GOAT – Film Review
by G O’Byrne

Directors – Tyree Dillihay, Adam Rosette
Writers – Aaron Buchsbaum, Teddy Riley, Chris Tougas
Stars – Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll

This is the latest animation production from Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and the artists who made KPop Demon Hunters.

Set in an all-animal world where the characters live in what looks like an overgrown, abandoned (post-apocalyptic?) human city, it is an action-comedy which follows the story of Will, a small goat with big dreams who gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the professionals and play Roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world.  Needless to say, his new teammates aren’t initially impressed about having a little goat on the team, but Will is determined to prove his worth by showing that “smalls can ball!”.   Roarball is basically like basketball held in one of the fighting stages from Mortal Kombat. And with that in mind, it won’t be a surprise to find that NBA icon Stephen Curry is credited as both producer and a member of the voice cast, along with Stranger Things alumni Caleb McLaughlin and David Harbour. The cast is filled out with Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll and Jennifer Hudson, among many others.

It’s a classic tale of the little underdog guy who, against all the odds, has the skill, self-belief and confidence to make his way to the top. It’s enjoyable with lots of wisecracks and jokes, and many of the characters are very amusing. Whilst the main character is literally a small goat, it’s also a play on the acronym G.O.A.T., “Greatest Of All Time”, which was apparently initially popularised in relation to the mid-20th century boxer Muhammad Ali and has now spread to all sports.

Our hero is a likeable little character who, raised by his mom as a single mother, is now a young adult orphan determined to make it in an unforgiving world, and supported by his friends and customers at the diner where his mother used to work. Jett, the current top dog (well, cat actually!) of the city’s team, is initially very unimpressed by the new arrival but is won over by Will’s charm and determination. The team’s current owner is a tough lady pig with shades of Miss Piggy. Other team animals featuring Komodo dragons, ostriches, giraffes and rhinoceroses. While it doesn’t break any new ground and the story is fairly predictable, there’s much for kids to enjoy in this film, especially for the sport-mad child in your life!

Inspired by the book “Funky Dunks”  By Chris Tougas