Goat Movie Review
Nathan Swank
February 12th, 2026
Official Synopsis:
From Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the artists that made KPop Demon Hunters, comes GOAT, an original action-comedy set in an all-animal world. The story follows Will, 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!”
I had so much fun watching GOAT with my family. Not knowing much about the film, I was more just reviewing the movie so my kids could see it. GOAT is a simple story about the underdog triumphing over the big, bad, dominating monster, which can represent so many things. A classic David and Goliath story, but with team work. The positive, supportive, team work through diversity and inclusivity is ultimately the theme that makes GOAT a champion.
GOAT has a dynamic, fresh look that immediately captures the vibe. Any hang-ups were minor annoyances, like the trope of teammates or fans taking out frustrations on the poor, little guy. But I would be a fool to say that doesn’t happen. Plus, GOAT creates its own cartoon style world, free from whatever rules one might want to place from our real world. And that is ultimately what makes the basketball scenes so great. Each location or court in “Roar Ball” has its own interesting theme or vibe. Thorn vines growing in one, fire and brimstone in another, and my personal favorite is a court on ice that occasionally gets broken, where players have to hop from glacier to glacier to score their baskets. Similar to the makings of a video game, GOAT stretches the imagination, creating a visual world that immediately captivates the mind.
The characters, specifically the team, are also full of diversely funny and interesting personalities. We got our lead in the young, poor, naive goat, Will (voiced by Caleb McLaughlin from Stranger Things), the aging star player, a black leopard who is extremely bitter for never winning a championship and never utilizing her team, Jett (voiced by Gabrielle Union), a number one draft pick ostrich, who never lived up to her potential, Nicola (Olivia Burke), a super tall giraffe that has been traded to a different team every year who has a passion for creating music, Lenny (voiced by Steph Curry), a tough but soft-hearted elephant with two little aggressive daughters who travel with the team, Archie (David Harbour), and a completely insane lizard who is the team wild card and my son’s personal favorite, Modo (voiced by Nick Kroll). And I can’t forget about the coach who has been relegated to the side-line with no respect, coach Dennis (voiced by Patton Oswalt).
I didn’t expect GOAT to be so much fun. It hits some familiar notes and tropes, but the changes hit just right without ever feeling as though that’s the agenda. The star player is a girl and the up and comer is a boy who has dreamed of being a player just like her, because she is great. There is a sense of community and belonging and all the themes, music, and style just hit right. GOAT is an extremely cool looking, inclusive, positive, team-building, family friendly film totally worth checking out.
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