Deep Dive Disney: Wes Looks at An Extremely Goofy Movie

Welcome back to Deep Dive Disney everyone. Pack your bags, break out the kegs and get ready to smoke weed in your friend’s crowded basement while listening to the local Phish cover band because today, Deep Dive Disney is heading off to College! No, we’re not talking about Monsters University, and, if I can help it, we never will. No, instead we’re looking at An Extremely Goofy movie, the sequel to A Goofy Movie. As you may recall from that particular article, A Goofy Movie is not only my favorite Disney film, it is also easily one of my top ten if not top five favorite movies of all time. It is a film that has resonated with me on a deeply personal level and my love for it has only grown over the years. Is this movie on the same level as its predecessor? No, not at all, but it is still pretty good and continue the themes of the first film very nicely. After finally making it through the awkward hellscape that is one’s high school years, Max, PJ and Bobby are headed off to college where they hope to enjoy some newfound freedom as well as dominate the College X-Games with their rad skateboarding skills. While Max is busy antagonizing the former College X-Games champions, Goofy is having a hard time adjusting to an empty nest. When an incident at work lands Goofy on the unemployment line and there are no decent jobs available for those without a college degree, Goofy has no choice but to go back to college himself. And so, Max’s worst nightmare comes to pass as he and Goofy end up classmates. Max is sympathetic to his father’s situation, but it soon becomes clear that the two are going to have a hard time coexisting. Over the course of their time together, Goofy finds new love, the rival team recruits Goofy into their ranks, PJ becomes a beat poet and hilarity continues to ensue. So, let’s check out the big Goofs on campus as Deep Dive Disney looks at An Extremely Goofy Movie.

Main Character:

Much like last time, the role of main character is split between Max and Goofy, though interestingly enough, while the last movie clearly leaned more towards Max as the focal point, this one is more in favor of Goofy. As such, since we started with Goofy last time, let’s start with Max for this one, voiced once again by our friend Jason Marsden. Something I appreciate about this movie is that while Max and Goofy’s relationship is a lot less adversarial than it was last time, Max hasn’t done a complete one eighty and still finds Goofy annoying and smothering. Yeah, in the last movie the two may have gained a profound understanding of one another, but issues like that don’t vanish overnight. As far as Max on his own goes, he’s determined to finally live his own life, part of that involving becoming a College X-Games superstar. When Goofy shows up, it throws a wrench in his plans and when Goofy becomes an X-Games superstar himself (mostly thanks to Goofy’s own clumsiness and the cheating ways of the rival team) Max starts to doubt himself. It’s not as strong an arc as the one from the previous film, but it is still nice that Max is able to swallow his pride at the end and admit that he needs Goofy’s help.

Speaking of the Goof man, his arc is actually way more interesting this time around. Very early on, it becomes very apparent that Goofy is struggling to adjust to life without Max. Even though losing his job was unfortunate, the fact that it means he has more time with Max seems to make him happy again. However, much like the last movie, this only serves to drive a wedge between the two. Eventually, Max blows up at Goofy, angrily telling him “Get Your Own Life.” Harsh though it may sound, Max isn’t wrong. Goofy has defined himself as a father to Max for so long that he’s forgotten how to be anything else without him. Try though he may to get his own life, particularly through finding a new love interest named Sylvia, his thoughts still turn to Max. The problem is, Max has his own life. Yes, Goofy and Max, as father and son, will always be a part of one another’s lives, but that’s no reason not to live one’s own. Fortunately, Sylvia ends up being a positive influence in Goofy’s life and ultimately, helps ensure that Goofy will be okay adjusting to this new chapter in his life. When Goofy finally admits out loud that Max isn't a kid anymore, it shows that he's finally got it figured out. Also, just as a side note, I also love that they made Goofy an enthusiast for 70’s nostalgia. It weirdly fits his character really well.

Villain:

There’s not much to say about Bradley Uppercrust, the leader of Gamma House and the self-proclaimed king of the College X-Games. He’s voiced by Jeff Bennet, whom fans of my Gargoyles articles will remember as the voice of both Owen and Brooklyn. Jeff Bennet is a talented guy and gets a good line or two, but frankly, the first one was fine without a villain and this one would have been as well. Sure, Bradley shows himself to be ruthless, conceited and more than willing to stab his friends in the back, but at the end of the day, all he really is some dick head frat boy.

Side Characters:

Bobby and PJ return with Pauly Shore and Rob Paulsen reprising their respective roles. Bobby is more or less the same but is given a bit more range of character. PJ on the other hand gets an interesting little subplot where he discovers his hidden talent for poetry that helps him win the heart of an attractive beat poet identified only as Beret Girl. That’s pretty nice.

I surprisingly have a lot to say about Sylvia Marpole, Goofy’s new love interest. First thing’s first, Sylvia is voiced by Bebe Neuwirth, better known as Lilith Crane of Cheers and Frasier fame. As an aside, this is like, what, the fourth movie that’s prominently featured someone who was in Frasier? And I happen to know this to be the case for our next two films. This is just getting weird. That said, I really liked Sylvia and found her surprisingly relatable. She’s clearly shy and socially awkward and some people may even see her as aloof but in actuality, she just has a hard time connecting to people unless a mutual interest becomes apparent. I can honestly say I relate to this character a great deal. A lot of you may not know this, but I have autism and because of that, social interactions are more difficult for me than they are for others. Some might think I’m being rude or strange, but it’s just how my mind works, and I have a tough time relating to people unless I can quickly find a mutual interest. I’d like to think Sylvia is very much the same. In Goofy, who’s about as awkward as you can get, Sylvia finds a kindred spirit and the romance they form is really cute.

No Songs this Time Around, save for a few sweet 70's pop songs. Let's just keep moving.

Memorable Scenes:

There’s actually a couple of scenes worth talking about here. First, there’s this very brief scene where Max is packing for college and Goofy he insists he brings his stuffed bear. Max naturally refuses, but when he thinks Goofy’s not looking, he sleeps with it one last time. It’s actually really sweet.

The scene at the end where Max gives the X-Games trophy to Goofy with the inscription “I’m Not You’re Little Boy Anymore, But I’ll Always Be Your Son” was a real tearjerker. It’s the one time that the film reaches the level of emotional gut punch that the first film did.

Finally, there’s the big disco scene. At a campus nightclub, Goofy bribes the DJ to put on an old disco track for his date with Sylvia. What follows is a super cool dance sequence set to the song Shake Your Groove Thing. I’ll give Goofy this, he may be a complete Goober, but damn, does he have some sick dance moves. It’s really nice seeing Goofy getting to be the coolest man in the room for a change. I really dig it.

Also, if I don’t point it out, someone else will. The bit where Bobby addresses the fact that all Disney characters seem to wear gloves is hilarious.

Story:

We’ve basically covered all the major plot elements in the earlier sections. The theme of learning how to live one’s own life and accepting that your children are independent are very strong. However, as you may have noticed, I haven’t really discussed the X-Games subplot in any significant detail. That’s because I feel that its inclusion was actually a misstep. Adding a whole sports movie plot to the film just feels unnecessary. The main focus of this series, even going back to the Goof Troop days, has always been the dynamic between Goofy and Max, but adding a villain to the mix and an impending competition, it all feels like it was added in to give the movie an exciting climax, something the first movie was able to accomplish without all that. Still, the emotional core of the film remains intact so I guess I can’t complain too much.

The Dark Disney Factor:

This one keeps it pretty lighthearted, but there is one kind of creepy Dream Sequence. It starts off pretty normal, kind of like a 70’s acid flashback with some groovy music playing over it. However, things get pretty dark when Goofy sees Max transform into a terrifying monster and Goofy falls into an empty pit gets a little unsettling.

Final Thoughts: Is this as good as the first? Hell no. Did I enjoy it? I'd say yes. While it has flaws and the emotional stuff isn't quite as strong as it was in the original, this one still was pretty fun and continued the themes of the first film. It's not great, but it's still good. Next time, it's one I've been looking forward to since we started this whole thing. Next time, Deep Dive Disney covers one of the funniest films I've ever seen and one with an extra special place in my heart. Next time, it's the Emperor's New Groove.