You Won’t Believe Which Hollywood Star Almost Voiced Goofy in ‘A Goofy Movie’!
For decades, Goofy has been a beloved and iconic character in Disney’s animated universe. With his distinct voice and endearing clumsiness, Goofy has captured the hearts of fans across generations. But have you ever wondered what could have been? What if another famous voice, one of Hollywood’s top comedians, had taken on the role of Goofy in A Goofy Movie instead of the character’s longtime voice actor, Bill Farmer?
Believe it or not, one executive’s bold idea nearly made that a reality.
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Since Goofy first appeared in Mickey’s Revue in 1932, his voice has been as recognizable as his floppy ears. It wasn’t until 1987, however, that Disney found the perfect voice to match the character’s playful and goofy (no pun intended) nature. Bill Farmer, the actor who has voiced Goofy in more than 250 films and television shows, has become synonymous with the character.
Farmer’s voice is unmistakable, making Goofy’s iconic sound difficult for anyone else to replicate.
In 1995, Goofy was given his big screen break with A Goofy Movie, a film centered on the lovable character and his son, Max. While the film didn’t do well at the box office, it has since become a cult classic, with its soundtrack and memorable moments still cherished by Disney fans to this day.
But as much as it’s hard to imagine anyone but Bill Farmer voicing Goofy, a surprising twist nearly occurred—one that could have dramatically changed the movie’s tone.
It was Jeffrey Katzenberg, the chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994, who had a rather unconventional idea. According to Not Just a Goof, a new documentary streaming on Disney+, the idea wasn’t just about finding a voice for Goofy — it was about bringing in a big-name actor to give the character an entirely new spin.
And who better than comedy legend Steve Martin?
Katzenberg thought Martin, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live and iconic films like The Jerk (1979) and Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), would be the perfect choice to voice Goofy. But what’s even more shocking was Katzenberg’s vision for the character: he didn’t want Martin to imitate Goofy’s signature voice.
Instead, Katzenberg envisioned a version of Goofy with Martin’s unmistakable voice, so audiences could immediately recognize the celebrity behind the character.
This idea left director Kevin Lima stunned. “How can you play Goofy with just a regular person’s voice? That would be like Mickey Mouse with Cary Grant’s voice. It’s just incredibly ridiculous,” Lima recalled. But with Katzenberg at the helm, the team had to follow his instructions, even if it meant stepping outside the traditional Goofy voice.
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While Bill Farmer was deeply shocked by this idea, he reluctantly went along with it. In fact, Lima recalls that Farmer had a “complete meltdown” over the decision.
The idea of hearing Goofy, a character who had been so thoroughly defined by Farmer’s voice, without that signature tone was something Farmer could not easily accept. “I went home and I didn’t get much sleep those days ’cause I was worried, ‘don’t they want to hear Goofy when they hear ‘A Goofy Movie’?’” Farmer admitted.
Despite Farmer’s reservations, the studio insisted on testing out the idea. They had Farmer record some scenes in his regular voice, essentially as if Goofy was just a regular guy. But once the footage was shown to Katzenberg, he saw the error of his ways.
After viewing the test footage, the executive realized that Goofy without Farmer’s iconic voice just didn’t work. The character needed that special touch that only Farmer could bring to the table.
In the end, the decision was made to keep Farmer as the voice of Goofy, and we can all be thankful that this unusual idea didn’t make it into the final film. As Lima put it, “A Goofy Movie could not change the voice of Goofy, as it just wouldn’t be the same.” We wholeheartedly agree.
The story of how Goofy almost had a different voice is just one of the many fascinating insights shared in the Not Just a Goof documentary, which dives deep into the making of A Goofy Movie and explores how a group of relatively inexperienced filmmakers came together to create a movie that would not only honor one of Disney’s original characters but also entertain audiences with a fun and heartwarming story.
It’s easy to see why the world would have been a much different place had Steve Martin voiced Goofy. Imagine Goofy delivering his classic lines with the familiar wit and charm of Martin! It certainly would have been an interesting experiment, but it’s clear that the right choice was made when Farmer’s voice remained the one true sound for Goofy.
So, what do you think? Could Steve Martin’s take on Goofy have worked, or would it have completely changed the magic of A Goofy Movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
