Garfield Gets Real

Garfield and the others are in the Cartoon Studios when Odie's bone accidentally passes through the Toon-Real World screen, triggering a glitch. Eli explains that the border between Toon World and the Real World can be patched shut, and a temporary fix is attempted. The moment plants the idea that a real-world change is possible, even as the risk of never returning looms.

Garfield slips through the screen into the Real World, lured by the possibility of change. Odie follows after, chasing his bone, but the patch on the portal is sealed too late and the two toons are stranded in the Real World.

Back in Toon World, Eli explains that there is no easy way back once the portal is closed. He warns the toons that attempting a dangerous return could seal their fates.

The duo tries to adapt to life in the Real World, finding food and dealing with unfamiliar dangers. Garfield sharpens his plan to return while Odie looks for familiar comfort and their missing routine.

Odie is chased by a gang of Chihuahuas who want his bone. Garfield grabs the bone and, with haste, races through a tree hole to escape their pursuit.

Shecky explains how stray pets survive by begging for food and staying out of trouble. Garfield and Odie visit Club Shecky, meeting Shecky’s friends and learning the lay of the streets.

Shecky introduces the duo to Sheila and Waldo, and invites them to Hotel Muncie, an abandoned inn that has become a makeshift home for strays. The offer gives Garfield and Odie a sense of belonging while they search for a way back.

The next day Garfield and Odie discover their comic is canceled due to their absence. They head to the try-outs, but the judges fail to recognize them as the real Garfield and Odie at first, risking replacement.

The judges give them a final chance if they can return within 24 hours. Garfield remembers Wally's inventions and pitches building a tunnel through the screen, dubbing it the Bonitanator.

Hale and Hardy capture Hotel Muncie's residents and set the inn on fire to stop the duo. The group races to escape via the tunnel, but all exits are blocked, forcing a risky plan.

Billy Bear, Wally, Jon, and Shecky join the escape through the Bonitanator tunnel. Odie's bone is recovered from a chandelier as Garfield clings to him; the chandelier collapses, but the cart with them careens through the tunnel and back into Toon World.

Garfield and Odie return to Toon World to a celebratory welcome. Shecky stays with the group and pursues stardom, while Hale & Hardy end up living on the streets; the Chihuahuas who chased the bone secretly follow into the tunnel.