| A Goofy Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin Lima |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Jymn Magon |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Dan Rounds |
| Starring |
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| Edited by | Gregory Perler |
| Music by | Carter Burwell |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 78 minutes[5] |
| Country | United States[1] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million |
| Box office | $37.6 million[6] |
A Goofy Movie is a 1995 American animatedmusicalroadcomedy film produced byWalt Disney Television Animation. Directed byKevin Lima, it is based onThe Disney Afternoon television seriesGoof Troop (1992) created byRobert Taylor andMichael Peraza, and serves as a standalonespin-off to the show. Taking place three years after the events ofGoof Troop, it followsGoofy and his now teenage son,Max, as they embark on a misguided father-son fishing trip across the United States.
FormerThe Walt Disney Company chairmanJeffrey Katzenberg suggested a storyline inspired by a planned car trip with his daughter toGoofy Troop's story supervisorJymn Magon. Expanding Goofy as a character that would resonate with audiences, the film features the voices ofBill Farmer,Jim Cummings, andRob Paulsen reprising their roles from the series as Goofy,Pete, andP.J., respectively, whileJason Marsden replacesDana Hill as Max, alongsideKellie Martin,Wallace Shawn, andPauly Shore as new characters. Therhythm and blues singerTevin Campbell provides the vocals for Powerline, a fictionalpop star who prominently appears in the film, performing the songs "Stand Out" and "I 2 I". Production lasted for two and a half years.[7]
A Goofy Movie was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on April 7, 1995, byWalt Disney Pictures. Because it had been greenlit by Katzenberg, its release was deemed by Disney to be a contractual obligation. It received mixed reviews from critics and made a meager impression at the box office, grossing $37.6 million against an $18 million production cost worldwide. However, with its home media release, it garnered acult following and has become a more prominent property within Disney. Adirect-to-videosequel,An Extremely Goofy Movie, was released on February 29, 2000. A documentary about the making ofA Goofy Movie,Not Just a Goof, premiered in 2024 and was released onDisney+ in 2025 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the film's original release.
Max Goof is an average teenager who pines after his classmate Roxanne, idolizes the pop star Powerline, and has a tense relationship with his clumsy, old-fashioned fatherGoofy, whom he fears he may end up taking after when he grows up, having already inherited his laugh. On the last day of school before summer vacation, Max, with help from his friendsP.J. and Bobby, hijacks a school assembly and dances whilelip syncing to a Powerline song. The performance succeeds in making Max a school celebrity, and he invites Roxanne with him to a viewing party of a live broadcast of Powerline's upcoming concert inLos Angeles.
Goofy, after school principal Mazur warns him about Max's potentialjuvenile delinquency, immediately plans a fishing trip to Lake Destiny,Idaho, to curb his son's behavior. Max attempts to cancel his date with Roxanne, but panics and tells her that not only are he and Goofy traveling to Los Angeles to attend the concert, but that Powerline has invited them onstage.
Goofy and Max hit the road, visiting a run-downpossum-themedamusement park where Goofy embarrasses Max. The next day, they run into P.J. and his father,Pete, while camping. Goofy takes his son fishing and shows him the "Perfect Cast" fishing technique, accidentally luringBigfoot to their camp and forcing Goofy and Max to spend the night in the car with Bigfoot outside. While Goofy sleeps, Max alters the map's route to Los Angeles.
The next morning, Goofy makes Max the navigator of the trip, and the two enjoy several stops together. That night, while staying at the same motel, Pete overhears a conversation between Max and P.J. and informs Goofy that Max has tricked him into traveling to Los Angeles. Goofy still believes Max will do the right thing, but the next morning, Max chooses the route to California, and Goofy stops the car at theGrand Canyon and storms off. With the brake loose, the car drives off on its own; Goofy and Max chase after it and end up riding the car down theColorado River. After a brief argument, Goofy says no matter how old Max gets he will always be his son, and the two finally reconcile. After learning about Max's promise to Roxanne, Goofy decides to take him to the concert. The two nearly plummet down a waterfall, but Max rescues Goofy using the Perfect Cast technique.
In Los Angeles, Goofy and Max arrive at the concert, sneak on to the stage, and dance with Powerline, delighting Roxanne. Max and Goofy return home in their barely functioning car and Max tells Roxanne the truth; she admits she always liked him and they make plans to go out. The car explodes, ejecting Goofy into the porch roof of Roxanne's house, and Max proudly introduces his father to his new girlfriend.
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Tevin Campbell andPauly Shore make uncredited appearances as the pop star Powerline and Max's friend Bobby Zimuruski respectively.Jenna von Oÿ voices Roxanne's best friend Stacey andFrank Welker provides vocal sound effects for theBigfoot. The director,Kevin Lima, portrays a walk-around character at Lester's Possum Park and provides the vocal effects for Roxanne's father.
Florence Stanley plays a waitress,Jo Anne Worley portrays Principal Mazur's upbeat secretary Miss Maples, andJulie Brown andJoey Lawrence voice the popular students Lisa and Chad. The character actorPat Buttram appears in his final role as theemcee at Lester's Possum Park, whileWayne Allwine makes a cameo appearance asMickey Mouse alongside a silentDonald Duck.
In the early 1990s, formerDisney chairmanJeffrey Katzenberg commissioned the project, suggesting the storyline inspired by a planned car trip with his daughter toGoof Troop's story supervisorJymn Magon.[4][8] Suggesting to make a movie about "contemporary teenagers" as opposed to "talking animal movies and fairytales", Magon thought it would be an interesting idea for the story of Goofy and Max.[8] Accepting Katzenberg's suggestion, Magon attempted to write the first script for the film.[4] The movie was the feature film directorial debut for Disney story artist and animatorKevin Lima, who went on to direct the Disney filmsTarzan (1999),102 Dalmatians (2000) andEnchanted (2007).[9][10] Instead of being "one-dimensional", Goofy was given an emotional side to show depth to the "emotional arc of the story", hoping the audience would "see his feelings".[11]
While the work was a Disney production, it was considered far less essential than the studio's mainstream works at the time such asThe Lion King, and was given a far smaller budget compared to these films.[4] Thus,A Goofy Movie was jointly produced byWalt Disney Feature Animation,Walt Disney Television Animation, andDisney MovieToons and with outsourcing toWalt Disney Animation France andWalt Disney Animation Australia, along with additional Disney animation studios in Spain and Canada.[4][10]
Several of the main voice cast fromGoof Troop reprise their roles inA Goofy Movie, includingBill Farmer as Goofy,[7]Jim Cummings as Pete,[12] andRob Paulsen as P.J.. Max, whose voice was provided byDana Hill inGoof Troop, is voiced in the film byJason Marsden when speaking andAaron Lohr when singing. Some recording sessions were done with only one actor.[7] The film is dedicated toPat Buttram, who voiced the emcee at the possum park, as he died after finishing his voice work.[13]
Farmer recorded his lines for more than 25 studio sessions.[7] After Farmer recorded nearly all of Goofy's lines, Katzenberg wanted to replace Farmer withSteve Martin, using his normal voice.[14] Thinking it was a bad idea, Farmer was asked to voice Goofy using his regular speaking voice as opposed to the character's signature, cartoonish voice.[15] This confused Farmer, who insisted that audiences wanted to hear the Goofy they were all familiar with.[15] After many weeks of recording lines with his regular speaking voice, Farmer re-recorded his lines to speak in Goofy's regular voice.[15]
The animation work was done at Walt Disney Animation France inParis supervised byPaul and Gaëtan Brizzi, with additional scenes animated at Disney's studio inSydney, Australia, under the direction of Steve Moore, and clean-up work done at the main Burbank studio.[3][16] Additional clean-up/animation was done byPhoenix Animation Studios in Canada, anddigitally inked-and-painted by the Pixibox studio in France.[17] During one of the screenings, a singledead pixel was noticed in the footage from a monitor they were using, forcing them to recapture three-quarters of the film with a non-defective monitor.[4][18] As a result, the planned release date was moved from November 1994 to April 1995.[4][18] Though this created extra work to re-shoot the animation and verify it was clean of defects, Lima said the delay time gave them time to polish up the movie.[18]
| A Goofy Movie: Songs and Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
|---|---|
| Film score by | |
| Released | 1995 |
| Label | Walt Disney |
| Producer | David Z |
R&B singerTevin Campbell provided the singing voice of Powerline.[19][20][21] While looking for an artist, producers shaped Powerline's image inspired byPrince.[20] Campbell was chosen because he worked with Prince prior to production of the film, being known at the time as "Prince's protégé".[20] Providing Campbell with a song, producers approachedDavid Z to produce songs for the film.[20] His tracks were recorded atPaisley Park.[20] "After Today", "On the Open Road", and "Nobody Else But You" were performed byBill Farmer andAaron Lohr. The score forA Goofy Movie was provided byCarter Burwell.[22]
All scores are composed byCarter Burwell andDon Davis.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I 2 I" | Patrick DeRemer & Roy Freeland | DeRemer & Freeland | Tevin Campbell &Rosie Gaines | 4:01 |
| 2. | "After Today" | Jack Feldman | Tom Snow | Aaron Lohr & Chorus | 2:21 |
| 3. | "Stand Out" | DeRemer & Freeland | DeRemer & Freeland | Campbell | 3:00 |
| 4. | "On the Open Road" | Feldman | Snow | Bill Farmer, Lohr & Chorus | 3:00 |
| 5. | "Lester's Possum Park" | Kevin Quinn & Randy Petersen | Quinn & Petersen | Chorus | 1:24 |
| 6. | "Nobody Else But You" | Feldman | Snow | Farmer & Lohr | 2:34 |
| 7. | "Opening Fanfare/Max's Dream" | 1:49 | |||
| 8. | "Deep Sludge" | 2:03 | |||
| 9. | "Bigfoot" | 2:13 | |||
| 10. | "Hi Dad Soup" | 1:31 | |||
| 11. | "Runaway Car" | 2:16 | |||
| 12. | "Junction" | 0:45 | |||
| 13. | "The Waterfall!/The Truth" | 3:10 |
Within Disney, prior toA Goofy Movie's release, the film was frequently associated with Katzenberg.[4] By April 1995, Katzenberg left the company due to facing tensions with former CEOMichael Eisner.[4] The company saw the release ofA Goofy Movie as fulfilling contractual obligations.[4]A Goofy Movie was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on November 18, 1994.[23] Due to production setbacks, the release date was moved to April 1995.[4][18]The Lion King was reissued to fill in for the film's absence.[24]
Not allowed to premiere in California,[4] the film's world premiere was held on April 5, 1995, at theAMC Pleasure Island atWalt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, and was attended by directorKevin Lima and voice starsBill Farmer andJenna von Oÿ; two days later, it was released nationwide.[4][25] In the United Kingdom, it was released in theaters on October 18, 1996, which included theMickey Mouse shortRunaway Brain.[26]
The film was first released onVHS andLaserDisc byWalt Disney Home Video in the United States on September 6, 1995.[27][28] It was reissued on June 20, 2000, as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection series on VHS and for the first time onDVD.[29] The movie was released onBlu-ray as a Disney Movie Club exclusive alongsideAn Extremely Goofy Movie on April 23, 2019, with several contents edited to make it more fitting for the intended audiences.[citation needed]A Goofy Movie was re-released on Blu-ray on November 14, 2023, as part of theDisney Legacy Animated Film Collection, which consists of 100 titles from both Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of the Disney company.[citation needed]
A Goofy Movie opened in 2,159 theaters at second place on its opening weekend with $6.1 million—held from the number one spot because of theWill Smith blockbusterBad Boys that opened the same weekend,[30] with $15.5 million in box office returns.[31] It ultimately ended its run at the US box office grossing $35.3 million.[32] Internationally, it grossed $2.3 million, partially due to the fact the film was not released theatrically in most overseas territories, for a worldwide total of $37.6 million.[6]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,A Goofy Movie holds an approval rating of 64% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "A Goofy Movie offers enough of its titular ingredient to satisfy younger viewers, even if most parents will agree that this beloved character deserves better."[33] OnMetacritic, the movie has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[34]
Upon release, the film received polarized responses from critics. Most film critics did not comprehend that Goofy could have an emotional side.[21]Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four, noting that he only got to see a portion of the film in his initial viewing before a technical problem in the projection booth ended the screening early (somewhere between 35 and 40 minutes into the film, based on information given in his review — much less than the approximate hour he believed he had seen). He later clarified the film was worthy of three after viewing the entire film stating, "Three stars is about right."[35] In his one-star review fromThe Austin Chronicle,Louis Black said "The movie appears to have forgotten that [...] it is an adolescent angst drama about his son Max's ambivalent feelings about having Goofy as a dad. This is a story about a boy and a dad [...] it is bland, a barely television-length cartoon stretched out to fill a feature, and not much fun."[11] Writing for theSan Francisco Chronicle, Peter Stack summarized it as "brutal", and said that "there's no denying thatA Goofy Movie can't be a proud moment forWalt Disney Pictures."[36] While theLos Angeles Times questioned the overall tone of the film,[37]Empire's Bob McCabe gave the movie three stars out of five and the following verdict: "Harmless enough day in the sun for Goofy; pity there's an overwhelming feeling throughout that he deserves better."[38]
FromThe New York Times,Stephen Holden called the film's story "too rambling and emotionally diffuse for the title character to come fully alive."[39] Writing forVariety,Todd McCarthy criticized the film's score, and felt that the personality of Goofy's character, while agreeable enough in support, proved a bit over the top for a headliner, and that "by any reasonable reckoning, he's distinctly overbearing and selfish, and responds with a bland dismissal to any opinion offered up by his son".[3]
Since its release,A Goofy Movie has undergone critical reevaluation and is now appreciated as a "true cult classic".[40] In a 2020 editorial forRotten Tomatoes, Rafael Matomayor wrote: "Featuring a small-scale story that kids can see themselves in, an excellent portrayal of teenage life and father-son relationships, and, crucially, a soundtrack filled with earworms to rival the work of Rice and Menken, the movie has something for everyone."[41] Nell Minow ofCommon Sense Media praised the low-key tone and humor of the film.[42]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | November 11, 1995 | Best Animated Feature | A Goofy Movie | Nominated | [43][44] |
| Best Achievement in Production Design | Fred Warter (production designer) | ||||
| Best Achievement in Storyboarding | Brian Pimental | ||||
| Best Achievement in Music | Patrick DeRemier and Roy Freeland for "I 2 I" and "Stand Out" | ||||
| Best Achievement in Animation | Dominique Monféry (animation supervisor) |
A Goofy Movie is one of the most beloved films by Disney fans.[8] After its meager box office performance during its theatrical release,A Goofy Movie nearly fell into obscurity, but it started to gain success in 1995 due to home media sales, becoming asleeper hit.[4] The interest in the film is attributed to a combination of the film's catchy soundtrack andslapstick humor as well as its story of cross-generational connections between parents and children.[4][21][45] The newfound interest led to waves of new merchandise based on the film to be sold at major retailers, includingTarget andHot Topic.[4][10] Manyblack viewers embraced the film as a "cultural cornerstone", interpreting that Goofy and Max are a "black father and son".[10]
In 2009, aYouTube video that re-created the musical number "After Today" inlive action was uploaded, gaining popularity and amassed 5.7 million views as of April 2020.[4] In 2015, a 20th-anniversary reunion for the film was held at theD23 Expo atAnaheim Convention Center inAnaheim, California.[4] The reunion became one of the largest panels at D23, with 500 people in attendance, forcing the expo to turn away some due to lack of seating.[4] The 2017 reboot of theDuckTales series featured an episode in which Goofy appears and shows off a picture of Max and Roxanne on a date.[45]
In 2019,Disneyland held a 1990s-themed throwback night that included a line to meet Max dressed up as Powerline, becoming the longest line of the night.[4] In 2020, aTikTok dance craze inspired by Powerline's "I 2 I" musical number became a popular trend on the platform.[4] The same year, D23 Expo hosted a virtualDisney+ viewing party to celebrate its 25th anniversary, featuring Farmer, Lima, and Magon.[4][45] The eighth episode ofAtlanta's fourth season in 2022, titled "The Goof Who Sat By the Door", was amockumentary about the making of the film.[10][46] Since March 19, 2023,Mickey's Toontown section of Disneyland included a newly orchestrated instrumental version of "I 2 I" and featured several references to the film.[citation needed] In 2025,A Goofy Movie was shown with several screenings at Fork 'n Film, serving audiences food from the film.[10] All of the screenings for the film were sold out.[10]
In 2020, director Christopher Ninness told producer Scott Seibold that he wanted to make a documentary about the making of one of his favorite filmsA Goofy Movie.[21] A year later, they interviewed several filmmakers, including Lima, to discover behind-the-scenes footage.[21] After testing, Disney became involved, andDon Hahn became the executive producer of the film.[21] EntitledNot Just a Goof, the film detailed its production and eventual cult status.[21] It also included interviews with animators and voice actors.[21] Directed by Christopher Ninness and Lima's nephew Eric Kimelton,[8][21] the film premiered in May 2024 at the DocLands Film Festival.[citation needed] It was released toDisney+ on April 7, 2025, to coincide with the film's 30th anniversary.[8][21]
Adirect-to-video sequelAn Extremely Goofy Movie was released onDVD andVHS on February 29, 2000.[47][48]
'A Goofy Movie' and 'Runaway Brain' are released on Friday.
"A Goofy Movie" comes to home video on Wednesday.
Jules Engel, the dapper founding director of the experimental animation program atCalArts inValencia, will be honored tonight for contributions to animation that began 55 years ago with "Fantasia." The occasion will be the23rd annual Annie Awards–the animation world's highest honor–at theTelevision Academy Theatre inNorth Hollywood.
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