Goofy story sketch by Bill Peet for the Goofy series of shorts
Walt Disney Productions · Short Film

Goofy Shorts

Story

A run of theatrical Goofy shorts to which Bill Peet contributed story work, including Tiger Trouble, African Diary, How to Play Football, A Knight for a Day, and Californy 'er Bust. The "everyman Goofy" formula let Bill draw the wild animals and sports gags he loved, even if the established character gave him less to invent.

IN THE FAMILY'S WORDS

Bill Peet Jr. recalled his father's mixed feelings about the assignment: "Because the character Goofy had already been developed by others, my father was not enthusiastic about working on these shorts. But Tiger Trouble and African Diary allowed my dad to draw the animals he loved. Since he was also a big football fan, How to Play Football was a natural for him."

His contribution

Bill provided story work across several Goofy shorts. The safari and jungle settings of Tiger Trouble and African Diary gave him room to draw the exotic animals that were a lifelong passion, and his enthusiasm for football made How to Play Football a natural fit. The shorts show his comic staging applied to an already-fixed star character.

Story sketches

African Diary, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
African Diary, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
A Knight for a Day, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
A Knight for a Day, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
Tiger Trouble, character study by Bill Peet, c.1945
Tiger Trouble, character study by Bill Peet, c.1945
Californy 'er Bust, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
Californy 'er Bust, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
How to Play Football, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
How to Play Football, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
African Diary, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
African Diary, story sketch by Bill Peet, c.1945
FILM FACTS
BILL'S ROLE
Story
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