The Heart Behind GOAT(2026)

GOAT (2026) opens to the chanting of a crowd: “Roots run deep!” The rest of the film goes on to echo that sentiment, offering gorgeous animation and a heartfelt story along the way.

At the beginning of the movie we’re introduced to Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), a young goat who dreams of one day playing roarball (an in-universe equivalent to basketball) alongside the Vineland Thorns, led by the star player Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union). He idolizes the black panther and wants to someday be just like her – a dream Will’s mother supports, even as others around him say he’ll always be “too small to ball”. Years later, down on his luck and being evicted, Will catches a break when the lead player for rival team Lava Coast Magma, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), comes to Vineland to play against any challengers. Betting the last of his money on the match, Will faces off against Mane Attraction, and though he ultimately loses he becomes an online viral sensation for managing to trip up the horse during the game. This catches the attention of Florence Everson (Jenifer Lewis), the Thorns’ greedy warthog owner. Looking for someone to save the team from a losing streak, she signs Will on as their newest player. It becomes increasingly clear that Will was originally only signed on as a publicity stunt, to boost sales as he sits on the bench. But when Jett finally gives Will a chance, he proves that he has what it takes by scoring the winning points of his first game.

From then on, we see a new side of Jett Fillmore. Up to this point she’s been icy and standoffish, relegating Will to the bench and hogging the ball at every opportunity. When she finally opens up to Will, we learn its because of the way she’s been treated by the press and even her fans as she ages out of the position she loves, and as the coveted Claw (the championship trophy) get further and further from her grasp. She feels as if she’s on her own, desperate to prove herself against a crowd of animals who only see her failures. It’s Will who shows her that she still has people to lean on. It was Will’s community, his friends and acquaintances at the local diner, who supported his dream after the death of his mother and continue to show up for him now that he’s made it big. It’s that support that helps him carry on, even as his childhood hero tries to push him away.

In the end, GOAT ends up being a fairly standard kids’ sports movie. The story beats are all fairly predictable, and you won’t be shocked by anything that happens. That isn’t to say, though, that the film isn’t good. At its center, this is a story about community and its impact on the individual. Jett is only such an angry person because she perceives herself as isolated, and its when she rediscovers a sense of community that she and the rest of her team are able to thrive. While nothing groundbreaking, it is a nice message for children in an increasingly individualistic society.

There are a couple other things that make this stand out among other sports films, as well. For one, the animation is fantastic. Sony Pictures Imageworks (also behind the animation in KPop Demon Hunters) delivers again with a graphic style of animation that is an absolute treat to watch. Even if not all of the characters have a chance to be fleshed out, they’re animated with such personality and energy that lends them all likeability.

Next, the sport showcased in the movie, roarball, is co-ed and full-contact. With that being said, we’re shown a female team leader who’s strong, capable and idolized even by young boys like Will, with her sex never being a factor in her status, never mentioned as something out of the ordinary. She’s not even the only woman on the team, and Olivia Burke was said to have originally been a top pick. Unlike other films with a token girl who’s usually confronted about being too soft to play with the boys, having to prove that she belongs there, here women in co-ed sports is seen as something completely normalized.

Finally, speaking of representation in the movie, there’s the fact that it’s voiced by a primarily African American cast. Many of the main characters as well, while obviously being anthropomorphized animals, are undeniably black-coded. Bringing up the animation again, there’s care taken to beautifully animate different hair textures in this movie.

So, overall, GOAT is a decent feel-good film. While it doesn’t necessarily offer anything new with its plot, in a sea of sports movies it stands out for its heart.