There has been a rumor for years now that Walt Disney used his last note to leave instructions to kill Goofy, but is there any truth to this? Did Walt Disney really hate the character so much?

We at Disney Fanatic jumped in to get to work and answer these questions for you, our beloved Disney Fanatics.

For years now, the subject of the founder of the Walt Disney Company—Walt Disney’s—last words have been a mystery to many. His words have been the inspiration behind many an urban legend as well. In fact, his death has even become one of the most talked about topics in the Disney fandom.

Read More: Were Walt Disney’s Last Words Really ‘Kurt Russell’? The Truth is Complicated

Did Walt Disney Really Leave a Note to “Kill Goofy” Before He Died?

We’ve done a lot of digging, and unfortunately, we don’t quite know how this one started. But what we can share is that there have been some reports that when Walt Disney died, he left a note on his desk that had the phrase “kill Goofy” written on it (along with “Kirt Russell”).

Of course, there is no proof that this is even the case—and even James Gunn, the director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, who has seen Walt Disney’s last note, hasn’t mentioned Disney wanting to kill the popular character.

Gunn told the Washington Post:

They love their lore– all the Disney guys– and they kind of told me the whole story. I’ve seen that sheet on this desk, that spells ‘Kirt Russell.’ It isn’t exactly a true story, that this was the last thing Disney wrote in his office. I talked to Kurt about it; he loves the story.  I believed it. I think Kurt believes in it and (Marvel Studio Head) Kevin Feige believes it.

Related: Was Walt Disney’s Body Frozen? Here’s the Truth:

But Did Walt Disney Hate Goofy?

Walt Disney may or may not have wanted to kill Goofy, but multiple reports corroborate that he certainly harbored no sweet feelings for the cartoons.

An interview with Walt Disney biographer Neal Gabler reveals that Walt Disney “talks constantly about how much he hates them, but never really specifies what he hates about them. He thought they were stupid, I think, at some point. There was no emotional engagement in them.

He continued, “They’re just a bunch of stupid cartoons with gags tied together, which in a way was getting way back to the early days of animation. Walt had striven so hard to get away from that notion of just putting a bunch of gags together that have no kind of larger narrative context and no emotional context.

Related: 57 Years After His Death, We Remember & Celebrate Walt Disney

Gabler concluded, “Walt always hated Goofy and he would’ve deep-sixed Goofy a long time ago if the studio didn’t need to make those movies to give ‘make work’ to so many of the animators. Boy, he hated Goofy.”

So there you have it! Walt Disney certainly was not a Goofy fan, but there is no evidence that suggests he was trying to kill the cartoon and character off… yet.

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