Steph Curry goes for gold with his newest sport-comedy, ‘GOAT’

In her column, Iman Monnoo ’28 dissects the failures, successes and future direction of animated media.

Editor’s Note: This article is a review and includes subjective thoughts, opinions and critiques. 

The votes are in, folks! In a shocking turn of events, Sony Pictures’ animated feature “GOAT” (2026) has come from behind to slam-dunk on “Wuthering Heights” (2026) in its second weekend at the box office. 

When the film opened on Feb. 13, it was dropped headfirst into a battle against Emerald Fennell’s tumultuous romance. Two major features, both released on the same day, both vying for the No. 1 spot — talk about Barbenheimer 2.0. But what fans didn’t expect was for Sony’s sports-comedy to surpass “Wuthering Heights” by $3.2 million. In fact, the film is on track to break even before hitting streaming platforms. 

The story follows Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), a young goat who dreams of becoming the greatest-of-all-time in a basketball-adjacent sport called “roarball.” His goal is to be just like pantheress Jett Filmore (Gabrielle Union), a roarball MVP who’s past her playing prime and serves as a fun foil to Will’s youthful energy. As the newest recruit on Jett’s team, the Vineland Thorns, Will must prove himself to be more than a rookie liability. 

Over the course of the film, co-directors Tyree Dillihay and Adam Rosette welcome viewers into the loveable world of Vineland, a city full of — you guessed it — draping vines and anthropomorphic creatures from all walks of life. There’s a kind of warmth emanating from the overgrown forestry that takes up half the land and the beat-up shack our protagonist lives in. The setting feels unique in its potent coloration and distinctly lived-in feel, providing a wonderful backdrop for the film’s sports hijinks. 

Though this may seem like your classic underdog story, co-producer and NBA legend Stephen Curry added nuance by drawing on his own life experiences. In an interview with People magazine, he said, “I was physically a late bloomer, undersized … When I walked into a gym, I didn’t pass the eye test.” Like Curry, Will is ridiculed for being “too small” for the big leagues. Of course, this isn’t enough to stop him. After a chance game with an upcoming player, a horse named Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), Will finally gets his big break — going viral online for literally breaking Mane’s ankle (and celebratory screaming ensues). 

This was the moment I knew “GOAT” was going to be a success. In the age of brainrot and social media addiction, poking fun at internet references is exactly what reaches a Gen Alpha audience: If you catch the reference, you’re in on the joke. When Will and his two best friends began their unhinged screams, I knew viewers would recognize the callback to the screaming goat videos that blew up in 2012. Evidently, writers Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley understood their audience too: These inclusions are a testament to the care that went into creating the film.

Similarly, the animation style felt like an effortful break from what we’ve recently seen from other studios. While Disney’s latest hit, “Zootopia 2” (2025), used realistic fur, a steady frame rate and naturalistic backdrops, “GOAT” aligns itself more with the comic-book style of Sony’s “Spider-Verse” series. This works best in the last few scenes when (spoiler alert) Will’s league team faces off against Mane Attraction in a final roarball match. It’s here that the animation team really shows off their skills. The action flits effortlessly from close-ups to longshots; in effect, we get a stylized sense of movement that adds sharpness to the visual language and heightens the sporting drama on screen. The complex animation took over 7 years to complete, but it was worth it.

All of these stylistic devices would feel empty without a strong emotional core. Thankfully, “GOAT” has us covered: Watching Will find a family in his league team, Jett learn to trust her teammates and Vineland regain pride in its players is a high I’m still coming down from. 

The moment brought me back to the message Erick Peyton (CEO of Unanimous Media and co-producer of the film) delivered at The Stanford Graduate School Business annual Future of Arts, Media and Entertainment Conference. Peyton spoke of how his journey into film was nonlinear: He had to work his way up the industry ladder by constantly creating stories he was proud of in his college years and later, quite simply, meeting the right people at the right time. During the panel discussion, Peyton stressed the importance of representing values like family, faith and sports on screen. 

“GOAT” seems to be the actualization of his ethos, synthesizing these pillars into a wholesome, sports-comedy about grinding to the top and finding love along the way — a tried and tested recipe à la “Air Bud” (1997) that has once again captured hearts nationwide. 

Ultimately, the film’s success feels well-deserved: With its action-packed animation, quirky ensemble cast and meme-able screenplay, “GOAT” definitely lives up to its name. 

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