There’s something undeniably infectious about GOAT. It moves at the speed of a sugar high and rarely stops to breathe, which is either part of its charm or its greatest flaw depending on your tolerance for chaos.
At its core, this animated sports comedy follows a scrappy young underdog (or under-goat, technically) – Will Harris (voiced by Caleb McLaughlin) – who finds himself thrust into the hyper-competitive world of professional basketball. The film gets surprising mileage out of the nuts and bolts of the sport – not just buzzer-beaters and slam dunks, but the behind-the-scenes mechanics: team management, draft picks, locker room egos, branding, the business of building a franchise. For a film clearly aimed at tweens, that layer of authenticity is a genuine curveball. You don’t expect it to care about that stuff, but it does.
Where the film feels less surprising is in its emotional playbook. The arc is pure sports-movie formula: a struggling team, a misfit hero, lessons in inclusivity, belief, and teamwork, culminating in the big championship showdown. You can practically hear the swelling music cues before they happen. None of it is poorly handled, but it rarely sidesteps expectation either. It’s inspirational in a tidy, safe way.
Visually, though? It commits. Hard. The colour palette is neon-bright, the character designs exaggerated and elastic, and the camera movement almost relentlessly kinetic. Every sequence feels like it’s trying to top the last one in spectacle. Early on, that hyperactivity is exhilarating. By the third act, it can feel like being stuck inside a sports drink commercial that never ends. Even the most eye-popping sequences start to blur together under the weight of their own energy.
Still, the film’s humour lands more often than not. It mines personality quirks from its animal roster with a knowing wink, leaning into behavioural traits for punchlines without ever tipping into outright mean-spiritedness. Some gags are broad enough for the youngest viewers; others have a sly sharpness adults will clock. It’s that dual-layer approach that keeps it afloat when the emotional beats start to feel predictable.
The real takeaway? This is unapologetically a kids’ movie. A brash, colourful fable about believing in yourself and lifting others up – delivered at maximum volume. Adults might find it overstimulating, but younger audiences will probably be bouncing in their seats.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
GOAT is screening in Australian theatres from March 12th, 2026.
