Max is Goofy’s teenage son.

He tries to impress everyone

At school by pulling off a stunt,

All because he doesn’t want

To end up like his dad, a Goof.

And so, he does a stylish spoof

Of none other than Powerline,

The greatest rock star of all time.

 

The principal is quite irate,

But Max is glad; he has a date,

A party with his crush Roxanne.

Who seems to be his biggest fan.

But Dad has other plans in mind:

The father-son vacation kind.

Concerned for him, Dad wants to go

And fish with Max in Idaho.

 

Max rides along against his will,

But says goodbye to Roxanne still,

And lies, unsure of what to say,

And says he’s going to L.A.

To dance with Powerline on stage.

(That’s stupid, even for his age.)

Roxanne believes and bids farewell,

As Max goes on the trip from hell.

 

His dad and he don’t get along,

Although they both do sing a song.

At every stop along the way,

Max is filled with more dismay.

At last, when Max has had enough

Of all this “fun” and bonding stuff,

While Bigfoot’s on the roof (don’t ask),

He undertakes a risky task.

 

While Goofy takes a noisy nap,

His son attempts to change the map

And have their route end in L.A.

When Goofy learns of Max’s play,

He feels betrayed, but, in heartache,

Forgets to set the parking brake.

The two of them end up afloat

Atop their Pacer like a boat.

 

They come to terms, the two goofballs,

And save each other from a falls.

Then Goofy helps his son to get

On stage with Powerline. (No sweat.)

They crash the concert in mid-song,

But both of them just dance along.

At home, Max tells Roxanne the truth

And lets her meet his dad, the Goof.

_________________________

 

A Goofy Movie starts out as a musical Grease wannabe before transitioning into a hellish road movie and then ending with a finale that belongs on MTV. Ultimately, though, it is a father-son buddy movie and builds on that relationship better than its previously reviewed sequel did. While Goofy was still rather overbearing in his Extreme second film, most of his actions were fairly reasonable parental activities (making breakfast, cleaning up, urging his son to study, etc.) that Max never appreciated and eventually rebuffed a tad too harshly. In A Goofy Movie, though, Max’s embarrassment and angst are a bit more understandable, since Goofy seems to be going out of his way to force Max to participate in things Goofy should know by now that he doesn’t enjoy. Max, however, also crosses the line by lying to his dad and indeed violating his father’s trust. Since both of them bear some blame, the reconciliation at the end feels less one-sided and more genuine.

The other reason this one is higher than An Extremely Goofy Movie is that it has a number of original songs. As a fan of musicals and animation, I love when they are combined, and the film manages some nifty little musical numbers, some of which are more memorable than others. “After Today” and “I 2 I” are the best of the bunch, though “On the Open Road” isn’t bad too–after all, where else can one see a corpse dancing and singing atop a hearse alongside truckers and nuns? I especially love “I 2 I,” which is sung by the Michael Jackson-like Tevin Campbell and certainly deserves a place of honor in my End Credits Song Hall of Fame.

Despite all these good points, A Goofy Movie may be goofy but is not always funny. The scene where Goofy and Max visit the opossum theme park is (as Max says) “pathetic” and is not fun to watch at all. Also, the film doesn’t have nearly as many good lines as its sequel, and the animation seems inferior to me, which is a shame considering it was released in the middle of the Disney Renaissance. Still, it is worth seeing at least for the great voice acting and the catchy songs.

Best line: (Max) “I’m not your little boy anymore, Dad! I’ve grown up! I’ve got my own life now!”  (Goofy) “I know that! I just wanted to be part of it. [calmer] You’re my son, Max. No matter how big you get, you’ll always be my son.” (Cue the “awwww” from parents.)

 

Artistry: 2

Characters/Actors: 6

Entertainment: 5

Visual Effects: 4

Originality: 4

Watchability: 5

Other (songs): +3

 

TOTAL: 29 out of 60

 

Tomorrow: #329: The Pagemaster

© 2014 S. G. Liput