Garfield In Paradise 1986

Jon Arbuckle, [Thom Huge], and his orange cat Garfield, [Lorenzo Music], board their third-class airline for Paradise World, a budget-friendly, sun-drenched echo of Hawaii. Upon arrival, they check into a deserted motel and quickly discover there isn’t a real beach in sight; only an empty swimming pool glints behind the building. When they unpack, Odie, [Gregg Berger], is hiding in their luggage. The trio’s mood stays low until they decide to rent a car and search for a beach around the island.

For a bargain, they snag a stylish Chevrolet Bel Air and set off. But the car seems to have a mind of its own, speeding through the jungle and stopping in the middle of a native village. The locals—The Ding-Dongs—kneel before the mysterious vehicle, and the tribal chief, Wolfman Jack, explains that they learned English from watching a lot of beach movies. In a piece of lore that shapes the tale, he recounts how in 1957 The Cruiser, a James Dean/Fonzie-styled legend, drove his car into the village and saved the people by driving into a nearby volcano to stop its eruption. The villagers believe the rental car is the Cruiser’s car.

Within the village, Owooda, Desiree Goyette as the tribal princess, and her cat Mai-Tai, Julie Payne, catch the eye of Jon Arbuckle and Garfield, and romance blossoms between them. The chief assigns Monkey, Nino Tempo, to work on the car with help from Odie. Then danger returns as the volcano begins to erupt. Owooda tells Jon that she and Mai-Tai may have to sacrifice themselves to save the village. But the mountain rejects their sacrifice, and the village shaman, Pigeon, Gregg Berger, interprets that the volcano wants the car itself and warns that if the vehicle isn’t present within thirty seconds, the island will be blown apart.

Monkey and Odie make one last attempt to fix the car, and Odie delivers a decisive tap to the distributor cap with a hammer. The car roars to life, and Monkey drives at top speed with Odie clinging to the hood as they surge through the village toward the volcano. The vehicle plunges into the crater as the volcano finally erupts, and the Cruiser’s spirit and the car’s ghost drift off into the night sky, leaving the island at peace. Monkey and Odie emerge from the crater unharmed, and Jon, Garfield, along with the villagers, carry them home as heroes.