Boy, that real life thing can suck the time away from blogging. Regardless, I’m back today with the next in our 1949 series, Gymnastics Goofy. And what a good short to return with, as its firmly in the tradition of the Goofy “How To” series, my favorite overall group of shorts in the Disney canon. This one happens to be one that’s been widely seen, as it’s in constant rotation on Disney Channel’s Have a Laugh program.
If you haven’t seen this one before, it’s a real treat. This is where Goofy begins to make the transition from a sportsman and outdoorsman to a regular Joe. The short opens with him returning home from work, which is the first time we have seen the Goof as someone like us. He works, he comes home tired, and he is out of shape. It’s the latest evolution for Goofy, who just like Mickey and Donald, has gone from a farm boy to a city boy as his creators have done the same.
Goofy, rather than succumb to the temptations of the couch and laziness, decides to get up and start working out. Having gone through this myself, this short is very relatable to me, so I have always enjoyed it. Goofy quickly sends off for a home gym, gets it immediately and sets up in the apartment with this crazy group of exercise machines. Chaos ensues.
The narrator in this short rolls from an omniscient narrator who is chastising Goofy for his lack of activity to the record that comes with the kit. The record fits the normal narration pattern of these shorts, which is to have the narrator talk about what should be happening, while Goofy does things in his own way. When Goofy exercises, you can be sure that damage will occur to the apartment.
Probably the most viewed part of this short is the very end, where Goofy slams into every single piece of the home gym set before eventually collapsing into the “ideal” man picture that came with it. We get that great Goofy scream and the comedy of him crashing through walls, slamming into dumbbells and overall making a fool of himself. It’s a highly kinetic and fun short that is one of the absolute best in the Goofy series, and a must see if you have not done so already.
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