GOAT * Fast-Paced Action, Innovative Animation, Strong Storyline Plus Stephen Curry
Wednesday, February 11th, 2026
A small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball, a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dominated by the fastest, fiercest animals in the world.
KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Braedyn M. comments, “GOAT is the absolute, well, G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time)! Fast paced action, innovative animation styles, a strong and relatable storyline, plus basketball Easter eggs and nods galore, all work together to create a film that proves once and for all that anyone can dream big.” Kennedy P. adds, “The new animated film Goat comes out of the gate strong and never misses a shot. The film delivers high energy, heart, and style. I love how confidently Goat blends sports excitement with emotional storytelling.”
Julie O. wraps it up with, “The film’s messages include follow your dreams, never give-up, and embrace the qualities that make us unique. There are also messages about the importance of family and friends and a reminder that there is so much more to every individual than what we see on the surface.” See their full reviews below.
GOAT
By Braedyn M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17
GOAT is the absolute, well, G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time)! Fast paced action, innovative animation styles, a strong and relatable storyline, plus basketball Easter eggs and nods galore, all work together to create a film that proves once and for all that anyone can dream big.
Will Harris (Caleb McLaughlin) is one of the best Roarball players in the town of Vineland, and he pursues the dream of one day joining the big leagues to play for his hometown team, the Thorns. There is just one… small problem. Will is a goat, and no animal his size has ever even attempted to set foot on the court. But that’s all about to change. When Will gets the golden opportunity he’s been waiting for to join the team, he jumps at the chance. Unfortunately his towering teammates aren’t exactly stoked that he’s joining their ranks. However, with a little work, Will is determined to win over his team and show the world that “smalls can ball!”
What set this film apart from others is the level of authenticity and attention to detail that it provides. I had the opportunity to go onsite at Sony Pictures Animation and meet some of the creatives that worked on this film. From John Clark, GOAT’s head of cinematography, and Keely Propp, the head of story, I discovered that many of the Roarball play sequences were inspired by actual basketball plays used by the Golden State Warriors. The moves were modeled like a game of chess using 3D printed incarnations of the characters before being animated. Speaking of the animation, the style is unique and very fast, with camera angles that zoom right into the middle of the action. It felt like I was on the court with the team! The storyline is one that I am able to appreciate, with Will giving his all to make his mother, Louise Harris (Jennifer Hudson) proud. The other members of the Thorns, Jett Fillmore (Gabrielle Union), Modo Olachenko (Nick Kroll), Olivia Burke (Nicola Coughlan), Archie Everhardt (David Harbour), and Lenny Williamson (Stephen Curry) have unusual chemistry, and Will’s small-town personality clashing with their big-league personas is a great source of humor. Jett has been Will’s hero since forever and, though things start off rocky between them, they soon learn to trust each other, and work together with the team.
This film’s message is that no one is too small to dream big. Though Will might be the smallest player in all of Roarball history, he doesn’t let that stop him from bringing his team together, and becoming the G.O.A.T.
I give GOAT 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. It releases in theaters on February 13, 2025.
GOAT
By Kennedy P., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 11
The new animated film Goat comes out of the gate strong and never misses a shot. The film delivers high energy, heart, and style. I love how confidently Goat blends sports excitement with emotional storytelling. It’s the kind of movie that had me cheering from the get go, laughing on the sidelines, and fully invested in every play.
Goat is an animated sports comedy following Will, a small underdog goat with big dreams to play “roarball,” a high-intensity, full-contact sport dominated by large animals. Produced with Stephen Curry, the film follows Will’s journey to prove that “smalls can ball” in a story inspired by overcoming odds.
Set against a sports-driven backdrop, the story centers on perseverance, teamwork, and finding your inner strength when it matters most. As the pressure builds and challenges mount, the journey becomes less about winning the game and more about discovering what it truly means to have heart. The characters are dynamic, relatable, and full of personality, each bringing their own strengths to the court. The music is phenomenal, perfectly amplifying the emotion and adrenaline of every major moment. The bold animation style, vibrant colors, and eye-popping visuals are truly a feast for the eyes, every frame feels alive and in motion. Combined with a sports-driven storyline, nonstop visual creativity and an all-star voice cast, which includes Stephen Curry as the voice of Lenny, a giraffe, Gabrielle Union, who voices Jett, a black panther, and Caleb McLaughlin, who voices Will, a goat. Goat plays like a fast break straight to the hoop, keeping audiences engaged and energized the entire time. It is truly an animated slam dunk that proves Sony Animation is still playing at an elite level. With its uplifting themes and emotional payoff, Goat proves that when you trust your game and keep pushing forward, anything is possible.
Goat delivers a powerful message about self-confidence, resilience, and never giving up, even when you miss a few shots along the way. It reminds viewers that greatness isn’t just about talent, but about heart, determination, and believing in yourself when it counts.
I give Goat 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. So lace up your sneakers and sprint to the theaters to watch it on Friday, February 13, 2026.
GOAT
By Julie O, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 12
I love this film! GOAT is a fun filled, humorous, inspirational animated story that made me feel happy throughout the film. I found myself laughing and being drawn into the plot and caring about each character’s storyline.
GOAT is about a young goat, Will (Caleb McLaughlin) who dreams of playing professional Roarball. He works hard and trains until one day his wish comes true. However, he has a lot to learn about being on a team, believing in yourself, and never giving up. His teammates, Jett (Gabrielle Union), Lenny (Stephen Curry), Olivia (Nicola Coughlan), Archie (David Harbour) and Modo (Nick Kroll) are along for the journey with their own challenges.
This is one of those films that is a feast for your eyes. The background animation looks like it comes from a story book and every scene is filled to the brim with details. The film also includes camera angles that make it feel like you are there in the story instead of feeling like you are watching from the audience. There are so many details that I plan to watch this film again to see what I missed the first time. It excels in incorporating modern trends and music. I love the creativity that went into making each stadium where Roarball is played. I really like how each character is developed with anthropomorphic behaviors unique to each character. My favorite part is when Will takes Jett to the diner where he and his mom used to work at so she can meet some of her most loyal fans.
The film’s messages include follow your dreams, never give-up, and embrace the qualities that make us unique. There are also messages about the importance of family and friends and a reminder that there is so much more to every individual than what we see on the surface. I also like that this film demonstrates taking ownership and responsibility for your actions.
I give GOAT 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 18, plus adults. GOAT releases in cinemas February 13, 2026.
I was deeply moved by Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II. This is a powerful documentary about the women who helped our country during World War II against many obstacles. I enjoyed hearing the women’s experiences as they told their stories. I also love the use of video clips and images of the women in action.
It was touching to see the incredible challenges and endurance that African-American women had. I learned so much from this film and was surprised to learn that the nearly 600,000 African American women that helped the country during the war have been largely ignored by history. These brave women worked alongside white women and had to take the more dangerous and less desirable jobs, without promotions, and faced extreme conditions and unimaginable racism. One of my favorite parts is the reference to the image of “Rosie the Riveter” and the saying “We Can Do It!” followed by the image of an African American woman saying: “We Did It!” The stories of these remarkable women will stay with me long after watching this documentary.
endured, persevered, and became role models for the Civil Rights Movement. Be aware that this film does contain brief discussions and images of sexual and racial violence.
Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II is a moving documentary about African American women who worked during World War II. The film has high-quality interviews and footage, an easily comprehensible format, educational and interesting content, and an impressive appeal to emotion. It is a worthy watch for anyone who is interested to learn about a severely undervalued group of workers during a prominent historical time.
The film’s structure allows it to be informational and engaging, never spending too long on one interview or topic before moving on. It features photographs and archival footage from the time as well as present day interviews. The format of voiceover and narration placed with footage from the period allows viewers to hear women who actually experienced these things while also watching it take place. There are plentiful high-quality videos that authentically portray what their lives were like during this time period. Additionally, the film offers diverse perspectives, with multiple women sharing their stories. Whether on farms or in office positions, they worked long and hard hours to support industries as the country’s soldiers fought in Europe and Asia throughout the war. The element that stood out the most to me was the raw emotion that was expressed in many of the interviews. At this time, many African Americans, especially women, were treated unimaginably poorly. This film portrays the tragedies of the time period first hand, showing children living in poverty and terrible health outbreaks such as TNT poisoning. The interview topics and timely footage work effectively to give an authentic and emotional learning experience for viewers.
The film’s message is that African American women worked hard in unfair environments behind the scenes of a war and played a huge role in history, yet failed to be recognized for their efforts. The film emphasizes the idea that many groups throughout history have done valuable work that continues to go unnoticed due to the beliefs of the time period. Be aware that the film includes profanity and discusses and shows mature topics including sexual and racial violence.
Invisible Warriors: African American Women in World War II is an interesting and powerful documentary. I really like how this film includes real interviews from women who lived during this time.
It highlights how important equality was during this time and how hard these women had to fight to be seen and respected. The documentary begins with a shot of a poster saying, “Women needed for work!” which shows how badly the country needed workers at that time. Ruth Naomi explains how African American women wanted to help just as much as everyone else. A moment that stands out to me is when Willie Mae Goven says, “I looked in the mirror and we were people.” This quote is very meaningful because it shows how these women wanted to be recognized as human beings.
The film’s use of interviews and actual footage really shows us what life was like for these women. However, the pacing sometimes is a bit slow.
Aspiring Hollywood actor Simon Williams is struggling to get his career off the ground. During a chance meeting with Trevor Slattery, an actor whose biggest roles may be well behind him, Simon learns legendary director Von Kovak is remaking the superhero film “Wonder Man.” These two actors at opposite ends of their careers doggedly pursue life-changing roles in this film as audiences get a peek behind the curtain of the entertainment industry.
Disneyland Handcrafted reveals the extraordinary artistry and grit it took hundreds of craftspeople to bring Walt Disney’s impossible dream project of Disneyland to fruition – from groundbreaking to Opening Day on July 17, 1955. The documentary captures both the legacy and nostalgia of the year leading up to the creation of the Disneyland Resort. Through newly unearthed materials from the Walt Disney Archives, Leslie Iwerks and her team uncovered long-forgotten 16mm film reels and audio recordings. The result is an unpolished, fly-on-the-wall perspective that captures what was truly happening behind the scenes, told through the firsthand accounts of the artists, craftsmen, and Imagineers who were there.
I really enjoyed Disneyland Handcrafted. I love seeing how Disneyland was built, particularly the attention to detail and artistry that went into making the four lands and rides, and was surprised at how quickly they were able to make it.
Genius. Passionate. Creative. Talented. Detailed. Crazy. Failure. These are some of the words used to describe Walt Disney and the people who helped build Disneyland. The pursuit of a life-long dream and the risks that Walt Disney was willing to take to see his dream come to life is a major focus of the film as well as the hard work, talent, creativity, and perseverance shown by the people who created and built the park. I have seen other documentaries about Walt Disney and Disneyland and I really like that this shows more of the attention to detail that went into creating Disneyland and discusses the many obstacles that they faced while building it. I enjoyed the interview footage with the people that built it – their memories of Walt Disney are a primary focus of the film.
My favorite part of the documentary is the montage of funny construction segments. I was surprised to learn that there were so many obstacles that almost kept the park from opening, including several mishaps in the last few days. It was neat to see how crowded it was on opening day and to see some of my favorite rides and buildings being built.
The documentary Disneyland Handcrafted puts you right into the pressure and expectations of building the world’s first ever wonderland theme park, Disneyland.
The archival footage really enhanced the experience for me as it switches between the original black and white film and the colored footage of the current park. I really enjoyed hearing the first-hand perspective from those who worked on it and learning what everybody thought about Disneyland, even Walt Disney talked about his hopes and dreams for the park. It was interesting hearing the critics say that it’ll never pan out. Hearing the different lead workers like the painters and mechanics was insightful, especially those who stated that some parts would be impossible to complete by the deadline. The film really made me aware of how the sense of urgency ramped up throughout the film as it counts down the months, weeks and days to opening day. We really see how stressed out everyone was and how behind they were, which really helps put you right there with the team. Finally I really enjoyed learning about the history behind the park. We get to see the full story of the building of the world’s happiest place on earth – Disneyland.
The film’s message is to not give up and not push back, but to dig your heels in and push forward to reach your goal, in spite of what the critics may say and even with as the deadline approaches. Keep pushing your dream. People advised Walt Disney to push back the opening date but he chose to deliver on the promise that he made.
Disneyland Handcrafted is an incredibly interesting documentary about one of the most famous theme parks in the world. I gained so much knowledge and appreciation for the team behind this park, thanks to the hard work by the filmmakers. It has a great soundtrack, visuals, and perfectly shows the highs and lows never before seen about the process of creating Disneyland.
In funny scenes, the music is upbeat and fast tempo, while in the sadder or hopeful ones, the music becomes slower and heartfelt. Also, the music is also incredibly catchy throughout and adds to the nostalgic feeling of the film. I also love the pacing of the film, and how it allows us to follow the crew month by month, just as they experienced it. This helps build suspense and intrigue for whether or not they will manage to finish by their deadline. It also shows the development and slow improvement of the land as we watch it go from nothing to a full theme park.
I learned so much about the creative process of building the park that I never knew before. This film gave me a new appreciation for everyone that helped make Disneyland possible.
A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake and Neytiri’s family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death. They encounter a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang, who has allied with Jake’s enemy, Quaritch, as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences.
