Review: GOAT leaves it all on the court, with style to burn

Ever since Sony Pictures Animation released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, American animation has not been the same. A lot of the major studios have aped the dynamic, uber-stylish aesthetic that Spider-Verse pioneered, leading to so many dazzling movies of all shapes and sizes. And Sony, for their part, have continued to iterate and adapt, with their movies consistently being feasts for the eyes. And with GOAT, now playing in theaters, they may have just released their best-looking movie yet.

That claim might raise some eyebrows, especially with how big and broad the Spider-Verse movies go in their mish-mash of styles, tempos, and mediums, but GOAT has an edge in my eyes for having a more honed, focused look. This movie is gorgeous. Basketball (or should I say, Roarball), is a sport that lends itself well to the screen, and especially animation (The First Slam Dunk, anyone?). The animation in GOAT is muscular, energetic, oozing with flair and color and weight. Sure, this might be a movie that's more style than substance, but when the style is this stylish, I can't say I mind much.

Which isn't to say that GOAT is slacking in the substance department. It's more that the film is, from a narrative and thematic standpoint, going through pretty familiar paces. This is a classic underdog sports story, and that's not a bad thing to be. It feels like cinematic comfort food, a movie where you pretty much know where you're heading, what you're getting, ahead of time, which means you can settle in, turn your brain off, and enjoy the breezy, upbeat ride. And I certainly enjoyed my time with GOAT. It feels like it'll be a kind of genre primer for younger viewers, the kind of movie they'll think back on when they get older and start watching other, older-skewing sports movies, which is very cool.

The clever title -- all-caps, so it doubles as an acronym for Greatest of All Time -- tells you exactly what the movie is about. In a world of anthropomorphized animals, the most popular sport is Roarball, which is basically basketball that happens in arenas that look like they're pulled from Mario sports games. One is a cave with falling stalactites, another court is made of ice that might crack under too much pressure, another is enshrouded in an endless sandstorm. This game is dominated by big animals: elephants, gorillas, bears, and the legendary panther Jett Fillmore, who leads the Vineland Thorns but has never managed to win a championship.

Enter Will, a goat who, due to his tiny stature, is not exactly cut out for the sport. But his late mother told him to dream big, and he always has, dedicating countless hours to practicing his favorite game, and he has the talent to prove it. He's brought on to the Thorns more as a publicity stunt than anything else, but he proves himself on the court and gels with his teammates (though Jett is wary), eventually earning his keep.

The character designs are one of the many areas where this movie shines, with each character having such a strong look and interesting movements. The characters mostly walk around on two legs, but occasionally revert into more animalistic poses, postures, and behaviors, making for a lot of fun characterizations and silly moments. The main antagonist of the film is a Mane Attraction, a horse who occasionally starts trotting around on all fours. Jett sometimes gets hosed down with a spray bottle when she isn't being a team player. Details like these really make the world feel unique and interesting -- you never know when these characters are going to go animal-mode, and how that might play out.

I also have to give kudos to the aural side of things. The voice cast is aces, led by Caleb McLaughlin as Will, who has the exact right level of chipper optimism and sweetness, making him an easy character to root for. From the starry supporting cast, I especially enjoyed Jennifer Lewis as the Thorns' owner, a warthog who seems pretty detached from the team's success, and Nick Kroll as Modo, a komodo dragon teammate of Will's who is kind of living on his own planet, and gets a lot of the movie's biggest laughs. Basketball fans will likely get a kick out of all the players who have small voice cameos as well (plus producer Stephen Curry, and his wife Ayesha, provide voice work, too).

The soundtrack is also great, full of upbeat bops that match the film's momentum and energy. It's a cherry on top of a sundae of a movie that just works. It comes in understanding the assignment, and flies by as it checks all the boxes you would expect from a sports movie.

If I have any complaints beyond the simple themes and familiar narrative, it's oddly that I think the movie could stand to be slightly longer. As you might expect, there's a falling out that happens late in the film, and it's resolved so quickly/suddenly that it makes the third act feel weirdly rushed. I feel like there needed to be a couple more minutes in there to let the gravity of the situation be felt a bit more, but I also appreciate a movie that has its eye on the clock.

And ultimately, I didn't come to GOAT looking for big feelings or deep meanings, but rather as a nice entertainment escape, and it gave me that. It's an incredible looking movie that has plenty of laughs and thrills. Maybe not quite a slam dunk for me, but not far off.