Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film GOAT. The Emil M. Larson Public Library will be showing GOAT as part of their Summer Reading Program Movie Lineup on June 5 at 3:00 p.m. Go and enjoy!
GOAT
GOAT is a 2026 American animated sports comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Unanimous Media, and Modern Magic Productions. Directed by Tyree Dillihay, it stars Caleb McLaughlin as Will Harris, an anthropomorphic goat who aspires to become the greatest of all time at a basketball-like sport known as roarball. Gabrielle Union, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Jenifer Lewis, Patton Oswalt, Jelly Roll, Wayne Knight, Jennifer Hudson, Sherry Cola, Eduardo Franco, Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee also star, alongside basketball played Stephen Curry (who also produced) in his film debut.
GOAT was being developed by 2019 and announced in May 2024, with most of the cast being announced in June 2025. It premiered at Los Angeles on February 6, 2026, and was released in the United States on February 13, 2026, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $193 million worldwide.
Plot: A small goat named Will gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball—a high-intensity, full-contact sport that's dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world. Ridiculed by his teammates, Will becomes determined to revolutionize the sport and prove that "small can ball!"
Acting: Caleb McLaughlin as Will Harris, a teenage American Pygmy goat who dreams of becoming a professional roarball player. I love his laugh. His four most notable titles currently are Concrete Cowboy, High Flying Bird, The New Edition Story television miniseries, and the Stranger Things Netflix series. I haven't seen his other work.
Gabrielle Union as Jett Fillmore, a famous all-star black panther roarball player known as the "Face of the Thorns", who is Will's idol. Her four most notable titles currently include Bring it On, Bad Boys II, Deliver Us from Eva, and 10 Things I Hate About You. Bad Boys II and Bring it On are my favorite.
Aaron Pierre as Mane Attraction, an Andalusian horse who is the MVP of the league and the main antagonist of the film. His four most notable titles currently are Brother, Rebel Ridge, The Underground television mini series, and the Genius television series. I haven't seen his other work.
Nicola Coughlan as Olivia Burke, an ostrich roarball player and member of the Thorns. Her four most notable titles currently include the television series Derry Girls, Bridgerton, and Harlots. I like Derry Girls and Bridgerton.
David Harbour as Archie Everhardt, an Indian rhinoceros roarball player, enforcer of the Thorns, and a single father of twin daughters. His four most notable titles currently are Revolutionary Road, Hellboy (2019), Thunderbolts*, and Black Widow. I haven't watched his other work.
Nick Kroll as Modo Olachenko, a Komodo dragon roarball player and member of the Thorns. His four most notable titles currently include Sausage Party, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Dinner for Schmucks, and the Big Mouth television series. Captain Underpants all the way!
Stephen Curry as Lenny Williamson, a giraffe roarball player and member of the Thorns. He is known for his basketball career, but he also produces. His four most notable titles (for producing) currently are The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Breakthrough, Off Fairfax, and the Finding Forrester television series.
Patton Oswalt as Dennis Cooper, a proboscis monkey and the Thorns' coach. I love his voice. His four most notable titles currently are Young Adult, Ratatouille, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. My favorite is Ratatouille.
Jenifer Lewis as Florence "Flo" Everson, a warthog and owner of the Vineland Thorns. Her four most notable titles currently include Mystery Men, The Princess and the Frog, The Preacher's Wife, and Sister Act. The Princess and the Frog is my favorite.
Minor roles were played by Luke Cimity as young Will Harris; Jelly Roll as Grizz, a brutish grizzly bear roarball player; Jennifer Hudson as Louise Harris, Will's late mother; Sherry Cola as Hannah, an aardwolf who is Will's friend; Eduardo Franco as Daryl, a capybara who is Will's friend; Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee as Chuck and Rusty, a musk ox and egyptian fruit bat duo who are roarball commentators; Ayesha Curry as Carol, a llama who is owner of the diner in which Will's mother worked; Wayne Knight as Frank, a gerbil who is Will's landlord; Adam Pally as Gerald, an armadillo who stopped cheering for the Thorns; Dwayne Wade as Rosette, a bull roarball player for the Shadows; Kevin Love as Daskas, a gorilla roarball player for the shadows; Angel Reese as Propp, a polar bear roarball player for the Shivers; A'ja Wilson as Kouyate, an American alligator player for the Shadows; Andre Iguodala as Iggy, a zebra roarball referee; Joe La Puma as Sneaky, a White-deaded vulture show shop owner; Rayaan Khan as Theo, a gerbil who is also a good friend of Will and one of Frank's sons; and VanVan as Adi and Ari, Archie's twin daughters.
Background Information: In May 2024, it was announced that Sony Pictures Animation would develop an animated sports film titled GOAT, with Tyree Dillihay directing and Adam Rosette co-directing, while Stephen Curry and Erick Peyton would produce under their Unanimous Media company alongside Michelle Raimo Kouyate and Modern Magic's Adam Rosenberg and Rodney Rothman. Rick Mischel and Fonda Snyder served as executive producers, with David Schulenburg co-producing. The film had been in the works by 2019. Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley received screenplay credit, while Nicolas Curcio and Peter Chiarelli received story credit.
The film's animation was done by Sony Pictures Imageworks, using animation techniques also used in KPop Demon Hunters and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Like their previous films, the film uses a new artstyle of animation that's both graphic and more in vein of street art graffiti. The team logos for the film were designed by graphic fan designer Emily Morgan who took over 500 hours though 600 rough drafts in order 7 color palettes. To design the impact frames of the film, artists used graphic sports cards to add more flair into the characters. For the costumes of the animals, designer Dominique Dawson focuses on their anatomy and build off the personalities of the teams. Production Designer, Jang Lee, explained that key inspirations for the visuals and aesthetics were Do the Right Things, City of God, and The Jungle Book.
Final Thoughts: GOAT is a great movie. There aren't a whole lot of new movies I'd go to the theaters for anymore, but I would have for this one. The animation is beautiful. The characters were fun to watch. The story was gripping, and makes you sit on the edge of your seat. It keeps you invested until the end. GOAT is definitely a movie worth the watch.
My favorite scenes were the "Nothing But Net" scene where Will and Jett have a shoot off mimicking the 1993 McDonald's commercial featuring Michael Jordan and Larry Bird; and the first team practice scene where Jett has to learn how to pass the ball.
My favorite quotes are "Get off my cloaca, Chuck!" —Rusty, commentator; and "My therapist said this day would never come." —Coach Dennis Cooper.
Rated: PG
Where to watch it: According to Google, GOAT is currently available on Netflix with a subscription. You can also purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Public Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
Go watch it at the library on June 5 at 3:00 p.m.!!
