A Goofy Movie
A father-son road trip with unexpected detours.
A Goofy Movie is a 1995 American animated musical road comedy from Walt Disney Television Animation. It was Kevin Lima’s first film as director and is a standalone spin-off of the TV series Goof Troop, set three years after that show. The story follows Goofy and his teenage son Max on a misguided cross-country fishing trip. Jeffrey Katzenberg, then Disney chairman, suggested the plot after a planned car trip with his daughter. Bill Farmer, Jim Cummings, and Rob Paulsen reprise their TV roles as Goofy, Pete, and P.J., while Jason Marsden voices Max, replacing Dana Hill.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Kevin Lima
- Screenplay
- Jymn Magon
- Chris Matheson
- Brian Pimental
- Story
- Jymn Magon
- Based on
- Goof Troop
- Robert Taylor
- Michael Peraza Jr.; Goofy
- Art Babbitt
- Frank Webb
- Producer
- Dan Rounds
- Starring
- Bill Farmer
- Jason Marsden
- Jim Cummings
- Kellie Martin
- Rob Paulsen
- Wallace Shawn
- Editing
- Gregory Perler
- Music
- Carter Burwell
Facts from the source article.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I 2 I | Patrick DeRemer, Roy Freeland, DeRemer, Freeland | 4:01 |
| 2 | After Today | Jack Feldman, Tom Snow | 2:21 |
| 3 | Stand Out | DeRemer, Freeland | 3:00 |
| 4 | On the Open Road | Feldman, Snow | 3:00 |
| 5 | Lester's Possum Park | Kevin Quinn, Randy Petersen, Quinn, Petersen | 1:24 |
| 6 | Nobody Else But You | Feldman, Snow | 2:34 |
| 7 | Opening Fanfare/Max's Dream | 1:49 | |
| 8 | Deep Sludge | 2:03 | |
| 9 | Bigfoot | 2:13 | |
| 10 | Hi Dad Soup | 1:31 | |
| 11 | Runaway Car | 2:16 | |
| 12 | Junction | 0:45 | |
| 13 | The Waterfall!/The Truth | 3:10 |
Track listing from the source article.
Plot
Max Goof is an average teenager who pines after his classmate Roxanne, idolizes pop star Powerline, and has a tense relationship with his clumsy and old-fashioned father Goofy, whom he fears he may end up taking after. On the last day of school before summer vacation, Max, with help from his friends P.J. and Bobby Zimuruski, hijacks a school assembly and dances while lip syncing to one of Powerline's songs. The performance succeeds in making Max popular, and he invites Roxanne to a viewing party of a live broadcast of Powerline's upcoming concert in Los Angeles. After school principal Mazur exaggeratingly warns Goofy about Max's potential 'juvenile delinquency,' Goofy immediately plans a fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho. Max panics and tells Roxanne that not only are he and Goofy traveling to Los Angeles to attend the concert, but that Powerline has invited them onstage. The Goofs hit the road, visiting a run-down opossum-themed amusement park where Goofy inadvertently embarrasses Max. They later run into P.J. and his father, Pete, while camping. Goofy takes his son fishing and shows him a special technique, accidentally luring Bigfoot to their camp. While Goofy sleeps, Max alters the map's route to Los Angeles. The next morning, Goofy makes Max the navigator, and the duo enjoy several stops together. Pete overhears Max's plan and informs Goofy. When Max chooses the route to California, a furious Goofy stops the car at the Grand Canyon. With the brake loose, the car rolls away; the Goofs chase after it and end up riding it down the Colorado River. After a heated argument, Goofy acknowledges that Max will always be his son, and they reconcile. Goofy decides to take him to the concert. In Los Angeles, the Goofs sneak onstage and become part of the performance, delighting Roxanne. Max tells Roxanne the truth, and she admits she always liked him. The car explodes, ejecting Goofy into the porch roof of Roxanne's house, and Max proudly introduces his father to his new girlfriend.
Production
In the early 1990s, former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg commissioned the project, suggesting a storyline inspired by a planned car trip with his daughter to Goof Troop's story supervisor Jymn Magon. Magon thought it would be an interesting idea for the story of Goofy and Max, wanting to make a movie about 'contemporary teenagers' as opposed to 'talking animal movies and fairytales.' The film was the feature film directorial debut for Disney story artist and animator Kevin Lima, who went on to direct Tarzan (1999), 102 Dalmatians (2000), and Enchanted (2007). Goofy was given an emotional side to show depth to the 'emotional arc of the story.' The film was jointly produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, Walt Disney Television Animation, and Disney MovieToons, with outsourcing to Walt Disney Animation France and Walt Disney Animation Australia, along with additional Disney animation studios in Spain and Canada. Bill Farmer, Jim Cummings, and Rob Paulsen reprised their roles from Goof Troop. Max, voiced by Dana Hill in Goof Troop, is voiced in the film by Jason Marsden when speaking and Aaron Lohr when singing. Farmer recorded his lines for more than 25 studio sessions. After Farmer recorded nearly all of Goofy's lines, Katzenberg wanted to replace Farmer with Steve Martin, using his normal voice. Farmer was asked to voice Goofy using his regular speaking voice, but after many weeks, he re-recorded his lines to speak in Goofy's regular voice. The film is dedicated to Pat Buttram, who voiced the emcee at the possum park, as he died after finishing his voice work.
Reception
A Goofy Movie was released theatrically in the United States and Canada on April 7, 1995, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution through the Walt Disney Pictures banner. Because it had been greenlit by Katzenberg, its release was deemed by Disney to be a contractual obligation. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a modest commercial success, grossing $37.6 million against an $18 million production cost worldwide.
Legacy
With its home media release, A Goofy Movie garnered a cult following and has become a more prominent property within Disney. A direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie, was released on February 29, 2000. A documentary about the making of A Goofy Movie, Not Just a Goof, premiered in 2024 and was released on Disney+ in 2025 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the film's original release.
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