moviecritichank-7
The year was 1995. Disney was flying high with success after success with animated classics such as "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", and "The Lion King" being churned out like butter year after year. With the advent of home video, gone were the days of waiting 7-10 years for a theatrical re-release of your favorite Disney movies. When one classic was released on VHS, you were excited when you found out what Disney film would be released in theaters the following year (usually during the summer). It was a phenomenon known as the Disney Renaissance! In 1995, there were three animated films released by the Mouse House. Two of the films were very well received and were also two of the ten highest grossing films of the year worldwide. Those two movies were of course "Pocahontas" and "Toy Story", the latter of which was the first ever full-length computer animated film that would spawn two sequels and cement itself as the greatest animated film series of all-time (and one of the greatest film series' of all-time overall). But the one film that seemed to go under everyone's radar then is the film that I'll be reviewing today, which is "A Goofy Movie". Released in the spring of '95, it only received moderate reviews from critics and modest intake at the box office (though it did receive some tough competition from the Will Smith/Martin Lawrence film "Bad Boys" that opened up on the same weekend). However, it seems as though the movie has gained more appreciation over the last several years thanks to a craving of nostalgia for the 90s. Directed by Kevin Lima ("Tarzan", "Enchanted"), the premise of the film is about fun-loving father Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) attempting to bond with his moody teenage son Max (voiced by Jason Marsden) on a cross country road trip. Goofy first gets the idea of going on a road trip to bond with his son from his co-worker Pete (voiced by Jim Cummings) when they're at work one day. After Pete suggests this idea to him, he gets a call from the Principal later that day saying (from his limited point of view) that Max had caused the student body to break out into a riotous frenzy during student body and that he should do something about it before Max ends up in the electric chair. After impressing his crush Roxanne (voiced by Kellie Martin) and asking her to a friend's party, he then goes home and finds out that both himself and Goofy would be going on a vacation, which puts Max in a bit of a bind with Roxanne. He then makes up a story that his father played in a band with Powerline (voiced/sung by Tevin Campbell), the greatest rock star on the planet and that he'd be on stage for the final number. And with that lie, Goofy and Max hit the road that results in a hilarious comedy of errors!!! While it has gotten more attention over the last several years through VHS, DVD, and TV airings on the family of Disney networks, this is still probably one of the most underrated Disney films of all-time. It probably has a lot to do with the era that it was released during, but it's still a classic film nonetheless. Before this movie came out, we only knew Goofy for the cartoon shorts he was in as well as the Disney afternoon favorite series "Goof Troop" where he was a one dimensional character all the time. One of the things that I like about what the animators did with Goofy in this movie is that we got to see more layers of his personality. Aside from him being his usual clumsy, goofy self, there were parts of the film where we got to see him sad, other times we saw him upset, and there were times where we got to see him well up with emotion as a loving, caring father that is proud of his son. I also like how they characterized Max in this movie as well. Like most teenagers, Max is concerned more with being cool and doing anything to impress a girl as all throughout the film he tries everything he can to not be like his father, who he sees as an embarrassment to him. Still, when all is said and done, Max learns that there is nothing wrong with taking after his dad, even if he is a little bit odd and embarrassing at times because no matter how old you get, you'll always be your father's son.The problem that most people have with this movie is that while Goofy is shown to love and care for his son, he doesn't punish him in the end for lying to him. He instead lets Max have his way by taking him to the Powerline concert. While I definitely understand that, I think that's only a minor problem in this movie. If anything, while there wasn't a true antagonist in the story, I feel as though Pete's manipulative parenting advice to Goofy in regards to how he should raise his son was just as problematic (if not more). After all, Max does end up saving his father's life in the movie so I feel as though that makes up for the father/son relationship in the story. All in all, A Goofy Movie is a film that I highly recommend! This movie probably has some of the best quotes I've heard in a Disney movie! My favorite line in the movie is from one of Max's friends Bobby (voiced by Pauly Shore) who says, "Max, look, it's the Leaning Tower of Cheesa!", which completely changed how I looked at this particular structure! In some ways, this film felt like a John Hughes movie from the 80s, only animated and kid friendly. With great story, characters, animation, and (as should be a trademark of any Disney classic) unforgettable songs like "I-2-I" and "Stand Out", I give this movie a 10/10!!!
Kitegr
I never though that this movie would be any good, until I saw it on Cinema when I was little. I didn't remember this movie to be that good until I re-watched it as an adult.This movie capture the relation between father and son perfectly. On one side you have a typical child having a crush on a girl as he tries to act cool and draws her attention in every opportunity, and on the other side is the most uncool father a child would ever wish to have that could ruin his reputation in an instant. Max values "coolness" greatly and tries to sever any relation he has with his goofy bloodline (even though his bloodline is occasionally catching up to him in the form of embarrassing Goofyish trademark subconscious laughs). Goofy on the other hand is the caring father, that is oblivious of the worlds recent trends, have no idea what being cool is or how his action can damage his son's reputation, and believe that every experience he had at his younger years, will work just as well on his son. Thus begin an journey where Goofy will learn to respect his son and realize that not two people are the same, and Max will have to accept and learn to appreciate his father for what he is.Also worth to note is that there is no main villain in this movie. Disney's traditional antagonist Black Pit plays an important role, but he never does anything bad, he does't sabotage the heroes's goal in any way, he don't wish bad for them, he does't get punished in the end, he even tries to help the occasionally with advices that he thinks are good. His role in the story is to represent a different opinion of how a father should interact with his son, and even though he is presented as the bad example, there is no solid proof that his model is entirely wrong.This movie could had worked as well with any random cast of characters, but for some reason Disney threw goofy in those shoes, and that was both good and bad. On the good side, Goofy's recognizably goofy and slapstick personality fits perfectly the uncool father, without making him annoying to the viewer. On the bad side, most people thought of this movie as a long Goofy cartoon and it didn't get the recognition it deserves.The movie designed to entertain and teach equally to both the child and the parrent. You should give it a shot.
