As a wonderfully told father-son story with gut-busting gags and a banging soundtrack, I genuinely believe that 1995’s A Goofy Movie, in which the classic Disney character (voiced by Bill Farmer) takes the reluctant Max (Jason Marsden), on an ill-fated road trip, is one of the best Disney animated movies of all time. Thus, I was deeply surprised to learn from a new documentary called Not Just a Goof that the film was not well received in the 1990s and was not a huge hit at the box office, either.
However, even that is not the most shocking revelation from the new 2025 movie (now available with a Disney+ subscription), which covers the filmmakers’ struggle to ensure their vision for Goofy’s first feature was fully realized. One such roadblock was a suggestion to bring in an otherwise beloved comedy legend to play the title role.
Jeffrey Katzenberg Proposed Casting Steve Martin As Goofy
Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, as THR recalls, and he responded with a surprising note. He felt that longtime Goofy voice actor Bill Farmer’s traditional take on the character (who is not exactly a dog like Pluto, but related to the same family) sounded too “insincere,” as co-writer Brian Pimenthal describes it.
As a solution, Katzenberg (later known as the founder of Quibi) considered rerecording the entire movie with A-list comedian Steve Martin, not doing a Goofy impression but using his natural voice. As someone who adores Martin and his movies, I believe that this would have been a disaster, especially after so many decades of the iconic character’s distinct drawl, chuckle, and hollar, which Farmer had perfected. Luckily, the director came up with a plan.
Robin Williams refused to reprise Genie in the first Aladdin sequel because the exec tried to stop him from starring in Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. At least his bizarre idea of casting Steve Martin as Goofy did not go through, or A Goofy Movie’s popularity might not have endured over the past 30 years.