The shorts were produced by Walt Disney Productions, and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures (the shorts were later distributed by Buena Vista Distribution in re-releases). Like other Disney animated shorts in the golden age of American animation starring other characters, the shorts began with a starburst with a close-up of Goofy's face, followed by the title "A Walt Disney Goofy" or "Walt Disney Presents Goofy", depending on the cartoon.
The shorts include a sub-series known as "How to...", which show Goofy in situations that explain to the public how to do different types of activities, including sports, practicing different professions, or types of hobbies, always being explained by a narrator.[1] Other similar short films also began with the title "The Art of...".
During the late 1940s and 1950s, Goofy was shown in stories as an "everyman", being portrayed as an urban man in everyday situations. In these shorts, he is referred to by the name "George Geef" and has a more humanized appearance.[1]
Also during the 1950s, Goofy starred in four short films under the title "Fathers", showing Goofy acting as a father to his son, Goofy Junior (who years later would become known as "Max Goof").
From 1939 to 1953, at least one short film in the Goofy series was released annually, with an additional short film (How to Hook Up Your Home Theater) being released in 2007. Most of the shorts were directed by Jack Kinney.[1][2]
List of films
The following is a list of Goofy short films.
The list doesn't include shorts from other series where Goofy appears, such as the Mickey Mouse series, the Donald & Goofy series, or other Disney short films from that aren't part of the Goofy series, segments from feature films (such as El Gaucho Goofy), nor shorts of Goofy made as part of the episodes of the television series Mickey Mouse Works.
Goofy tries to fly on a small glider, while the Narrator explains different ways he can take off, but always runs into different setbacks when doing so.
Goofy is the baggage attendant at a train station. When he has to check a magician's trunk, he gets into trouble when a rabbit comes out of a hat and the animal doesn't want to go back inside. Later, Goofy has another problem when the trunk begins to float, or different props come out from inside, including a cape that makes different types of animals appear.
The Narrator explains how self-defense has evolved through the ages, using Goofy in different roles from various eras as an example. Until finally, he explains through Goofy how to box.
The Narrator explains what the game of baseball is like using Goofy as an example of the different positions on the team and the different plays they can make.
Other appearances: Narrator (voice)
Notes: First short film in the "How to..." series.
The Narrator explains how the citizens (played by Goofy) improvise different vehicles due to the car shortage. In the end, the pogo stick being their solution to use.
Other appearances: Narrator (voice); cameo of Pluto
In the Middle Ages, the Narrator comments on the actions of a medieval tournament, with the characters present being played by Goofy. The central character is Cedric, a squire who poses as his master, Sir Loinsteak, after the latter was knocked unconscious.
The Narrator comments on the plays of a basketball game, in which Goofy plays the players, referee, coach, and spectators. One of the characters being Merrithew, a short player that the others don't take seriously.
To hunt ducks, Goofy uses a toy duck to attract them, but when the toy crosses paths with a real duck, Goofy doesn't know which duck is fake and which is real. After discovering the real duck, he chases after it to hunt it, but his clumsiness constantly makes it difficult for him to hunt it and other ducks.
At a circus, Dolores the Elephant wakes up her keeper, Goofy, to feed her. After that, Goofy prepares to give Dolores a bath, but she refuses, and hides from Goofy to avoid taking a bath.
The Narrator encourages Goofy to buy some gym equipment to work out at home and build muscle, which includes a disc on which a coach explains the steps to follow.
Other appearances: Coach (voice), Narrator (voice)
Goofy takes up photography as a hobby, with the Narrator giving directions. Goofy tries to photograph a bear, which ends up getting angry and chasing Goofy, who still tries to get the photo.
Goofy wants to relax in a hammock in his garden. Seeing how comfortable it looks, Louie the Mountain Lion removes Goofy from the hammock to lie down himself. Soon a battle between the two begins in which one constantly tries to remove the other from the hammock in some way to be able to lie down in his place.
Goofy (George Geef) becomes a father, it being a hard job having to change diapers and prepare a bottle in the middle of the night. When his son grows up, things do not improve, because the kid turns out to be quite naughty.
Other appearances:Goofy Junior (debut), Mrs. Geef, Narrator (voice); cameo of Mickey Mouse as an image in Junior's crib
The Narrator tells the story of tobacco, and the smoking habit of people through the ages. In the current era, Goofy (in his George Geef identity) is a chain smoker who decides to quit when he starts to get sick of it, but he constantly suffers from the desire to smoke.
Pistol Pete wreaks havoc in the Old West. After Goofy inadvertently foils a heist of his on a stagecoach, Pete seeks revenge. In town, Pete begins chasing Goofy, who is hiding from him.
Other appearances:Pete, Lady, Coffin Seller; cameo of Goofy Junior
As he begins his vacation, Goofy goes on a road trip where he must soon have his car repaired. Also on his journey he has several unfortunate encounters with a caravan. During the night, he also has trouble finding an establishment where he can sleep.
Goofy (as "Johnny Eyeball") is a private detective who is asked by a lady to help her find Al. In addition to having the problem of not knowing who Al is, both a police officer (Pete) and a mugger (a Weasel) continually demand that he stay away from Al's case.
Other appearances: Pete (as Al Muldoon), Weasel, Lady, Narrator (voice); cameo of Mickey Mouse in a magazine picture
Goofy (in his George Geef identity) takes care of the house while his wife is away, doing chores and taking care of their son. Soon, taking care of too many things at once begins to wreak havoc in the house.
Other appearances:Goofy Junior, Mrs. Geef, Rover, Betty Jill; cameo of Pete
Goofy arrives in Mexico, where after inadvertently dodging attacks from a fighting bull, the locals mistake him for a bullfighter. Therefore, they put him in the bullring, where Goofy constantly runs away from the bull.
Goofy (as George Geef) tries to relax on a Sunday, but unable to sleep due to the constant noise, he decides to get out of bed. Later he continues trying to relax, but he must take Junior to the beach because he promised him. Once at the beach, Junior drags his father to the nearby carnival, where they enter various attractions.
Other appearances: Goofy Junior, Mrs. Geef, Bowser
The Narrator explains how to sleep in different ways using Goofy as an example. When he has trouble sleeping one night, a scientist analyzes him to find the root of his problem.
Other appearances: Narrator (voice), Scientist; cameos of Mrs. Geef, Geef's Boss, and Bruno from Cinderella
Goofy serves as an example of connecting a theater system at home, with the Narrator explaining the steps to follow.
Other appearances: Narrator (voice); cameo of Pete
The How-to Narrator
The How-to Narrator debuted in the 1940 short Goofy's Glider serving as a guide for Goofy, afterward becoming a stable character appearing in most of Goofy's short films, serving as a guide for Goofy's activities in the "How to..." shorts, or simply narrating Goofy's actions in other shorts. The Narrator is also present in other short films starring Goofy outside of the official Goofy series, including Californy'er Bust (1945), Aquamania (1961), Freewayphobia (1965), Goofy's Freeway Troubles (1965), and The Art of Vacationing (2012).
The Narrator has also appeared in other media related to Goofy, such as the television series Goof Troop (where he began to be credited as "The How-to Narrator"), where he has a recurring participation in situations similar to the "How To..." short films, in which he explains as a guide the actions of the characters.
In the television series Mickey Mouse Works and its spin-off House of Mouse, the Narrator serves as a guide for Goofy's actions in the cartoon shorts starring him, which are also presented under the "How To..." title, or are part of the "Goofy's Extreme Sports" series. In the main plot of the House of Mouse episode "Super Goof" (2002), the Narrator also explains the story about Goofy and his new superhero identity.[30]
The Narrator is also present in the three episodes of How to Stay at Home (2021).[31] In the episode "Binge Watching", it is possible to see him partially, with his hand briefly being seen waving at Goofy to see if he's still alive.
The films have been released in various forms of home media, with selected films released on VHS, laserdisc, and DVD. Starting in 2010, some of the cartoons were made available on digital downloads.
So far, the only home media release of the entire series is on the two-disc DVD set "The Complete Goofy" (2002)[35] from the "Walt Disney Treasures" collection, with the exception of How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, which was released later, and which was released in home media as part of the short films included in the Blu-rayWalt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection (2015).[36]
In 2012, The Art of Vacationing, a live-action short film starring Goofy, pays homage to Goofy's "The Art of..." and "How to..." shorts of the Goofy series, showing what would happen if Goofy planned a vacation to Disneyland. Similar to the shorts in the Goofy series, it begins with a starburst with Goofy's face, but instead of an animated face, the face of Goofy's representation at the Disney Parks appears, followed by an introductory title which changes the "Walt Disney presents Goofy - Color by Technicolor" to "Disneyland Resort presents Goofy - Wondercolor".[37]
The Goofy short films, specifically the "How to..." shorts, were followed up with How to Stay at Home (2021), a three-episode streaming series featuring Goofy showing how to do activities around his home during the COVID-19 pandemic.[31]
