'GOAT' Review
- Juli Horsford
- 7 minutes ago
- 1 min read
Release Date: 02/13/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Action. Adventure. Animation. Comedy. Family. Sport.
MPAA: Rated PG.
Distributor: Sony Pictures.
The Verdict: A Maybe
GOAT is the latest animated movie from Sony Pictures Imageworks with an assist from producer and basketball legend Steph Curry (who also voices a giraffe named Lenny). The story focuses on Will (Caleb McLaughlin), a goat who has dreams of making it in the professional basketball league. It’s not just any league, though. This is roar ball—a full contact, somewhat violent version of basketball dominated by the biggest animals around. Will is determined to make it as a basketball player despite the ongoing chants of, “Smalls can’t ball,” that pepper the first half of the movie.
He gets his chance when he’s signed to a pro team and suits up next to his favorite player, Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). She’s a prickly panther who sees Will as nothing more than a publicity stunt. The story is very predictable and charts exactly the path you think it will. It doesn’t have the heart tugging emotional pull of more recent animated movies (think The Wild Robot or Inside Out 2). But what it does have is a fast-paced, electrifying animation style. The basketball sequences take on a larger-than-life quality where every slam dunk pulses with energy. GOAT is a fun, easy watch when you want a low stakes movie night.
