![]() Yet the movie’s highest flash of blackness came from a surprise source. Any of this sound familiar? Max did reach his hood pinnacle at Lester’s Possum Park though when he smacked the shit out a mascot that tried to hug him. Goof, I’d seriously reevaluate the way you’re raising your child before he ends up in the electric chair.” Gang member. But although Max wasn’t perfect, how quick did Principal Mazur brand him? Do you remember what Max was called? “Dressed like a gang member, your son caused the entire student body to break out in a riotous frenzy,” he said. A pretty good kid, Max was easily misunderstood by a bum ass principal who recklessly labeled him based on his baggy clothes and – okay, fine, Max did highjack a school assembly. How many of us can relate? While you might claim your upbringing now, how long was the journey before you got there? How long did you deny the family, city, or circumstances that made you, too embarrassed of what others might think? How long before you used it as strength? Max hated his own laugh till the wind blew through Roxanne’s hair as she said “I always loved your laugh” and the breeze carried his self-doubt with it. But A Goofy Movie was never about overcoming Pete, it was about overcoming your self-doubt and learning to be proud of you, your family, and what you had. Tell me your fam ain’t have a dude like Pete living next door. Pete rolled up to a camping trip with a bowling alley. Sure there was Pete, but he was less a villain and more of the family friend your parents couldn’t get rid of – the one whose insecurity made them a terrible human being, but a great place to hang out because they had the N64 when you still played Sega. Excluding a villain was a rarity for most childhood films, let alone a Disney feature. Think about the plot for a second: Max lied to a girl and spent the next several weeks making that lie the truth (already the Blackest plot ever). More than anything, Max wanted to be cool. ![]() Keep your Dawson’s Creek and your Clueless, Max represented a need most of us nerds – perhaps particularly nerds of color – felt through those years of finding your place in the cafeteria: the need to find your place, the need to fit in. And Max was the quintessence of the high school experience either in part, or, for some of us, in full. In the year Batman Forever failed nerddom and Black people were still coping with the end of A Different World, in came an unlikely hero none of us ever even heard of, and his name was Max. And while The Lion King may be one of the best of all time, when it comes to embracing pop culture for the great millennial generation? Navigating your crazy ass family, only to resist, find, and learn to love who you are? 20 years ago we were given that story when we met Max and followed his adventure across country with the person he thought he hated most, and 20 years later it remains one of the most underrated Disney movies in history. You gotta walk upright on 2 feet to count, no disrespect to Mufasa. Now before you jump and say, “What about The Lion King?” let me say the Black Gods of the savannah don’t count by essence of them being non-anthropomorphized. A Goofy Movie is unequivocally the Blackest Disney movie of all time. A Goofy Movie isn’t a nerd classic A Goofy Movie is a Black nerd classic. She didn’t know who he was, and that’s when I realized what I never had before. (What’s next, she doesn’t read books? Hates super heroes? Is she voting for Ben Carson?) It wasn’t until she asked about a certain singer that my confusion gave way to a revelation. But when she asked “Do you hate me now?” I lied and said no. Even if you don’t dig it, basically you just ride out. ![]() Now aside from being taken aback from a complete lack of nostalgia and enthusiasm, there are certain things you just don’t shade, and a person’s favorite childhood movies are one of them. ![]() Yes, you read that all correctly, and yes, your likely deductions are right – she’s neither a nerd, nor Black. “Watched” would actually be a generous description of her activity as she half-watched the movie playing in the background as she online-shopped for her Halloween costume on Urban Outfitters’ website. You might hate it at first – you might be all like “there’s this other thing that’s really important,” but I promise you, take this journey with me and you’ll thank me for reminding you of what you very well might’ve forgotten.Ī little context first: I recently sat with someone who watched A Goofy Movie for the first time. You have to come with me on this journey. ![]()
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