We’re thrilled to be part of a project that embodies Venturia’s essence: traveling to the past to rediscover the magic of the classics and bringing them to life for new generations to enjoy!
NOT JUST A GOOF
FEATURE FILM: DOCUMENTARY
DIRECTION | ART DIRECTION | TRADITIONAL ANIMATION | CHARACTER DESIGN | FINAL COMPOSITING
FEATURING TRADITIONAL ANIMATION
BY VENTURIA ANIMATION STUDIOS
"Not Just a Goof" dives into the making of the 1995 cult classic “A Goofy Movie”—from its challenging production process to its lasting impact on an entire generation of millennials. Our team developed and produced all of the hand-drawn animation sequences in the film that capture the magic behind the film’s creation. Watch it on Disney+!
TRAILER
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When the directors approached us to create animated reenactments for this documentary, we knew they didn’t just need animators—they needed storytellers. We were tasked with visualizing behind-the-scenes stories from the making of the 1995 classic A Goofy Movie, using only the audio from already shot talking-head interviews as our guide.
CHARACTER DESIGN
Our first creative breakthrough was defining who these people were in the animation. Creative Director Juan M. Urbina thought of a very “meta” concept: the real-life crew shouldn’t look like humans. Instead, we gave them the iconic dog-like noses while keeping the features and resemblance of the real person, placing the crew of filmmakers and producers directly inside the “Goofyverse.”
Legendary animation executive Jeffrey Katzenberg is an important character in the animated sequences and his design came with a unique piece of insider intel. During an early screening, Brenda Chapman—Prince of Egypt director and wife of A Goofy Movie’s Kevin Lima—stepped in with a crucial note from her Disney/DreamWorks days.
She dug up vintage studio gag drawings to demonstrate how animators historically caricatured Jeffrey’s stature, insisting: “You have to make him really short.” We followed her lead and pushed the design way shorter, unlocking the comedy for the rest of his sequences.
ANIMATED SEQUENCES
And finally, to truly capture the spirit of 90s animation, we adopted a “rough blue pencil” look, channeling the raw energy and nostalgia of early animation tests from that era.
Once the world was defined, our role shifted to “visual writing.” Since there was no visual script—only audio anecdotes—we had to structure the narrative flow from scratch. We conceptualized the gags, defined the acting choices, and timed out the comedy. The storyboards below demonstrate how we translated spoken words into clear, cinematic sequences that enhanced the documentary’s storytelling.
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One of the production highlights is the animated pitch session. In this scene, the creators present their initial work to Jeffrey Katzenberg, known for being tough to impress. And just as Jeffrey famously demanded to see the “heart” of the film, we poured our own heart into this sequence as a tribute to traditional animation.
Hope you enjoy it!
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