Fans Are Split On Chris Pratt Playing Garfield
Chris Pratt has seemingly become the go-to guy for voiceover work in Hollywood. It should come as no surprise; he earned a ton of praise for his role in "The LEGO Movie," voicing Emmet. It won't be long until he becomes everyone's favorite video game plumber with the lead role in Illumination's "Mario" movie. And now, he has another iconic character he can put under his belt. It's just been announced (on a Monday of all days) that Pratt will lend his talents to Garfield the cat in an upcoming reboot (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The last time Garfield rolled his way into theaters, he was voiced by Bill Murray in a part most audiences likely haven't forgotten about. Chris Pratt taking the reins is undoubtedly an intriguing development. And it's a casting choice that's earned a lot of attention across social media, with seemingly everyone wanting to weigh in on how Pratt has landed not one but two iconic animated roles in such a short period of time.
Fans try to make sense of Chris Pratt's casting
When you think of Garfield, Chris Pratt's voice likely isn't the first thing that comes to mind. That was honestly front and center for many people when the news first came out, and Twitter soon became flooded with hot takes, like this one from @derektmead: "I can't use the Garfield reaction pic I like because rather than aloof. I am pissed." The lion's share of attention to this development certainly falls on the negative side.
Similar to Mario, people don't think Pratt has the right voice/demeanor for the character. @PurplePadlock even goes so far as to say, "Listen, I may not be the biggest film guy — or really a film guy at all, actually — but I can't think of a single thing I've seen where Chris Pratt's performance was actually, like, at all memorable."
Others are at least open to a new interpretation of the character, as @lainnafader writes, "Honestly I love it." The best takes are honestly the ones where people have fun with the idea of a world where Pratt voices absolutely everything and anything. Arguably, @Vahn16 had the best interpretation of all with, "if chris pratt was voicing mario or garfield in isolation, that would suck, but it absolutely RULES that he's voicing both mario and garfield, specifically." All we can do is wait and see if Chris Pratt voicing everything becomes the new Nermal.