Der Freizeitkapitän

Yeah, Goofy is in a boat race and totally turns the whole thing into a disaster. The problem is that Goofy has covered the same ground before in an episode called HOW TO SWIM which was infinitely funnier. This feels more like a weak re-hash.

It's far too long and relies almost entirely on an anthropomorphic octopus for comic relief. Also, the style of the early 60's with Disney with lots of really rough sketchy edges (like 101 DALMATIONS) does not fit Goofy at all. It feels a lot less fun and a bit sloppy and messy. I think this is his only cartoon from the period and certainly feels incongruous from his better (more hilarious) work from the 40's and 50's. Particularly, stick with HOW TO SWIM.

Disney Plus's short film section appears to have had a bit of a revamp, so there are some new shorts that have appeared nearer the top. One such film is "Aquamania" a 1961 cartoon starring Goofy as a man involved with some water-based entertainment.

Having indulged in the very familiar American pastime of owning a boat, Mr X (Goofy) (Pinto Colvig) heads to the open water with his son to engage in some water skiing. Goofy Jnr (Kevin Corcoran) though is a little over enthusiastic and enters a race. Having gone underwater, Goofy collects an innocent Octopus who ends up participating in the race with them.

Definite and obvious change in visual style here from the classic era cartoons from twenty years earlier. I'd describe it as being 60's style, rather than having that enduring look. Wikipedia tells me that this is the first Goofy cartoon to use Xerography as a technique, which I think makes the dark black lines stand out a little more. The same technique would be used on "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" that was also released this year.

I often find it tough to review these cartoons, as I can remember when access to these was rare, so they were delightful additions to a TV schedule. It doesn't work like that now though, and I'm looking for things that my forty-year-old brain appreciatse, rather than the six-year-old one. It's not much fun though, despite the wild ride that Goofy ends up going on and certainly once the analogy to alcoholism is done.

Too much quality to dislike it, but not enough going on to really like it.

In the early 1960s, Disney discovered a way to make far less expensive cartoons. They used copy machines to copy backgrounds and characters to speed up the animation process. Although fast, it also resulted in rather ugly films compared to their films of the 1950s. The newer cartoons look 'muddier' and less polished. In addition, "Aquamania" also has incredibly simple backgrounds...often splashy and lacking detail. As a result, this Goofy cartoon looks like none before or after.

The story itself, unlike the animation, is excellent. Goofy and his son (who looks little like their later version of Max) are out waterskiing. Goofy skis and his son drives the boat...and they accidentally enter a race...and chaos ensues.

This is a fun cartoon and you will enjoy it. The only reason I scored it 6 is because it just looks cheap...very cheap.

Disney have many classics under its belt, shorts and feature films, and Goofy- the funniest and most well developed of the popular re-occurring characters- has been in some of them. Aquamania is interesting for the use of Xeroroxing(the first use of it in a Disney short) and that it was Goofy's first short since 1953. However, while watchable it's not up there with the classics. The animation is not very appealing here, the Xeroroxing technique worked very well in the 1960s feature films but here it was such a departure from the usual Goofy animation style that if it weren't for Goofy being in it and the documentation format that the How to...series adopted you wouldn't be sure whether it was a Goofy short or not. Instead of bright, colourful and bouncy, it is rather flat, scratchy and not as careful. The story doesn't generate that much spark, it is rather routine and not as crisply paced and doesn't quite seem to sustain its 8 minutes(or so) length. And there does seem to be too much of a re-hash feel to it, yes. The music is lively and characterful with luscious orchestration and a great ability to be in sync with the gags and such. The documentary-like narration entertains and teaches, still delighting in how Goofy manages to do the opposite of what the narrator is saying, it's a very familiar format but one that works. The gags are at least amusing if not particularly exceptional, Goofy is still a likable and funny character and the vocals are done with enthusiasm at least though they've had more inspired material. In conclusion, disappointing for Goofy but as an overall short it is still watchable. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is one of Disney's later animated short cartoons, featuring Goofy!!!!! "Aquamania" was released back in 1961 (Now that's late!), and it's a very good short. It's been a while since seeing it, but I do remember a part where Goofy was trying to get a boat into the water!!!!! Good stuff!!!!!

I've seen this first on VHS back in the early 90s (it was green and had sports shorts on the tape) because they didn't have my usual red "Fun on the Job" tape. Then I've seen this on the Old Disney Channel as a short by itself and on "Walt Disney Presents" (the part where that scientific duck (Is it Prof. Von Drake?) puts a little water on a microscope slide and we see boats shooting across the slide was seen before the cartoon started).

"Aquamania" - good short, good times!!!!!

10/10