The surprising car technology that's no longer available?! The family member that
is shockingly missing? The jaw-dropping decision that affects the entire plot?
Most 90s kids loved "A Goofy Movie" growing up, but there are things only adults noticed!
Max's dream girl Roxanne is portrayed as attractive and sweet throughout "A Goofy
Movie," and both kids and adults will notice that the movie goes out of its way to ensure
the audience understands that Max has it bad for her. What kids may not notice but adults surely
will is just how alluring Roxanne is in Max's mind. In fact, adults will recognize that in
the first scene where Max meets with Roxanne in a field, she's been highly sexualized,
complete with a revealing dress, a come-hither expression, and plenty of sexy poses.
And when it's revealed that the scene is part of Max's dream, adults will realize that it's
Max objectifying his crush. This may be a kids' movie, but it portrays its protagonist
as a hormonal teen boy who, despite being awkward and nervous when he talks to Roxanne,
has feelings toward her that aren't that innocent. Even though adults may find this slightly amusing,
kids are unlikely to notice just how on the nose the film is about Max's adolescent urges.
There are many big names behind the voices of the characters in "A Goofy Movie," but
kids and even many younger adults are unlikely to realize it. The most noteworthy actors were
at the height of their popularity when the film came out, including Jason Marsden, Kellie Martin,
and Jenna Von Oÿ. Marsden continues to work as an in-demand voice actor today, but at the time,
he also appeared in sitcoms like "Full House," "Boy Meets World," and "Step by Step."
Meanwhile, although they still regularly star in movies and TV,
in the '90s, Martin was known for her role in the drama "Life Goes On"
and Van Oÿ for playing Mayim Bialik's best friend in the comedy "Blossom."
Yet the most well-known member of the cast was Pauly Shore, an actor and stand-up comedian who
was a mega-star in the '90s due to a hit MTV show and films like "Encino Man" and "Bio-Dome.
"Cheddar! Aah-ooh! Cheddar whizzy!"
In fact, Shore was so popular when "A Goofy Movie" was made that his work as the voice
of Cheez Whiz-loving slacker Bobby Zimuruski went uncredited. While those who grew up in
the '90s are still likely to recognize his distinct delivery as Bobby, anyone younger
probably won't realize that Shore is the actor behind the character's stylized voice.
"You know, maybe Max isn't all the things you think a son should be, but he loves me."
"Hey, my son respects me."
Goofy's co-worker Pete is the type to take candy from a baby, and he believes the only
way to parent is to keep strict control over his son, but he's not exactly a villain.
Yet, while kids won't think much of his presence in the film, adults familiar with Walt Disney's
career will know that Pete's been causing trouble in Disney productions for almost 100 years.
Pete first appeared as an antagonist in 1925 in one of Disney's live action/animated
hybrid "Alice Comedies." He went on to play the villain of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit,
and when Disney lost the rights to that character, he was the villain of Mickey Mouse.
Throughout the 1930s, Pete made numerous appearances in Mickey Mouse shorts.
He was often a rival to Mickey for the affections of Minnie Mouse, who he tended to kidnap in an
awful attempt to win her over. At the time, Pete was frequently drawn with a wooden peg
in place of one of his legs, leading to his nickname "Peg-leg Pete." The character went on
to appear in shorts opposite other famous Disney characters, including Goofy, who made his first
screen appearance in 1932. Pete continues to pop up in Disney projects to this day.
So although his villainous tendencies are muted in "A Goofy Movie," he always has new
opportunities to go bad in the company's latest movies, shows, video games, or other projects.
"A Goofy Movie" tends to get very meta very often, with Disney Easter eggs popping up
throughout the film. Given how well-known all things Disney are to kids and adults,
both are likely to catch many of these moments. Kids will have no problem noticing Max's Mickey
Mouse phone, when Goofy guesses "Walt Disney" as the answer during a car game between him and Max.
They'll easily spot the times when the character Ariel from "The Little Mermaid" shows up on a
piece of theater scenery early in the film or as a lamp at the hotel Goofy and Max stop at later. But
the movie also includes some more subtle Easter eggs that only adults are likely to notice.
For instance, adults will probably realize that the "D" that appears on Goofy's keychain uses the
font of the Disney logo and that Goofy uses a Bambi stuffed animal to get a little girl
to laugh for a photo. Plus, adults who are familiar with Goofy from before "Goof Troop"
are likely to recognize that his terrible demonstration of how to make the perfect
cast when teaching Max how to fish is reminiscent of the character's hilarious "How to..." shorts.
"Dad, you ruined it"
"Sorry 'bout that. Who was he anyway?"
"It's only Powerline, Dad. The biggest rockstar on the planet."
The pop star Powerline is a catalyst for many of Max's ill-advised actions in "A Goofy Movie." And
in the climax of the film, Max and Goofy end up dancing with Powerline on stage at his Los Angeles
concert. The movie's director Kevin Lima has said the inspiration for the pop star character
came from noted musicians of the time, including Prince, Michael Jackson, and Bobby Brown. Today,
kids may not even notice those influences when watching Powerline's scenes. Many adults,
on the other hand, may find that Powerline reminds them of some popular rock stars of the '70s too.
In particular, Powerline has a very specific stage persona that seems to speak to a combination of
'70s-era David Bowie and Devo. The singer wears a yellow jumpsuit reminiscent of a Hazmat suit,
which is very similar to one of Devo's most well-known costumes from the 1970s. Moreover,
the way David Bowie adopted and committed to on-stage personas in the 1970s,
especially during his Ziggy Stardust era, speaks to the persona Powerline embodies in the film.
In fact, according to Lima, Bowie's commitment to alter egos for his
performances was exactly where the idea for Powerline's theatrical identity,
including the atom symbol that became his logo, came from.
From their first interaction in "A Goofy Movie," it's clear Goofy and Max aren't on the same page.
Goofy seems oblivious to the friction between them, telling Pete that Max is a good kid,
even as Pete loudly registers his skepticism. But after Max pulls a prank to woo his crush,
Roxanne, at a school assembly and his principal calls Goofy to inform him
that his son is a criminal in the making — a mild exaggeration to say the least — Goofy's
fears about the division between him and Max come rushing to the surface.
Instead of talking to Max about what happened, though, Goofy decides to spring a road trip on him
and insists on leaving immediately. Given Max had already scheduled a date with Roxanne, the move
only alienates him further. Max does plenty of questionable things throughout the film,
not the least of which is lying to Roxanne about why he can't keep their date and giving
Goofy directions that will take them to Los Angeles instead of Goofy's planned destination.
But while kids will notice both Goofy and Max aren't making the best choices, adults will notice
the entire plot of the movie hinges on Goofy deciding to take Max on an impromptu vacation,
instead of the more mature parenting choice of being open and honest with his son.
"Maxie, wait up! You forgot your lunch. Have a good day!"
One of the oddest things about "A Goofy Movie" is that none of the main teen characters — Max,
P.J., and Roxanne — appear to have mothers. Stranger still is that no
one comments on the fact that all three kids are being raised by single fathers.
Given how little attention the movie gives it, many kids may miss this strange coincidence.
However, adults are likely to find themselves wondering what happened to the characters' moms.
Of course, it's possible Roxanne has a mother that simply doesn't appear in the film. After all,
we only see her overprotective father when he opens the door for Max. On the other hand,
starting with "Goof Troop" and continuing into "A Goofy Movie," Goofy is known to be a single
father and Max's mother is never mentioned, sparking plenty of fan speculation over the years.
Also sparking fan speculation is the absence of P.J.'s mom, Peg, whose disappearance is
especially puzzling because Peg and P.J.'s little sister, Pistol, were regular characters on "Goof
Troop." In "A Goofy Movie," no one mentions either character, and Pete's cross-country trip with P.J.
appears to be solely a father-son outing. After 25 years of fans theorizing, director
Kevin Lima clarified on Twitter that while Peg and Pistol appeared in early drafts of the film,
they were eliminated to emphasize the differences between Pete and P.J. and Goofy and Max.
When "A Goofy Movie" was released in 1995, it featured plenty of technology,
but while much of it was current for the time, only adults are likely to recognize
a lot of it today. The camera Goofy and Pete use to take pictures at a photo studio in
a big box store was outdated even by 1995 standards, but the cassette tape and video
camera that are a big part of Goofy and Max's road trip were still somewhat current in 1995.
Today, however, kids may not be able to identify the tape deck in Goofy's car,
the cassette he shoves into it, or the tape that shoots out as the cassette unravels.
And although they'll recognize the video camera,
even adults may think it's strange that it appears to only record in black and white.
What may spark the most nostalgia from adults of a certain age is the car cigarette lighter
Goofy uses to heat up a can of soup for Max when they're trapped in their vehicle by a rampaging
Bigfoot. Lighters used to come standard in cars when cigarette smoking was common,
and they remained that way even after the public started to realize the health risks. However,
today, lighters are no longer found in vehicles, and the casual way Goofy uses his, is likely to
confuse anyone who isn't old enough to remember when they were as common in cars as cup holders.
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