For a long time, sports stories have followed a familiar script: men at the center, women somewhere in the margins (if they’re included at all). And while kids have always been told they can be anything, the movies and shows they grew up watching didn’t always reflect that promise, especially when it came to sports like basketball.
Produced by NBA all-star Stephen Curry, the new children’s film “GOAT” intentionally shines a light on women dominating sports on and off the court. The film centers on Will, a goat voiced by Caleb McLaughlin, who aspires to be like his favorite Roarball player, Jett Fillmore, a leopard voiced by Gabrielle Union, who plays for the Vineland Thorns.
Inside this colorful animal kingdom, featuring voices from Aaron Pierre, Jenifer Lewis, Patton Oswalt, and more, young viewers aren’t just seeing women play the game; they’re seeing women dominate it and own it. Lewis voices the top hog, who owns the best team in the ROAR league, one of the many subtle but powerful details in the film, reinforcing the message that women belong at every level of the sport. The film also features cameos from WNBA stars Angel Reese and A’ja Wilson. And for Curry, a father of two daughters, that visibility is personal.
“Being able to see yourself and for young, young girls, young women, to see themselves, in an animated way, but in positions of power and influence, in a very diverse room, when it came to all the other characters, I think that’s a very powerful statement,” Curry told theGrio. “We were just talking with Gabrielle [Union] and the way that she explained [that] her younger self [is] where she drew her influence and inspiration from [and] how much that mattered.”
Like many of the characters in Union’s acting portfolio, Jett is a complex woman (or leopard, in this case) who reveals the balance of power and vulnerability in leadership.
“I think Jett lives authentically, but when she’s feeling misunderstood, maligned, or cast off prematurely, she lashes out,” Union shared, describing her character. “And she is not unique in her behavior. Most of us at some point in life can see ourselves in her, and that makes Jett relatable.”
That relatability touched the actress as she worked on the film, admitting the parallels between her character’s journey and her personal journey.
“Jet…her journey…her evolution, her needed evolution mirrors my own needed evolution,” Union told theGrio. “You know, growing up, I hated a group project. I was like, just put your names on it. I’ll do it. That was kind of just, you know, how I did things, but over time, you have to learn how to lead, sometimes from the front, sometimes from the middle, and sometimes from the back. And that’s Jett’s journey as well.”
She continued: “Because no matter what you feel like you can do, sometimes your body betrays you. Sometimes the powers that be betray you. There’s always some kind of adversity that you have to fight through, and that requires a different kind of leadership. So because I’m experiencing that in my own life, that’s what appealed to me most about playing Jett.”
Just as Union was able to connect with her character, Oswalt, who plays Coach Dennis in the film and has starred in other animated films such as “Ratatouille,” underscored the importance of diverse stories in children’s movies.
“I think, for kids, when you’re that young, and you’re kind of having trouble articulating feelings because you’re experiencing a lot of things for the first time, when you see them personified in an animated character or some exaggerated figure, I think it helps you kind of enter into that world. And you can use that as a reference when you’re moving around life,” he noted.
Similarly, executive producers Curry and Erick Payton hope that children (and even parents) not only feel seen but also inspired to follow their dreams.
“We’re hopefully creating moments for families to create experiences and memories together,” Curry concluded. “We know that this movie has something for the entire family when it comes to the inspiring stories, the comedy, the energy, broadening what sports does in general, [which is] bring people together, but in an all-animal world that hopefully is visually stunning and engaging, so hopefully it’s time well spent for the entire family.”
Watch “GOAT” in theaters now.
