Max Goof

Max Goof is Goofy's son in the animated series Goof Troop. Max is notable in being a prominent character's biological son rather than a nephew or other distant relative. He has also appreciatively aged, in a fashion, during the course of his appearances. He is often told that he's very much like his father, and his response is always along the lines of "Please don't say that."

Though some Goofy cartoons depict generic characters with Goofy-like traits, many fans suspect an early cartoon featuring a red-nosed Goofy Jr. as the inspiration for Max.

One of Max Goof's most noticeable traits is that he is the only child in a single parent family, and that parent is a single father. There is no Mrs. Goof ever mentioned or named, and this is made especially obvious by the fact that Max's best friend in Goof Troop does have a mother with a noticeable presence in the show. It is generally assumed that Max's mother either left Goofy, or that she is dead.

Goof Troop
Max is shown to be Goofy's son, and is around 11 years old. At the beginning of the show, he moves with his father from a trailer park to Goofy's hometown of Spoonerville. He and Goofy live right next door to Pete, and his family. Despite Pete's relationship with Goofy being rather antagonistic, Max almost instantly becomes best friends with Pete's son, P.J.

At school Max is somewhere in the middle of the popularity scale, becoming something of a High School hustler, with plans for get popular quick schemes. He frequently uses P.J as his muscle, but is just as willing to help a stranger as he is his best friend. He often engineers plans to get things done the easy way.

Much of the show revolves on Max's antics as well as his relationship with Goofy. Though he is sometimes embarrassed by Goofy's antics, he is still very close to his father. In some ways, Max is comparable to Pete, as Max is often involved in cunning schemes to get away with things, or do something the easy way.

A Goofy Movie
By the time of A Goofy Movie, Max is approximately 14. As a teenager, he is very embarrassed of Goofy, and his greatest fear is that he will end up being like his father. He seems to be especially ashamed of his laugh, which is exactly like Goofy's.

The film features Max's love interest, Roxanne, and his attempts to impress her. Alongside P.J. and another friend, Bobby, he is able to put on a concert in the school auditorium, meant to be a way of shedding his "Goof" image. However, he is caught by the principal. While awaiting punishment, Roxanne comes by to talk to him, and he is able to ask her to the end of school year party. When she says yes, his excited antics lead the principal to call Goofy. The angry principal gives the false impression that Max is a juvenile delinquent. The worried Goofy decides to take Max on a father-son fishing trip, forcing Max to cancel on Roxanne. In order to impress her, he lies and says that he is going to see the rock star Powerline in California, and that he will be on stage with him for the final number.

The rest of the film revolves around Goofy's attempts to bond with Max during the trip. At one point, unknown to Goofy, a distraught Max changes the route on the map to lead to California. Coincidentally, Goofy hands over navigating duties to Max. With more freedom, Goofy and Max bond, but their relationship is stunted when Goofy discovers that Max changed the map route. Their arguing leads to their car falling into a river. Along the ride, Max finally tells Goofy about his crush on Roxanne, and how he lied. Goofy offers to help Max get on stage. Max shrugs off the offer, but is unable to elaborate as the car is about to head over a waterfall. Max is able to get to safety, and is able to safe Goofy from death using a fishing technique that Goofy taught him, called "The Perfect Cast". The two somehow manage to make it to California, and are able to sneak onstage with Powerline. When they return home, Max goes to Roxanne and apologizes for lying, as he just wanted her to like him. To his shock, Roxanne reveals that she had already liked him, because of his unusual laugh. Roxanne forgives Max, and arranges to go out with him the following day. Max then takes the opportunity to introduce Roxanne to Goofy, who at that moment had fallen through the roof as a result of their car exploding.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas
In the direct-to-video film, the traditionally animated Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, Max and Goofy feature in the episode "Have Yourself A Goofy Christmas". In this segment, he is a young boy and Have Yourself a Goofy Christmas chronologically precedes other titles Max appears in. The segment revolves starts out with Goofy and Max preparing to deliver Max's letter to Santa. However, Pete tells Max that there is no Santa. Goofy attempts to prove Pete wrong, by dressing up as Santa but he is discovered. Goofy decides to stay up to wait for Santa, but he grows discouraged after falling off the roof. Max then tries to cheer Goofy up, but he is unsuccessful. However, Santa eventually arrives, and presents Max with the present he had asked for.

An Extremely Goofy Movie
In the direct-to-video sequel to A Goofy Movie, An Extremely Goofy Movie, Max (now 18) leaves for college with P.J. and Bobby Zimmeruski. Roxanne is not shown in this movie (though it is the sequel) and there is absolutely no mention of her. Instead, Max hopes to start fresh and join the elite X-Games champion team, the Gammas. However, because the Gammas invited Max but not his pals P.J. and Bobby, he decides to compete against the Gammas in the upcoming X games. Meanwhile, Goofy loses his job and must go back to college and get a degree, as it's the only way to get a new job. Since Goofy is suffering from loneliness due to Max's absence, he chooses to attend the same school as his "Maxie". At one point in the movie, Max manages to distract his father with Mrs. Marpole, the librarian, while he sneaks off to practice skateboarding. When Goofy gets a date with her, he rushes off to tell Max only to interfere with Max's practice; the result is Bradley Uppercrust III, leader of the Gammas, perceiving Goofy's clumsy antics on Max's skateboard for skill and offers him membership to the Gammas. Max encourages his father to join, viewing it as an opportunity to escape Goofy for a while. When this fails to work, Max reveals his desires to get away from his father, sending Goofy into depression. When Goofy overhears the Gammas' plan to fix the games, Goofy tries to warn his son, who doesn't believe him. Once it becomes clear the Gammas are cheating, however, Max asks his dad to fill in for the incapacitated P.J. During the final stretch of the triathlon, Bradley detonates an explosion in the X games balloon, trapping fellow Gamma member Tank underneath. With help from Goofy, Max rescues Tank and beats Bradley to the finish line. In the end, both father and son make amends by Goofy's graduation.

House of Mouse
Max features regularly in House of Mouse as the club's parking valet. Max is shown to be fairly level-headed, possibly the most level-headed of the group. Most of his appearances are minor, but he has had a few episodes revolve around him. The episode Max's Embarrassing Date showed Max trying to prepare for a date with Roxanne at the club. He worries that Goofy will go overboard trying to make them happy, so he goes to Mickey and friends for help. Ironically, Mickey and the gang go overboard, so Goofy steps in and allows the couple to have some privacy.

Another episode, Max's New Car, had Max trying to convince to convince Goofy to allow him to have his own car. Goofy initially says no, as he believes Max is too irresponsible. Max is able to show Goofy that Goofy was once just as irresponsible with the help of Mickey. Max temporarily takes over hosting duties at the club, and chooses to show clips from Goofy's past, namely clips from the Goofy cartoon, "Motor Mania".

Finally, the episode Goofy for a Day has Max assuming Goofy's waiter duties, after Goofy finds out that Max thinks that being a waiter is not as important as Mickey's hosting duties or Donald's greeter role.

Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas
Max also makes an appearance, in the computer animated Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, the sequel to Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas. In the segment Christmas Maximus, Max is grown up, and assuming that he has continued to age, he would be 23. Max is preparing to leave college to go home, so that he can introduce his girlfriend, Mona, to Goofy. Max worries that Goofy will embarrass him, and calls to remind Goofy that Mona is coming with him. Goofy picks them up at the train station, and brings them to Goofy's house. Goofy shows Mona baby pictures of Max and unintentionally embarrasses Max with all his fatherly love. In the end, Mona finds Goofy cool (and while she laughs, she shows that she has teeth equivalent to Max and Goofy's). Max then decides to forget his embarrassment and join in the fun. Max then apperas with his father and the others characters in the last segment of the film, where they are driving a snowplow around the city to find Pluto (who previously flees after making Mickey angry). After Pluto returns everyone gets into Mickey's house to celebrate Christmas. Max doesn't speak in this segment.

Disney Parks
Max Goof made his theme park debut in the World According to Goofy parade in 1992. Following the premiere of Goof Troop, Max made regular appearances at the Disney parks. Among these appearances, he and Goofy co-starred in the Disney Afternoon stage show at Mickey's Starland from 1992 through 1995.

As of 2011, Max can be semi-commonly found at Disney California Adventure or Tokyo DisneySea, but he also makes very rare appearances at Walt Disney world.