Stephen Curry has already won four NBA championships, two MVP awards, and revolutionized basketball as we know it. Now, he can add "breakout film producer" to his résumé. Sony Pictures Animation's GOAT — released February 13, 2026, to coincide with the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles — has quietly become one of the season's most talked-about animated films, crossing $102.3 million worldwide in its first nine days. Not bad for a little goat with big dreams.
The Story: Small Ball, Big Heart
GOAT follows Will Harris, an anthropomorphic goat who hustles his way into the pros to play roarball — a high-octane, full-contact, basketball-like sport played entirely by animals. The premise is delightfully absurd, but the emotional core is anything but: Will is the smallest player in a league dominated by lions, gorillas, and panthers. His rallying cry? "Smalls can ball."
It's a classic underdog arc — and yes, critics have noticed. The Rotten Tomatoes consensus reads: "Sporting a terrific voice cast, nifty animation, and a solid moral for youngsters, GOAT plays a familiar game with enough style and finesse to come close to the greats." The film currently sits at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes with an audience CinemaScore of "A"— a strong signal that families are leaving theaters genuinely satisfied.
The Box Office Story
GOAT opened to a $35 million domestic debut, finishing second behind Wuthering Heights in its opening weekend. But here's the twist: in its second weekend, GOAT climbed to first place at the domestic box office, earning $17.2 million and dethroning Wuthering Heights. That kind of legs — the ability to grow in week two — is the hallmark of a word-of-mouth hit.
It also marked the biggest opening weekend for an original animated film since Elemental in 2023 — a meaningful benchmark in a landscape increasingly dominated by sequels and franchise IP.
The Creative Talent Behind It
Director Tyree Dillihay makes his feature debut here, and the results are visually spectacular. The animation, produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks, uses techniques also employed in KPop Demon Hunters and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse — meaning the film looks genuinely stunning, with colorful textures and kinetic energy to spare. The score was composed by Kris Bowers, whose work adds warmth and swagger in equal measure.
The voice cast is stacked: Caleb McLaughlin (Stranger Things) leads as Will, with Gabrielle Union, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Jennifer Hudson, and Jelly Roll rounding out a surprisingly eclectic ensemble. And then there's Curry himself — making his film debut and clearly having a blast doing it.
What Critics Are Saying
The reviews are a mixed bag in the best possible way. Owen Gleiberman of Variety called it "a vibrant surprise... a sports fable with a hip-hop vibe and an off-kilter cosmology." On the other end, Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press praised its visuals while criticizing the writing as "lazy, thin" and "tiresome in its overly familiar redemption arc."
Both takes are fair. GOAT doesn't reinvent the sports movie wheel — but it spins that wheel with undeniable style and genuine heart. Metacritic scores it a 60, signaling a film that divides critics but connects with audiences.
The Verdict
Is GOAT the greatest animated film of all time? No. But it doesn't need to be. It's a joyful, visually inventive, family-friendly celebration of grit, ambition, and believing in yourself when no one else does — delivered with the kinetic flair Sony Pictures Animation has become known for. For families heading to the multiplex this winter, GOAT is an easy, rewarding choice.
And if you needed any more convincing: the whole theater was clapping.
Sources: Wikipedia, Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline, Variety, Associated Press, IMDb, Sony Pictures Animation
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