Directed by Kevin Lima, the film is based on The Disney Afternoon television series Goof Troop created by Robert Taylor and Michael Peraza, and serves as a standalone spin-off to the show.
Taking place three years after the events of Goof Troop, the film follows Goofy and his now teenage son Max as they embark on a misguided cross-country father-son fishing trip across the United States.
The film features the voices of Bill Farmer, Jim Cummings, and Rob Paulsen reprising their roles from the series as Goofy, Pete, and P.J., respectively, while Jason Marsden replaces Dana Hill as Max, alongside Kellie Martin, Wallace Shawn, and Pauly Shore as new characters.
Furthermore, R&B artist Tevin Campbell provides the vocals for Powerline, a fictional pop star who prominently appears in the film, performing the songs "Stand Out" and "I 2 I".
Max Goof is an average teenager who pines after his classmate Roxanne, worships the pop star Powerline, and has a tense relationship with his clumsy, old-fashioned father Goofy, whom he fears turning into.
The performance succeeds in making Max a school celebrity, and he invites Roxanne with him to a viewing party of a live broadcast of Powerline's upcoming concert in Los Angeles.
Goofy, after school principal Mazur warns him about Max's potential juvenile delinquency, immediately plans a fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho, to curb his son's behavior.
Max attempts to cancel his date with Roxanne, but panics and tells her that not only are he and Goofy traveling to Los Angeles to personally see the concert, but that Powerline has invited them onstage.
The car explodes, ejecting Goofy right into the air and falling through the porch roof of Roxanne's house, and Max proudly introduces his father to his new girlfriend.
Tevin Campbell and Pauly Shore make uncredited appearances as the pop star Powerline and Max's friend Bobby Zimuruski respectively.
Director Kevin Lima portrays a walk-around character at Lester's Possum Park and provides the vocal effects for Roxanne's father.
[9] Florence Stanley plays a waitress, Jo Anne Worley portrays Principal Mazur's upbeat secretary Miss Maples, and Julie Brown and Joey Lawrence voice popular students Lisa and Chad.
Dante Basco, Sheryl Bernstein, Pat Carroll, Corey Burton, E.G. Daily, Carol Holliday, Steve Moore, Brian Pimental and Jason Willinger provide additional voices.
[10][11] When considering ideas for a TV special, Disney decided to produce a theatrical film based on the show, contracting Jymn Magon to write a feature-length script starring Goofy.
[12] The character of Powerline was heavily inspired by real-life pop stars, including Michael Jackson, Prince, and Bobby Brown.
[28] In order to avoid competition between The Swan Princess and The Pagemaster, and due to production setbacks, the released date was moved to April 1995.
[citation needed] It was reissued on June 20, 2000, along with a DVD version, as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection series.
The Pixibox renders were displayed on a high-definition commercial-grade calibrated monitor which was filmed in 35mm using the successive exposure technique, one frame at a time.
The website's critical consensus reads, "A Goofy Movie offers enough of its titular ingredient to satisfy younger viewers, even if most parents will agree that this beloved character deserves better.
"[14] Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, Peter Stack summarized it as "brutal", and said that "there's no denying that A Goofy Movie can't be a proud moment for Walt Disney Pictures.
"[43] While the Los Angeles Times questioned the overall tone of the film,[44] Empire's Bob McCabe gave the movie three stars out of five and the following verdict: "Harmless enough day in the sun for Goofy; pity there's an overwhelming feeling throughout that he deserves better.
"[45] From The New York Times, Stephen Holden called the film's story "too rambling and emotionally diffuse for the title character to come fully alive.
"[46] Writing for Variety, Todd McCarthy criticized the film's score, and felt that the personality of Goofy's character, while agreeable enough in support, proved a bit over the top for a headliner, and that "by any reasonable reckoning, he's distinctly overbearing and selfish, and responds with a bland dismissal to any opinion offered up by his son".
[47] In a 2020 editorial for Rotten Tomatoes, Rafael Matomayor wrote: "Featuring a small-scale story that kids can see themselves in, an excellent portrayal of teenage life and father-son relationships, and, crucially, a soundtrack filled with earworms to rival the work of Rice and Menken, the movie has something for everyone.
"[48] Nell Minow of Common Sense Media praised the low-key tone and humor of the film, concluding: "Even tweens will enjoy this road trip with Goofy.
[58] Those in attendance included Bill Farmer, Marsden, Jim Cummings, Rob Paulsen, Jenna von Oÿ and producer Don Hahn.
[4][60] In the video game Disney Magic Kingdoms, Pete appears making some references to the film, wearing the same clothes and owning the same recreational vehicle with which he goes camping.
Inside of the attraction's queue, there are parody movie posters including one featuring Goofy and Max (parodying the 1976 film Freaky Friday) with the tagline "Father and son who never saw eye to eye", and another (parodying the 2008 film High School Musical 3: Senior Year) featuring Max, P.J., Roxanne, Bobby, and Stacey, and a concession stand in the queue includes a brand of candy on display called Powerlimes, featuring Powerline on the wrapper, with an offer to win a trip to Lester's Possum Park on the candy's display box.
[82] A direct-to-video sequel, titled An Extremely Goofy Movie was released on DVD and VHS on February 29, 2000, and serves as the finale to the Goof Troop series as a whole.