The Original Plan For A Goofy Movie Had Nothing To Do With Powerline
Debating which Disney animated film reigns supreme as the greatest of all time is a fool's errand, but if I was given a vote, I'd throw some love toward "A Goofy Movie." While it's not about a singing princess making her dreams come true or "Hamlet" but with lions, "A Goofy Movie" is a silly, heartwarming road-trip movie about generational differences and coming-of-age in a single-parent household. As a youngster, I very much saw myself in Max Goof (Jason Marsden), a rebellious teen constantly embarrassed by his well-meaning father and hiding his adolescent insecurity by performing. I distinctly remember sharing the second-hand embarrassment during the pair's excursion to Lester's Possum Park, imagining how I too would cringe out of my skin if my parents were that excited about broken, animatronic nightmare possums.
As I grew older, my perspective shifted. Re-watching "A Goofy Movie" as an adult, I couldn't help myself from immediately siding with Goofy. "He's just trying to be a good father!" I yelled at the screen, "Max, can't you see how hard he's trying?!" Ah, yes. Living long enough to see yourself become the parent in a teen movie — the official sign that adulthood has arrived. Outside of the painfully relatable story about a parent and child struggling to see eye-to-eye, "A Goofy Movie" also boasts one of the greatest fictional celebrities in all of pop culture: Powerline.
Performed by singer-songwriter Tevin Campbell, Powerline is the ultimate pop star, taking inspiration from Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown, and Prince. Attending his concert becomes Max's central motivation throughout the film but during a 25th-anniversary Zoom celebration, the writers of "A Goofy Movie" confessed that Powerline wasn't originally supposed to be a part of the story.
The scrapped storylines
During the anniversary celebration, writer Jymn Magon said that he had been working on the film "pretty much alone for months and months," often forgetting how much the script had evolved from the original outlines and drafts. "I was shocked to find out that we had Goofy take Max to a family reunion where we have nothing but Goofy people, you know, all in one place," he said. "We had another subplot where Max thinks he's going to Paco's Water Park, and just when they're about to get there Goofy turns left and goes into the Possum Park instead." Magon credited director Kevin Lima and his writing team for helping to shape the final script.
Writer Brian Pimental chimed in to mention that there were additional characters that were supposed to be included in the film, including a guy named Chad who would have been voiced by Joey Lawrence and posed a threat to Max's relationship with Roxanne. Lima noted that the blonde-haired character can still be seen in the number "After Today," and again after the number while making out with a girl named Lisa (Julie Brown) against a fence. "Crazy what we got away with," he joked. Comedian Judy Tenuta was also brought in to play a receptionist, but sadly the hilarious performance wasn't used.
While the Chad v. Max storyline would have felt more in line with a typical coming-of-age story, "A Goofy Movie" is ultimately better because it's about Max's personal journey of self-discovery, and how he learns to better relate to his lovable albeit goofy dad. Plus, no offense to Joey Lawrence, but a well-placed "Whoa" wouldn't stand a chance against the musical stylings of "I2I."