A Goofy Movie: A Look Back 25 Years Later

A Quick Review in Retrospect of A Goofy Movie

This week 25 years ago, Disney released a film called A Goofy Movie. It was based on a show that didn’t make it past its first season. Unlike all its other films, A Goofy Movie got modest reviews. In other words, it looked like it would be forgotten.

Then my generation proved all the critics wrong. Millennials loved A Goofy Movie, and once we grew up, we turned it into a cult film with merch, re-enactments, and just enjoying the film. I just finished re-watching it, and I can say that yes, this movie lives up to the hype behind it.

If you haven’t seen the movie on VHS, Disney Channel, or Disney+, then here’s the basic plot: Goofy’s the single father to his teenage son Max, who ‘s constantly embarrassed by his dad’s antics. So, in an effort to reconnect to his son, Goofy decides to take his son on a cross-country fishing trip. Which is bad for Max, since he just asked his crush Roxanne out on a date. Then the boy dug his own grave by lying to her and saying he was going to be onstage with famous singer Powerline during a concert everyone’s going to be watching. Thus, hijinks ensue.

Timeless, Yet Dated in All the Right Ways

Fans who grew up with this film agree that A Goofy Movie works so well for two reasons. Reasons that, ironically, seem like polar opposites: it’s timeless, and at the same time dated.

As a kid, I loved A Goofy Movie (when some scenes didn’t scare me!) for the titular character’s brand of slapstick. Now that I’m adult, though, I love it for being a great story about the bond between parent and child. We’ve all been in Max and Goofy’s shoes at one point in our lives. Either we feel like our parents are treating us like we’re still little kids, or we feel like we don’t understand our kids anymore. It’s tough, but it’s a big part of being a parent or growing up.

What’s important, though, is that kids and parents learn to see eye to eye (no pun intended!) They just need to sit down and talk things out, and everything will turn out fine. Granted, Max and Goofy do so while rafting through the Grand Canyon, but that’s not the point.

As for the dated, I mean that’s A Goofy Movie is a time capsule of everything worth remembering from the 90s. From the rebelling against authority figures who don’t get what’s cool to the Michael Jackson-Prince fusion that is Powerline, it’s nostalgic for my generation. And the 90s are now nostalgically profitable, so it’s a win-win for everyone!

If you haven’t already seen A Goofy Movie, then go watch it now on Disney+ or rent it on demand. It’s a great film for all generations. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna listen to “I2I”

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