Walt Disney Treasures - The Complete Goofy

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Each short is a guaranteed laugh.

Cons: Missing one or two shorts to truly be complete.

The Bottom Line:

If you like to laugh

This set of Goofy shorts will

Entertain for hours

You'd Have to be Goofy to Not Love This Set

Down in the dumps? Need to laugh? This set is perfect for you. The Complete Goofy is sure to bring a smile to your face and will provide a laugh or two as well.

Featuring 46 animated shorts from Goofy's solo cartoon career, there's something on here for everyone's comic tastes. My favorites tend to be from the "How To" series and the sports shorts and include "The Art of Skiing," "How to Swim," "How to be a Sailor," "How to Play Golf" ("Contrary to popular opinion, golf is not a waste of time."), "The Olympic Champ," "How to Be a Detective," and "How to Sleep." There are some others I liked that fall outside these boundaries and include "Victory Vehicles" (talk about creative), "African Diary," "Californy'er Bust" (always in the mood for a good pun), and "Father's Lion." These, of course, are just some of the highlights.

Goofy works best when he's trying something easy and failing in imaginative ways. Some of the cartoons near the beginning of the second disc feature him in more ordinary situations, and I didn't find them nearly as fun. But these are few, and the rest make up for them.

As is the case with the other sets in the series, Leonard Maltin has my dream job of playing host. He provides some interesting introduction to the character and times that produced short cartoons. His introduction on potentially controversial cartoons don't add much, but if that's the price we have to pay to get to see them, I don't really care.

Both discs have bonus material that any Disney or animation fan will love. Disc one features a profile of Goofy "creator" Pinto Colvig and a discussion of Goofy's signature qualities. Disc two mainly has galleries of posters and memorabilia, but does include an interview with Goofy's current voice, Bill Farmer.

This set is missing a couple shorts. Why remains a mystery, although those missing "How to Ride a Horse" can find it on the "Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio" set also released in 2002. A "play all" feature would have been nice, but I found I enjoyed the shorts in small doses, so it really made no difference to me.

Goofy is one of the Disney Studio's signature characters, and it's nice to see them treating him and their history with respect. While it could have been better, it's certainly enjoyable the way it is. I will enjoy laughing with The Complete Goofy for years to come.

Shorts included in this collection:

1939 - Goofy and Wilbur

1940 - Goofy's Glider

1941 - Baggage Buster, The Art of Skiing, The Art of Self-Defense

1942 - How to Play Baseball, The Olympic Champ, How to Swim, How to Fish

1943 - Victory Vehicles

1944 - How to be a Sailor, Hot to Play Golf, How to Play Football

1945 - Tiger Trouble, African Diary, Californy'er Bust, Hocky Homicide

1946 - Knight for a Day, Double Dribble

1947 - Foul Hunting

1948 - They're Off, The Big Wash

1949 - Tennis Racquet, Goofy Gymnastics

1950 - Motor Mania, Hold that Pose

1951 - Lion Down, Home Made Home, Cold War, Tomorrow We Diet, Get Rich Quick, Fathers are People, No Smoking

1952 - Father's Lion, Hello Aloha, Man's Best Friend, Two-Gun Goofy, Teachers are People, Two Weeks Vacation, How to be a Detective

1953 - Father's Day Off, For Whom the Bulls Toil, Father's Week End, How to Dance, How to Sleep

1961 - Aquamania