Not Just a Goof: An Exemplary Love Letter to a Disney Classic

 


There are things in life that we feel don't get enough credit. Maybe it's a sports team, an athlete, an actor or a movie. Not Just a Goof takes this idea to explore the cult classic A Goofy Movie. I've been a fan of A Goofy Movie for basically my whole life (as have many other millennials I know) and have always wanted to learn more about the film's history. Not Just a Goof was made by and for the generation who grew up with A Goofy Movie.

Not Just a Goof contains a plethora of elements of an effective documentary. The documentarians had access to Kevin Lima's (the director of A Goofy Movie) videotapes that chronicled the making of A Goofy Movie. The vast amount of behind-the-scenes videotapes used really stands out (had to reference one of the songs from A Goofy Movie).  I was continually impressed with how much we as the audience learn about A Goofy Movie all the way from its conceptualization to its release and basically everything in between. Just ask my wife how many times I audibly said "wow", "interesting" or "I didn't know that." There is a lot of valuable insight from the creatives behind A Goofy Movie and I never felt like information was lacking on anything discussed. Recreations can be a part of documentaries, but Not Just a Goof handles them in a fitting way. When an interviewee tells an account of the production the scene is recreated with an animation style akin to A Goofy Movie. This could be seen as a layup, but I still appreciated it. 

My nostalgia and admiration for A Goofy Movie aside, Not Just a Goof is a great documentary. There's a lot of love and emotion behind this documentary. It's quite possible that if you're a fan of A Goofy Movie you'll tear up watching Not Just a Goof. Even if A Goofy Movie isn't your thing, I'd still recommend Not Just a Goof. At the very least you'll learn about an interesting time in Disney's past and how animated movies are made. All in all, I'm so glad that A Goofy Movie continues to get the respect it deserves because of things like Not Just a Goof.

Rating:

Green Light

Not Just a Goof    86 minutes    TV-PG    Streaming on Disney+

My 2025 Top Movies: Not Just a Goof, Novocaine, and You're Cordially Invited

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