Goofy, a very famous character, was introduced in Mickey Mouse cartoons in the early 1930's, but finally got his own full-length film over sixty years later, this 1995 movie featuring characters from the short-lived early 90's TV show, "Goof Troop". I remember seeing some of "A Goofy Movie" in my school gymnasium within the next few years after its release, but never saw it all until 2007, when I decided to rent it. When I first watched this Disney feature from beginning to end, I thought it was very good around the beginning (what I had remembered seeing before) and went downhill after a while, but was good overall. Since then, nearly three years have passed, but I rented it again last week for another viewing, and it may have improved just slightly this time.
On the last day of school before the summer holidays, Max Goof, the teenage son of Goofy Goof, has a crush on a girl at school named Roxanne, and wants to impress her. His friends, PJ and Bobby, help him put on an unexpected concert at the school assembly that day. This wows the students, including Roxanne, and makes Max popular with the school, but Principal Mazur is not happy about this interruption, and the three of them end up in his office. It appears Max has won the heart of Roxanne, as his love interest agrees to go to a party with him, where the attendees will get to see the Powerline concert in L.A on TV. However, Goofy receives a call from the principal, who exaggerates what Max did, and warns the Goof father that his son could end up in the electric chair if he doesn't change his ways! Obviously not wanting this to happen, Goofy decides to take his son on a summer fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho for some father/son bonding, which means Max won't get to attend the party. Before they leave town, the teenage Goof lies to Roxanne, telling her that his father is taking him to the Powerline concert, and he will be joining the artist onstage! The trip turns out to be horrible for Max with his father's antics and their conflicting personalities, and it obviously isn't likely that his girlfriend actually will be seeing him on TV at that party!
I'm not sure what I think of the dream sequence at the beginning, but after that, it's usually pretty entertaining. There are occasional unsatisfactory gags, some around the beginning involving Bobby and his love for cheese, and the kid's "Dork and Dork Junior" comment at the possum-based amusement park is another low point (I don't know if that's supposed to be funny or not), but as a comedy, the film usually works. This is often because of the lovable Goofy's antics, and the funniest part might be the car radio scene. The animation and some of the characters also help the quality of the film, and the same goes for the well written story. None of the songs are among the Disney classics, but they are decent enough. As funny as "A Goofy Movie" can be, it's not all for laughs. The film eventually becomes touching, and it's a story with morals. Towards the end of my second viewing, I wasn't sure whether the feature was a 7/10 or 8/10 in my book, with all the things there are to like, and I'm still not sure.
The release of this movie was followed later the same year by the release of another animated Disney feature, and sadly a far inferior one, "Pocahontas". "A Goofy Movie" cannot match "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", or "The Lion King", three more popular 90's Disney flicks which preceded it, but it's much better than the company's other traditionally animated feature from 1995. I saw "Pocahontas" in the theatre, and even as a kid, I was not very impressed. Not much changed when I watched it again a couple of times, over a decade later. And yet, it seems more people have seen that mediocre film than "A Goofy Movie" (I didn't even know about this feature during its theatrical run), and I really think this earlier 1995 Disney release deserves more recognition. It's not a masterpiece and may be a bit more entertaining for kids than adults, but I think it still has enough for an adult viewer who likes this type of film.
On the last day of school before the summer holidays, Max Goof, the teenage son of Goofy Goof, has a crush on a girl at school named Roxanne, and wants to impress her. His friends, PJ and Bobby, help him put on an unexpected concert at the school assembly that day. This wows the students, including Roxanne, and makes Max popular with the school, but Principal Mazur is not happy about this interruption, and the three of them end up in his office. It appears Max has won the heart of Roxanne, as his love interest agrees to go to a party with him, where the attendees will get to see the Powerline concert in L.A on TV. However, Goofy receives a call from the principal, who exaggerates what Max did, and warns the Goof father that his son could end up in the electric chair if he doesn't change his ways! Obviously not wanting this to happen, Goofy decides to take his son on a summer fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho for some father/son bonding, which means Max won't get to attend the party. Before they leave town, the teenage Goof lies to Roxanne, telling her that his father is taking him to the Powerline concert, and he will be joining the artist onstage! The trip turns out to be horrible for Max with his father's antics and their conflicting personalities, and it obviously isn't likely that his girlfriend actually will be seeing him on TV at that party!
I'm not sure what I think of the dream sequence at the beginning, but after that, it's usually pretty entertaining. There are occasional unsatisfactory gags, some around the beginning involving Bobby and his love for cheese, and the kid's "Dork and Dork Junior" comment at the possum-based amusement park is another low point (I don't know if that's supposed to be funny or not), but as a comedy, the film usually works. This is often because of the lovable Goofy's antics, and the funniest part might be the car radio scene. The animation and some of the characters also help the quality of the film, and the same goes for the well written story. None of the songs are among the Disney classics, but they are decent enough. As funny as "A Goofy Movie" can be, it's not all for laughs. The film eventually becomes touching, and it's a story with morals. Towards the end of my second viewing, I wasn't sure whether the feature was a 7/10 or 8/10 in my book, with all the things there are to like, and I'm still not sure.
The release of this movie was followed later the same year by the release of another animated Disney feature, and sadly a far inferior one, "Pocahontas". "A Goofy Movie" cannot match "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", or "The Lion King", three more popular 90's Disney flicks which preceded it, but it's much better than the company's other traditionally animated feature from 1995. I saw "Pocahontas" in the theatre, and even as a kid, I was not very impressed. Not much changed when I watched it again a couple of times, over a decade later. And yet, it seems more people have seen that mediocre film than "A Goofy Movie" (I didn't even know about this feature during its theatrical run), and I really think this earlier 1995 Disney release deserves more recognition. It's not a masterpiece and may be a bit more entertaining for kids than adults, but I think it still has enough for an adult viewer who likes this type of film.