A Goofy Movie

Goof Troop was a pretty popular series, causing Disney to produce a theatrical sequel after it ended. Starring Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Rob Paulsen, Pauly Shore and Pat Buttram, A Goofy Movie was released April 7, 1995. It ended up being dedicated to Buttram, who died during production.

“I2I” was also one of the first songs I ever put on my iPod.

Goofy (Farmer) is a single father to the teenage Max (Marsden), who gets into trouble on the last day of school. Goofy becomes worried that he hasn’t been spending enough time with Max and decides to take him on a road trip However, Max is more worried about impressing Roxanne (Kellie Martin), a girl at his school. The road trip will mean he’ll have to miss a date with her and he claims it’s because Goofy is taking him to a concert in Los Angeles, where he will appear on stage with the pop sensation, Powerline (Tevin Campbell).

Where Ducktales the Movie felt like a glorified series finale, A Goofy Movie succeeded in actually feeling like a theatrical continuation of the series. It’s set quite a bit after the series too and succeeds in aging Max and PJ well.

Max has grown into a realistic teenager, obsessed with current pop culture and embarrassed at Goofy. Sure he was embarrassed in the series, but here, he actually loathes Goofy at times. And for good reason. Goofy just won’t take the time to shut up and listen. But at the same time, he’s trying to be a good father by doing what he thinks is best for his son. And you can’t really blame him, thanks to Principal Mazur blowing Max’s stunt completely out of proportion, going from harmless interruption and musical interlude to gang fight causing a riot, Goofy thought he was actually doing Max some good. Both sides are actually to blame for the plot. Goofy won’t get Max’s side of the story and Max is too busy brooding after heading out on the open road to tell his father. It’s interesting to see how both characters develop. By the time “Nobody Else But You” is sung, they’ve come to really understand where the other is coming from. And then Goofy makes Max’s lie a reality.

The other characters are pretty flat and are the same from how they were in the series. Pete’s still a dominating father and PJ is still a neurotic twit. There are also characters who don’t appear in the series. Bobby is your stereotypical 90s surfer/stoner. But since he’s voiced by everyone’s favorite washed up 90s stereotypical surfer/stoner actor (Pauly Shore), it’s pulled off moderately well. Though, there’s not much to say for Roxanne, she barely shows up, but it’s easy to see why Max likes her. The best side character is probably Principal Mazur. Because he has no idea what students actually like or want to do and thinks that popular music is cause for believing the student is in a gang and will head for the electric chair. On the other hand, where are Peg and Pistol? There’s a popular theory that she divorced him and took Pistol between series and movie, but there needs to be an actual explanation for their absence.

Also, a lot of background characters have a tendency to freeze while there’s still action going onscreen. Seriously. In the diner, people stop eating, the cook stops cooking and the waitress just stands there. I’ve seen television shows that do it better. But it’s only in a few areas and, while distracting, doesn’t really harm the film.

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