A Goofy Movie documentary hits Disney+ this week, coinciding with this anniversary. I'll be tossing in some Disney trivia and Easter eggs along with this article, but new insights from the creators might require updates to this piece.
Born from the world of Disney's Goof Troop, A Goofy Movie sent Goofy and Max on a cross-country journey that still resonates with millions. In early April 1995, I was days from turning 11. I missed the theatrical release, but I do remember the advertisements in Disney Adventure Magazine and on television. Despite not seeing the movie, I begged Mom to get the Burger King kids' meal just for the Goofy Movie toys.
I've written several times that I'm a big fan of Disney, especially when it comes to visiting Disney World. While most children love Mickey, I always considered Goofy and Donald my favorites, so I was excited about Goof Troop and A Goofy Movie.
Months later, in September, when the VHS was released, Mom borrowed a copy from the library for me. I immediately fell in love with the characters and the road trip storyline. I may not have recognized it then, but as I neared my teens, I craved more independence, fewer rules, and higher social standing among friends (and girls) as I entered middle school. Max's struggles mirrored mine, and I felt like the film spoke directly to me.
Based on the millions that still love this film today, I wasn't alone in those thoughts.
The music in the film was so good. "Stand Out" and "I2I" stuck with us for weeks. In the pre-Internet days, before you could isolate and download high-quality audio, I waited for the house to be quiet so I could hold up my clunky yellow tape recorder to the television so I could replay them endlessly, sound effects and dialogue and all.
Disney Afternoon's Goof Troop aired from 1992 through 1993. Created by Robert Taylor and Michael Peraza Jr., Goof Troop reimagined Goofy as a single dad to his preteen son, Max, in the suburban town of Spoonerville. Their neighbors—Pete, Peg, PJ, and Pistol—added comedy and reliability. In just over a year, the series ran 78 episodes across two seasons and included a Christmas special.
This modern take on Goofy made it an immediate after-school hit. The theme song, which you can listen to below, was one of many iconic theme songs from The Disney Afternoon programming block. Disney Afternoon deserves its own article someday.
Goof Troop's success on television inspired Disney to expand upon its universe. Kevin Lima pitched A Goofy Movie as a television special, which later evolved into the theatrical feature we know today. Then Walt Disney Feature Animation chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg inspired the road trip theme based on events from his own life. After having grown distant from his daughter, he was able to renew their bond on a similar journey. Jerry Rees, director of The Brave Little Toaster (1987), started as director but was replaced by Lima, who made his directorial debut on A Goofy Movie after several years working in other roles on other Disney films, most notably The Little Mermaid.
Lima had several goals when working on this movie. Recently, he admitted that he wanted to work through his own feelings about his own father, who left when he was 12. He also wanted to honor and recreate classic '80s John Hughes films in cartoon form.
With head writer Jymn Magon, he studied road trip films like the three National Lampoon's Vacation films (Vegas Vacation came out later). Fun fact: Dana Hill, the voice of Goof Troop's Max, played Audrey Griswold in 1985's European Vacation.
Producers decided to age Max up to high school compared to the Goof Troop series to make the romantic storyline with Roxanne and the generational disconnect more believable. Because of this, the story was set three years after Goof Troop ended.
Classic Disney voice actors like Bill Farmer (Goofy) and Jim Cummings (Pete) returned from the television series, while Jason Marsden replaced Dana Hill as the voice of Max. Dana Hill's illness was taking a toll at that point, and with the increase in Max's age, Marsden provided a fresher, deeper voice. Other voices were provided by comedian Pauly Shore (Bobby), voice legend Rob Paulsen (PJ), and character actor Wallace Shawn (Principal Mazur).
Like Robin Williams' request for Aladdin, Pauly Shore asked for his role to be uncredited because he didn't want Disney to sell the movie using his name when he wasn't the central character.
Recording spanned from 1993 to 1995, with Farmer recalling having to return to the studio several times for new lines or scenes. Director Kevin Lima voiced Lester at Lester's Possum Park, Roxanne's father, and the Powerline concert security guard.
Wallace Shawn (Principal Mazur) made his theatrical voice acting debut here, but he later gave a memorable voice to Rex, the green toy dinosaur in Pixar's Toy Story.
Katzenberg pushed Bill Farmer for a more intelligent and more serious-sounding Goofy, similar to the original Goofy in the 1950s animated shorts. After a few attempts, Michael Eisner and Roy E. Disney (Walt's nephew) told Farmer to continue with his classic Goofy voice, and the idea was dropped.
The role of Pete was initially written to be a much larger one. Pete was intended to be a truck driver who tormented Goofy throughout the movie, similar to the trucker in 1971's Duel. The film did not mention Pete's wife and daughter from Goof Troop, Peg and Pistol.
A Goofy Movie was a Disneytoon Studios movie, and not Walt Disney Animation, as most assume. Splitting hairs because either way it's still a Disney film, but nonetheless. Production spanned the U.S., France, Canada, and Australia. Pre-production began in California at Walt Disney Feature Animation (WDFA) and then moved to the WDFA studios in Paris and DisneyToon Studios in Sydney. Phoenix Animation in Canada handled the clean-up, and PixiBox in France added digital ink. A Goofy Movie was one of Disney's first digitally animated films, and a 4K restoration was planned for the launch of Disney+, but the file was found to be only 2K.
Slated for theatrical release on November 18th, 1994, a pixel glitch - leaving a black dot in every scene - delayed its release until 1995. Kevin Lima said, "In those early days, you'd set up a camera looking at a large monitor, and you would film that monitor... One of the pixels was blown out, and every single scene in the movie had a black dot in it."
The delay caused Disney to reissue The Lion King around the holidays to fill in for Goofy's absence.
A Goofy Movie premiered at Pleasure Island's AMC Theater in Walt Disney World in Orlando on April 5, 1995. Pleasure Island is another article idea for another day.
At 78 minutes long, or 62 minutes without the musical numbers, it seems it was meant to be a television special instead of a full-length film after all.
With a modest budget of $18 million, the movie earned $35 million worldwide. It didn't live up to Disney's expectations in theaters, but when it hit home video on September 5, 1995, the fan following exploded. Boosted by its story and soundtrack, it became a cult classic overnight with the Disney Afternoon audience.
A large advertising push was expected but disappeared after Katzenberg's exit from Disney, resulting in less merchandise than is typical for a Disney film. The past few years, however, have been a boon for A Goofy Movie fans as millennials become nostalgic for their childhood. A Goofy Movie is featured heavily in merchandise, on streamer Disney+, and in the theme parks with appearances by Goofy and Max, who occasionally even wears a "Powerline" costume.
The movie opens in Spoonerville on the last day of school before summer. Now a teen, Max aims to ditch his "goofy" roots and plans to win the heart of his crush, Roxanne. Max and Roxanne frolic together in a heavenly field during a dream sequence, only to become a nightmare as Max grows into a monster-sized version of his dad. After waking from his dream, Goofy enters Max's bedroom and accidentally ruins his cardboard cutout of pop star Powerline. Upset, Max rushes off to school singing the first of many hit songs from the film, "After Today."
In the dream sequence, Roxanne's dress is inspired by the one worn by Fay Wray in 1933's King Kong, while Max transforms into a King Kong-sized Goofy. Initially, there was a plan to parody The Police's song "Roxanne," but Disney opted against it to avoid paying royalty fees.
This also marks the one and only time that Star Trek has been directly referenced in a Disney film of any genre.
According to Lima's X account, "Chad" appears briefly during the "After Today" sequence. He was intended to be Max's rival for Roxanne's attention, and was voiced by '90s sitcom star Joey Lawrence. The idea was dropped and Chad just became one of the jocks at school. Whoa!
Once at school, Max launches his plan with friends PJ and Bobby to hijack the Principal's assembly. Dressed as his idol Powerline (who was initially named Deep Freeze in early concepts), Max lip synchs to Powerline's "Stand Out," focusing only on Roxanne (whose original name was Dolores).
Powerline's "Stand Out" and "I2I" were sung by Tevin Campbell, a '90s R&B singer, who aimed for Michael Jackson and Prince vibes.
Max's plan works, and Roxanne definitely notices him while the entire student body cheers Max on. Principal Mazur isn't as excited, however, and calls Goofy at his job at the mall's photo studio to tell him what Max had done. Goofy's friend, neighbor, and "boss," Pete, convinces him that Max is on the road to the electric chair unless Goofy puts his foot down and tightens the leash.
While Goofy takes photos, fans will notice stuffed versions of Disney characters Bambi and Simba among the stuffies in the background.
Shaken by Principal Mazur and Pete's dramatics, Goofy decides it's time to reconnect with his son. That afternoon, when he gets home, he drags Max away from his plans to hang out with Roxanne. Instead, Goofy announces they are about to embark on a road trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho, where Goofy's father had taken him when he was Max's age.
A cut Donald Duck scene had him working as a travel agent who was going to send Goofy and Max on a series of wild destinations, including Hawaii and a stop on an American Gladiators spoof called America's Funniest Gladiators. Donald responded to Goofy in his usual incoherent and angry way, to which Goofy humorously responds, "What did you say? Is there someone else I can talk to?" before hanging up. Personally, I think they should have left the scene in.
Mortified that Goofy's last-minute vacation plans will ruin his summer, Max convinces Goofy to stop at Roxanne's house first. In a panic, he lies to her. Max claims he must break their date because his dad is taking him to see Powerline in person. When he sees Roxanne's disappointment, he doubles down on the lie and says that Goofy knows Powerline personally, and Max will wave to her from the stage live on pay-per-view.
Roxanne's adorable nervous giggles were ad-libbed by voice actor Kellie Martin, softening her character from the script's icy delivery. At the same time, Max's stumbling nerves were Jason Marsden reflecting on a "real-life crush confession" he'd once botched as a teen.
Instantly regretting his lies, Max joins Goofy in the family car - a beat-up yellow hatchback loaded with camping gear. Goofy bursts with enthusiasm as they hit the highway. The vehicle was designed off an AMC Pacer, a quirky 70s car known for its humorous egg shape. The car is its own character as it rattles, wheezes, and chugs along the road.
The following scene sets the tone for the rest of the film as it rolls with 90s absurdity, mixing chaos, comedy, and clashing viewpoints. Max slumps low in the seat as Goofy cheerfully waves goodbye to home. After blasting the cheery song "High Hopes" from the tape deck, Goofy almost causes an accident by steering with his knee while unfolding a giant map. Another infectious song, "On the Open Road, " underscores this driving montage, which includes everything from singing nuns to hidden Mickeys.
Caricatures of Kevin Lima and screenwriter Brian Pimental are seen during this song sequence, along with a group of nuns who appear throughout the film. The nuns are designed after Whoopi Goldberg and Kathy Najimy's characters from Sister Act.
For the Disney buffs, you'll find that Goofy's keychain is the classic Disney "D" logo. A hidden Mickey (like in the theme parks) appears as a group of balloons, while Mickey and Donald can be briefly seen hitchhiking on the side of the road. Earlier in the film, Max answers the iconic Mickey telephone, and Mickey himself can also be seen hiding in the crowd at school.
Instead, Treeny and Wendell appeared during the "On the Open Road" segment and at the end of the film during the concert scene. Wendell turns out to be one of Powerline's roadies, lugging trunks of instruments, and Goofy walks into Treeny's dressing room while she's changing. Treeny then performs on stage as Powerline's backup vocalist.
With the other scenes cut, Pat Carroll's voice never appeared in the film, but she still received voice credits anyway. One of Prince's background singers, Rosie Gaines, completed the singing parts. Nathan Carlson sang for Wendell.
The father and son duo soon find themselves at a kitchy possum-themed amusement park called Lester's Possum Park. Inspired by unique roadside attractions like South Dakota's Corn Palace or Cadillac Ranch, Lester's included several Disney parodies, including costumed characters and a Country Bear Jamboree-style knock-off song and dance show that featured poorly articulated animatronic possums.
Just before arriving at Lester's, there was another humorous scene cut from the film to save time, although I wish it had been kept. On the highway, there were signs for Paco's Water Park every few miles, similar to those for the South of the Border tourist trap in South Carolina. Max's mood changed as he got excited about stopping at a fun water park, and the last sign said, "Turn Right For Paco's Water Park."
Goofy says to Max, "You're going to love this!" as he slows down... before turning left into Lester's Possum Park.
Lima fought to keep this scene, arguing it showed Goofy's earnestness clashing with Max's rebelliousness. His disappointment and anger at ending up at the Possum Park instead of water slides and pools would also explain his extra sour mood at Lester's.
Humiliated to be seen at a "kiddie-park," Max pouts as Goofy happily wears a possum hat and poses for pictures with the characters. Even as a youngster, I felt terribly for Goofy when Max angrily tossed his possum hat out of the car window and into a mud puddle.
The next day, the two set up camp in a forest clearing. Max daydreams about Roxanne's smile when Goofy interrupts, hoping to teach his son "the perfect cast" his father had taught him at Lake Destiny. Suddenly, a large RV appears on their campsite and unfolds into a monstrous resort with an Olympic-sized pool and a bowling alley.
Pete and PJ emerge from the RV to start their "father-son bonding," but it seems more like PJ is Pete's maid. The contrast between Pete's luxury RV and Goofy's poorly set-up tent mimics their "frenemy" status as suburban neighbors and rivals.
When Goofy's fishing lesson goes awry, he accidentally hooks a giant T-bone steak off Pete's grill and attracts a red-furred Bigfoot to their campsite. What follows can only be described as Disney magic, with how memorable the scene has become for those of us who saw this movie as children.
Terror and hilarity strike as Bigfoot, voiced by legendary voice actor Frank Welker, begins dancing to "Stayin' Alive" and puts on a sock puppet show for Goofy and Max, who have locked themselves in their car. Pete and PJ have driven off in their RV, leaving the Goofs to fend for themselves. Bigfoot was designed by the animators to look similar to the Harry and the Henderson's version of Sasquatch.
The scene's emotional moment occurs when Goofy, who hears Max's hungry stomach grumbling, tries to grab a can of soup off the hood of the car while Bigfoot is distracted by toothpaste. The suspense builds to a crescendo as Bigfoot comes running as Goofy struggles to get back into the car to safety.
The two begin to bond as they continue to be stuck in the car. Goofy shows Max how his dad taught him to open a can with his two big, goofy teeth. Max softens even more when Goofy heats the soup with the car's cigarette lighter (can't do that anymore). When Goofy calls it "Hi Dad Soup," Max doesn't remember, so Goofy reminds him that when Max was younger, he'd write messages using the alphabet noodles in the soup. Max finishes his dinner and returns the cup to Goofy; "Hi Dad" is written at the bottom. We all shed tears of happiness with Goofy, maybe more so now than back in the 90s.
Beneath the laughs, this is a significant turning point in the film. As Bigfoot sleeps on the car's roof, Max pens a postcard to Roxanne about his trip and admits that he lied. Putting the pencil away in the glovebox, he notices Goofy's map. Struggling with his conscience, he eventually changes the route away from Lake Destiny and towards Los Angeles.
At one point, Goofy sits up and looks at Max. Fearful he was caught red-handed, Max is surprised when Goofy instead asks, "How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?" before falling back asleep. According to Bill Farmer, it took 20 takes to get this one line right.
Feeling guilty, he shreds the postcard to Roxanne and throws it out of the window. The camera focuses on one little shred of the card caught in a tree branch that reads, "I lied."
The following day at a diner, Goofy, sensing Max wants to be more grown-up and independent, proclaims him to be "official navigator and head which-wayer of this here road trip." Max feels like he's off the hook because Goofy claims he won't even look at the map anymore and grants Max the ability to pick all of the stops on the way to Lake Destiny.
After the diner is a fun montage of their activities, including jet skis, tire changing lessons, roller coasters, and a monster truck rally. Goofy isn't having much fun, but he's doing it for his son, and Max notices this, so he surprises him with a stop at Earl's Amazing House of Yarn and a mime show on the streets of New Orleans.
The two continue bonding with stops at baseball games, "Carl's Butt" Caverns (instead of Carlsbad), and even more tire changes.
Perhaps my favorite part of the film is next, when our weary travelers arrive for the night at The Neptune Inn, a quirky aquatic-themed roadside motel. After days on the road having fun together, Goofy and Max happily roll into this kitschy oasis complete with waterbeds (with fish in them!) and a mermaid-shaped light that served as a Little Mermaid Easter egg, a reminder that the director served as a character designer for The Little Mermaid years prior.
Ariel can also be seen on a poster at the school (the remnants of a school musical or dance) during the "Stand Out" song.
The motel's neon sign, nautical rooms, and tiki-themed hot tubs feel like a time capsule of old roadside Americana, evoking memories of stays in motels just off the interstate. Oh, what I'd do to go back to those days when those kinds of motels were safe (and clean) to routinely stay in. Seeing them push the door open on the room and walk in with awe and wonder reminds me of several of our family vacations.
While I absolutely love the entire vibe of the motel, The Neptune Inn is where the film's emotional storylines come to a head. Pete somehow shows up and "asks" Goofy to let him hook up the RV to the room's electric so that he doesn't have to pay for a room or RV park himself. Soon, electric cords and water hoses stretch across Goofy's hotel room out into the parking lot.
Later that evening, Max and PJ talk over pizza on a several inch thick shag carpet. Pete overhears Max confess to changing the map and rushes to find Goofy. Goofy is relaxing in the hot tub, enjoying his rekindled relationship with his son, as Pete is all too happy to spill the beans about the map. Goofy doesn't believe him at first, but Pete plants enough seeds of doubt that Goofy stops by the car on the way back to the room.
Goofy sits stunned in the parking lot's dim light. It's just heartbreaking to see him completely deflated, and it's rare to see him vulnerable and upset when his entire character has been defined by (for lack of a better word) goofy optimism.
Goofy returns to the room, and Max immediately knows something is wrong. For anyone, especially us kids, that scene hit hard. Every teen dreads the moment when a lie unravels, and the fallout feels much bigger than what the lie was about anyway.
The next day, Goofy and Max face a literal fork in the road: left to Los Angeles and the concert or right to Idaho and Lake Destiny. Goofy gives Max several opportunities to be honest in a tension-filled moment, but Max fails the test and sends them to California.
Goofy angrily pulls off the road and gets out. In a rare display of anger, Goofy tells Max to save his excuses because Max likely "thinks he'd be too stupid to understand it anyway."
The car begins rolling downhill, and the two argue as they chase after it. The bickering is nonstop, and Jason Marsden once said that this scene was the first that he and Bill Farmer recorded together. As the two yell back and forth, the loveable little yellow car heads off the cliff and into a river down below, with Goofy and Max in it!
The car stays afloat but struggles under their weight as they argue over trust and independence. Goofy says that he "just wanted to take his boy fishing," which sends Max into an outburst of, "I'm not your little boy anymore! I've grown up! I have my own life now!" This deeply cuts Goofy (and every parent, I'd imagine), but he calmly responds, "I know that. I just want to be a part of it. You'll always be my son."
As a Dad now myself, like so many other scenes, it takes on a whole new meaning than it did back in 1995.
Clinging to the car, they float in silence. Max begins singing the touching song "Nobody Else But You," which Jason Marsden and Bill Farmer recorded in a single session, highlighting their great chemistry. Reportedly, Farmer cried after the take, moved by the lyrics.
After the song, the two are on speaking terms again, and Max confesses everything about Roxanne and Powerline. Goofy, being the great dad he is, says that there's nothing left to do but get him up on stage with "this Powerline fella."
Just as he says this, the river turns to rapids. Goofy gets off the car onto a fallen tree, but Max is swept away. Using his fishing pole, Goofy hooks Max just as he goes over the edge, and thankfully, that big tarp that held all of those camping supplies turns into a parachute. Max begins slowly floating toward the bottom, until Goofy loses his grip on the fishing pole.
Max panics as he watches his father fall into the mist. Then, he remembers "the perfect cast" and sends the lure down into the crashing water. Just when all hope is lost, the line goes taut, and Max reels in his father to safety. Safely at the bottom, Max suggests going home, but Goofy has other ideas.
We cut to Los Angeles, where Goofy sneaks them into the Powerline concert through a back entrance. While the two wander backstage, we see Roxanne and her friends in Spoonerville waiting for Max to appear. Roxanne looks defeated when Bobby says, "That Goof kid ain't there!"
Chased by a security guard, Goofy finds himself onstage with Powerline during the "I2I" performance. Unsure of what to do, Goofy simply waves until Max yells from backstage to perform "the perfect cast." The odd-looking dance moves impress Powerline, who imitates Goofy. The security guard chases Max onto the stage as well, and he joins in on "the perfect cast." Roxanne smiles broadly as Max waves, fulfilling his promise.
The Powerline songs were recorded at Prince's studio in Paisley Park. According to IMDB, the costume worn by Powerline was a parody of the yellow hazmat suits Devo wore in the 1980s.
After the security guard gets knocked into the arena's big screen, if you look carefully at the crowd, you'd see Mickey Mouse, a Viking, an unimpressed Max look-alike, and a goat. You'd also see "Tick-Tock," the crocodile from 1953's Peter Pan.
Back in Spoonerville, Goofy drops Max off at Roxanne's house, where he confesses his lie. When she questions him, he responds, "I just wanted you to like me." She's confused and admits she already liked him, and the two agree to a date the next day. He steals a quick kiss, but the two lovebirds are interrupted by Goofy messing with the bumper on the car.
Goofy sheepishly grins and points to the car, but it suddenly explodes, sending Goofy through the air, crashing down onto Roxanne's front porch. Max introduces his new girlfriend to his father, and the credits roll.
It's the ultimate payoff for every mile they've driven, every object and unused camping supply they've hauled, and every misadventure they survived. For '90s movie viewers, it's the ultimate climax we were used to: action-packed and heartfelt.
According to movie trivia sites, the ending was redrawn after test audiences wanted more Goofy chaos. Initially, he just waved from the street, and the explosion was added for extra slapstick.
Roxanne was meant to appear in Disney's 2004 Christmas special, Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. Carole Holliday, storyboard artist for A Goofy Movie, later became one of the directors for the holiday film, and wanted Roxanne to continue as Max's love interest. Her character was dropped due to the cost of animating her long, wavy hair. Her hair was cut short, and her name was changed to "Mona," but everything else remained the same, including voice actor Kellie Martin.
The story didn't end in 1995. On February 29, 2000, Disney released An Extremely Goofy Movie as a direct-to-video feature that wrapped up the Goof Troop saga. This time, Max swapped the road trip for campus life at college, and Goofy follows him after he loses his job. Enrolling as a student, Goofy crashes Max's social life and X Games dreams. Pete, PJ, and Bobby return, and the film introduces a new love interest named Sylvia... and a rival named Bradley Uppercrust III.
The sequel doubles down on '90s nostalgia with extreme sports, and Goofy being… goofy. But unfortunately, it lacks the charm of the original film. Much of it seems forced as Goofy learns to let go of his young adult son. For us fans, it was a bittersweet bonus that tried to tie up loose ends, but, in my opinion, missed the mark of being anywhere near as enjoyable as the original.
As we celebrate the past thirty years spent with A Goofy Movie, its chaotic and humorous scenes - from the Bigfoot romp to the Neptune Inn - still spark joy and nostalgia for millions. It's another time capsule of a simpler time when family vacations meant mixtapes, roadside motels, and the occasional sasquatch attack!
For us '90s kids, who now approach middle age, A Goofy Movie mirrors our own life journey. How much tradition and family togetherness did we push away in our teens, only to circle back to it now?
Thirty years later, A Goofy Movie remains a masterclass in balancing humor and emotion. It's a love letter to the awkwardness of growing up, the quirks of family, and the power of love. Whether you're rewatching it for the 1000th time, just for nostalgia's sake, or introducing it to a newer generation, Max and Goofy's road trip reminds us that even the goofiest detours can lead to the unforgettable.
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Comments
Damnit Jeff. I still haven’t found EuroTrip yet and now you’re going to make me look for A Goofy Movie…
ReplyDeleteBased on your last comment, I was worried you wouldn't like it! If you have Disney Plus it's nearly unavoidable this week, but like you, I prefer my DVDs! Hopefully in two weeks when we (the royal we, I suppose) cover something else on its 35th anniversary, you'll be looking for yet another DVD!
ReplyDeleteGreat…
DeleteI had to look up what movies came out in April back in 1990. I have my guess on which one it’ll be. We’ll see in a couple weeks if I chose wisely (and no, that was not a hint on my guess - that movie came out a year earlier).
I guess I should have been more clear, it's a television series and not a movie. Guess you'll need a bunch of DVDs then! :)
ReplyDeleteDamnit, Jeff…
Delete