They’re doing their thang (CREDIT: Sony Pictures Animation; Pixar/Screenshot)

GOAT

Starring: Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Aaron Pierre, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Nick Kroll, Steph Curry, Jennifer Leis, Patton Oswalt, Jelly Roll, Jennifer Hudson, Sherry Cola, Eduardo Franco, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Ayesha Curry, Wayne Knight, Adam Pally, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Love, Angel Reese, A’ja Wilson, Andre Igoudala, Joe La Puma, Rayaan Khan, VanVan

Director: Tyree Dillihay

Running Time: 100 Minutes

Rating: PG

Release Date: February 13, 2026 (Theaters)

Hoppers

Starring: Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Aparna Nancherla, Tom Law, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villaseñor

Director: Daniel Chong

Running Time:

Rating: PG

Release Date: March 7, 2026 (Theaters)

There are a whole heck of a lot of talking animals in American animated movies, but somehow I don’t think I’ve ever paired two such movies together in my reviews. Or at least not intentionally, and not explicitly acknowledging it like I’m doing right now. (Feel free to fact-check me if that sounds fishy to you.) So let’s collect my thoughts about GOAT and Hoppers and determine how much they make me want me to be an animal.

GOAT is theoretically right up my alley from a certain perspective, as it’s about animals playing basketball (or more precisely, the basketball-esque sport of “roarball”). However, it didn’t really give me the urge to slither into its unique world of hooping, since none of the creatures on the court are of the especially cuddly variety. Nevertheless, it heartens me to see that the love of balling is alive and well and stylized. So ultimately I’m glad that GOAT exists and I’m happy to be an observer, but I’ll continue to do my own thing vis-à-vis basketball.

As for Hoppers, well wouldn’t you know, it’s all about the free-for-all of becoming non-human animals, or very convincing facsimiles thereof. And naturally enough, I now find myself preternaturally eager to jump into that beaver. If we could talk to animals in our own reality, would our furry mammalian friends really be as personable as Bobby Moynihan? And would the wider kingdom really be as theatrically unforgettable as the SNL alum-heavy cast? We can’t say for sure, but we can certainly hope.

Grades:
GOAT: 12.3 Mahs out of 18.5 Bahs
Hoppers: 3 Ponds out of 4 Bridges