A Goofy Movie (1995) voices Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, Kellie Martin, Rob Paulsen, Wallace Shawn, Jenna von Oÿ directed by Kevin Lima Movie Review

A Goofy Movie (1995)   3/53/53/53/53/5


A Goofy Movie (1995) voices Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings

Goofy Takes a Vacation

It's the last day of High School and Max's last day to try and impress Roxanne who he has tried to ask out ever since he first saw her. In order to do so he plans to stage a surprise gig during assembly but of course it doesn't go to plan and he ends up in trouble. When Goofy learns of his son's exploits he decides that they need some father son bonding and so takes him on a fishing trip much to Max's frustration as he had managed to score a date with Roxanne but now can't go and has to come up with a huge lie as to why he can't make it.

They say you should never watch a movie with negative expectations as it can lead to nit picking and intentionally looking for reasons to back up those negative feelings. But some times it is hard not to especially when you find yourself watching a movie which had a specific target audience in mind which you are not part of. I had those negative expectations when I sat down to watch "A Goofy Movie" as not only had Goofy never really been a Disney character I cared much for but I don't even remember this movie being released. But pleasantly surprised is how I feel having watched it as whilst a very 90s movie it is an animation with heart as it tackles the relationship conundrum of father and teen son.

A Goofy Movie (1995) voices Kellie Martin, Rob Paulsen, Wallace Shawn, Jenna von Oÿ

What does that mean? Well we watch as Goofy the devoted father tries to do best for his son Max by doing what his dad did for him and take him on a fishing vacation. But of course Max only sees his father as an uncool goof who doesn't understand him and what being young means. It is a simple idea but an effective one which gives this animation plenty of heart behind the copious amounts of humour which is full of your typical animated prat falls and misunderstandings. In fact if you have ever watched a Goofy cartoon you will know what to expect but with the humour focussing on the trials and tribulations of being a teenager.

The most surprising thing about "A Goofy Movie" is that as an adult who expected to be bored I was more entertained than by some movies made for grown ups. The cleverness of the humour surrounding being a teen and parent conflicts is spot on and when combined with various visual gags from Max putting on a show at the assembly to Goofy working as a photographer as well as singing nuns and trouble with Bigfoot is simply great. The only trouble is that unlike some animations "A Goofy Movie" is now very dated from the musical side to various references it makes which now make it at times a little cheesy.

What this all boils down to is that "A Goofy Movie" ended up a pleasant surprise as I had low expectations but was treated to almost 80 minutes of humour which worked for adults as much as it did for young audiences.


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