‘GOAT’ Review: Sony Animation’s Basketball Flick Slightly Bleats Out Formulaic Story with Heart and Striking Visuals
Sony Pictures Animation’s latest animated pic, GOAT, wants to switch up the game for kids whose only share of sports movies is Space Jam: A New Legacy. Granted, my generation was stuck with the original Space Jam, but we were also well-palleted. We had Air Bud, Like Mike, and, screw it, I'm counting High School Musical too. These kids only had our reheated nachos (but worse) until now. However, despite dribbling in originality – it’s not an established IP – each shot GOAT takes is blocked by better movies, as it performs the same plays as every sports film that came before it. It's both a far cry from the recent SPA outputs and lacking the innovation of even the studio's earliest foray into the genre.
Image copyright (©) Courtesy of SONY
MPA Rating: PG (some rude humor and brief mild language.)
Runtime: 1 Hour and 40 Minutes
Language: English
Production Companies: Sony Pictures Animation, Unanimous Media, Modern Magic
Distributor: Columbia Pictures (SONY)
Director: Tyree Dillihay
Writers: Aaron Buchsbaum & Teddy Riley
Cast: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis, Aaron Pierre, Patton Oswalt, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Eduardo Franco, Sherry Cola, Jelly Roll , Jennifer Hudson
U.S Release Date: February 13, 2026
What is GOAT about?
In Vineland, Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) dreams of playing the interspecies, co-ed sport pro-roarball on his home team, the Vineland Thorns, alongside his idol, Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). But in a world where "point guard" doesn’t exist, "smalls" can't play roarball. Moreover, his inner-city biome faces a financial crisis as the Thorns haven't won a tournament in 50 years. There’s no business driving their town, and despite his job at a diner, Will struggles to pay rent.
One day, showboating pro-MVP horse Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre, who I assume the character designers looked at and modeled Mane’s design after him) arrives to take on new competitors. As he's disrespecting his town, Will nearly shows the league’s star player up. Despite his W game turning into an L, and going viral, it impresses Thorns owner Flo Everson (Jenifer Lewis). She soon contracts him to the Thorns and puts him with the pros as the first “small” in roarball history.
Initially, Will lands as a glorified mascot of representation. And the rest of the Thorns – the peculiar komodo dragon Modo (Nick Kroll), the low self-esteem social-media obsessed ostrich Olivia (Nicola Coughlan), the soft rhino girldad Archie (David Harbour), the checked-out wannabe-rapper giraffe Lenny (Stephen Curry, who also serves as a producer), and the indifferent proboscis monkey coach Dennis (Patton Oswalt) – are a circus. They can’t function as a team because Fillmore is driven by her selfish ego. But when Will gets a shot to play, his team realizes he's the revolution the sport and the Thorns desperately need.
GOAT wears a charming inner-city image on its sleeve.
(L to R) Modo (Nick Kroll), Lenny (Stephen Curry), Will (Caleb McLaughlin), Olivia (Nicola Coughlan), Jett (Gabrielle Union) and Archie (David Harbour) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation's GOAT.
GOAT is deeply rooted in modern street and Black-coded culture to its core, from the predominantly Black voice cast to Will's permed goat-fro while dressed in street clothing and embedded within this hyper-stylized urbanized, anthropomorphized, animal-filled animated world. I adored the detailing in animation movement, style, and even the art decor of the various terrains, if you can look past the exhaustive product placements (Mercedes and Under Armor exist in this realm). Jang Lee’s production design of Vineland, specifically stood out to me as a Brooklynite. It’s what Bed-Stuy would be if it were a forestry terrain. Contrasting innumerable other family films, such as Zootopia and Sing, its depiction of street culture and the value of community struck me as immensely charming. That’s the strength of animation vet Tyree Dillihay in his directorial debut and writing duo Teddy Riley and Aaron Buchsbaum, who have been lacing street culture since Fairfax (good show, gone too soon).
Plus, it hit my “soft spot” trope: a loving working-class parent unable to provide much but still shows love and faith in their children’s lofty dreams. In its cold open, the film establishes Will's late mom, Louise (Jennifer Hudson), surprising the kid (ha, pun) with tickets to his first roarball game, where he becomes instantly inspired seeing Fillmore in the flesh. Even after her passing, while struggling to pay rent despite having a job, he tries to make those dreams come true (hahaha, he's just like me for real). Whereas GOAT's initial fifteen minutes hooked me by its horns to the near point of tears, once Will's starts playing in the big leagues, and the plot becomes something akin to Like Mike with animals, its game gets thrown off by adhering to strict conventionality.
GOAT is striking but its story makes run-of-the-mill plays.
Will (Caleb McLaughlin) and Jett (Gabrielle Union) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s in GOAT.
If you or your kids have seen any sports movie about an underdog story, you’ve seen GOAT before. Its kinetic well-directed basketball sequences, set in separate biomes and pushing eye-catching, unique character designs against the Spider-Verse-akin visual flair (but with fur), are stunning. Even beyond predictability and a sweet “dream big” soul — a la Marty Supreme for kids — it’s simply not enough to compensate for GOAT's weak bleat in humor, character, and dialogue.
Try as Caleb McLaughlin's voice acting might, he's simply a Miles Morales echo fighter. He’s a rootable underdog with heart, a maybe a little chip on his shoulder, but beyond is upbringing and small stature, lacks the depth to make him a true champion to root for. His foil, Jett, is like a Miguel O'Hara to some degree. At least on the stubborn haterade scale. Though there’s some nuance to her character.
Everywhere Jett goes, people ask about her retirement date, even though she’s far from done with the game. She’s independent to the point of self-destruction, and greedy with the spotlight. Through Jett, there’s a solid commentary on how the industry disregards and insults aging players and how that affects both their psyche off the court and their performance on it. A standout scene of a promo shoot going awry, deconstructing the Thorns’ dysfunction and respective insecurities, cleverly highlights this. I think Gabrielle Union brings — it on. I’m sorry. Force of habit— solid vulnerability in her voice performance.
That said, the commentary is muddied, given the contradictory detailing of our digital age lifestyle affecting plotting. Social media is the catalyst for getting Will on the Thorns — dear writers, can we stop using viral videos as inciting incidents in your stories? Even Stephen Curry doing a diss track is seen as a plot and bonding character progression.
It leans too hard into modernity and culture to the point whilst breezing through a formulaic narrative that it detracts from what character depth could’ve been mined. It's a shame because there are some strong, sincere heartfelt moments of inner-city community value within its skeleton, primarily during beats when Will gives Jett a much-needed wake-up call about who truly is rooting for her. It’s a theme unseen in many family movies and urgent in today’s harsh climate. Yet, it never fully explores its themes beyond the surface.
As much as I want to be a Sony Pictures Animation apologist, it’s a major far cry from their recent all-ages appealing streak (Spider-Verse, KPOP Demon Hunters) and even their earliest efforts, like 2007’s Surf's Up. The latter’s mockumentary format was taboo for a studio kids movie, an innovative touch, and bold given it was SPA’s second feature.
Final Statement
GOAT has heart and stunning animation, baaaaaaa-uuuuut lacks the game to appeal to beyond the youngest of viewers. It's the perfect movie for elementary kids to watch in predominantly Black schools during lunch, or on a rainy or snowy day while teachers are on their lunch break. I had Space Jam in my youth; these kids can have GOAT. I wish I had GOAT. And both have Wayne Knight in them. Now that’s the true GOAT!
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