Not Just A Goof review

NOT JUST A GOOF: 

DISNEY+ DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FAN-FAVORITE 1995 FILM STANDS OUT ABOVE THE CROWD! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

DISNEY+

Max from A Goofy Movie in Not Just a Goof

 

            The untold story about the production of one of Disney’s most beloved cult classics comes to light in Not Just a Goof, the new documentary film on Disney+ chronicling the insane production history and cult status of the 1995 animated feature, A Goofy Movie. I actually rewatched the movie the day before checking out this documentary for the first time in several years and I have to say, A Goofy Movie holds up extremely well especially for a 90s time capsule movie. 

            Compared to something like the original Space Jam, A Goofy Movie is certainly a product of its time, but what makes the movie timeless is the relatability of the story and charm of its characters. Anyone who’s ever been a teenager can easily relate to Max being roped into a chaotic road trip to spend time with his embarrassing dad while any parent can relate to Goofy having to come to terms with his son growing up and still wanting to be a part of his life. 

            This is why movies like A Goofy Movie and The Mitchells VS the Machines work so well because the filmmakers understood the relatability of the situations the characters are involved in and how their bond grows over the course of the story. Just one involves cartoon dogs on a fishing trip and the other involves a family saving the world from a robot invasion, but the human element still remains intact. 

            Now, much like how the 2012 documentary, Persistence of Vision chronicled the wild production of The Thief and the Cobbler (Another animated feature released in 1995), we have a documentary released exactly 30 years after the movie came out about A Goofy Movie’s production and how it’s been celebrated as a cult classic over the years. It is also absolutely fantastic and a giant love letter to the movie and the phenomenon it sparked. 

            The film follows a young creative team tasked with tackling their first Disney animated feature and facing disappointment upon release due to negative reviews and a lackluster box-office. However, these filmmakers discover that their film gained a passionate following decades later. 

Through key interviews with the voice cast and crew and rare archival footage, it explores the struggles, victories, and studio dynamics that helped shaped A Goofy Movie into a celebrated piece of obscure Disney media that’s still being watched and discussed 30 years later. 

The film features interviews with the movie’s director Kevin Lima (Who also directed Tarzan, 102 Dalmatians, and Enchanted for Disney), Goofy and Max’s voice actors Bill Farmer and Jason Marsden, character designer Bruce W. Smith, and music producer David Z among others and archival footage of then-Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, Pete and PJ’s voice actors Jim Cummings and Rob Paulsen, Roxanne and Stacey’s voice actresses Kellie Martin and Jenna von Oÿ, Bigfoot’s voice actor Frank Welker (Who also voiced Abu in Disney’s Aladdin among many other things), and Powerline’s voice actor and singer Tevin Campbell. 

Overall, Not Just a Goof is an informative and beautiful love letter to a nostalgic fan-favorite that’s honestly just as heartfelt and wholesome as the movie itself. Compared to other animated projects with crazy productions like Toy Story 2, the already mentioned, The Thief and the Cobbler, you probably wouldn’t expect A Goofy Movie to be one of those kinds of films yet it’s actually a miracle this movie saw the light of day with Disney shifting much of their focus over to their bigger releases at the time like The Lion King and how it was seen as an obligation to put the movie out with little marketing or advertising. 

The film was conceived as an animated version of a John Hughes movie, but with talking animals and made under Disney’s Television Animation division with a significantly smaller scale compared to the films Walt Disney Feature Animation was putting out at the time. It seemed like Disney had little fate in the project despite everyone onboard pouring their heart and soul into getting it made and even the higher ups making some questionable decisions like Katzenberg’s brilliant idea of having Steve Martin voice Goofy. 

I also had no idea that a black pixel on the film print nearly ruined the movie and that the animation team was constantly being moved back and forth between studio to studio with even Disney Feature Animation taking over the France animation division which resulted in the Disney MovieToons animators having to work on planks of plywood in a medical room in the France studio. The film really exemplifies the difficulties and struggles of animation and how even a small, road trip animated comedy about a father and son bonding can have many setbacks during production. 

The documentary also shows the impact the movie had on people after it received mixed reviews from critics and underperforming at the box-office through several cosplays, scene re-enactments, voice cast and crew discussing the film at conventions and events, and people just sharing their memories with the movie. I actually got a little teary-eyed when someone mentioned that after his parents separated, his mom got him a VHS tape of A Goofy Movie which helped him get through the hard time and remember the times he spent with his dad. 

Not Just a Goof is a documentary that shows how a 90s time capsule movie is much more than meets the eye and why it’s still being watched, cherished, and talked about to this very day. It made me rediscover why I enjoyed A Goofy Movie as a kid and respect it even more now as an adult to the point where voice actors Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, and Rob Paulsen all signed my childhood VHS copy of the film when I met them at various conventions, for the first time I’m seeing “I2I” with this movie…and that song will be in my head until the day I die which I am perfectly fine with.