After four seasons, Atlanta has probably done it all, especially after this week’s episode branches off into the mockumentary genre to shed a light on why Goofy, yes, Mickey’s lovable buffoon of a friend, became a black culture icon and it does so in hilarious fashion.
Suffice it to say, Atlanta’s home network, FX, is owned by Disney so it’s clear Donald Glover and company might have had to pull some strings to make such use of images from 1995’s A Goofy Movie, yet the result is definitely worth it as “The Goof Who Sat By the Door” comes out of one of the most unique things the shown has ever given fans. Naturally, in Atlanta’s world, this brilliant spoof comes courtesy of the Black American Network (BAN), but in real life, Francesca Sloane and Karen Joseph Adcock are to thank for the clever writing, whereas Glover set out to direct this one, an entry he surely didn't want to sit out.
For a second consecutive week, there is no Atlanta logo in Atlanta, perhaps the greater sign the show only has a couple of episodes remaining, instead, many will be surprised to see mention of The Walt Disney Company. The setup for the Thomas Washington story is perfect, as the faux documentary makes his rise to stardom possible in the aftermath of the Los Angeles Rodney King riots, as well as the company’s unprecedented success in the 90s due to the release of The Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King.
Before all that, Tom Washington had to be a kid and the way his childhood is depicted could very well be any nerdy African American child aspiring to a career in the arts. Tom's parents describe him as a bit of an outsider, passionate about cartoons from a very early age as a way for the young boy to shelter himself from hood culture, and he was far from popular in school.
Simply put, Washington’s story isn’t anything too remarkable, at least not until he enrolls in Savannah College where his artistic vision immediately stands out for his professors. This is when Atlanta really goes wild to show off some of Washington's fictitious early work, which includes his own version of The Little Prince featuring the one and only Prince himself, as well as the first seeds for what this mysterious figure would turn out to be.
It’s also here when those unfamiliar with the cultural affiliation attributed to A Goofy Movie will start to understand how Atlanta put this together, naming specific references to Goofy’s creator Art Babbitt and the character’s origins. There are plenty of academic and journalism articles on the matter, but to keep it simple for the sake of entertainment, Goofy was initially thought of as a Barbershop goofball character, one that took certain stereotypes associated with black culture, and exacerbated them to the limits allowed by kids’ cartoons.
Washington, played masterfully by Eric Berryman, is one of the few voices at Disney to pick up on this as a young animator for the studio, pointing out classic internet questions like “Why does Mickey keep Pluto on a leash if he’s a dog just like Goofy?”, and instantly becoming an outstanding figure for his coworkers. The funny part is that Washington's character is not that far-fetched, even if Atlanta resorts to ultimate parody to justify his accidental appointment as Disney’s CEO during a heated time in the 90s.
The fictional CEO’s demeanor is humorous, he is cartoonish, but really not that far off from real eccentric millionaires of today, and overall this Atlanta episode is funnier as a whole rather than due to individual moments, though there are a couple that will absolutely have viewers laughing out loud. Whether it’s the fictional transformation of Disney under black leadership or the cultural references to Washington's growing ties to the Nation of Islam, this is Glover making the blackest mockumentary he could shoot about the blackest Disney movie ever made.
Surely, Washington's demise is utterly predictable, but regardless of that, the juxtaposition of Atlanta’s version of a potential Goofy Movie vs. the official release is pure comedy. Of course, the episode ends with a Tevin Campbell song, quite fitting for a Goofy spoof (take note Kingdom Hearts 4), nevertheless, “The Goof Who Sat By the Door” claims its biggest win from the sole merit of existing in Atlanta’s final season.
TV shows are not supposed to do oddball episodes two weeks away from their finale, yet that's the kind of series Atlanta is and why its fans love it so much, as there isn't anything else out there that comes close to it, not only in blending surrealism, comedy, hip-hop culture and black culture so well, but doing it with such a consistent level of quality. “The Goof Who Sat By the Door” may just be one of Atlanta's smartest episodes, nevertheless, as an audience, we only get to see its sheer genius due to the show's own level of success because no other show might be willing to make fun of Disney, Mickey and Goofy to this extent.