I was in middle-school the first time I heard the boys in my class arguing about who was the G.O.A.T — greatest of all time. Then, I was a kid who stubbornly, intentionally went out of my way to not care about sports, so overhearing the conversation I said, “Why are you guys fighting about farm animals?”
They laughed at me. They weren’t talking about that kind of goat.
Years later on Feb. 13, Sony Animation and director Tyree Dillihay released “GOAT,” with basketball player Stephen Curry attached as a producer and voice actor. The story follows Will Harris, a young anthropomorphic goat who dreams of playing for his home team, the Vineland Thorns.
Who’s laughing now?
“GOAT” is a delightful, visually stunning piece. Will wants more than anything to play “roarball,” the film’s equivalent of basketball, except with courts made of lava, ice and vines.
Roarball is dominated by bigger animals, such as panthers, bulls, horses and bears. Will, being a goat and small, is initially written off until he plays and holds his own against Mane Attraction, a horse that plays for the Thorns rivals, the Lava Coast Magma. He’s then signed to his home-team, the Vineland Thorns, because they need a new teammate for cheap.
Will’s teammates are an eclectic bunch: Lenny Williamson, a giraffe voiced by Curry who’s played on ten teams in ten years; Olivia Burke, an anxious ostrich; Archie Everhardt, a rhinoceros who recently became a father to two rowdy girls and Modo Olachenko, an unsettling komodo dragon.
Rounding out the roster is panther Jett Fillmore. Jett is one of the best players in the league, but she’s never won a “Claw,” the trophy for the championship. Jett is also getting older, having played the incredibly taxing sport of roarball for 15 years. Jett is also Will’s hero, meaning it breaks his heart when she lashes out at him, claiming he will ruin the team and what may well be her last shot at a Claw.
The hand-drawn animation with painted textures is stunning. The film utilizes the same bright, comic book style that characterized and popularized “Into the Spiderverse.” The characters are well designed and move beautifully. The backgrounds are detailed and exciting.
“GOAT” oozes love, both in the making of the film and in the theme of the story itself. It’s clear that the animators studied the animal species which their characters embody with bold animalistic movements, adding additional visual interest to the innately interesting sport of basketball/roarball.
The film unpacks a lot of the toxic elements of sports culture such as the way social media changed the game for the worse. Burke’s central angst is her fixation on reading online comments about her, many of which are not kind. It’s a comedic reference to the tendency of ostriches’ to bury their heads when frightened, but it’s also very real commentary on how online hate can rattle athletes.
Jett also agonizes over media and public perception as calls for her retirement mount and the sports world seems to sour on her.
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“GOAT” also touches on the way greed can taint a sport. Florence Everson, the warthog who owns the Thorns team, has constructed her roster not to win, but to garner attention. She admits that she only initially drafted Will because he would be the first small animal to play professional roarball, which would get media attention for the team and sell more tickets.
The most touching theme in the film is where motivation comes from. At the beginning of their character arcs, the other members of the Thorns, specifically Jett, are motivated by a desire to prove the haters wrong. Will, on the other hand, is motivated by a desire to prove his believers right. His hometown, Vineland, loves him. His friends believe in him from the beginning. It’s not about spite for Will, it’s about love.
The film more or less scraps the “no one believes in me because I’m different” trope that plagues a lot of underdog sports movie protagonists. We don’t waste time with Will trying to prove himself; he does so quickly and handily, and the film becomes about him bringing together this dysfunctional team. It’s a refreshing diversion from form.
The only negative that stood out to me was the constant and somewhat egregious Mercedes-Benz product placement. It’s ironic and immersion-breaking to have a miniature Mercedes ad folded into your film on how pursuit of money can ruin something that was initially a labor of love.
Nevertheless, “GOAT” is an excellent feel good film that leaves viewers with a pep in their step. If you need to reconnect with what really matters in life, you have to watch this little G.O.A.T.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
