GOAT (2026) Movie Review: A Visually Stunning Underdog Story That Scores Despite Familiar Playbook

Sony Pictures Animation's GOAT arrives as a vibrant surprise in the animated sports genre, directed by Tyree Dillihay in his feature debut alongside co-director Adam Rosette. Released on February 13, 2026, coinciding with the NBA All-Star Game weekend, this 100-minute family film follows Will Harris, a teenage Boer goat who dreams of playing professional roarball despite being dismissed as a "small" in a league dominated by panthers, rhinos, and horses. Produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation with NBA superstar Stephen Curry aboard as producer and voice actor, the film features a stellar voice cast including Caleb McLaughlin as Will, Gabrielle Union as legendary player Jett Fillmore, Aaron Pierre as rival Mane Attraction, and supporting performances from David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Nicola Coughlan, and Jenifer Lewis. Written by Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley from a story by Nicolas Curcio and Peter Chiarelli, the screenplay transforms a punny premise into something more substantial.

What distinguishes GOAT from the crowded field of animated animal films is its painterly visual aesthetic and progressive world-building. The story unfolds in Vineland, a crumbling yet vibrant animal society where vines and foliage intertwine with urban architecture, creating environments that feel both dystopian and inviting. Roarball serves as this world's premier sport, essentially basketball but played across wildly varied venues from volcanic courts above bubbling magma to ice arenas on frozen tundras. The film matters not just as entertainment but as a quietly progressive statement about inclusivity in sports, featuring a co-ed league where Jett represents the pinnacle without her gender ever becoming an issue. While the narrative follows predictable underdog sports movie beats, the execution demonstrates enough wit, charm, and visual invention to elevate familiar material.

Story and Screenplay: Comfort Food Served With Creative Garnish

The screenplay follows the template established by countless sports films: the determined underdog defies expectations, faces resistance from teammates and rivals, learns valuable lessons about teamwork, and ultimately helps transform a losing squad into champions. We meet young Will idolizing Jett at a Thorns game before jumping ahead ten years to find him struggling as a delivery worker, barely scraping by while maintaining his basketball obsession. When a street game against arrogant superstar Mane Attraction goes viral despite Will technically losing, team owner Flo signs him as a publicity stunt. The narrative then hits expected stations: initial rejection by teammates, mounting tensions, breakthrough moments, playoff runs through increasingly challenging venues, and a climactic championship game.

What prevents the screenplay from feeling wholly derivative is how it positions Jett as the film's true emotional center rather than making Will the sole focus. While conventional sports movie logic suggests Will should undergo significant character transformation, he remains consistent throughout: talented, modest, principled, and team-oriented from the start. This choice mirrors films like Going My Way, where an idealistic newcomer teaches jaded veterans to rediscover their passion rather than learning lessons themselves. Jett's arc carries the dramatic weight as the aging superstar grappling with legacy, isolation, and her inability to elevate teammates. Her narcissism and ball-hogging stem from anxiety about proving herself one final time, and watching her learn to trust and empower others provides the story's genuine stakes.

The pacing stumbles somewhat in the middle section, spending excessive time on Will being benched while Jett continues dominating solo. This creates a lull before the team's eventual cohesion, making the transformation feel rushed when it finally arrives. The script incorporates contemporary references to cryptocurrency ads and viral memes that attempt to ground the fantasy world but feel somewhat forced. More successful are the basketball Easter eggs and parallels to Curry's own career, from being underestimated due to size to revolutionizing the game through shooting prowess. The film also makes surprisingly progressive statements about inclusivity without ever stopping to explain itself: the co-ed league simply exists, smaller animals aren't technically banned from playing, and diversity isn't presented as controversial but as natural. These quiet choices give the familiar story unexpected relevance.

Acting and Characters: Voice Work Elevates Archetypal Roles

Caleb McLaughlin brings quick-witted empathy to Will, delivering vocal performance that recalls Shameik Moore's vibrance in the Spider-Verse films. He makes Will's earnestness engaging rather than saccharine, investing the character with enough personality to justify why teammates gradually warm to him. McLaughlin excels at conveying determination without ego, creating a protagonist easy to root for even when the script doesn't challenge him significantly. His vocal work suggests physicality and youth while maintaining emotional maturity.

Gabrielle Union delivers the standout performance as Jett Fillmore, creating the film's most dimensional character through vocal nuance alone. She plays Jett with fierce confidence masking deep insecurity, finding the vulnerability beneath the bluster. Union's Jett throws shade like an athlete infused with drag queen energy, dominating every scene through personality and pain. The voice work suggests someone wrestling with mortality and legacy, making Jett's eventual transformation feel earned rather than manipulative. Union matches the animation perfectly, her vocals suggesting power and grace even as Jett struggles with age and isolation.

The supporting ensemble contributes memorable character work despite limited screen time. David Harbour makes Archie the rhino a sweetly overprotective single father whose bruising playing style contrasts with his gentle parenting. Nick Kroll steals scenes as Modo the Komodo dragon, an anarchic wildcard whose pierced features and saliva-drenched jaws create visceral comedy. Nicola Coughlan brings insecure charm to Olivia the ostrich, literalizing anxiety by carrying sand to bury her head in when panicking. Aaron Pierre plays Mane Attraction with appropriate arrogant swagger. Only Stephen Curry's Lenny feels flat, the basketball star's non-actor status evident in delivery that lacks the comedic timing or emotional range of his castmates. Jenifer Lewis, Patton Oswalt, and Wayne Knight round out the ensemble with sly supporting turns, though Jennifer Hudson's role as Will's deceased mother amounts to little more than a cameo establishing emotional stakes.

Direction and Technical Aspects: Painterly Animation That Breaks The Mold

Tyree Dillihay's direction represents Sony Pictures Animation's continued evolution beyond standard digital aesthetics. Rather than pursuing the tactile realism that became industry standard after Toy Story, Dillihay and his animation team embrace a painterly sensuality that makes Vineland feel tangible despite its fantasy nature. The environments possess an almost Impressionist quality, with lush backdrops that could have been painted by Cézanne. Vines hang in unruly abundance, draped over infrastructure in ways that suggest life persisting through decay. This creates a visual identity distinct from recent animated offerings, avoiding the standard look that makes so many CGI films feel interchangeable.

The roarball venues showcase the animation team's creativity, with each stadium functioning as a fantasy landscape. The volcanic court above bubbling magma features flowing lava beneath volcanic rock, adding operatic danger. The frozen Cryosphere presents games on cracking ice that reveals freezing water below, illuminated by aurora borealis. The Cave features stalactites that become hazards mid-game. Vineland's home court, the Green House, integrates massive branches and leaves directly into architectural design. These varied environments provide visual spectacle while maintaining coherent world-building logic. The animation during games captures hyperkinetic movement through exaggerated, fluid motion that stretches and warps characters while packing frames with detail. The camera work during roarball sequences is energetic and dynamic, maintaining spatial clarity despite the visual density.

Character design balances anthropomorphic functionality with animal authenticity. Will and other animals walk upright but still run on all fours when situations demand, maintaining connection to their species. Jett makes biscuits on cushions when relaxed, revealing cat instincts beneath panther persona. Olivia's tendency to bury her head plays on common ostrich misconceptions for comedic effect. The animation team creates memorable visual gags through animal behavior without making characters feel like humans in animal costumes. However, the character designs themselves trend toward generic, lacking the distinctive stylization that environments possess. Additionally, clumsy product placement for Mercedes-Benz, Under Armour, PlayStation, and DoorDash disrupts immersion, feeling like commercial interruptions rather than integrated world-building. These moments undermine the creative vision elsewhere on display.

Trailer GOAT (2026)

Music and Atmosphere: Energetic Soundtrack Powers Emotional Beats

Kris Bowers's original score combines hip-hop influences with orchestral swells, creating an energetic soundscape that enhances both intimate character moments and action-packed game sequences. The soundtrack incorporates contemporary tracks that reinforce the film's urban sensibility, including a delicate cover of "Don't Dream It's Over" performed by Lenny that provides unexpected emotional resonance. The musical choices lean heavily into hip-hop culture, which fits the street basketball aesthetic Dillihay cultivates. The film even samples "Space Jam" classic sports theme from 2 Unlimited, creating direct lineage to basketball movies that inspired this one.

The overall atmosphere balances laidback dystopia with inspirational uplift, finding the sweet spot between gritty and heartwarming. The crumbling infrastructure of Vineland suggests economic hardship without becoming oppressive, while the character interactions maintain warmth and humor. Sound design during games emphasizes the visceral physicality of roarball, with thumping impacts and squeaking shoes grounding the fantastical action in authentic basketball sensations. The combination of visual design, musical choices, and atmospheric sound creates a world that feels lived-in and believable despite its anthropomorphic premise, making it easy to accept the reality of goats competing against panthers on basketball courts.

Strengths and Weaknesses

What Works Well:

• The painterly visual aesthetic breaks free from standard animation aesthetics, creating distinctive environments with Impressionist quality.
• Gabrielle Union delivers an outstanding voice performance as Jett, creating the film's most dimensional and compelling character.
• The varied roarball venues showcase impressive creativity, from volcanic courts to frozen arenas with unique environmental challenges.
• The film makes progressive statements about inclusivity through co-ed leagues and size diversity without ever stopping to explain itself.
• Character animation balances anthropomorphic design with authentic animal behavior, creating memorable visual gags and believable movement.
• The supporting voice cast brings personality to archetypal roles, particularly Nick Kroll's anarchic Komodo dragon and David Harbour's gentle rhino.
• Kris Bowers's score effectively enhances both emotional moments and high-energy game sequences.

What Doesn't Work:

• The narrative follows predictable underdog sports movie beats without significant subversion or surprise.
• Pacing stumbles in the middle section, spending too much time on Will being benched before rushing his integration.
• Character designs trend generic despite the creative environments, lacking the distinctive stylization seen in Sony's Spider-Verse films.
• Clumsy product placement for major brands disrupts immersion and feels like commercial interruptions.
• Stephen Curry's voice performance as Lenny lacks the comedic timing and emotional range of professional voice actors.
• Contemporary references to cryptocurrency and viral memes feel forced rather than organically integrated.
• The film spends disproportionate early time on adult concerns like financial insecurity that feel out of place in children's entertainment.

Final Verdict: Familiar Formula Elevated By Visual Imagination

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

GOAT earns 3.5 out of 5 stars for being a thoroughly entertaining animated sports film that succeeds through visual imagination and sincere execution despite following a predictable narrative path. The rating reflects a film that understands its genre conventions and leans into them with confidence rather than attempting misguided subversion. Dillihay delivers a feature debut that showcases Sony Pictures Animation's continued evolution, creating environments and animation styles that distinguish this effort from countless other anthropomorphic animal films. While the story offers few surprises, the journey remains engaging through character work, particularly Union's Jett, and the sheer creativity of the world-building.

This film will thoroughly satisfy families seeking quality animated entertainment with positive messages about teamwork, perseverance, and inclusivity. Young basketball fans will likely embrace GOAT the way previous generations latched onto Space Jam, finding inspiration in Will's determination and the spectacular roarball sequences. Parents will appreciate the progressive world-building that normalizes gender inclusivity and diversity without making it a lesson. Animation enthusiasts will find much to admire in the painterly aesthetic and creative venue designs that break from industry standards. Basketball fans will enjoy the NBA Easter eggs and references throughout, from Michael Jordan's flu game to Paul Pierce's wheelchair game. The film also works for viewers who appreciate underdog sports stories executed with sincerity and heart, understanding that familiar formulas persist because they remain emotionally satisfying when told well.

Conversely, audiences seeking narrative innovation or unexpected plot developments will find the story disappointingly conventional. Those who tire of predictable beats in sports movies won't discover anything that challenges their expectations here. Viewers sensitive to product placement will be annoyed by the blatant brand integrations that disrupt the fantasy world. Adults watching without children may find the pacing uneven and the character designs less distinctive than the environments deserve. Anyone expecting Spider-Verse-level innovation will be disappointed, as GOAT operates at a more conventional level despite its visual creativity. The film knows exactly what it is and executes that vision with skill and confidence, proving that even well-worn sports story formulas can feel fresh when powered by imagination, sincerity, and genuine craft. It's comfort food served with creative garnish, and sometimes that's exactly what audiences need.