Contents
Reviews
How
Discs Are Rated
#
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
News
Archives
DVD
Guide
Contest
About
DVDlaunch
Meet
The Staff
Contact
|
An Extremely Goofy Movie
review by Zach B.
Rated G
Studio: Disney
With the voices of Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Bebe
Neuwirth, Rob Paulsen, Pauly Shore
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Written by Hillary Carlip and Scott Gorden
Directed by Douglas McCarthy and Ian Harrowell
Retail Price: 29.99
Features: "Kids Goofiest Jokes" Bonus Program, "An
Extremely Goofy Movie" Interactive Trivia Game, "Me And My
Dad" Interactive Read-Along, Cleopatra's "Right Back Where
We Started From" Music Video. DVD-ROM: Magic Artist Studio
Demo, Weblinks
Specs: 1.66:1 Widescreen, 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
English, English Captions, Chapter Search
Back in 1995, Disney released "A Goofy Movie", a musical
adventure which took Goofy, a single dad with a son Max on a
road trip. It wasn't one of those big monster animated
pictures they hype up, but a modest film venture which was
animated in their France studio. The film did pretty well,
and was also based on their cartoon series "Goof Troop".
It would only make sense for Disney to do another Goofy
Movie, directly to video of course. The result is "An
Extremely Goofy Movie", which, I must say, is a lot better
than most direct to video sequels. It also breaks the mold
of sorts by having no songs sung by any of the characters.
The sequel has Goofy's son, Max, going off to college.
Max can't wait to get away from his dad, and thinks it's
going to be the best without him. Goofy, being a good father
he is, terribly misses his son after he leaves, and in spite
of this, screws up at the toy factory he works at (wasn't he
a baby photographer in the first one?) and realizes the only
way to get a decent job is complete his last year of college
(Goofy was a drop-out!). Goofy goes to the same college Max
is at, and trouble ensues. Max is also trying to make it
into the ESPN XGames, but a faternity sees that he doesn't,
as well as putting father against son.
I mentioned this sequel is better than most direct to
video ones, and here's why: the animation is a lot more
solid than usual and looks better, and the story works. The
characters are well developed, and the whole college
background is a nice setting. The film also has heart and a
good message for the younger ones about family. If you
enjoyed the first movie, you're sure to enjoy this one too.
The 1.66:1 widescreen presentation is nice. I'm glad
Disney presented the film this way on DVD, and not in full
frame. Colors are nice, but there is some slight smear at
times. There is also the bright tone to the film, everything
looks just shines brightly, and it does get annoying at
points. There is also some slight pixelation and compression
problems Still, no artifacts are to be found and it looks
pretty splendid.
I was pretty surprised to see a 5.1 Dolby Digital
Surround mix here. Surrounds are at a mininum, but when
they're used, they're pretty average. I said this movie is
not really a musical, but there is some music at points, and
the channels to liven up a bit. Not to full force. It could
have been a better mix, but pretty decent for a direct to
video feature.
The extras on the disc are pure kids stuff, but what we
have here is a nice amount of supplements for a direct to
video feature.
First off, there is the short but punny Kids' Goofiest
Jokes. For a little chuckle or forced laughter, this is
for you. Still, if you have young children, they're sure to
enjoy it.
There is an Interactive Trivia Game, which
features some sound. At tops, you may go through this twice.
Basically a one time only thing.
Next, and also for the kids, is the storybook read along
Me And My Dad. You can have Max himself (Jason
Marsden) read it to you, or you can read it yourself and
flip through the pages. Pretty nice, and I think this is a
real book which can be found in bookstores.
The teen trio Cleopatra (ugh) has a music video to see
entitled "Right Back Where We Started From". It's
okay, I guess, but pretty much pushing for the soundtrack
you can get.
Rounding off the disc are some DVD-ROM features which
include Weblinks and a demo of the Disney program,
Magic Artist.
For 29.99, this is slightly a rip. If you can get the
disc cheap, and either liked the first one or really want to
own the sequel (maybe you should rent first), or for your
kids, you should get it. The sound is decent, and the video
is excellent. The features, though aimed for children, are
pretty nice, though come up a bit short.
 (3.5/5, NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
 (3/5)
 (2/5)
 (2.5/5, NOT an average)
|
