Voices of Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings, and Kellie Martin
Directed by Kevin Lima
Music and Lyrics by various
Betty Grable is hardly the only person whose summer vacation didn't go the way she planned. This continuation of the early 90's cartoon Goof Troop shows what happens when everyone's favorite slapstick-prone single dog dad and his teen son go on a wild ride...and learn a lot about how to communicate with one another in the process. How does this story of father-son bonding gone wrong look nowadays? Let's begin in a golden field, somewhere in the mind of 14-year-old Max Goof (Marsden), and find out...
The Story: Max ends his school year by turning a dull assembly into a concert for his favorite singer Powerline (Tevin Campbell) with the help of his buddies PJ (Rob Paulsen) and Bobby (Pauly Shore). His sweet crush Roxanne (Martin) is impressed, enough for him to ask her on a date. His principal (Wallace Shawn), is furious. He calls his father Goofy (Farmer) and claims his son may be heading for a terrible future if he continues to pull such stunts.
Horrified, Goofy takes his son on a two week road trip to Lake Destiny in the hope of keeping him on the straight and narrow. Max tells Roxanne his dad knows Powerline and they're actually going to the big concert. Now Max has to figure out how to get there, with his sanity intact...and without hurting his father's feelings in the process.
The Animation: Considering this was farmed out to at least three overseas Disney animation units, not bad. Looks a bit better than the Goof Troop TV series generally did, anyway. Goofy and Pete were redrawn to more closely resemble what they looked like in the original shorts, and the kids actually do look like dog teens. There's some nicely-done set pieces later in the film, especially Max and Goof on the river and the Powerline concert near the end.
The Song and Dance: Who knew Goofy could be so funny and so heartbreaking? It's really interesting to watch how his relationship with Max evolves in this movie, from a sullen teen tired of his dad's antics and a dad who desperately wants to reconnect to his child to a more mutual understanding. Farmer gives Goofy more emotion than you might think possible, especially when they're stuck in the car on the river; Marsden was so well-received as Max, he's been the character's primary voice artist ever since. The teen characters are surprisingly realistic for a Disney movie, too, especially in the opening number where we see just about every teenage stereotype in the book as they all cheer getting out of school.
Favorite Number: "After Today" is the big opening song, with every kid in school, from the popular jocks to the geeks to Max and his buddies, singing about how thrilled they are to be done for the summer. "Stand Out" is Max's impromptu Powerline number at the assembly, complete with the closest thing three 14-year-old boys could manage to big screen special effects and Max being lifted into the air.
Goofy's thrilled to take Max "On the Open Road." Max...not so much. Maybe the kid would be more interested in the number if he saw some of the incredibly weird things happening on the highway, including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck thumbing a ride, a trio of comely cowgirls, a guy in cement shoes, and a dancing corpse. Max and Goofy finally find common ground when they're bumping down the river on what's left of their car, admitting that "Nobody Else But You" would care as much about them. "I 2 I" is Powerline's number at the concert, as father, son, and pop star finally come together to celebrate bonding and how we can find love through communication.
Trivia: Long-time country actor Pat Buttram's last film role. Listen for him as the obnoxious costumed character who won't leave Max alone at Lester's Possum Park.
The movie was originally made in late 1993, but production problems in France and original producer Jefferey Katzenberger's departure held it back until 1995.
What I Don't Like: As fun as this is, I can understand why it's not held in the same regard as the huge Disney epics and Pixar films released around the same time. The story is a bit cliched, especially once Max and Goofy get on the road. Max may adore Roxanne, but she doesn't do much besides look adorable, and most of the other kids do even less. Despite PJ's panic over how his father will react to the Powerline stunt at the assembly, we never do see how he reacts, or if PJ was punished for it. There's also the fact that so much of this, from Powerline and special effects and baggy costume to Pete's then-top-of-the-line trailer to references to other Disney films of the time, is very early 90's and has dated a bit.
There's also the changes from Goof Troop to consider. Max and Goofy were never this antagonistic on the show, and we never see any other characters besides Goofy, Max, Pete, and PJ, like their pets and Pete's wife and daughter.
The Big Finale: If your older kids love Goofy or are fans of Goof Troop, or you have fond memories of seeing it on video in the mid-late 90's, you'll want to hit the open road and check this out.
Home Media: Out of print on DVD, and the Blu-Ray was only released through the Disney Movie Club. Streaming is by far your best bet for this one; Disney Plus has it for free with a subscription.
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