Follow TV Tropes



Nightmare Fuel / A Goofy Movie

Go To
Max's worst nightmare: turning into his dad!

  • Max's wolfman-style transformation during his openly Nightmare Sequence, especially the way the scene abruptly shifts from a tranquil, romantic scene with Roxanne to something out of a monster movie. While the fact that the "creature" he's transforming into is... well, Goofy makes it Lightmare Fuel, the gruesomeness of it is a disturbing illustration of how much Max fears the possibility of (figuratively) turning into his father.
  • Mazur calling Goofy to tell him about Max's stunt has Adult Fear written all over it. At first, Goofy is gravely concerned that Max might've gotten hurt. Then as Mazur is reading him Max's obviously trumped-up charges, Goofy starts hyperventilating at the mere thought that the son he loves could or would do such things before getting what can only be called a scare tactic to keep Max in line dropped on him. It perfectly captures the fear that all Good Parents have at the though of being unable to protect their children from even themselves.
    Mazur: If I were you, Mr. Goof, I'd seriously reevaluate the way you're raising your child before he ends up in the electric chair!
    • Just seeing Principal Mazur get as angry as he does, eyes going red as becomes increasingly unhinged while shouting what is essentially an ultimatum to Max's terrified father, is terrifying in and of itself. And it's all because of what was, for all intents and purposes, a harmless prank. Well-Intentioned Extremist or not, this is not someone you'd entrust as primary authority figure in real life.
    • Advertisement:
    • The implication that the world of Classic Disney Shorts characters has capital punishment.
    • Worse, this all comes immediately after Goofy brushes off Pete's remark about the possibility of Max falling in with a gang. When Mazur says Max was dressed "as a gang member," Goofy visibly panics at not only the possibility that his son may not be the person he thought he was but that Pete was right to tell him to be worried.
    • What makes this especially palpable is that there's absolutely no exaggeration. Goofy doesn't sweat or bite his nails or even raise his voice, rather his eyes start darting around and he starts breathing heavily trying to comprehend that his worst fear is coming true.
  • For such a light, feel-good film, it has a surprising amount of Black Comedy. During the beginning of the road trip and the musical number the viewer can see among others singing: a prisoner which reminds Goofy of the whole chair thing, a man in a car trunk obviously implied to get the "cement shoes" execution method and a rotting, green Goofy-like corpse in a hearse who turns out to be the soul of the party and does a Prospector dance at the end. For some people, zombie Goofy is a lot scarier than a normal human zombie.
  • Advertisement:
  • The entrance to Lester's Possum Park, which is a giant possum with razor sharp teeth.
  • There's a creepy little girl frequently seen at Lester's Possum Park with big intense eyes, stringy pigtails and an unsettling grin with missing baby teeth. Even Max is freaked out.
  • This short, sweet and to-the-point exchange during the hot tub scene subtly, yet chillingly, reveals that Pete genuinely believes that being a good parents means commanding obedience from your child through scare tactics. It's the one time his abuse isn't comically exaggerated in the slightest, and it's far more disturbing than any of his overt bullying (especially since it's a value held by many real abusive fathers).
    Goofy: "Y'know, maybe Max isn't all the things that you think a son should be, but... he loves me."
    Pete: (defensively) "Hey, my son respects me."
    • Jim Cummings' excellent vocal performance is what really sells the line. While no violence occurs, the almost threatening tone of his voice makes Pete sound like he'd be willing to fight Goofy for merely suggesting that he's wrong. In that moment, Pete reveals exactly what he is: a brute with a fragile ego.
  • While at a junction, Goofy gives Max a Secret Test of Character by having him read the map and tell him which exit to take, one of which goes to Idaho and the other to LA. Max is so overcome from guilt, not to mention is distracted by Goofy telling him to make a decision the whole time, that he panics and stammers until the very last second before the two of them are about to crash into the divider. The two of them talking over each other with panic in their voices, their terrified screams when they nearly crash and the way the scene is cut make it viscerally terrifying.
  • Goofy's now-memetic angry face when Max tells him to take the exit to LA. While it's a little funny to see that character get angry, his Tranquil Fury is uncomfortably tense: he just sighs quietly and doesn't speak for the next mile or so, and Max's attempts to lighten the mood just make him visibly angrier until he breaks hard on the shoulder of the road and marches out of the car as far away from Max as possible. Seeing Goofy be genuinely upset perfectly captures the Oh, Crap! feeling one gets when they've managed to anger the one person they've never seen get angry: you're terrified because you don't know what they're going to do.
  • Goofy almost plummeting to his doom over the waterfall. Goofy doesn't even do his iconic yell; rather, he genuinely screams in terror for his own life, which tells you right away that this isn't going to be some slapstick/Amusing Injuries bit from a classic Goofy short - has Max not saved him just in the nick of time, Goofy would have died!
    • Before that, Goofy almost sees his only son, with whom he'd just reconciled, nearly go over the same waterfall to his doom. His own near-death was nearly a Heroic Sacrifice.

How well does it match the trope?

Example of:


Media sources: