Goofy and Wilbur (1939)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Just perfect...

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

This is the first cartoon where Goofy takes center stage, without appearing along side Mickey and Donald. Here, he goes fishing with the help of his grasshopper friend, Wilbur. He uses Wilbur as bait as to catch of bunch of fish, but Goofy ended up having to help Wilbur when he is eaten by a frog.It is a fun cartoon to show both Goofy's blundering and friendship side - funny and touching and it's a great treat for the children to enjoy. The music is carefree and the animation is some of the best I've seen, especially for a short created in 1939. I first watch his cartoon short when it was a part of a Wonderful World of Disney episode, and it remains one of my favorites from Goofy.Grade A

Talking to a friend recently,I was shocked to discover,that despite them being a fan of films by the Disney studio,he had never actually seen any of the short movies titles starring a Disney character called Goofy.With there only being 3 weeks to go before my friends Birthday,I decided to introduce him to the world of Goofy,by picking up the epic-sounding complete DVD,which features every single one of Goofy's (solo) short films.The plot:Going in his rowing boat with a grasshopper best friend Wilbur,Goofy gets excitingly gets prepared for him and Wilbur to grab their catch of the day.Initially having great success with their fishing,Goffy and Wilbur soon discover that the fish are ready to fight back,and make Goofy and Wilbur the catch of the day.View on the film:Despite this being the character's first ever solo short feature,voice actor George Johnson gives a tremendously sharp performance as Goofy,with Johnson's perfect delivery making the character appear well established right from the start.Being given not a single line of dialogue in Otto Englander's charming screenplay,director Dick Huemer closely works with composer Paul J. Smith to make Wilbur's personality hop across the screen,thanks to Huemer's lush animation allowing for a strong bond to be felt between Goofy and Wilbur,which is emphasised by Smith's atmospheric score,that help to make Goofy's first short feature appearance,a far from "goofy" debut.

As I aim to do with all Disney shorts, I found myself really enjoying Goofy and Wilbur. It is an interesting change of pace from the How To...shorts(which I personally do find funnier and more creative), and works very well on the whole. It does get a little too sentimental at times, but this is occasional. The animation is truly lush and colourful, with all the characters beautifully drawn, not just that but they also have depth in the designs. The music is energetic and enhances the action, which is always a plus when it comes to animation and shorts especially. The gags are clever, Goofy using Wilbur as bait is the main crux of Goofy and Wilbur but it is not the only trick that the short uses, the fishing deal is very creative as is the stuff with the bullfrog and the stork. The gags with the fish colliding, Goofy's net breaking and the fat fish weighing down the net are also very well done. The story has drama, fun, suspense and action rolled into one and skips along nicely. Goofy and Wilbur's friendship is charmingly realised and does feel very real. The bit though where Wilbur hatches out of the egg has always perplexed me, particularly how he manages to get inside it, though maybe that is just me looking too much into things. Goofy is likable and endearingly clumsy, though he does work better when he is confronted by a solution that is obvious to us but not to him, but the real jewel is Wilbur, his adorable yet spunky presence is enough to make us wonder why we never saw him again after Goofy and Wilbur. In conclusion, great cartoon if not quite a masterpiece. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is an important film because it is the first cartoon that starred Goofy. While he'd been around for many years (since 1932), he'd only been a recurring character in the Mickey Mouse cartoons. By the mid to late 1930s, he and Donald were major supporting players with Mickey but he still didn't get his own cartoon until 1939. And, considering what a great cartoon character was and how important 1939 was to the history of film, this timing seems very fitting.GOOFY AND WILBUR is a cute little cartoon. It begins with Goofy rowing his boat onto a lake. Then, his pet grasshopper, Wilbur, jumps out of the boat and tries to instigate the fish to chase him--at which point Goofy nets the fish. This works great for a while, but eventually Wilbur makes a wrong move and is subsequently swallowed by a fish, then a frog and finally a bird! Life is tough for Wilbur but by the end of the film, he and his friend Goofy are reunited.I liked this cartoon because although it is pretty cute and a little bit sentimental, it also is funny and unique. Well animated and written--just like you'd expect from Walt Disney Studios in this classic era.