‘A Goofy Movie’ Celebrated in New Disney+ Documentary, Debuting 30 Years After Release

Although Goofy's pivotal moment in animation may not have garnered much attention in the 1990s, Disney fans now treasure ‘A Goofy Movie’.

 Eric Kimelton and Christopher Ninness's new Disney+ documentary, ‘Not Just a Goof’, explores the making of the 1995 animated feature that was first disregarded but eventually won a devoted following because of its poignant message.

 Kevin Lima, the director of ‘A Goofy Movie’, considers the project's uncertainties in this exclusive clip.  As a novice filmmaker in charge of a group of upstarts, he viewed the movie as a chance to tell an animated tale in the vein of John Hughes.  Even though ‘A Goofy Movie’ technically still had talking animals, Mickey preferred to concentrate on modern teens rather than the fairy tale and talking-animal movies that dominated Disney's animated lineup at the time.

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The idea for the movie came from Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of Walt Disney Studios at the time, who had been dealing with a difficult relationship with his daughter.  The film's poignant father-son relationship between Goofy and Max was influenced by his own experiences.

 Despite having an $18 million budget, ‘A Goofy Movie’ made $37.6 million at the box office when it opened in April 1995.  It was a lesser priority title in Disney's catalog due to its delayed release and poor earnings, but Tevin Campbell's catchy song ‘I2I’ helped it become extremely successful when it came out on VHS.

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The documentary now examines how this once-overlooked movie became a cult classic thirty years later.  It narrates the tale of a young creative team taking a chance on their first Disney picture, experiencing initial disappointment, and then finding lasting success as the film was welcomed by audiences through interviews and rare archive video.

 On 7th April, the 30th anniversary of ‘A Goofy Movie’, ‘Not Just a Goof’ will debut on Disney+.

–Farheen Ali