Goof Troop (Toon Disney)

At some point in the '50s, Disney created a few shorts starring Goofy and his mischievous son -- which they later mined to create GOOF TROOP, in which single parent Goofy (voiced by Bill Farmer) raises son Max (Dana Hill) in the suburbs of Spoonerville. While the original cartoons featured Goofy's desperate and inept -- but always successful -- attempts to rescue his boy from various dangers in classic cartoon style, Goof Troop is more of a cartoon sitcom: Think Home Improvement with more skateboarding. Goofy and Max live next to Goofy's high school buddy Pete (a defanged version of the original Goofy's recurring enemy, voiced here by Rob Paulsen).

Goof Troop is reasonably funny. In its own way, it's an example of how much fun being animated can add to an otherwise ordinary sitcom set -- the suspension of disbelief is built in, so that millionaires can have gold shoes and uncles can commandeer retired tanks. The plots are original and veer off into the wildly creative often enough to be interesting for adults who sit down to watch, too (although the motivations provided for the characters -- selling more RVs, clearing a reputation -- may be confusing for younger kids).

All of that said, don't expect any concrete lessons here; Goof Troop is all about entertainment, not education.

TV Rating: TV-Y
Network: Toon Disney
Cast: Bill Farmer, Jim Cummings
Genre: Kids' Animation
Where to watch: Toon Disney