Goated Film: "GOAT" was an entertaining underdog story that broke out of the mold of traditional animation in movies

For days the commercial for the new Sony Pictures movie "GOAT" interrupted my after-school "Modern Family" binge. After about the fifth time I’d seen this Doordash x “GOAT” ad, I finally decided to see if this movie with all animal characters was worth the constant interruptions.

Adyson Cooper | The Harbinger Online

The story follows a goat named Will Harris, voiced by Caleb McLaughlin, who loves to play Roarball, which is essentially basketball. Will aspires to be exactly like his favorite player and black panther, Jett Fillmore, but he is trying to make rent by making food deliveries. Then he has a viral video that gets him discovered by the Vineland Thorns, his hometown Roarball team.

“GOAT” was an engaging movie that featured a realistic background story and an unusual animation style. I even found it funny, and I'm not exactly the target age of elementary school.

One of my favorite aspects was the realistic character background, where Will was raised by a single mother who worked constantly at a diner to support him. This was a deeper part of the story that I enjoyed because it made the movie not just rainbows and unicorns.

The most memorable part of the movie was all of the characters because they had such unique and hilarious personalities. At one point during the movie, I looked over to see my dad cackling in the seat next to me because the Komodo dragon on the Thorns team, Modo, was just so weird.

These Thorns athletes were also voiced by many notable celebrities such as Stephen Curry, who voiced Lenny the giraffe, David Harbour, who voiced the rhino Archie and Gabrielle Union, who voiced Jett the panther.

Additionally, the movie was only an hour and 40 minutes long, which made it digestible and easy to focus on for the entirety of the story.

The only thing I didn’t love about the movie was its predictability. I mean, a goat who has wanted to be on the Thorns and play Roarball his entire life, with his idol Jett Fillmore also being on the Thorns — I essentially knew how the movie was going to play out immediately after the setup.

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A notable mention is the animation style as well. It wasn’t traditional outlined characters, and instead it had a kind of fuzzy look, which was new for me and I enjoyed this aspect. 

This animation style reminded me of “Spiderman into the Spiderverse,” which was also produced by Sony Animation Studios, where you can almost see the brushstrokes in the background and it is more ‘organic’ in a way.

Also, the settings throughout the movie, such as the Cage, Will’s neighborhood basketball court, were illustrated incredibly well and I felt like I could actually be there. 

If you’re looking for a movie that really is the GOAT, this works as one of the best animated movies I have seen in years, and is truly entertaining for all ages.

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Reese Dunham

Reese Dunham
Going into her third year on the Harbinger Staff as a Staff Writer and Social, junior Reese Dunham is excited to write more stories and start working on socials. You can find Reese usually procrastinating homework, on a walk, or taking naps. Reese also spends free time binge reading books, baking treats, and spending time with friends and family. After being in many positions on staff, she is happy to have found a home in writing for the newspaper and is thrilled to try something new as a social. »

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