02.06
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqE74c54Nfc
I think it’s safe to assume that DuckTales was the king of the Disney Afternoon block. Having 100 episodes and being Disney’s first big syndicated hit, it’s not hard to understand why it would be. When the show’s time on the block was coming to an end in 1992, it wouldn’t be surprising that the heads at Disney figured that they needed a big show to follow up on it(it’s also worth noting that DuckTales would return to the block for it’s 1997-1998 season, but that wouldn’t be for another five years. Even before then, some markets still aired DuckTales before the block, sometimes just before it). What better way to replace one of Disney’s seminal animated series than with a new series starring one of Disney’s seminal characters.
Although using characters from Walt’s classic theatrical shorts to these shows wasn’t a terribly new idea(Huey, Dewey, and Louie were stars of theatrical cartoons/pests of Donald for years, as were Chip ‘N Dale, and Humphrey the Bear appeared in a memorable Rescue Rangers episode), besides Donald showing up in a few DuckTales episode in the show’s original 65 episode run, Disney’s biggest names were kept to a minimum on their shows. As Disney’s animated programs continued to prove to be a big success for the mouse house, it seemed like it was time to give one of their big five their own program.
But who, however? Mickey was probably a bit too big to have a new show take away the attention he gets from the happiest place(s) on Earth, so maybe not him. Minnie is a package deal with Mickey, so she’s out. True, there could be the odd special such as Totally Minnie, but that worked better as a one-shot than an ongoing series. Who wanted to see a show staring a girl, anyway? Unless it involved mermaids, that didn’t seem like Disney’s thing at the time. Donald is great, but they already put Darkwing Duck out the previous year, so having two semi-spin-offs to DuckTales air on the block would seem unnecessary; why spend so much money on new properties when you can just make new DuckTales? His time would come soon enough, anyhow. And while Pluto is a great asset to many of Mickey and the gang’s cartoons, as well as some of his own, could he really handle his own TV series?
What about Goofy? He’s funny, likable, and at that point, had proven to be an eternally popular character. Doing a show where the Goofster messes up for a half-hour or attempts to show us how to do mundane everyday activities wouldn’t do so well, so why not change things up a bit? This is where Disney came in; they gave Goofy a son and made him move next door to good ol’ Pete, who got a family of his own, to boot.
This is how we got Goof Troop, a show that became one of Disney’s biggest successes of the early 90’s. It’s run on the block started in the 1992-1993 season and continued until the 1995-1996 season wrapped up. The block broadcasted a 65-episode season while ABC simultaneously aired a batch of 13 episodes, as well as a memorable Christmas special.
Some Disney TV animation fans consider Goof Troop the end of the block’s peak of excellence, considering that Goof wasn’t as big on adventure as DuckTales or TaleSpin was and focused primarily on laughs. While looking at it again, it isn’t as strong as these shows, but I think Goof Troop holds up all the same, if for different reasons.
As it goes in the two-part premier “Forever Goof”, Goofy, everyone’s favorite klutz, finally lands himself a job in Spoonerville, his old home town. He and his son Max head back, but first they need to find a house. When Goofy finds his old best friend Pete’s house, he talks to his loving wife, Peg, who agrees to let the Goofs stay at their house until Goofy can fix the house they bought next door. Pete resents this himself, as he can’t stand the nutball, but Peg puts him in his place and reminds Pete that a bit of hospitality goes a long way. Max makes good friends with Pete’s son, Pete Junior, who prefers to go by P.J., which Pete himself also resents. Anyone who was born as the son of a Goof must be a nuisance, after all.
This doesn’t bode well with Goofy, who has Max not talk to Pete’s family either. The two kids try to find a way to have Goofy and Pete reconcile. This doesn’t work out, as the two dads make Max and P.J. compete with each other rather than to decide who’s the better kid. After a few silly games, Peg gets Goofy and Pete to calm down, and both families settle down to have a barbeque with each other.
From the description of the pilot, I paint this out to sound a bit like a sitcom. While the imitational comedy had went through some development in the past few years, making the family sitcom seem a bit outdated, I’ll go on the record to say that Goof Troop works better as a family comedy than most of the ones put out around the time it debuted. I believe this to be so because I have an affection for most of the characters. Granted, Goof Troop has a relatively smaller cast than most of Disney’s series from the time, mostly due to a lack of antagonists, but it helps that two of the main characters have a rich history with the mouse house, and I have grown accustomed to the others.
Granted, most plots of the show are basic sitcom material, like overweight Pete trying to deal with a diet in an area surrounded with food, or Max having P.J. fake sick so the two can skip a day of school without Pete being the wiser, but Goof uses the many advantages of animation to make these stories feel fresh, not to mention use the show’s well-defined characters make the best out a seemingly mundane situation. What could have been trite feels fresh, like having Goofy practice his ninja skills a la his classic “How to …” cartoon shorts while Pete goes through his diet, or having Pete go on a wild goose chase to catch up on Max and P.J. while they go on their day off, being none the wiser.
These episodes also wouldn’t be what they were without the magic of clear, precise animation. I’ve been laying off writing about the animation in these series, so I should probably take the time to mention that Disney went through a change in their animating methods in the few years exceeding Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers. Instead of outsourcing their animation to places such as TMS or Wang like Disney did with some of their earlier series, the studio started to focus it’s attention on using their own animation studios in France and Australia. They still occasionally used studios such as Kennedy or Sunwoo, but France and Australia became these show’s main attenders.
It’s worth noting that both animation studios have come a long way since their mediocre joint custody work in the DuckTales movie, which was too choppy, and France’s work on the TaleSpin “Plunder and Lightning” pilot, which moved very slowly and awkwardly. Their work on Darkwing Duck started to become more lively and cartoony, which fit right in with the show, but France and Australia’s work on Goof Troop’s work was something else. There were weak episodes animation wise on Darkwing, but I’m hard pressed to think of a Goof episode that doesn’t look near movie quality. It seems to me that Walt Disney Animation Australia’s division, who gave out the show’s best work, especially took an interest in the characters, as each one seems to have their own unique bits of character movement that only the animators there could handle, be it Goofy’s clueless shuffle or little Pistol’s hyper bounces.
But solid character animation is nothing without solid characters. You have Goofy, the lovable nut who has been a cartoon star for a good 60 years before the show premiered, and is as lovable as ever in the show. Goofy attempts to be the best dad for Max out there, but he can’t hide the Goof in him, and constantly embarrasses Max. Max himself is especially fascinating as he attempts to become the anti-Goofy. He goes to school, passes his classes, and gets everything at check with ease, while Goofy has difficulties getting the mail. Max is a great thinker that can make great inventions at the drop of a hat. As much as Max tries however, he can’t completely hide his Goof genes, and occasionally messes up. This allows Max to bond closer with his father when he does, and help him get the picture that as clever as he might be, Max is a Goof at heart
Pete‘s family is just as entertaining, the big man especially. What makes Pete so great is his larger than life, commanding personality. Although he’s about as brainless as Goofy, he constantly brings himself out to be a much smarter, charismatic person. Look at how pathetic he is at golf in “Tee for Two”, or how clumsy his is in “Buddy Building”. Pete is as dim as Goofy, but can make himself look much better instantly. He’s been put in his place several times in the show by his loving wife, Peg. She tends to be a bit annoying wither her commanding, but considering how she must be suffering living with a money-grubbing, harshly interrogating jerkwad of a husband, I find it hard to fault her when she stands up for herself.
Their kids are fine. P.J. is a bit more socially awkward and confused than Max, which makes him more impressionable. It also makes sense that Pete has been able to control him to do everything he wishes of P.J. without a word back from him, at least before Max came into his life and helped P.J. stand up for himself more. Then his sister Pistol is adorably chaotic. She’s more likely to make Pete break due to how precious she is, and break him she shall. Younger siblings tend to be hit or miss in TV shows and movies. Either they’re delightfully adorable or enjoyably menaceful, or too sweet or too sadistic. Pistol is a good balance, as she’s sweet but not too sweet, nor is she too much of a menace to her brother, but is rightfully able to goad Pete. Pistol is often a great asset to P.J. and Max when needed, and rarely too much of a nuisance.
Max seems to be the highlight of the show, however. Giving Goofy an opposite from his basic character to balance out his oddity adds more to his character, especially considering that he has a son to give guidance to. Goof Troop spends time on both father and son, giving both Goofs their chance to shine in the light. We hardly even got to see Max and P.J. at school, something you wouldn’t expect from a kid’s show today.
It’s also worth pointing out that there are two movies staring Goofy and Max, adding age to Max while further expanding his relationship with his dad.
The first is 1995’s A Goofy Movie, released in theaters. We follow Max three years after Goof Troop takes place as Max and P.J. finish their last day of middle school in style. Max acts out his musical hero, Powerline, during his school’s final assembly, which causes the principal to freak out and call Goofy to warn him about Max’s future. Goofy takes what the principal says at face value and decides to take Max on a fishing trip to Lake Destiny, Idaho, rather than let Max stay in Spoonerville to take his crush, Roxanne, to a party. The two go through an awkward road trip across the nation where Goofy tries to reacquaint with Max, but fails to in the process until the end of the movie, where they get a great chance to show off.
This is followed up in 2000’s direct to video An Extremely Goofy Movie, when we follow Max, P.J., and their friend Bobby as they head off to college. On a nostalgic trip during work, Goofy messes up the product line’s work, and loses himself a job. At unemployment, he is told that since he was one year away from earning a college degree, it would be next-to-impossible for him to get a job in today’s economy. He heads off to the same campus Max and his friends are enrolled in to make up that one year of school. The two initially don’t get along well, especially when Goofy, after another classic freak accident, pulls a decidedly crazy skateboarding stunt which catches the attention of Max’s extreme sports rival. Goofy ends up joining the opposing team while Max and his team continue to practice. After a year of studying, extreme sports, and even a little romance for Goofy,. Max’s freshman year is over, and Goofy heads off. It seems as if the hostility between the two had been cut back from what Max used to think of his father.
Both of these movies are highly enjoyable, if you’re a fan of Goof Troop or even if you’re not. They’re solid follow-ups to the show, even if Peg and Pistol are missing(it’s highly likely that Pete and Peg split up with each other, and Peg took Pistol while Pete got to keep P.J.), while both are funny as their own movies. If you’re a fan of the character of Goofy, even if you’re not a big Goof Troop fan, these are highly recommended, as Goofy’s character continues to be advanced in them.
Overall Goof Troop is a nice, worthy addition of the Disney Afternoon lineup. If you’re able to accept some less than original plots in favor of bright animation and classic slapstick humor, it shouldn’t be too hard to enjoy the Goof.
Disney hasn’t bothered releasing a box set of the show, but a single disc three episode volume is available to purchase on DVD, as are both movies. A Goofy Movie comes with an episode of the show, sans intro, but that and the single release are as close as you can currently get to owning the show on DVD.
Originally posted on Tuesday, June 8, 2010.