Following the global success of KPop Demon Hunters (2025), which is on its way to possibly winning a few Oscars, Sony Pictures Animation is looking to capitalize on its momentum with Goat (2026). It’s the studio’s first theatrical release since 2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which has also had its highly anticipated sequel, Beyond the Spider-Verse, delayed multiple times. Younger than most of its major competitors, such as Pixar and DreamWorks, Sony Animation wasn’t exactly known for original storytelling before KPop Demon Hunters. Aside from the Hotel Transylvania franchise (though original, you can argue it spoofs famous monster iconography), you’re only left with outliers like The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) that found success without needing any pre-existing IP.
Director Tyree Dillihay — who spent 8 years as a director on Fox’s Bob’s Burgers — and co-director Adam Rosette — who spent 9 years at DreamWorks Animation, working as a storyboard artist on films like The Wild Robot (2024), Dog Man (2025), and more — lead an incredible animation team for Goat. Not to mention four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who has served as a producer on the project since its early development. With the help of Curry’s clout and real-life basketball influence, Goat has gone from a wildly imaginative concept, inspired by an unpublished book titled Funky Dunks by Chris Tougas, to one of Sony Pictures Animation’s most visually inventive works.
Goat Genuinely Understands Basketball Culture
However, Goat is the latest example of how original animation can only go so far off the strengths of innovative visuals alone. At the film’s core is an underdog story that has been told time and time again, which isn’t inherently a problem. When the script feels like it’s been shaved down to include as many jokes and familiar tropes as possible in order to appeal to kids of all ages, though, that can be a little disorienting. Luckily, the voice performances are effortlessly charming, and the narrative does have its finger on the pulse of modern basketball culture. You just wish the movie had tapped into that further rather than being so distracted by kiddie humor.
Teenager Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) has dreamed of becoming a professional Roarball player his whole life. Specifically, his eyes have always been set on playing for the Thorns, the team from his hometown of Vineland. The one problem is: he’s a short Boer goat. Set in a colorful world of anthropomorphic animals, Goat trots across various ecosystems and landscapes via roarball, with each animal-themed city having its own unique stadium and gimmicks. But the majority of time is spent in Vineland, a thick jungle-metropolis filled with, as the name suggests, vibrant green trees and vines. The city is largely undervalued, in part because the Thorns are the absolute worst team in the Roarball league.
The All-Star vs. The Rookie
When Will goes viral after challenging Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), a large Andalusian horse who is the star player of the Magma and the league’s MVP, at a local showdown, he gets the opportunity of a lifetime to join the Thorns as their sixth player. It’s admittedly more of a marketing tactic devised by the team’s owner, the warthog “Flo” Everson (Jenifer Lewis). This is to the dismay of the Thorn’s own all-star, Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), who’s seen better days. A sleek Black Panther, Jett can be best described as LeBron James if he had stayed in Cleveland and never won a single NBA championship. In other words, she’s washed.
Jett is the top-scoring player in the league and Will’s lifelong idol. Yet, she’s never brought a Claw championship home to Vineland. Thus, the field is set for her insecurities to clash with Will’s inclusion on the team, as there can only be one true GOAT. However, the talented rookie’s small size could be the key to uniting the Thorns, both on and off the court. Now, on its own, this story is not very game-changing. But in the zany world of anthropomorphic animals, it can be just enough to keep viewers engaged for an hour and forty minutes. Plus, for the basketball fanatics, it’s superior to Space Jam in how it captures the true spirit of the sport.
Another Visual Feast From Sony Pictures Animation
Utilizing a similar method to how the Spider-Verse films and KPop Demon Hunters blend 3D and 2D animation, Goat is a supreme visual feast. 3D character models, accented with specific hand-drawn textures, are set against beautifully painted 2D backdrops. These minimalist yet gorgeous backgrounds further highlight each character’s animalistic traits, each bringing a different comedic flavor. Aside from Will and Jett, the Vineland Thorns have Lenny Williamson (Stephen Curry himself), a stylish giraffe with a stunted rap career, Olivia Burke (Nicola Coughlan), a timid Ostrich with a flightless bird complex, Archie Everhardt (David Harbour), a single father Indian rhinoceros who’s worn out by his two young twin daughters, and Modo Olachenko (Nick Kroll), a weird and slimy Komodo dragon.
Impressively, Goat manages to flesh out each Vineland Thorns player enough to make them feel like a real team, including their old coach, Dennis Cooper (Patton Oswalt), a funny-looking proboscis monkey. Yet, the script keeps packing in more until the third act, whether it’s a new in-universe animal quirk or a significant subplot. It often seems like it’s speed-running a classic underdog story, zipping through one scene to the next to avoid losing the audience’s attention. All the familiar beats are here and still work to a degree, but at the cost of letting the plot unfold naturally or letting most of its comedy speak for itself rather than force-feeding an animal joke.
These Roots Run Deep!
Say what you will about Disney’s Zootopia franchise, but the rate at which those movies spit out witty animal puns and introduce (and maintain) new elements to its universe is unmatched. The animal-themed universe of Goat, on the other hand, often feels like it has no rhyme or reason to its crazy antics. Sometimes, things simply happen because the stakes need to be raised. Even if it is weighed down by safe choices, Goat does find something authentic to say about how sports enable teamwork and unity throughout a community. “Roots run deep” is the Vineland Thorns’ team chant, and the meaning behind that expression is what lingers the most long after the credits roll.
Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) shines in Sony Pictures Animation’s Goat, showcasing his voice-acting chops in a sweet and sincere performance. It may not be the best in Sony Animation’s portfolio, but it continues to prove that the studio has a vast technological and creative edge over its main competitors. The overarching theme of how basketball and community are intrinsically linked permeates the visual storytelling, especially in the modern digital age of social media. In any other animated film, using social media as a visual tool (especially with animal puns) would be tacky. Not in Goat. Here, it’s heartfelt and inspired. Next time, that kind of creativity just needs to extend into all aspects of the script.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Goat hits theaters on February 13!
Release Date: February 13, 2026.
Directed by Tyree Dillihay & Adam Rosette.
Screenplay by Aaron Buchsbaum & Teddy Riley.
Story by Nicolas Curcio & Peter Chiarelli.
Based on Funky Dunks by Chris Tougas.
Produced by Stephen Curry, Michelle Raimo Kouyate, Erick Peyton, Adam Rosenberg, & Rodney Rothman.
Executive Producers: Rick Mischel & Fonda Snyder.
Main Cast: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis, Aaron Pierre, Patton Oswalt, Eduardo Franco, Sherry Cola, Jennifer Hudson, Wayne Knight, Jelly Roll, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Ayesha Curry, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Love, Angel Reese, A’ja Wilson, Andre Iguodala, Joe La Puma, VanVan, & Adam Pally.
Cinematographer: John Clark.
Composer: Kris Bowers.
Editor: Clare Knight.
Production Companies: Columbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation.
Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Runtime: 100 minutes.
Rated PG.
