearances if the movie turns out to be a big hit. Like how Sony plans to capitalize on Spider-Man after Marvel breathed fresh air into his movies, it’s hard to imagine Nick not wanting to do something with their own IP if Sony successfully brings it to the big screen.

Per the studio’s official synopsis, “Garfield (voiced by Chris Pratt), the world-famous, Monday-hating, lasagna-loving indoor cat, is about to have a wild outdoor adventure! After an unexpected reunion with his long-lost father – scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) – Garfield and his canine friend Odie are forced from their perfectly pampered life into joining Vic in a hilarious, high-stakes heist.”

You can see the video below.

Chris Pratt will voice the titular cat in the movie, and he will be joined by some big names. Garfield also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Waddingham, Cecily Strong, Ving Rhames, Brett Goldstein, and Bowen Yang

The film will serve as a reunion for both Ted Lasso and Saturday Night Live. Goldstein has starred alongside Waddingham throughout all three seasons of Ted Lasso, each taking home Emmys for their roles on the Apple TV+ series. Meanwhile, Yang and Strong have worked together for multiple seasons of Saturday Night Live.

Garfield is being directed by Mark Dindal, who helmed The Emperor’s New Groove and Chicken Little for Disney. The screenplay was written by Paul A. Kaplan, David Reynolds, and Mark Torgrove.