"How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" is a 6.5-minute Annie Award nominated short film from almost 10 years ago. Many decades ago, they made quite a few of these Goofy "How to" short films, so this is a bit of back to the roots. Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers wrote and directed this short film and if you pay good attention from start to finish, you will also see a little moment of homage to Walt Disney as this one here is a Disney produced film as well. I will not say too much about the story as the title pretty much gives it away. Goofy tries to get the perfect home theater system for watching sports events mostly. In the end, it is almost too real for him. I believe this is not on par with the best Goofy "How to" films, but still a worthy addition all in all and I recommend it. Apart from that, I've always liked Goofy. Thumbs up.
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Horst_In_Translation5 November 2015
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planktonrules26 August 2009If only all the old Goofy cartoon shorts were this funny! This is a modern version of the old Walt Disney films that featured Goofy illustrating how to do something. Decades ago, Goofy starred in many films like this--including ones on driving or skiing. But this one's crazy sensibilities beat the old ones--like they infused the old cartoons with crack.
The film consists of Goofy buying every possible expensive TV accessory--a screen as big as a movie theater's, DVD, Blueray and a zillion other expensive and not exactly necessary things. He buys them from what appears to be a Best Buy-type store and the whole thing is wildly confusing and strange. And, when it's all finished, Goofy is stuck with a zillion remote controls! Overall, fantastic animation quality, great writing and a zaniness that you will love--hopefully this is a sign of yet more to come. -
dgtrkr12 February 2008things that has come out of the Disney animations studios in a LONG time, I'm sick of all the 3D stuff give me some good old looking animation (even if it was produced with 50% less paper), this is what Disney was built on, and what they do best. This is modern old school stuff, a great update of a classic. Awesome cartoon!!!!! I was pleasantly surprise when I sat down to see National Treasure 2, and there was a cartoon, I really expected one of the classics, I really thought they just cleaned up something from the vault until it started, then WOW! I think that Disney would be well suited to get back to their roots with this type of animation, and the story was one of the best of the old "How to..." with a great modern twist, I'd go back to see the movies, just to watch the cartoon again!
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steve-bailey-16 January 2008What a treat to go to "National Treasure 2" (itself an escapist ecstasy) and find this brand-spanking-new Disney short preceding it. A beautifully done addition to the countless "How to" Disney cartoons in which The Goof starred in his heyday, it shows that a quarter-century after their creation, the Disney cartoon characters still have lifeblood (and adrenaline) in them.
An absolute hoot, the cartoon depicts Goofy jonesing for a full-screen TV to watch football games, and thus entering a Best Buy-like, all-encompassing electronics store. From there, the laughs only come more quickly.
I hope this inspires The Disney Co. to reprise a regular series of cartoon shorts, as the Warner Bros. group briefly did in the 1990's with a too-short but delightful series of Bugs Bunny and Road Runner cartoons. If you make 'em, we'll still watch 'em!! -
cshighland26 December 2007We saw this short before National Treasure Book of Secrets. To be honest, we enjoyed the short as much or more than that film (and it was a good film!) The short is a throw-back to Disney's old "How to" films of the 50s and 60s starring Goofy and despite modern advances (paperless animation, subject matter), it fits perfectly into the genre. Same style animation, same absurd situations, same old Goofy... and I mean that in the best way.
For us, though, the short is wonderful because of it's take on Home Theater and Installation. Both my husband and I work for a professional A/V integrator and we work with this stuff every day. Watching Goofy tackle our world in his own inimitable way, we literally cried from laughing so hard.
From knowing which components to buy at "Shiny Stuff," to waiting for delivery between 8 and 5, to dealing with way too many cables and way too many speakers, to the Almighty Holy Universal Remote, Goofy's experiences reflect Everyman's experiences with this new technology (and highlight some of the best and worst of our industry, particularly in the residential market).
In short (no pun intended), this new Disney short is priceless. Bravo, Disney! -
Michael_Elliott15 December 2010How to Hook Up Your Home Theater (2007)
*** (out of 4)
Goofy made his return to the big screen with this 7-minute short that really captures the spirit of the older cartoons. Goofy grows tired of watching football on his old, B&W television so he goes to a local store to upgrade everything and soon finds himself buried behind dozens of boxes trying to hook it all up. Back in the day Goofy made all sorts of "How to..." films but this here is certainly one of the best. I think those who have actually tried hooking up any type of home theater are the ones who are going to get the greatest kick out of this because it perfectly captures how frustrating it can be trying to put the thing together. The jokes with all the wires needing to be plugged in and the size of the various televisions were very funny. Another highlight comes when Goofy is waiting for the delivery men who of course don't show up on time. I'm sure kids will get a few laughs out of the physical comedy but this is clearly aimed at adults and I'm sure they're the ones who will enjoy this the most. -
pixrox14 July 2022. . . or an audio visual specialist, but even I know that people cannot simply lop off excess wiring with a chain saw and then expect brand new television equipment to work. When viewing this with a fire fighter, you'll hear that HOW TO HOOK UP YOUR HOME THEATER is a recipe for disaster. The deplorable Dizzy Mega Corporation does not WANT American Citizens to have ANY access to entertainment in their homes or on their personal devices. This philosophy forces a captive audience into overcrowded multiplexes to sit cheek by jowl with viral super spreaders, paying through their noses to view the half of our media these monopolistic corporate greed heads already have gobbled up on their way to cornering the market on fun. This is done all in the name of making quick bucks. In fact, Dizzy has released HOME THEATER with an introduction by the three filmmakers chortling about wire snipping, conflagrations and chuckling all the way to their banks.
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Walt Disney's Heaven-residing spirit must be VERY happy right now! For the most worthy successor to his genius for knowing what makes people happy, John Lasseter from Pixar, has started the ball rolling on bringing back the truly wonderful spirit of the classic Disney 2D animation of the '40s & '50s by releasing Disney's brand new "National Treasure" companion short "How To Hook Up Your Home Theater", starring Goofy! And this truly is Goofy as portrayed 60 years ago, and every little detail of his environment is true to his time.
You must know I'm one who's life was made much happier by falling in love with everything Walt created. And I also remember comparisons written a few generations back comparing Disney cartoons with Warner Bros., and how most of them agreed how much better Bugs and all his gang were...and I agreed, mostly, except when it came to Donald and especially Goofy. Well, I'll swear on a Bible in a courtroom, whatEVER your cartoon preferences have been THIS one will have you almost literally rolling in the aisles! It made this 61 year-old tech geek applaud and get tears in his eyes(in public!) I was laughing so hard, and so often, while being entranced by this animated treasure! And best of all, this ode to guys and our love of new gadgets was directed by....a woman! No WONDER it works so well! So, as I like to say about entertainment I love: "If this doesn't get you laughing I'll bury ya myself!" -
djhasti13 May 2009Since viewing the Disney animated short "How to Hook Up Your Home Theater" at a screening of National Treasure 2, I have wanted to say THANKS to the Disney people who made this possible. Talk about a faithful return to their roots! Disney did a marvelous job of capturing the magic, the humor, the timing, and the same light-hearted feeling that the old shorts had. And yet it was up-to-date with the subject matter. I was taken back to my youthful memories of the classic Disney cartoons. Goofy is my favorite character, but we could use new exploits of Donald, Mickey and Pluto, even Uncle Scrooge. So my last comment is: Please make more!
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TheLittleSongbird30 April 2019Love animation and Disney, have done from an early age and always will do without fail. Goofy has always been an appealing and funny character, one of Disney's best. And the 'How To...' series from the 1940s-60s, done in a demonstrative-documentarian approach, did a great job showing that, as well as entertaining and educating through its clever use of narration which was like presenting a documentary telling one how to do it while Goofy demonstrated on screen and failing often endearingly and hilariously to do so.
Goofy's first solo cartoon in a long time, 'How to Hook Up Your Home Theater' is something of a little gem. As others have said, Disney has returned nostalgically and affectionately to its much-missed roots and the spirit of the original 'How to' series is captured while having fresh modern touches as well to make it more up to date. It is as great as the best of the cartoons in the series, if maybe not quite as fresh in some of the content (the subject is more original though, with it being more up to date in a way, than any of those in the old 'How to...' series).
The animation, with innovative and ingenious use of paperless animation (an experiement and one that paid off), is an improvement over the still great animation of the old 'How to...' cartoons. It is as vibrantly coloured and detailed in backgrounds, with just as many and even more imaginative touches in the visuals, but much smoother in drawing. The music is every bit as characterful and cleverly orchestrated, while blending very well with the more contemporary setting.
'How to Hook Up Your Home Theater's' demonstrative-documentarian format doesn't feel too routine or tired, formulaic perhaps (true of the old cartoons as well) but there is enough variety to stop repetition from creeping in. The narration is sharp and thoughtful, it and its interaction with Goofy and his ineptitude is very funny yet one is educated as well in a way. Those wanting to do what Goofy does, doesn't know how and messes up will relate. The physical comedy is beautifully timed and even funnier, like the wire and television size gags, agree too that the awaiting delivery that is also relatable for anybody who's been through it themselves.
Much light-hearted energy and never overdone yet witty zaniness can be found and Goofy is both immensely endearing and hilarious. 'How to Hook Up Your Home Theater' nails what the 'How to...' were so successful in what they did with Goofy's character, an appealing yet clumsy everyman and one that one feels for underneath the hilarious clumsiness. The voice acting is also fine, the spirit of the original voice actors by two immensely talented and deservedly prolific voice actors (very versatile in the case of Corey Burton) replicated but not impersonated thankfully spot on.
In summary, great. 9/10 -
edrybaaudio27 November 2019...When THIS Goofy masterpiece showed up on his big screen TV. What grabbed my attention, surprisingly, was NOT the great (better than just about ANYONE makes today, in 2019, when this review was written). No, what caught my brain was something through my EAR! It was the sound of a voice. A voice of MANY voices I knew. It was the Narrator on this latter-day Goofy "How-To" cartoon! It was the amazing Corey Burton, who by far outclasses ANY Voice Actor I can think of, if for no other reason than Corey's the man who gets called when Hollywood needs an "old-time" movie, radio or TV voice. Among other things. I don't know how he does it, I never have. But I was introduced to him some years ago (and he was just a "regular guy"). I was astounded! But you're wasting your time if ya listen for him. Just know he's there.