Stand Out Above The Crowd: A Goofy Movie

Since I have only written about band's I've been listening to as of now, I figured it was time to write about the other major part of my blog: animation. For my inaugural animation post, I decided to write about one of my favorite childhood movies, A Goofy Movie, as well as its sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie.

A GOOFY MOVIE

I had largely forgotten about these movies up until recently, when I uncovered a couple boxes of old VHS tapes in my parents' attic. At the time, I felt motivated to get our old VCRs working and I wanted to find some tapes to use. Meanwhile, I had a renewed interest in Disney movies, especially the Renaissance films from the 1990s. Upon searching the box, I came across my tape of A Goofy Movie, and I was swarmed with memories of the movie. I remember watching this tape fairly frequently as a child and in hindsight, was probably one of my favorites. Based on the previews, it looks like my copy of the film was from around 1999-2000, so I've seen this movie since I was around 5. Flushed with memories, I decided to watch it again and see it stood up to my memories.

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

The movie follows the classic Disney character, Goofy, as he struggles to bond with his now teenage son, Max. Max, interested in impressing a girl he likes, Roxanne, stages a stunt on the last day of school by hijacking a school assembly and lipsynching a song by pop sensation, Powerline. However, when he is caught, his principle exaggerates the disruption to Goofy and makes Max sound like a violent criminal. Fearing Max is slipping away from him, Goofy plans a cross country fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho, which conflicts with Max's plans to go to a party with Roxanne. Not wanting to disappoint Roxanne, he panics and lies to her, telling her he is going to the big Powerline concert that is going to be televised on pay-per-view at the party.

From there, we follow Goofy and Max as they travel to out west, butting heads constantly along the way. Along the way, the two run into their friends Pete and PJ, where Pete advises Goofy to be stricter with Max, however, this only leads to more friction between the two. While the two are trapped in the car after an encounter with Bigfoot while camping, Max secretly changes the map from Idaho to Los Angeles, where the concert is being filmed, yet feels guilty about it.

Goofy ends up abandoning this stricter parenting method and lets Max pick out the stops along the way. However, Pete figures out and informs Goofy that Max changed the map, and Goofy is devastated his son lied to him. This devastation becomes fury when Max hesitantly directs follows the directions to Los Angeles. The two finally have it out and in the confusion, the car is driven off a cliff and they land in a river. Trapped in the river, they argue until they both realize while Max is grown up and has his own life, Goofy is still his father will always be part of it. Immediately afterwards, they realize they are approaching a waterfall and Max is able to save Goofy using a fishing technique Goofy taught him earlier in the movie.

After this, Goofy helps get Max to Los Angeles and the two inevitably wind up onstage with Powerline. After the concert, Max ultimately owns up to Roxanne later, admitting he lied to her in an attempt to impress her, even though she admits she liked him from the beginning. From there Max introduces Goofy to Roxanne and the film ends.

My Thoughts

Watching this movie, I can say that while I probably wouldn't like it as much if I didn't watch it as kid, I still found it to be an enjoyable movie. The plot has a neat setup that opens itself up for both comedy as well as drama, the latter of which is not something you'd expect to be associated with a character like Goofy. However, the way the relationship between Goofy and Max is portrayed, the pathos is natural rather than shoehorned. Both characters are portrayed as flawed characters: Goofy is well meaning and good natured, yet oblivious to how his son feels.  Meanwhile, Max is selfish and moody, but it's excusable because he's still a teenager and is ultimately a good person who loves his father. Overall, it's an interesting choice to put Goofy, of all characters in a story like this, because while it is a comedy in the long run, it has a heavy dose of drama and the characters are relatable.

Even though the movie was made in the mid-1990s, it is not considered to be part of the "Disney Animated Canon" of the time like The Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. This is because it was largely made by the company's DisneyToon Studios, which is usually delegated to low budget sequels that tend to wind up straight to video. While it may not reach the masterful quality and fluidity of the bigger name Disney films at the time, since it was a theatrical release, the animation quality is far higher than the majority of DisneyToon projects and was an improvement from the animation of its predecessor TV show, Goof Troop.

While this may very well be due to the fact I enjoyed this movie growing up, I found the musical numbers to be very enjoyable, especially the Powerline songs. However, looking at it without nostalgia glasses, the musical numbers like "On the Open Road" and "Nobody Else But You" are fairly forgettable. 

One thing that felt odd about this movie however was that unlike many Disney movies, which tend to have a timeless feel no matter when it is actually set, A Goofy Movie looks and feels very mid-90s. The way the characters dress, Pete calling Max and P.J. the "MTV Generation"... the inclusion of Pauly Shore and his character, Bobby. All these things make the film seem more dated than other Disney movies. This is most evident when Max heads home from school, now an in-school celebrity. With a reprise of the song "Stand Out" playing, he puts on his hat backwards, puts on some sunglasses, and skateboards home, which I guess is what the cool kids did in 1995 (clean diapers were good enough for me at the time, but maybe that's just me).

Overall though, this movie isn't some masterpiece, but it's still a fun movie that, even as an adult, I can appreciate. While Goofy may be an odd choice to have a movie with the pathos it does, it is pulled off fairly well. The soundtrack is catchy, albeit with somewhat forgettable songs and the animation is good for a lower entry Disney project. In the end, I can at least say I still like the movie and not be embarrassed for being nostalgic about it.

AN EXTREMELY GOOFY MOVIE

While I don't exactly remember when I first saw the straight to video follow up, I know I didn't watch it as much as the first one as a kid, but I still enjoyed it. Seeing as how I still enjoyed the first one as an adult, I broke out the DVD to know if this would hold up as well.

Synopsis (SPOILERS)

This film takes place a couple years after the events of the first film, with Max and his friends P.J. and Bobby preparing to head off to college. The three have taken up extreme sports as a hobby and are planning on participating in the college X Games. While Max is thrilled at the opportunity to move out, Goofy is heartbroken to see his son leave.

When Max and his friends get to college, they immediately catch the attention of the fraternity that has won the past several X Games, the Gammas, led by Bradley Uppercrust III. Impressed by his skateboarding skills, Bradley quickly offers Max the opportunity to participate with the Gammas, but not P.J. or Bobby. Not wanting to abandon his friends, Max turns down the invitation and a rivalry develops.

Meanwhile, depressed from empty nest syndrome, Goofy causes an accident at work and loses his job. While looking for new work, it is revealed Goofy never finished school and needs to go back to school to complete his degree. Goofy then enrolls at the same school, to Max's horror and immediately begins to invade Max's space. Wanting to get Goofy off his back, Max is able to get Goofy to join the Gammas and introduces him to Sylvia Marpole, a librarian. She and Goofy quickly hit it off over a shared love of 70s culture and begin a relationship.

However, it is revealed the Gammas are cheating, which causes Goofy to inadvertently humiliate Max at the qualifiers for the X Games. Max then lashes out at Goofy and the two have a falling out. At the same time, Goofy hits a roadblock in his relationship with Sylvia. At this point, Goofy considers dropping out while Max intends on transferring to another school. Both rethink their decisions, with Goofy making amends with Sylvia, focusing on his studies and deciding to leave the Gammas. When he leaves, he learns that they are cheating, however, Max refuses to listen to him when he warns him.

In the semi-finals, another cheating tactic by the Gammas causes P.J. to be launched into , which almost leads to their team being disqualified. Fortunately, Max is able to get Goofy to fill the position and are able to overcome several other attempts by the Gammas to cheat until Bradley causes major destruction to a large X Games decoration that puts  one of the Gammas' own members, Tank, in danger. In the end, Max is able to save Tank and also win, and leaves Bradley to deal with Tank.

Several months later at the end of the school year, Max apologizing for how he treated Goofy earlier, Goofy is able to graduate, and he and Sylvia drive off into the sunset.

My Thoughts

Upon watching this movie, I realized I did not like it as much as the original. I don't know how to describe it other than feeling "Direct to Video". While I could imagine see A Goofy Movie on the big screen, the look and feel of An Extremely Goofy Movie seem best fit for Toon Disney (or Disney XD). While the animation of the sequel feels slightly more modern, with more vibrant digital paint and ink as well as more CGI, the animation of the original is much more cinematic. However, much like the first film, this film winds up being an unintentional period piece in some areas, as it tries to appeal to those who were into the extreme sports craze of the late 90s and early 2000s.

Personally, I also felt the story was lacking in comparison to the original and seems to disregard the character development Goofy and Max made. While you can feel sympathy for Goofy in this movie, he and Max both seem less relatable. Granted, given who the characters are, it wouldn't be such a problem, but it contrasts with the original, which had some deeper moments. We see no mention of Roxanne, who was a driving figure in Max's story in the original and Goofy seems to have forgotten about respecting his son's personal space. The story is in general, lighter, but at the same time, makes the story and pathos a little less relatable.

Unlike the previous film, this movie is not a musical, and instead uses licensed music from the 1970s, reflecting Goofy and Sylvia's passion for 1970s pop culture. I don't have a problem with it, rather I find it to be an interesting artistic choice. The only "real" song in the first movie is when Bigfoot dances to the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive" after rummaging through Goofy and Max's stuff (which creates one of my favorite gags in the movie).

Contrary to my own opinion, this movie actually received slightly higher ratings than their preceding film (neither did exceedingly well, but that's beside the point). However, when I take into account the quality of the animation, the music, the story, and the overall feel of both movies, I find A Goofy Movie to be superior. In the long run, this may just be because I watched it more when I was a kid and really enjoyed it, but it's just my opinion and anyone is free to disagree with me. 

While these movies may not be cinematic classics like some of Disney's other animated films of the time, I think A Goofy Movie is an enjoyable, under appreciated movie that has sort of fallen through the cracks of the Disney franchise.