The first time I saw this special, my main takeaway was that I found the material to be thin compared to A Garfield Christmas (a very deft mix of pathos and comedy). A few years ago, I tried again, and was able to appreciate the end result more on its own merits.
The Thanksgiving special is closer in tone to the comic strip, especially Garfield's weight battles (the scale, the vet, etc.), with the only attempt at sentimentality coming during the dinner sequence (which, similar to one moment in the Christmas installment, has a maudlin song which feels like it was originally meant for some other project). In theory the decision to lean into less warm-and-fuzzy elements, and to double down on Jon's stupidity, could alienate a viewer, but the writing never goes so far as to seem mean-spirited. The late addition of Grandma (the always delightful Pat Carroll) gets the tone just right, and is a strong example of how to add in a character without getting in the way of the strip's familiar dynamics.
To reply to an earlier comment about the vet - I would say it's made very clear that she does not go along with Jon out of coercion; indeed, she happily ignores his tantrum and only after he has collapsed does she casually accept his invitation. She goes on to mostly keep the relationship, if one can call it that, casual, with the biggest sign of progress on Jon's part being that she agrees to another dinner a whole year away. If we want to read into the relationship that much, then I'd suggest the brief double take a viewer might do when they realize the same voice actress (Julie Payne) also played Jon's mother - a very Freudian element for a fun family experience.
The Thanksgiving special is closer in tone to the comic strip, especially Garfield's weight battles (the scale, the vet, etc.), with the only attempt at sentimentality coming during the dinner sequence (which, similar to one moment in the Christmas installment, has a maudlin song which feels like it was originally meant for some other project). In theory the decision to lean into less warm-and-fuzzy elements, and to double down on Jon's stupidity, could alienate a viewer, but the writing never goes so far as to seem mean-spirited. The late addition of Grandma (the always delightful Pat Carroll) gets the tone just right, and is a strong example of how to add in a character without getting in the way of the strip's familiar dynamics.
To reply to an earlier comment about the vet - I would say it's made very clear that she does not go along with Jon out of coercion; indeed, she happily ignores his tantrum and only after he has collapsed does she casually accept his invitation. She goes on to mostly keep the relationship, if one can call it that, casual, with the biggest sign of progress on Jon's part being that she agrees to another dinner a whole year away. If we want to read into the relationship that much, then I'd suggest the brief double take a viewer might do when they realize the same voice actress (Julie Payne) also played Jon's mother - a very Freudian element for a fun family experience.