‘GOAT’ Review: Caleb McLaughlin Voices Vivid Animated Sports Fable

In this era of sports celebrities being paid megabucks, it’s not surprising that a kid would want to become a star player. And by “kid,” I mean a young goat, of course. Sony Animation’s new effort concerns one such goat, Will, who aspires to play in the big leagues despite his small stature. (The title has an obvious double meaning.)

Inspired by Stephen Curry’s struggle to succeed despite numerous obstacles — the basketball great serves as producer and has a small voice role — GOAT begins with a very young Will watching a game of roarball (a sort of everything-goes basketball, played by animals) and proclaiming to his mother (Jennifer Hudson) that it’s what he wants to do when he grows up.

Cut to the now teenage Will (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things) continuing to pursue his obsession to follow in the footsteps (or, more accurately, paws) of Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), the flamboyant panther star player of his local team the Vineland Thorns. Jett may be a star, but the Thorns definitely are not, suffering one losing season after another in part due to Jett hogging the ball and not being a team player.

Struggling to get by on his meager income as a food delivery worker, Will finds his fortunes improving as a result of an impromptu pick-up game with the Andalusian horse Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), a fearsome pro player. Will loses the game, but his skills and pluck result in his becoming a social media sensation. So much so that, much to Jett’s disgruntlement, the Thorns’ publicity-hungry owner Flo (a very funny Jenifer Lewis) signs him to the team.

Will is considered a laughing stock at first because he’s a “small” in a game entirely populated by such “bigs” as his teammates, including an ostrich addicted to social media (Nicola Coughlan); a Komodo dragon with a bizarre accent (Nick Kroll); a giraffe who’s lost his passion for the game (Curry); and a rhino (David Harbour) whose natural aggression has been tamped down since he became the father of twin daughters. Overseeing the hapless team is the proboscis monkey coach (Patton Oswalt), who doesn’t so much give pep talks as grief counseling sessions.

Will the plucky goat teach Jett how to be a team player? Will the Thorns overcome their difficulties and win the climactic championship game? Of course they will, and it’s no spoiler to say so about an animated movie geared toward kids. How it all happens is the fun part, especially as depicted in the wildly imaginative visuals that include diverse stadiums based on various ecosystems. There’s the Cave, in which the players have to dodge falling stalactites; the Inferno, sitting at the top of an active volcano; the frozen Cryosphere, where the game is played on ice and illustrated by the northern lights, and, well, you get the idea.

The hyperkinetic animation style, which bears no small similarity to Sony’s Spider-Verse hits, can be a bit relentless for adult viewers not steadily ingesting sugary substances. But the CGI images are undeniably dazzling and often very amusing in their depiction of the colorful anthropomorphic world populated by athletic animals of all types. Indeed, the film is better-looking than it is written, although there are funny take-offs on such things as hip-hop videos and cheesy sports promotional films. On the other hand, you have to suffer through such jokes as Will triumphantly announcing, “When there’s a will there’s a way!”

The voice performances — including cameos from such sports figures as Angel Reese, Kevin Love and Dwayne Wade — are consistently fine, with the standout being Wayne Knight as Will’s gerbil landlord, beleaguered by his ever-growing litter of pups.