Chris Pratt is returning for a sequel to The Garfield Movie. Based on the famous comic strip, the 2024 animated film follows the тιтular tabby cat as he unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost father, a street cat named Vic, before being forced to join him on a high-stakes heist.

In addition to Pratt as the тιтular character, The Garfield Movie‘s voice cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Harvey Guillén, Brett Goldstein, Bowen Yang, and Snoop Dogg.

Now, a year after its release, the animated movie is officially getting a sequel. According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Pratt is returning as the voice of the тιтular orange cat in a sequel to 2024’s The Garfield Movie.

The producers are currently in discussions with prospective writers and directors, and further casting announcements will be made soon. The original movie was directed by Mark Dindal with a screenplay written by Paul A. Kaplan, Mark Torgove, and David Reynolds, though it’s unclear if any of them will be returning for the sequel.

What This Means For The Garfield Movie

It Was A Commercial Success

Though The Garfield Movie was released in May 2024, the sequel wasn’t officially announced until now. This is likely because The Garfield Movie reviews were mostly negative, mainly due to its lack of faithfulness to the original source material. However, the animation and voice acting were praised and considered a modest improvement over the previous live-action adaptations.

The Garfield Movie moves at a wacky enough pace to keep kids entertained, though the animated adventure bears little resemblance to Jim Davis’ famously grumpy character. Nevertheless, the movie made $257.2 million at the box office against its $60 million budget. While the negative reviews likely gave the studio pause as they weighed their options, the movie’s commercial success is likely why they are moving forward with a sequel.

Our Take On The Garfield Movie Sequel

Chris Pratt Continues To Be The King Of Animation

With The Garfield Movie sequel entering development, Chris Pratt continues to be the king of animation. He’s voiced the lead role of Emmet Brickowski in The Lego Movie and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. After that, he voiced one of the two lead roles in Pixar’s Onward alongside his MCU co-star, Tom Holland.

Pratt went on to voice the тιтular Italian-American plumber in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which, despite mixed reviews from critics, made $1.36 billion worldwide to become the second-highest-grossing movie of 2023, with a sequel set to be released on April 3, 2026. Similarly, The Garfield Movie overcame negative reviews to become a commercial success and earn a sequel.

Despite critical backlash, Pratt’s animated movies continue to connect with wide audiences, especially younger viewers and families, and with The Garfield Movie sequel entering development, his reign as the king of animation shows no signs of slowing down.

Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline