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Jim Davis

Jim Davis

Writer and producer · Born July 28, 1945 (81) · Marion, Indiana, USA

3 Primetime Emmys

James Robert Davis (born July 28, 1945) is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known as the creator of the comic strips Garfield and U.S. Acres. Published since 1978, Garfield is one of the world's most widely syndicated comic strips. Davis's other comics work includes Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, and Mr. Potato Head. Davis wrote or co-wrote all of the Garfield TV specials for CBS, originally broadcast between 1982 and 1991. He also produced Garfield and Friends, a series which also aired on CBS from 1988 to 1994. Davis was the writer and executive producer for a series of CGI direct-to-video feature films about Garfield, as well as an executive producer for the CGI animated TV series The Garfield Show and Garfield Originals. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jim Davis (cartoonist), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 28, 1945 (81)
From
Marion, Indiana, USA
Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
13 on MovieCove · 29 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Up 8% in 30 days

What are Jim Davis' films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Animation9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 89th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
47%
Self
39%
Morality
6%
Society
6%
Power
2%
Friendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 11 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 2

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 9 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 8 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 2

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 7

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 11 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
10
Warm
8
Absurd
7
Tense
2
Bittersweet
2
Other
5

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Cyclical2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jim Davis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (6).

Subscription and free streaming for Jim Davis' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

29 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • The Garfield Movie(2024)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Garfield Originals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Show Creator

  • The Garfield Show(2008)

    Show 203 episodes · Characters · Creator · Idea · Producer · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Garfield's Pet Force(2009)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Garfield's Fun Fest(2008)

    Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Garfield Gets Real(2007)

    Character Designer · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Garfield and Friends: Dreams & Schemes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Creator · Writer

  • Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties(2006)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Garfield: Bringing the Cat to Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Thanks

  • Garfield as Himself (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer · Writer

  • Garfield: The Movie(2004)

    Comic Book

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Garfield Gets a Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Executive Producer · Writer

  • Garfield's Feline Fantasies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Writer

  • Garfield's Thanksgiving(1989)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Garfield's Babes and Bullets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Writer

  • Garfield: His 9 Lives(1988)

    Original Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Garfield and Friends(1988)

    Show 363 episodes · Creator · Producer · Writer · Actor

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows

  • Happy Birthday Garfield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer · as Himself - Host

  • A Garfield Christmas Special(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Garfield Goes Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Writer

  • Garfield In Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Creator · Writer

  • Garfield in Disguise(1985)

    Creator · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Garfield in the Rough (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Creator · Writer

  • Garfield on the Town (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Writer

  • Here Comes Garfield(1982)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Fantastic Funnies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Comic Book

  • 07/27/1978 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • Garfield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 1 episode · Characters

  • The Garfield Movie 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Characters · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 29 titles, 26 of them dated from 1980 to 2024.

Biggest box office

The Garfield Movie (2024)

$257M worldwide

Highest rated

Garfield in Disguise (1985)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

The Garfield Show (2008)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 29: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting1 of 29: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting27 of 29: 13 only writing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score35thProducing10 of 29: 0 only producing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score14thOther crew9 of 29: 2 only other crew, 7 with another role

29 titles, 14 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1980s13 · 1 acting · 13 crew1990s2 · crew2000s9 · crew2010s1 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 Primetime Emmys from 10 major nominations, 1985–1991.

WinNomination
  1. 1991
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)
  2. 1990
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated ×2 · Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)
  3. 1989
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour)
  4. 1988
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program
  5. 1987
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program
  6. 1986
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Animated Program
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Animated Program
  7. 1985
    • Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Animated Program

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Jim Davis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 35th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 35th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 13 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 13 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · writer, producer

Garfield's Pet Force (2009)

78th percentile spread · 50% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Garfield in Disguise (1985)

Midcredits 96th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 44/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jim Davis' work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles39–50 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles26–45 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles27–43 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles20–50 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles42–52 · median 48 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jim Davis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jim Davis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Gregg Berger shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers