Aquamania

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

I recently saw this short on the Disney Channel. It features Goofy and his son, who I don't know the name of. In the short, Goofy and his son plan to go boating on a peaceful sunny day in the ocean, but end up getting involved in a crazy boat race and not to mention a run in with an octopus. I thought this cartoon was one of Goofy's greatest hits and possibly the last of his greatest as he would appear on the children's show "Goof Troop", which is just plain boring (although I liked it as a kid). This short will make people of all ages laugh.

In a town where almost a third of the population are "aquamaniacs" we are introduced to "Mr X" ("Goofy/George"). Now a while back, he was just a normal working man, but after he espies a boat shop, his head turns to maritime mush. Water on the brain perhaps? Anyway, he decides that he has to have one for him and his family, and so with water-skiing lessons in mind for "Junior", these land-lubbers head for the nearest lake (along with the rest of his seagoing neighbours) and some daft regatta-style antics ensue. I'm not sure this does the US car industry many favours but there are some fun facial expressions as the water-borne activities become more like a perilous form of water-jogging. We get our own version of a chariot race where even the octopuses aren't safe - but can they win the race?! It goes on a bit long, but is good fun, this.

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.

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.