Nate At The Movies

Rarely do I chomp at the bit for a documentary—I have no idea how someone prefers a documentary over a fictional narrative—but I was itching to get home from school from my first class to watch Not Just a Goof. I had seen plenty of good things about it and I’m still on my A Goofy Movie high from yesterday, so thank God this was a great doc. I have recently been underwhelmed by the documentaries I’ve seen (mostly the Minecraft one, which was admittedly made on a tiny budget), but Not Just a Goof breathed new life not only into the genre, but the object of its adoration, too.

I’m not a fan of docs that glorify their subjects for the entire runtime, so I was really happy that Not Just a Goof took an crazy deep dive into the development of the film and saved the testimonies for the final 10 minutes. Thanks to a ton of archival footage and some great interviews, it was a treat to watch this film come to life, and to see all of the obstacles this team had to overcome. On the surface, we knew that A Goofy Movie wasn’t ever Disney’s priority, but watching just how much it was sidelined and then still getting a fantastic product was so impressive. All credit to the filmmakers and Kevin Lima, who endured so much to get their passion project out there for an audience that would truly appreciate it.

I especially enjoyed the closer look at the music (which is undefeated—Tevin Campbell was like 17 when he recorded those songs!) and the focus on the uniqueness of its story, especially when compared to the princesses and heroes of Disney’s primary canon. I also loved the original animated chunks of the film, which showcased the filmmakers’ creativity and love for the film, and the original song (that, like “What Would It Look Like” from Freaky Tales, is somehow absent from Apple Music) was great with its allusions to the original soundtrack.

Not Just a Goof was not only a documentary that honored the hardworking filmmakers behind a cult classic that took its time becoming so and the fans who found great meaning in its story, but showcased creativity and depth not often seen in retrospective documentaries like these. I can’t say there’s a documentary out there that I’ve ever rewatched, but Not Just a Goof has a real chance to break the seal.