Movie Review # 626: A Goofy Movie (1995)

And now, ladies, and gentlemen, for the other animated film from 1995 that I rewatched this past weekend! Today, we are going to review an animated film that was released by the former Disney subsidiary company, DisneyToon Studios, as well as one of a few films from that studio to have a theatrical debut. It is the one, and only film from April 1995, A Goofy Movie.

Plot: Max (Jason Marsden), the son of single father, Goofy (Bill Farmer) is tired of being picked on all the time, and tries to step up his game by impressing his high school crush, Roxanne (Kellie Martin). Though, with the help of his friends, Bobby (Pauly Shore), and PJ (Rob Paulsen), Max succeeds in winning Roxanne over by impersonating the lead singer of the fictional band, PowerLine, his actions cause him to be suspended, and for Goofy to take him on a fishing trip to try to set Max straight. As Goofy, and Max go on this road trip, can Goofy, and Max learn to see things from each other’s point of view, and will Max be able to keep his new relationship with Roxanne in the end?

Again, much like with The Pebble & The Penguin, I also wanted to rewatch A Goofy Movie sometime this year because of this film’s release date, April 7th, being on a Friday just like it was back in 1995. Also, a rewatch for this one was probably long overdue anyway. So, watching this film again, was it as good as I remember it? Well, not quite. Okay, it was definitely miles better than The Pebble & The Penguin, no denying that. Still, there’s no denying that there are a couple things that could have most likely made this film a little better. First of all, there was a slightly crude scene that occurs around the beginning of the film. I’m thinking, seriously, did we really need that? Second, some of the characters, though likable, did some things that probably weren’t the best. Okay, I’m not saying that characters in a lot of movies don’t ever make mistakes. Of course, most of them do. However, in this case, some of them, especially the main ones, seemed to make ones that seemed to make them come off as a little mean, and maybe even cruel. This especially seems to be true with, for example, how Principal Mazur spread rumors to Max’s dad, Goofy, that weren’t even true. There was that, along with things like the way Max acted around others when venting his anger, and frustration for his dad taking him on a trip that he was unhappy about going on to begin with. I mean there were a couple moments where Max came off as kind of a jerk as a result. Okay, I get that the writers were likely trying to convey that people in real life, when they are super pissed about a situation that they’ll impulsively take their anger out on others. Still, the way it was handled with characters like Max, he seemed to go a little overboard, especially with some other characters when expressing his frustration about certain situations, you know?

But now, what are the pros for A Goofy Movie? Well, first off, there’s the animation. A lot of films from DisneyToon Studios didn’t seem to have the best animation like those of Walt Disney Animation Studios itself. However, while the animation may not quite the best, it is still really good, especially for this being a feature film that went to theaters. Next, there are the songs. Okay, they may not “A Whole New World,” “Bare Necessities”, or songs like those. Still, they are still very fun, especially songs like “Stand Out”, “Nobody Else But You”, and the film’s finale number “I 2 I”. There is also some very good choreography at times, again, especially with “I 2 I”. But one of the better aspects of this film was probably the relationships. I mean whether it was the relationship between Max, and Roxanne, and especially Max, and Goofy’s relationship, they are handled really well. In the end, it’s really Max, and Goofy’s relationship that seems to evolve positively over the course of this film. A Goofy Movie also has an incredible amount of heart to it. Sure, certain aspects of the film’s storyline could have been handled better. Even so, for what it was, it was done very well. Oh, and did I forget to mention that Kevin Lima, who directed 1999’s Tarzan, also directed A Goofy Movie. Even with Tarzan being good, Lima really did well even with A Goofy Movie. I can’t help but wonder if he took notes for what he did with A Goofy Movie, and took it a step further with films like Tarzan, and, later, Enchanted in the 2000s. You got me! Oh, and surely, I can’t forget to mention the voice acting that ranged from Bill Farmer as Goofy, Jason Marsden as Max, Kellie Martin as Roxanne, Jim Cummings as Pete, or even Wallace Shawn as Principal Mazur. I was surprised to find that Wallace Shawn did two voice roles in 1995 with both this, and Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story, when he voiced Rex. How about that? Oh, and did I forget to mention that A Goofy Movie has one of the most hilarious jokes that a movie could have. What’s even more funny is that an animated film that newer company at the time, by the name of DreamWorks, would have a similar joke in it’s film five years later, in the year 2000, around the springtime when A Goofy Movie would reach it’s 5-year anniversary. So, how about that as well!?! Finally, the message about learning to see things from each other’s point of view, it may have been done quite a few times before, and after this film. But still, that message was done in a very good, and creative matter in this case.

And that’s my review for A Goofy Movie. Though the storyline could have probably been executed a little better, A Goofy Movie has plenty of heart to it, has likable characters, has comedy, and a great many things that make it a really fun film. If you want to see a film in which Goofy, and friends made a well done debut, a film that briefly portrays high school in a family friendly manner, has fun songs, and more, then all the more reason to see this film. It’s creative, has a fun, and engaging story, and is overall a film that you won’t want to miss. That is, especially if you want to see Goofy, and the gang on the big screen, or a film that did go to the big screen years ago. So yeah, definitely see A Goofy Movie, and see what you think!

Final Grade: A-