By Michaela Gordoni
GOAT directors Tyree Dillahay and Adam Rosette recently broke down the deep themes in the new animated movie.
The movie is all about how an unexpected underdog, a goat, gets the chance to play professional roarball.
NBA star Stephen Curry produces the flick and also voices Lenny the giraffe. Other stars include Nicola Coughlin as Olivia, an ostrich; Caleb McLaughlin as Will, the goat; and Gabrielle Union as Jett Fillmore, a black leopard.
Instead of creating a world where social media doesn’t come into play, the creators included it as an important aspect of the story.
“It’s hard for an athlete to grow old gracefully in the age of social media, and Jett is a prime example of that,” Dillihay said at a recent movie panel.
“…Will caught a golden opportunity…But when it comes to Jett, the deeper story there is athletic mortality and being able to control your own narrative and be able to bow out gracefully on your own terms,” he said. “That’s the bigger emotional story there.”
Olivia’s character is preoccupied with social media and what others think.
“Olivia…can be obsessed by it because it’s in your face,” said producer Michelle Raimo Kouyate. “But for me, I think why it’s successful is because we put touches of it in but didn’t go super heavy-handed with it so it didn’t overtake the film…We did a spin to make you laugh about it, but we kind of stayed where it didn’t overtake the story.”
Rosette added that how social media depicts basketball now is different than how it did a decade ago.
“We live in a world where people only see the highlights [and]…the lowlights. They only see a bad thing that happened, and it has a life amongst itself, and so for us that was an important storyline to capture,” he said.
Part of Movieguide®’s review of GOAT reads: “GOAT is a fun family movie…GOAT conveys a strong moral worldview with redemptive aspects. Will, the animal hero, is hopeful and believes in his dreams…”
“Will perseveres through every trial he faces, lifting up those around him and standing up for what’s right,” the review continues. “However, GOAT has some gameplay scenes with violence and other scary elements that may not be suitable for younger children. MOVIEGUIDE® advises parents to use discernment, especially if their child is easily scared by intense action.”
The movie comes out in theaters today, Feb. 13.
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