Not Fair for the Fair

I was in WDW for my birthday (Feb. 16th) and thus, was there on that last night that Mickey's Toontown Fair was open (Feb. 11th). Not much happened to commemorate the event for us guests, but I did see some cast members dancing with some guests joining in at the County Bounty store. I took some pics of some of the buildings and got a chance to ride the Barnstormer with my mom one last time (before it becomes "The Great Goofini"). Although there's still a Toontown in Disneyland U.S.A. and Tokyo Disneyland, and Mickey and Minnie have got new meet and greet spots in Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and the Hall of Presidents at Liberty Square (mostly Mickey on his own here) before Exhibition Hall is ready for them, I feel there will never be another Toontown experience in WDW for a while. There was a ceremony for the cast members on the last night which you can see here on YouTube. (Courtesy of crushinator.) So, for my first blog post of the year, I'd like to dedicate this moment to what will become the Storybook Circus. Toontown Fair, you will be missed. June 18, 1988 (as Mickey's Birthdayland) - February 11, 2011.

You're Invited... Again

Last year, Tokyo DisneySea held their first ever Halloween theme, a Masquerade party, if you will. (I even remarked on the event as seen here.) And guess what? They're doing it again! Yay! Though I can't be there myself (since my mom and/or I couldn't afford to go to Japan which was the case last year, too), I'm so glad TDS decided to bring back this fun Halloween theme. This year, they added a Mexican Fiesta hosted by Chip, Dale, and Clarice, the chipmunk singer who caught Chip and Dale's eye in the classic cartoon "Two Chips and a Miss".

The "MOUSEquerade" is back and Daisy joins the fun this year. (Last year, it was just Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip, and Dale.) And another thing you'll notice is that the main gang are wearing masks throughout the entire dance. Other than that, it's pretty much the same as last year.

...so is the "Mysterious Masquerade" stage show at the Tower of Terror. Most of the show is left unchanged, but at the happy ending, the whole gang has masks on instead of just Mickey. I once explained my vision of the show should it be brought to the U.S., however, there's another version reeling in my head. It goes like this: Most of the cast is the same, but I've also included Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow, and the aforementioned Clarice. Like in my original vision, Goofy doesn't turn into an evil pirate and Minnie doesn't become a possessed Egyptian queen. Instead, Horace is the pirate and Clarabelle is the Egyptian queen. This leaves Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy left to save the day by getting eveyone to dance with them, even the unsure Clarice. Vidia, the fast-flying fairy rival of Tinker Bell, would teach the audience the dance. Another variation has Goofy's son, Max, in Clarice's place. What do you think of my recent idea?

You can see vids of both shows (from both this year and last year) on YouTube by searching "MOUSEquerade" and/or "Mysterious Masquerade". Hope they do all this again next year, too, 'cause it might still be a while for the U.S. Disney Parks to get this Halloween theme.

UPDATE 10/28/10: The Disney Parks Blog just posted a look at not only Tokyo DisneySea's Halloween celebration, but also Tokyo Disneyland's Halloween theme this year. Check it out here and let them know how much we want this in the American Disney Parks.

Sweet Soundsation

The Disney Parks Blog just announced that a new parade is coming to Disneyland USA next year. It's called "Mickey's Soundsational Parade"!

I've seen the concept art they posted (displayed above) and I couldn't be more excited. Floats based on "The Little Mermaid", "Aladdin", "The Princess and the Frog", and the upcoming "Tangled" featuring Rapunzel? You know I can hardly wait. 2011 can't come soon enough! More info here.

UPDATE 2/26/11: The Disney Parks Blog gave an opening date for "Mickey's Soundsational Parade" - May 27th! Proof is here along with the opening dates for Ariel's Undersea Adventure at DCA and Star Tours at Disneyland U.S.A. Mark your calendars because it won't be long before the streets of Main Street U.S.A. start sounding like music to your ears... and eyes!

Mickey Speaks! (at Disneyland)

There are a couple of videos posted on YouTube that I found simply amazing. Both courtesy of lrharrisjr, they feature Mickey Mouse at a meet and greet at his house in Disneyland USA, but get this: Mickey is actually talking! Yes, you read right, Mickey actually talks! I haven't been to Disneyland recently, but I've seen the vids and I'm still in awe! The first video has Mickey welcoming everyone and inviting them to have their picture taken with him as seen here. In the second video, Mickey talks to a little girl and her aunt and calls them by name here. That's right, he says their names. Proof positive that the audio of Mickey talking wasn't prerecorded. Can you say "wow"? According to lrharrisjr (who, as I mentioned, posted these videos), this is a test run by Disney, but I wouldn't mind if they made this feature permament, not just in Disneyland, but in Walt Disney World, too. And who knows? Maybe, just maybe, they'll do the same for Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and maybe even Goofy. (Please, please, please, Disney, do Goofy next!) Let's hope Disney can make this happen.

UPDATE 5/7/10: The Disney Parks Blog posted their own video of talking Mickey here.

Disney Goes Steampunk

I never imagined this could happen. And you know what? I love it! The Disney Parks Blog has announced the arrival of the new pin set called "The Mechanical Kingdom", slated to be released this April. The pin set features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pete, and Professor Ludwig von Drake in steampunk outfits.(Above pic from the Disney Parks Blog.)

So, what is steampunk, you ask? Well, basically, it's a fictional universe where modern technology exists in the Victorian era, a.k.a., the 19th century. I'm not into steampunk myself, but it does look good on Mickey and the gang, especially Goofy. I wish this pin set came out while I was in Walt Disney World a few weeks ago, I'm not planning a return visit so soon just for the release of these pins. But don't let me stop you, you can get the pins yourself, although only Mickey and Pete are included in the pin set only while Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Ludwig von Drake can be purchased separately. Better hurry though, they're limited edition, which means that they won't be sold at the parks for long.

Paper Faces on Parade at Disney

Since its opening, Tokyo DisneySea never celebrated Halloween like Tokyo Disneyland did. ...until now. This year, TDS is holding a park-wide Halloween celebration with masquerades as its theme.

Mickey and Minnie are already getting into the spirit. (No pun intended.)

For starters, they've got an elaborate stage show in front of the Tower of Terror called "Mysterious Masquerade". I've seen videos of it posted this past week on YouTube already through a search of "Mysterious Masquerade" and I don't even have to know Japanese to know what's going on. It got me thinking about wanting to bring it to the states with a slight variation: Stitch (yes, the Stitch from "Lilo and Stitch") and Angel take the place of Donald and Daisy, Timon (of "The Lion King") would fill in for both Chip and Dale, Tigger (one of Winnie the Pooh's friends) would be the one hypnotized into being the pirate captain instead of Goofy so that the Goof could be the hero in Mickey's place, and Tinker Bell would be the hostess and after a failed attempt to save Stitch, Angel, Tigger, and Timon with Pixie Dust, Tink would become the Egyptian Queen instead of Minnie. The songs are already in English, so, all that remains is adding English dialogue since not everyone in the U.S. speaks Japanese, myself included.

Another fun Halloween show at TDS is the "MOUSEquerade", a greeting show where "Meet & Smile" is usually held. It's a fun little show that, again, you don't need to know Japanese to enjoy it. I've only seen these on YouTube and I'm sure there's more to TDS's Halloween event. Just go to this post on the Blue Sky Disney blog for more info. For now, I'll keep watching the YouTube vids. As Tigger would say: "TTFN! Ta-ta for now!"

Mickey Mouse Loses His Voice

It wasn't until recently I learned the sad, sad news. It appears that Wayne Allwine, who voiced Mickey Mouse since 1983's "Mickey's Christmas Carol", passed away a couple days ago (May 18th, 2009). This post on the WDWMAGIC.COM forums is where I found out. Other internetters posted tributes to him:

April Winchell, voice of Clarabelle Cow and daughter of the late Paul Winchell: Here.
Honor Hunter at the Blue Sky Disney Blog: Here.
Jerry Beck at Cartoon Brew: Here.
John Frost at the Disney Blog, whose post asks for additional online tributes: Here.
Michael J. Ruocco at the For the Birds Blog: Here.
The news at Toonzone: Here.

Looks like Mickey's gonna be speechless for a while. Wayne Allwine was the best Mickey in my opinion (even better than Walt Disney who first voiced the mouse) and no other could take his place.
Aw, gosh. I'm really gonna miss that fella.

Dream Disney Remakes

Honor Hunter over at Blue Sky Disney posted about what movies he'd like to see Disney remake. That got me thinking about what I want to see Disney remake. I already commented in said post, but here's what movies I'd like to see from Disney.

1. Xanadu
This has been on mind quite a while since I saw Disney's "Hercules". I'm a fan of Xanadu (the movie with Olivia Newton-John, not the Broadway show) and figured "Why not use the muses from 'Hercules' in this film?" As for casting the leads, I'd pick Monique Coleman from "High School Musical" as Kira/Terpsichore, Orlando Brown from "That's So Raven" as Sonny Malone, and Nathan Lane as Danny McGuire. (I like "High School Musical" even though I'm an adult. ...still living with my mother.)

2. Babes in Toyland
I recently got the idea of Mickey Mouse and his friends in this remake of Walt Disney's musical. Here's the cast list:
Mickey Mouse as Tom, the Piper's Son
Minnie Mouse as Mary, Quite Contrary
Donald Duck as Jack Be Nimble
Daisy Duck as Little Bo Peep (she dresses as Bo Peep in some episodes of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse")
Goofy as Simple Simon
Huey, Dewey, and Louie (Donald's nephews) as Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Pete (Mickey's nemesis) as Barnaby, the Crooked Man (or should I say, Crooked Cat)
Scrooge McDuck (Donald's rich uncle from Duckburg) as the Toy Maker
Ludwig von Drake as Grumio, the Toy Maker's assistant
J. Worthingthon Foulfellow (from Walt Disney's "Pinocchio") as Gonzorgo
Gideon (also from "Pinocchio") as Roderigo
Since Huey, Dewey, and Louie are the only kids in the cast, this version allows them, as Wynken, Blynken, and Nod, to look for the sheep for Little Bo Peep. So, Daisy, who plays Bo Peep, has a minor role as does Donald, who plays Jack Be Nimble. The two stay behind in case the kids come back from the Forest of No Return. However, Goofy, who plays Simple Simon, joins Tom and Mary, a.k.a. Mickey and Minnie on the search for the kids and from there, help out in the toy factory in Toyland. (Well, Goofy is my favorite classic Disney character. How could I not include him in this remake at all?)

Of course, these are just my ideas. What do you think, though? Leave a comment here sometime and let me know if these are good ideas for remakes. 'Kay?

Getting Ready for Mickey's Birthday! ...Or Not?

Tokyo Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland toted 2008 as the year of the mouse, rather than the rat, in honor of Mickey Mouse, of course.

This seems fitting because this is the year Mickey (and Minnie) turn 80! However, I'm not sure if Disney's doing anything special for the occasion. So, I wrote to Jeff Pepper, moderator of 2719 HYPERION, asking if Disney even cares about the characters' birthdays nowadays. Here's the response. (Yes, my real name is Marci Cameron, so, don't go accusing me of lying just because I'm called Acme Girl on the blog.) According to the response, Disney might not be doing anything special for Mickey's 80th. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel for it seems Disney is allowing merchandise to celebrate the event.

The first to appear is from PEZ Candy which commemorates the occasion with a three-PEZ set in a collectible tin. (Link from Cartoon Brew.) Strangely enough, PEZ is celebrating its 80th anniversary, too, which makes the set even more special for PEZ lovers.

Next came the Disney Dollars. Disney Dollars, in case you didn't know, are special currency used at the Disney theme parks here in the U.S. This year, the Disney Dollars showcase Mickey for his 80th. (Link courtesy of DisneyDollars.net.) Wow! Looks like Disney is doing something for Mickey's 80th after all. Although, it is a minor detail, but hey, I'm not complaining.

And Disney's not done contributing the merchandise themselves, even their online store has items celebrating the mouse's big moment. Among them, the creme del la creme of Mickey's 80th anniversary themed merchandise, this appealing snowglobe which features Mickey in his most famous roles: "Steamboat Willie", "The Brave Little Tailor", "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "Mickey's Christmas Carol", "The Prince and the Pauper", and "Runaway Brain". What a lineup!

So, with all this merchandise around, what about the Disney theme parks? Will they hold a big celebration for Mickey and Minnie's birthday this year? I'm not sure, but I'll be at Walt Disney World during that moment, namely, November 18th, the day "Steamboat Willie" premiered, so, I will celebrate the occasion nonetheless.Be patient, Mickey. Just a whole month more.

UPDATE 12/2/08: I was in WDW for Mickey's (and Minnie's) big day and I had noticed at their pin stations that they had pins marking the occasion. I got a pin with Mickey from his first appearance standing in front of the number 80 since that's how old he is. There are others, but I don't know how to describe them all. And although it seemed very low key, at least Disney did do something for the birthday of the mouse that started it all.

Forget the Pageant, We Want the Mouse!

The Laughing Place just posted a video of the 2009 Miss America Contestants visiting Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. See it here. (I recommend watching it all the way towards the end for an extra bonus guaranteed to give you a giggle.)

A "Goofy" Day

Today's a special day for Goofy: It's his birthday!
Ooh. Watch where you're skating, Goofy!

I'd thought I'd pay tribute by sharing some links that feature the Goof in all his glory. ...if you can call it that. (LOL)

Jeff Pepper's 2719 Hyperion has posts tagged to Goofy's 75th birthday.

Acme Factory pays tribute to Goofy by year:

First, the introduction.
1932, his debut in "Mickey's Revue"
1933, he plays villain in "Ye Olden Days" (Luckily, it's the only time he plays villain)
1934, in an act with Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow in the original version of "Orphan's Benefit"
1935, his first team-up with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in "Mickey's Fire Brigade"
1936, he tries to show a piano who's boss in "Moving Day"
1937, he, Mickey, and Donald go ghostbusting in "The Lonesome Ghosts"
1938, he flirts with a mermaid figurehead in "Boat Builders"
1939, his first solo cartoon, "Goofy and Wilbur"
1940, the first "How To" cartoon, "Goofy's Glider"
1941, the debut of the "Goofy Holler", "The Art of Skiing"
1942, his first foray into sports, "How to Play Baseball"
1943, "El Gaucho Goofy", his segment in the movie "Saludos Amigos"
1944, Goofy the quarterback in "How to Play Football"
1945, ice day for a hockey game in "Hockey Homicide"
1946, two teams of really tall Goofys in "Double Dribble" (It's about basketball, not drooling. Duh!)
1947, he and Donald try to survive in the desert in "Crazy with the Heat"
1948, he tries to give a circus elephant, Dolores, a bath in, what else, "The Big Wash" (Get it?)
1949, he works out his home workout in "Goofy Gymnastics"
1950, he shows us how not to drive a car in "Motor Mania"
1951, it's hard to relax when a mountain lion comes to your home in "Lion Down"
1952, crime is "Goofy" in "How to Be a Detective"
1953, he tries to play housewife in "Father's Day Off"
1961, he has a wild waterski ride in "Aquamania"
1983, he plays the role of Jacob Marley in "Mickey's Christmas Carol"
1990, he and Mickey are paupers in "The Prince and the Pauper" (Mickey plays both title roles by the way.)
Last, but not least, the conclusion.

Blue Sky Disney has posts tagged with Goofy, including a post that wishes him happy birthday on the 12th instead of the 25th, which some believe is when he debuted.

Cartoon Brew pays tribute to Goofy's first voice actor, Pinto Colvig.

Michael J. Ruocco's For the Birds showcases cartoons and films featuring the "Goofy Holler". (I also pay homage to it in a previous post.)

Mouse Clubhouse has interviews with Goofy's current voice actor, Bill Farmer:

How he became Goofy
His various voice acting odd jobs
And as an added bonus, there's a greeting from Goofy himself!

flickr has an online photo group dedicated to Goofy!

Clear Black Lines has a mini tribute to "A Goofy Movie". Speaking of which, a previous post of mine celebrates the movie's 13th anniversary.

April Winchell and Mr. KABC interview Goofy during Disneyland's "Happiest Homecoming on Earth" celebration.

Finally, check out my previous posts on Goofy's musical talent and pairing him up with Giselle from "Enchanted".

So, happy 76th birthday, Goofy! Another year older, another year goofier. Ahyuck!

UPDATE 6/2/08: This post has been mentioned by Imaginerding as, in their words, "being a fairly comprehensive link collection about Goofy!" Now, if that's not "woot" worthy, I don't know what is. See the mention here.

A "Mousey" Animator

It's not often I plug other blogs, but Mark Sonntag's TAGTOONZ has caught my interest. Mainly because he was an animator in "Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: The Three Musketeers". This particular post tells about his time on the Direct-to-DVD Movie. He even posts some 1930's Mickey Mouse Sunday comics. Go check him out, 'kay?

House of Mouse at Disney Parks?

I'm a fan of "Disney's House of Mouse" since it first aired on ABC on January 13th in 2001. Unfortunately, seeing new episodes of "Power Rangers" and "Pokémon" kept me from watching this show as much as I would have liked. Now that I'm on my Disney kick, I'm watching the show every morning on Toon Disney. Well, the episodes I really like. I'm recording my favorite episodes on DVD since I don't know when Disney is gonna release the series on DVD. Sure, the "House of Mouse" movies are okay ("Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse" and "Mickey's House of Villains"), but I would like to see the full series released on DVD, wouldn't you?

Whilst on the subject of "House of Mouse", I've been thinking that it should be among the Character Dining experience at the Disney Parks. Character Dining, in case you didn't know, is where you dine while the characters meet with you at your table. There are a select few restaurants in the parks that have Character Dining and I would like to see the "House of Mouse" added to that list. It would be really cool to see the costumed characters (Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy... and maybe Goofy's son, Max) in their animated counterparts' "House of Mouse" attire. And it's always fun to watch cartoons while you eat, but this time, in a public restaurant. How cool is that? I was originally thinking it could be in Disney's Hollywood Studios (the park formally known as Disney-MGM Studios), but I don't see why it couldn't also be in Disney's California Adventure. Both those parks seem like the perfect settings for their respective "House of Mouse". Even though the show sometimes states at the beginning that the "House of Mouse" is located on Main Street or in Toontown, I think Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's California Adventure seem more appropriate, don't you?

So, to whoever's in charge of Disney now, I hope you're reading this because this is one Disney Dream I would like to see come true sometime this century. Who else here agrees with me? Leave a comment, why don'cha?

UPDATE 2/19/09: Oh, snap! No more Toon Disney! They replaced the channel with Disney XD on February 13, 2009! That means I won't be able to watch "House of Mouse" until Disney decides to put the series on DVD. So, come on, Disney, do it already, I'm not getting any younger!

Goofy Over Goofy

Gawrsh! I've been on a Disney kick since my trip to Walt Disney World last October and it's still going strong! I guess now is as good a time as any to blog about my favorite Disney character: Goofy!
Why choose him? He makes me laugh. Ahyuck! That's the simple answer. The long answer is because I missed his 75th birthday, so, I'm making it up to him before his 76th comes up this May 25th. Another reason I like Goofy so much is because he's so gawrsh darn talented! Sure, he's a great athlete (I loved seeing all those "How To" shorts), but since this blog is called "Toons 'n' Tunes", you know I'm talking about his musical abilities.

Starting with the 1935 Mickey Mouse cartoon "The Band Concert", Goofy is among the band members playing the clarinet which leads to a cute, but cartoony duet with Clarabelle Cow: The end of her flute is in the bell of his clarinet, yet, they still play beautiful music through their instruments flawlessly. Ah, the things you can do in cartoons. There was a Goofy-like character in the cartoon playing the trombone, but his fur was too bushy for me to consider him as Goofy, too. (Screenshot from The Cartoon Review Website.)

The next cartoon worth mentioning is 1937's "Mickey's Amateurs". Here, Mickey hosts an amateur hour and among the acts is Goofy and his fifty-piece one-man-band! Among the instruments he plays are cymbals (the top end he strapped on his butt), an accordion (which he put between his legs), a trumpet, a xylophone, a trombone, a flute, a tuba (my favorite instrument!), a clarinet, a banjo, and a harmonica. He plays some other instruments, but these are the most prominent. His first song, "In The Good Ol' Summertime", goes smoothly, but when he tries to pull the lever to a faster level which ends up getting pulled out of the machine, he's forced to play "A Hot Time In The Ol' Town Tonight" at an uncontrollably fast pace until the machine breaks, literally! "Ahyuck! It busted," he says, shrugging off the disaster that he endured. What a good sport. (Screenshot from the Encyclopedia of Disney Shorts.)

Another cartoon worth mentioning is 1942's "Symphony Hour" where Goofy plays a bassoon (or is that a contrabassoon?) in an orchestra conducted by Mickey Mouse, of course. After rehearsals, the gang gets ready for the concert, but Goofy, carrying all the instruments, misses the elevator and falls down the shaft. (Yah-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooey!) While he tries to pull his hat off over his face, he, by some miracle, gets out of the way of the incoming elevator, but the instruments don't. So, the gang tries to manage the concert on the flattened instruments with hilarious results! (Screenshot by me from "Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color Volume Two" on DVD. Of course, the "Walt Disney Treasures" titles aren't available on video, a.k.a. VHS, but you get the idea.)

Goofy made a cameo in 1952's "Pluto's Christmas Tree", playing the double bass (or bass fiddle as he might call it) and singing "Deck The Halls" with Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck outside of Mickey's house for Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale. (Screenshot from the Encyclopedia of Disney Shorts.)

By the time the "Mickey Mouse Club" first aired on television screens nationwide in 1955, its intro would show Goofy back in the one-man-band habit, but this time, a bit more simplistic. A bass drum on his back has cymbals on top which clang as he marched. The same can be said for the drumstick tied to his foot by a piece of string so that it can bang the drum. Meanwhile, Goofy himself plays the following instruments in order, but not simultaneously: trombone, flute, tenor saxophone, and trumpet. The MMC intro would become edited in later episodes, removing Goofy's one-man-band performance. A shame, really. I apologize for not having screenshots since no one's taken them yet (including me), but you can see the full, extended intro (and in color, no less!) here. (Credit to kaijueguy for the vid.)

By the time Goofy got his own TV series in 1992, "Goof Troop", he again displays his musical talent, much to the embarrassment of his son, Max, who was a kid at the time. In the episode, "Shake, Rattle and Goof", Goofy wants to join Max and Pete's son, PJ, in their rock band by playing his ukulele. A ukulele in a rock band? No wonder Max is embarrassed! (Screenshot from Ultimate Disney.)

A few more notables come from the 2001 TV series, "Disney's House of Mouse", currently on Toon Disney. I apologize for the lack of screenshots for this, so, you'll just have to use your imagination. In the first cartoon, "How to Be Groovy, Cool and Fly", Goofy is dressed up as one of the Beatles (or in this case, "The Goofies") and is standing behind, of all things, a drum set. He even plays them well. Who knew Goofy got rhythm? Further on in the cartoon, Goofy's dressed as a punk rocker, sporting a wild green hairdo and of course, an electric guitar which he plays. And the right music, no doubt. See for yourself here. (Courtesy of trollheimer.) The second cartoon from "House of Mouse", "How to Be a Rock Star", revolves around rock music as Goofy attempts to become, what else, a rock star! (Personally, I would've preferred him as a country music star due to his accent.) Here, near the beginning of the cartoon, he demonstrates the various musical styles he can play other than rock: Hawaiian (he plays the ukulele), Swiss (he plays the accordion again, but this time, with his hands, not his legs), and classical, which he plays on a toy piano instead of a real one. Look here and see. (Also from trollheimer.) Outside of the cartoons, the wraparound segments show him playing the ukulele quite a bit. The first notable was when he, Mickey, and Donald pose as the Quackstreet Boys (Huey, Dewey, and Louie) when Donald's nephews briefly broke up. Another instance was when Professor Ludwig Von Drake's touch screens replaced Goofy in his waitering duties, so, he decides to help his friends with their jobs, including the Quackstreet Boys, where he jams with them on his ukulele.

The most recent musical venture comes in the current TV series, "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" on Playhouse Disney. Sure, it's a preschool series, but hey, I like it even though I'm an adult. Since this episode is fairly new, I won't give too much away, just Goofy's part. In the episode, "Mickey's Big Band Concert", Mickey and his friends form a band to play polka music in Mickey Park's big "Polka Palooza". Goofy is the trombonist of the band ("Come on, Tromboney, it's time to play."), but his trombone slide is stuck. Of course, one thing leads to another, so, although he gets the slide unstuck, he gets his butt stuck in the trombone's horn. All it takes is a bicycle pump to blow air into the trombone to get Goofy out. ("I'm so glad that ended on a happy note!") You'll have to see the rest of the episode to see Mickey's band play at the "Polka Palooza".

However, he's more than just a musician. He's a dancer, too. But since Goofy is goofy, he needed to learn how to dance in his 1953 cartoon titled, appropriately enough, "How to Dance". He learns various dances along the way. I can only remember him doing an Irish jig and maybe a little ballet. But as soon as he gets the chance to actually dance, he quickly gets smothered by couples dancing to a fun dixieland song provided by The Firehouse 5 + 2 in an animated cameo. (Screenshot from the Encyclopedia of Disney Shorts.)

He suddenly lost his two-left-feet by the time he starred in 2000's "An Extremely Goofy Movie" where he does some disco-dancing with Sylvia Marpole, the collage librarian he falls in love with. You can view that momentous scene here. (Credit to Givijoarna for the clip.)

Another moment where his dancing is center stage is the "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" episode, "Fancy Dancin' Goofy". In this episode, he gets ready for the "Fancy Dance" at the clubhouse by wearing a purple-polka-dotted tie ("I'm in style.") and learning how to fancy dance from Donald to impress Clarabelle Cow who agrees to go with him to the "Fancy Dance". Goofy even got her a daffodil to go with her yellow dress. Even in a preschool series, Goofy shows his romantic side.

Of course, we can't forget all the times Goofy sings, especially when he sings his trademark song, "The World Owes Me A Livin'", which first came from the 1934 Silly Symphony "The Grasshopper and the Ants" and was co-written by Goofy's first voice actor (and the Grasshopper's, too), Pinto Colvig. Goofy's current voice actor, Bill Farmer, is a pretty good singer, too. (And the main reason why I'm hooked on Goofy.) Proof of this can be found in "A Goofy Movie" - which he sings two songs with his son, Max, who is a teenager by now ("On The Open Road" and "Nobody Else But You") - and "Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: The Three Musketeers" - where he sings a romantic, but funny duet with Clarabelle Cow ("Chains Of Love"), voiced by April Winchell, daughter of the late Paul Winchell - as well as the aforementioned "House of Mouse" (especially the song, "Soup Or Salad, Fries Or Biscuits, Extra Olives, Donuts", a parody of the "Mary Poppins" song, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious") and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" plus countless Disney children's music CDs such as "The Best of Children's Favorites: Mickey's Top 40" and "The Best of Children's Favorites: Pooh's Top 40".

His musical abilities don't end with the cartoons, his appearances in the theme parks allow him to dance along to the various bands the parks house. However, he gets into the act at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom during the SpectroMagic parade. (You know, the nighttime parade most people seem to miss.) On the music float of the parade, Genie, from "Disney's Aladdin", conducts a band of magical instruments like two double basses and a harp. Also in the band are Chip and Dale, both playing the piano, and, yep, you guessed it, Goofy! Here, he's the entire percussion section which includes the timpani and the xylophone. Gawrsh! Is he talented or what?

He also gets a chance to sing in "Kingdom Hearts II" with Sora and Donald during the Atlantica level. (Screenshot from Gamespot.) I don't have the game myself since I don't have a Playstation 2, but you can search for the video clips on YouTube.

Now, you can see why Goofy's my favorite Disney character. And not just because of his goof-ups (he is, after all, "Goofy"), but also because of his vast musical talent which never seems to cease. And I, for one, hope it never does. Keep the music playing, Goofy! Ahyuck!
UPDATE 5/12/08: Fanfiction.net author Jediempress added chapters to her "Kingdom Hearts" fanfic "Words are Power", two are most notable mostly because I suggested these words: "Goofy" and "Banjo". (I thought of "Banjo" because of seeing Goofy play the banjo in "Mickey's Amateurs".)