Directed by Tyree Dillihay and produced by Stephen Curry, Goat is set in an all-animal world and follows Will (Caleb McLaughlin), a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!”
Sony Pictures Animation has been on a major rise lately with some amazing animated installments such as the Spiderverse films, The Mitchells vs. the Machines and most recently KPop Demon Hunters, which has been ruling the world recently. Now they are back again with a new animated film that is a sports comedy produced by NBA star Stephen Curry and it definitely got my interest from its seemingly unique premise and trailers. I got the chance to see the film at an early screening and I can gladly say that Sony Pictures Animation has delivered another great animated film to add to its library.
Goat is a fun family aimed sports comedy that is full of heart, charm, humor, and excellent messages while also being crafted with adrenaline-fueled animation that is visually pleasing and thrilling to witness on the big screen. Its story may not have the same emotional levels or unique narrative elements as some of Sony Pictures Animation’s most recent projects but it is still a strong and worthy animated film that has something for everyone to enjoy.
The voice cast of this film is pretty stellar across the board, with every cast member delivering their best for their respective characters, giving this film most of its heart and humor. Having just come off of completing his role of Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things, Caleb McLaughlin delivers a fun and genuinely heartfelt performance as Will Harris. He is a little guy with big dreams and an even bigger heart that you can’t help but love and root for throughout the whole film. While he does play the typical role of the underdog in a sports drama, I do love the fact that he isn’t in it for fame or fortune but for the love of the game and the community that he and the team are representing. He looks out for others instead of himself and proves to be a valuable asset to the team, not just in helping them work together better in the game of roarball, but also in helping them overcome their own weaknesses that hold them back.
While Caleb certainly was excellent in the leading role of Will Harris, I found Gabrielle Union to be an equally compelling lead in her performance as Jett Fillmore, a famous all-star black panther roarball player, known as the “Face of the Thorns”, who is also Will’s idol. Jett is a damn good player in the sport but, unlike Will, she looks out for herself rather than her team, wanting the glory for herself and causing them to fail games frequently. Ironically, her fear of failure is what causes her to push so hard to be such a fierce player, not realizing she’s leaving everyone else in the dust until Will’s inclusion in the team gives her a much needed wake up call. Gabrielle Union plays this character beautifully, delivering great drama and humor with her voice performance as well as sharing great chemistry with Caleb as Will throughout the film.
The other team members of the Thorns are composed of a great cast of well-known voices that play a fun batch of colorful characters to perfection with their own personalities and insecurities. First there is Lenny Williamson, a giraffe who has a hard time focusing, who learns to be there for his team who are sticking their necks out for him, and is shown to be a pretty cool dude amongst the group, and given a cool voice by Stephen Curry.
There is Archie Everhardt, an Indian rhinoceros who struggles as a single dad and is learning to be a great enforcer for the team when they need him most, and is given a great voice by the always brilliant David Harbour.
There is Olivia Burke, an ostrich who deals with major self-confidence and social media obsession issues, who is given a wonderfully humorous voice by Nicola Coughlan.
And finally there is Modo Olachenko, a Komodo dragon who is the wild card of the team that is absolutely unhinged and hilarious beyond words, thanks mostly to the performance by Nick Kroll.
Serving as the main rival of the Thorns is Mane Attraction, an Andalusian horse who is the MVP of the roarball league, given an intense and entertaining performance by Aaron Pierre who makes a pretty basic villain into an enjoyable one.
We also have some great supporting voices that make this film even more fun, including Jenifer Lewis, Patton Oswalt, Eduardo Franco, Sherry Cola, Wayne Knight and various others.
The film’s narrative hits all the familiar beats we have seen in most underdog sports dramas and comedies but it still has a great amount of heart, charm and solid messages to still be very enjoyable, especially for families. Is the plot predictable? Yes. Is it still fun and exciting regardless? Also yes. The humor may not hit for everyone but there were definitely a number of great jokes and hilarious moments that got some good laughs out of me especially when the animation adds more to the humor at times.
While it has plenty of simple themes about legacy, overcoming weaknesses and limits of age within an intense sports setting, there’s also a huge thematic focus on community and how powerful that can be when they rally around teams they love, which is something that isn’t often explored in other sports-based films. Since I’m not personally big into basketball myself, I don’t know how accurate all of it is compared to basketball communities in real life, but given Stephen Curry’s creative involvement I assume it is very accurate, which gives this film an authentic feel to it despite being set in a fictional world of animals. There are also plenty of NBA references that basketball fans are surely going to love if they manage to catch them all.
The animation of this film is absolutely phenomenal, using a stunning watercolor-like style that gives it a distinct look compared to other Sony Animation projects of the past and even other animated films from other studios. The roarball action is crafted and shot with such intensity and fluidity that it makes you feel like you are in the game as well as feel the rush of adrenaline that is flowing through the sequences. The weather-based stadiums are gorgeous to look at while also offering visually crazy obstacles that increase the stakes and excitement of every game throughout the film.
Adding on to the awesome animation is an equally awesome soundtrack of songs and a strong score by Kris Bowers.
Overall this animated sports comedy may not be narratively distinct from others that are similar to it, but it is still a perfect watch for families of all ages as well as for basketball fans. It’s a fun time at the theater that was clearly crafted with great passion and deserves to be seen when it officially releases later this week. I’m going to give Goat a B+ = 89.
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