Go Cry in Your Lasagna, Garfield! This Is the Best Sarcastic Movie Cat

The highly anticipated (?) reboot of everyone’s favorite lasagna-loving cat has finally arrived with The Garfield Movie. However, the film has a pretty big problem — Garfield isn’t grumpy enough. The whole allure of the Garfield character and the beloved comic strips he originates from is how his brand of sarcastic, sardonic humor appeals to both kids and adults. Chris Pratt‘s The Garfield Movie feels like it’s trying to cater to children and children only, making for a rather bland and predictable children’s movie (It’s an octave above the two Bill Murray movies but still.) Our point here isn’t to say that we need a dark and gritty take on Garfield with a hard R-rating, but the many Garfield movie adaptations haven’t found a good balance between the “pessimistic to a fault feline” and a “fun-loving cat.” One movie, in particular, features a better Garfield archetype than the fat orange cat himself, and it’s in a movie where they aren’t even the main character. Even better, the character we’re discussing is a part of a film starring the cat’s historic arch-nemesis, with the titular rodent this time around being a little mouse named Stuart (Michael J. Fox). We are, of course, talking about Stuart Little.

What is ‘Stuart Little’ About?

Stuart Little was released in 1999, helmed by The Lion King director Rob Minkoff and co-written by… M. Night Shyamalan no less! The film is very loosely based on E.B. White‘s very popular and very bizarre children’s book of the same name. The story largely centers around the Little family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. Little (Hugh Laurie and Geena Davis), and their son George (Jonathan Lipnicki). The family is hoping to adopt a new child to give George a little brother, and they find an unexpected candidate in a very polite talking mouse named Stuart. The Littles were initially looking for a more human child to adopt, but they are so charmed by Stuart’s empathetic personality that they decide to welcome him into their family. Thus, Stuart becomes a Little, but a mouse as a sibling isn’t exactly what George had in mind when he said he wanted a “little brother.” George doesn’t really consider Stuart to be a part of their family, but the more time they spend together, they begin to form a strong brotherly bond. However, the same cannot be said for the household’s fifth family member, the Little’s house cat.

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Within minutes of Stuart arriving at his new home in Stuart Little, he’s almost eaten by the family cat, Snowbell (Nathan Lane). It’s hardly a secret that cats and mice don’t like each other by nature, but Snowbell takes it to a whole other level. Not only is a mouse living in his home but he’s being treated like a brother instead of a typical house pet! Also, quick note, Stuart Little lore dictates that Stuart and other mice are able to communicate with humans and animals, while other animals like Snowbell can’t speak to humans. Snowbell having to live with Stuart makes him the laughingstock of his feline friends, and he tries to get rid of Stuart at various points. Eventually, Snowbell consults a mafioso don cat named Smokey (Chazz Palminteri) to get rid of him once and for all. He almost succeeds, but in the end, Stuart’s infectious compassion gets through to even Snowbell, and the cat goes from wanting to eat Stuart Little to wanting to tolerate Stuart Little.

Snowbell Expertly Balances Pessimism and Likability in ‘Stuart Little’

I’m going to say something a little bit controversial — Snowbell might be one of the most well-written characters that M. Night Shyamalan has ever given us. Seriously, Snowbell’s keen ability to get laughs and genuine emotion out of the audience is kind of a sight to behold. Yes, he does try to harm Stuart on more than one occasion, and while we don’t condone the killing of a sacred mouse wearing a sweater, we do kind of understand where Snowbell is coming from. After all, why should this random mouse that rolled in off the street be given more love than him? A pessimist he may be, but Snowbell truly loves the Little family and wants to feel that same love in return. Compared to a character like Garfield, who seems to hate everything that isn’t lasagna, Snowbell is a character that is much easier to relate to and sympathize with. Snowbell also gets bonus points for not being completely okay with living alongside Stuart but is still willing to give him a chance. That’s a much more realistic approach between two rivals (or at least as realistic a rivalry between a talking cat and mouse can be).

Nathan Lane Was the Perfect Choice to Voice Snowbell

Nathan Lane is a voice-acting veteran, having a stand-out role in director Rob Minkoff’s previous film, The Lion King, as one half of Disney’s iconic duo, Timon the Meerkat. Once again, Nathan Lane expertly plays an animal character who exhibits plenty of selfish tendencies despite ultimately having a heart of gold. It’s funny because, being a Broadway icon in addition to being a voice-acting legend, one might not expect Lane to play a more unlikable figure. Still, he’s proven time and time again he’s capable of playing more dynamic, sometimes villainous characters, such as his very shady character from Only Murders in the Building.

Compared to a character like Timon in The Lion King, who is more likable than he is selfish, Snowbell is more selfish than he is likable (though both extremes are intact for both characters). Timon wants to live a life of solitude while still coming across as a much more social and approachable figure despite his isolationist point of view. Snowbell, in comparison, also wants to live a peaceful life, but Nathan Lane takes a very different approach to a similar character. The type of charisma Lane employs here is more sarcastic and mean-spirited than Timon’s, but at the same time, it feels more justified.

A character like Snowbell, who is so mean-spirited and narcissistic, probably would have been more well-suited for someone with a deeper, more traditionally “grumpy” voice. Ironically enough, someone like Bill Murray would have felt right at home in a role like Snowbell even though his version of Garfield left something to be desired. So why does Nathan Lane’s performance work? Well, it could very well be because Nathan Lane is so against type as an unlikable jerk. He’s so well-known as this beloved actor who is almost always cast as the “best friend” archetype, with films like The Lion King serving as a perfect example. To see him play a more abrasive figure is a refreshing change of pace. In a way, Lane’s still playing the best friend in Stuart Little. Snowbell just doesn’t know it yet.

Why Snowbell Works Where the Many Versions of Garfield Have Failed

Remember earlier when we suggested the problem with the Garfield adaptations is that they haven’t found a good balance between pessimism and likability? Snowbell fits that dynamic to a tee, thus making him a better characterization of Garfield than Garfield. Even the ways that Snowbell interacts with Stuart are easily comparable to Garfield’s various annoyances with Opie, but even then, it’s more interesting in Stuart Little because both characters can actually talk to each other. Snowbell is a character that proves a Garfield movie can work if written the right way. What Garfield needs is an adaptation that isn’t afraid to delve into the pessimistic and sardonic side of the character without making him unlikable. You also can’t make him too lighthearted, otherwise the character will come across like every other talking animal in every other animated movie. To summarize, if a future Garfield movie wants to capture a dynamic as good as Snowbell’s in Stuart Little, what we need is a movie that’s pretty much just Curb Your Enthusiasm, but with a cat.

Stuart Little is available to stream on Hulu in the U.S.

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