Andy Matzke

I am a huge fan of “A Goofy Movie” but on a recent viewing of the film I came to a startling conclusion. Almost the entirety of the film takes place in the subconscious mind of Maximilian Goofy. In the first scene of the film we see a dream of dear Max’s which reveals his deep fears of being like his father. At first glance the film seems like a simple answer to the dilemma but upon careful examination the film is much much more. At around 17:51 Max gets jumped on by his buddy and close confident P.J. on his fricking neck. A blow that surely would kill even the strongest of goofs. From that point on the movie looses its strong grip on reality and becomes a fever dream. From the cheers of his peers to surreal musical numbers that has no regard for the laws of physics or basically any acknowledgment of common sense. There is no other explain for the long train of events that follows in the film other than that Maximilian Goof is dead during the duration of the film, or at the very least in a comatose possibly even vegetive state. We are not witnessing a feel good story about fatherhood and the power of honesty but we are watching the final thoughts of an awkward yet optimistic teen who has so much life left that his mind has refused to give up, his mind has created the ideal world that resolves all the conflicts of his adolescent mind. But his mind still remembers the trauma of his past. This is reflected in the mass amounts of chaos and violence throughout the film. From the curb stomping of Lester the possum to electrocution of the security guard at the final concert. There are also several events in the movie where Goofy himself bites the dust, this represents the resentment that max still has for his father. The end of the film is clearly not a moral lesson on how to achieve happiness. But it is the ravings of an immature that still seeks attention and gratification whilst is slowly fades into nothing. This is the only appropriate interpretation of the the events of “A Goofy Movie”. MAX IS DEAD.