Following the announcement that Chris Pratt is playing Garfield in an upcoming animated feature film, fans are expressed their disappointment online with a slew of parody memes.Pratt will be the latest in a long line of actors to lend their voice to the Monday-hating orange cat. While some faithful Garfield enthusiasts are simply excited for a new animated film, many flocked to Twitter to discuss the controversial casting of Pratt. Many responses insist that Pratt's voice doesn't fit the characteristically grumpy feline. While Pratt has experience as a voiceover artist, many have pointed out that his previous characters are often high-energy goofballs, which doesn't fit Garfield's personal tone. Others are hyperbolically poking fun at the fact that Pratt is seemingly voicing everyone following his recent casting as Mario in Nintendo's animated Super Mario Bros. film, which also sparked controversy.
While Pratt is largely known for his role as Andy Dwyer in Parks and Recreation and Peter Quill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he's no stranger to voice acting. Pratt starred as Emmet in The LEGO Movie and Barely Lightfoot in the Pixar film Onward.
As for the upcoming Garfield movie, the script is being penned by David Reynolds, who is known for his work on The Emperor's New Groove and Finding Nemo. Mark Dindal (Chicken Little) is directing while Sony Pictures is set to distribute the movie. Nothing else is currently known about the production.
Pratt isn't the first actor to lend his voice to Garfield. Bill Murray played the role in two live-action adaptions: Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties. Lorenzo Music is perhaps best known as the voice of the lasagne-loving cat, playing the iconic cartoon strip character in multiple animated TV shows.
Source: Twitter