GOAT
GOAT
Starring Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Aaron Pierre, David Harbour
Directed by Tyree Dillihay
Ever since he was young, Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin), an American Pygmy goat, wishes to join the Vineland Thorns roarball team, and become the G.O.A.T. after idolizing longtime player and all-star Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), a black panther. Ten years later, the team is falling apart, with Jett showboating and dominating the team, making it all about her and her legacy despite other animals wanting her to retire. After getting into a scuffle match with Jett's longtime foe Mane Attraction (Aaron Pierre), Will is signed to the team to raise popularity after his match went viral. Seen as a "little" in a game filled with larger animals, no one on the team - including ostrich Olivia Burke (Nicola Coughlan), Indian rhinoceros Archie Everhardt (David Harbour), Komodo dragon Modo Olachenko (Nick Kroll) and giraffe Lenny Williamson (Stephen Curry) - believes he can do anything useful, especially Jett. Yet when Will finally gets into a game and shows his worth, he gains the respect of the team minus Jett, who refuses to give up her self-appointed G.O.A.T. title to a literal goat. While he brings the team together, Will and the Thorns advance to the finals where they have a chance to win the coveted Claw trophy, but Jett has to learn to let go of her insecurities and begin working together with her team.
Sony Animation has proven themselves highly capable to rival Disney in terms of animated movies over the last few years, with two of their films - "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "KPop Demon Hunters" - winning the Oscar for Best Animated Film over Disney hits "Incredibles 2," "Ralph Breaks the Internet," "Elio" and "Zootopia 2." The animation in "G.O.A.T." is the movie's strong point, with the visuals lacking reality but dominating in style, combining 2D and 3D aesthetics that gives off a "painted" or "sketchbook" feel where the characters are moving in 3D against an almost 2D backdrop. It's a visual wonder that Disney would never approach, as Sony is more known for taking risks in their animation styles and having it pay off in spades.
Sadly, when a movie's main positive is the animation, there's something severely lacking. While probably saying it a bit too harsh, "G.O.A.T." is, at its core, a trope-filled, worn-out story of an underdog team that can't work together, led by its supposedly "weakest" member, coming together to learn to work as a team and come back from the brink of sports annihilation to win big (it's no real spoiler). Sure, it's geared towards children, and the story does have an uplifting message for adults as well, but it's nothing we haven't seen in numerous movies beforehand.
The vocal talent is also a highlight, giving a deeper life to the characters and their stereotypical backstories. "Stranger Things" star Caleb McLaughlin serves as the heart and soul of the film as Will, the lovable little goat in a big world of rawball, who was told at a young age to dream big. He's inspirational and lovable - a great choice for viewers to relate to. Gabrielle Union's Jett is the most defined, a former all-star who's years past her prime (with obvious references to LeBron and Tom Brady in particular) who doesn't want to retire despite everyone else asking her to. She wants to be the true G.O.A.T. and won't let Will - or her teammates - stand in her way, until she learns that she has to play as a team in order to win.
The other characters also have issues, from Olivia's social media obsession to Archie being a single father to two daughters, with Lenny wishing to be a rapper and Modo being...Modo. Each character is defined by their issue, and of course by the end they all come to terms with who they are and come together as a team.
While offering lavish animations and decent vocal performances, "G.O.A.T." is indeed not the G.O.A.T. of animated films, as its story is something that's been told and re-told over the decades of cinema - but it's still worth a watch.
The Score: A-
Comments
Post a Comment