[Fan edit] A Garfield Christmas - Extended Edit

[stwd4nder2]

There are two versions of the Garfield Christmas special. The original 1989 broadcast version, and a different edit broadcast in 1991. From imdb:

In addition to different animation when Grandma talks to Garfield about Grandpa, the original 1987 version features some slightly extended scenes that were removed in 1991 to make room for the "O Christmas Tree" scene. These scenes include: · An extended sequence of Jon, Odie, and Garfield leaving their home for the farm (showing the car start, pull out of the driveway, and travel down a street before leaving the city limits). · Grandma feeds Garfield and Odie potatoes from the table before feeding them ham. · Dad's reaction to Grandma's comment about eating for two is slightly longer. · Dad looks dazed as the family leaves for bed after he finishes reading "Binky: the Clown Who Saved Christmas", whereas in the 1991 version, he looks mildly annoyed. · The music and sequence of the family going to bed for the night is slightly longer, showing the lights in the house going off. · The musical intro to "You Can Never Find an Elf When You Need One" is longer.

The 1991 version is what's on the DVD and VHS release, while the 1989 version is what got restored in HD. The biggest problem with the '89 version is the missing scene of Grandma playing piano. Not only is it an iconic scene for anyone who grew up with '91 version, but the way the '89 version is presented it's a very hard edit that clearly gives the impression that something is missing. I'd assume the scene was cut last minute for some unknown reason (probably time or unfinished animation).

Anyways, what I've done is take the HD master of the '89 version, and insert the "O Christmas Tree" scene from the DVD. I didn't make any other edits or changes, so this is more of a fanedit then a restoration of the '91 version. The DVD isn't the best quality, it's clearly sourced from a tape, but I haven't seen anything better. The color grading is very different in the HD master, so I color corrected the DVD footage to match.

The audio on the DVD is much better then the HD stream. The '91 version uses a new mix from stems, it's not just an edit of the '89 mix. I took the (very long and painful) process of creating a custom mix using the DVD as much as possible. The patching from the HD stream is very noticeable, but there's only so much I can do. The only other source that would exist of the '89 edit would be an off-air recording, which would come with it's own issues.


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