Written by Joshua Jacob
From Sony Pictures Animation (the company behind culturally relevant and popular animated titles like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and KPop Demon Hunters) comes a new movie called GOAT, an animated film with anthropomorphic animals centered around their universe’s version of basketball called “roarball”. The film features a wide variety of popular names in its case including singer Jelly Roll, actor Patton Oswalt (best known for his voice as Remy from Disney’s Ratatouille) and famous basketball player Stephen Curry (who also helped produce this film). GOAT uses its celebrity voices to help tell an underdog story about ambition, teamwork, and what the sport means to each person at different stages of their lives.
The movie follows Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), a young goat who dreams of becoming a famous roarball player despite being constantly told that “smalls” don’t belong in the big leagues. His childhood promise to his late mother sets up an emotional core of the story, showing that roarball is not just a sport or hobby to him, but a symbol of perseverance and self-identity. Harris’s journey reflects a familiar sports narrative of wanting to go from practicing the sport in his hometown to joining a professional team, but it also acts as a metaphor for real people who have been discouraged from pursuing their goals due to societal expectations and physical limitations. This is evidenced especially when Harris finds himself facing off against popular roarball player and the film’s antagonist, Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre). While Harris has a good start and even manages to break Attraction’s ankle, the taller animal easily gains the upperhand, reminding Harris of how hopeless it is to strive for something not meant for him.
A major part of the story revolves around Harris’s relationship with black panther Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), a veteran player who refuses to quit the sport and initially refuses letting a small animal like Harris join the team. While part of it is due to the fact that she told her team owner Florence Everson (Jenifer Lewis) to find anyone for the sixth player position so her team could continue playing, her words and actions reflect her fear of being replaced and labeled “washed up”. However, rather than portraying her as antagonistic towards Harris joining the team, the film shows how insecurity and external pressure affect her behavior, adding emotional depth to her character.
The Vineland Thorns, Fillmore’s roarball team, also help to enforce the feeling of community and teamwork. Each teammate is portrayed with their own struggles, from feelings of self-doubt to balancing personal responsibilities as a single parent, which help to humanize the team and add depth to each of their characters. As Harris slowly proves himself on the court, the team’s growing acceptance of him reflects the idea that success in sports (and in life) comes not from individual talent, but from collaboration. This is further enforced when Fillmore learns about Harris’s story, realizing that she can’t score every point by herself and she has to learn to give others a chance to shine in order to improve both their teamwork and their ability to win.
As the story continues and both Harris and Fillmore respectively find themselves facing challenges, they each help remind themselves and their teammates that their popular cheer “Roots Run Deep” is more than just something to shout: it tells them that they have each others’ backs and are willing to do anything to help push the other to reach their shared dream.
Whether someone is a fan of sports or just wants a fun movie to watch with their kids, GOAT is certainly something for the whole family. It focuses a lot of its attention on how others may feel when they are denied pursuing something that means a lot to them, which can be quite relatable to viewers regardless of what they dream of being. This movie reminds viewers that even if there are others who aren’t in support of their dreams, others like those closest to them will instead tell them to “dream big,” pushing to go beyond what society deems is acceptable by their standards.
