A Goofy Movie Review
Raelonus	Movie Articles	 December 14, 2018 January 3, 2019 3 Minutes
Goofy: You're my son Max. No matter how old you get you'll always be my son.
Beware: Spoilers may follow
If you were to judge this movie based on the title alone you wouldn't think much of it. Even the show this movie stemmed from Goof Troop was very much a product of the 90s. You would just think of it as an extended Goofy cartoon with the standard hijinks from Goofy cartoon shorts. However, this movie proves to be anything but that with a heartfelt and genuine premise and being far more adult than a movie with its title deserved to be.
The story is that Goofy's son Max is set to go on a fishing trip with his father. The problem is that all his friends are watching a concert called Powerline at his love interest Roxanne's house. Max has promised Roxanne that he will be performing with there alongside Powerline as he claims Goofy is friends with the lead singer. Thus on their way to the fishing site, Max secretly attempts to steer them towards the concert instead of the fishing trip.
What makes the story so effective is that you understand both Max and Goofy's perspectives. You really feel the connection between the two and it serves as the driving force throughout the movie. Max just wants his independence and Goofy just wants to be a part of his son's life. And while the movie does come back to its roots of being a silly cartoon even at the movie's goofiest points there are very sincere and emotional moments between the two such as the scene with the hi dad soup and the Nobody Else but You song.
There's also a very adult and the realistic scene at a motel between Goofy and Pete about how both of them act towards their sons and how their sons view them. Through even the smallest amounts of dialogue between the two, it says so much about both of their characters. It honestly makes you wonder what became of Pete's wife and daughter (since the two are neither featured nor even mentioned in this movie).
Roxanne is a very interesting character and it's surprising that she wasn't explored much further beyond this movie. She's shy, nervous, geeky, and in many ways just as awkward as Max. And the similar personalities and interests between the two lead to some cute flirting.
The animation is particularly well done. It hits just the right amount of silliness that you would expect from a cartoon centered around Goofy but also knows how to convey a great deal of emotion through its imagery and character expressions.
In regards to the songs, none of them are bad but there are two that stand out the most. The first is the opening song After Today that has a very catchy tune and clever lyrics. The second is the song at the Powerline concert called Eye to Eye which like After Today has a very nice tune and utilizes great animation, color and energy all throughout.
With all this being said however the movie does have some flaws. And the majority of it comesfrom much of it being a product of the 90s. Such examples include the Stand Out song (although ironically the song is so dated it is quite timeless) and the extreme defiance towards authority figures. There's also Max's best friend Bobby voiced by Pauly Shore although he's not in the movie long. Max himself can be seen as a product of the 90s through him being embarrassed by his father and his need to be cool.
A Goofy movie may have a lot of 90s cheese but it balances it out with a great deal of timelessness. For a movie centered around a very silly character, it put in far more effort than it deserved. As a result it's well worth the following it has. Take a look for yourself and enjoy getting goofy.
Published December 14, 2018 January 3, 2019
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