Move over “Zootopia 2,” there’s a new king of the jungle — and it’s a goat.
“GOAT” is the latest film from Sony Pictures Animation starring an actual goat named Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin of “Stranger Things” fame) who dreams of being a “roarball” player — basketball but with much more intensity— and wants to play in the big leagues despite being a small animal (he considers himself “medium”).
Since he was a young kid (pun intended), Will has idolized Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), an all-star black panther who plays on Vineland’s hometown team the Thorns, except they’ve had a dismal losing streak in recent years.
Hoping to move on from his job as a delivery goat for Whiskers Diner, Will steps up to challenge Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), a stallion MVP roarball player on a rival team, for a game of one-on-one. Despite Mane’s ultimate victory, Will’s valiant effort was enough to make him go viral and catch the attention of the warthog Thorns owner Florence Everson (Jenifer Lewis), who desperately wants to generate buzz for her team. News of the new recruit does not sit well with Jett, insisting Will is too small to play while fearing the murmurs of her glory days being behind her are actually true.
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It quickly becomes a clash of personalities between Will and Jett, who are among the now-six players on the Thorns — the other four being the rapping giraffe Lenny Williamson (real life NBA all-star Stephen Curry), the phone-obsessed ostrich Olivia Burke (Nicola Coughlan), the dedicated rhino father of two daughters Archie Everhard (David Harbour) and the off-the-wall wacky Komodo dragon Modo Olachenko (Nick Kroll). Also with them is their not-so-helpful long-nosed monkey coach Dennis (Patton Oswalt).
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Other notable members of the impressive voice cast include Jenifer Hudson, Sherry Cola, Andrew Santino, Wayne Knight, Adam Pally, music superstar Jelly Roll, along with a handful of voice cameos from basketball giants like Dwyane Wade, Angel Reese, Kevin Love, A’ja Wilson and Andre Iguodala.
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Sony Pictures Animation is still licking its wounds for selling its film rights of “KPop Demon Hunters” to Netflix. Fortunately for the studio, they have another high-quality franchise on its hands with “GOAT.” Not only is it genuinely funny, it’s also got a lot of heart.
Hats off to the relatively fresh talent who lead “GOAT,” which was directed by Tyree Dillihay, co-directed by Adam Rosette with Nicolas Curcio and Peter Chiarelli, who’ve developed the story, as well as Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley, who wrote the screenplay. Stephen Curry is notably among the credited producers.
“GOAT” may not be the greatest of all time, but it’s an early contender to be among the stronger animated offerings of 2026. With plenty of laughs and a feel-good story, it’s a fun time for the whole family.
“GOAT” is rated PG for some rude humor and brief mild language. Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes. In theaters now.
