During a rather raucous Annecy 2025 presentation at the Bonlieu Grand Salle, Sony Pictures Animation shared that Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Nick Kroll, Nicola Coughlan, David Harbour, Jenifer Lewis and Patton Oswalt have boarded its animated sports comedy, GOAT, directed by Tyree Dillihay, co-directed by Adam Rosette, and produced by 4-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, who also stars. During the presentation, exclusive footage of the upcoming film was screened for the first time with an audience. Much applause was had.
GOAT is an original action-comedy set in an all-animal world. The story follows Will, a small goat with big dreams who 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. Will’s new teammates aren’t thrilled about having a little goat on their roster, but Will is determined to revolutionize the sport and prove once and for all that “smalls can ball!”
“We're excited to bring together an all-star cast to voice the incredible characters in GOAT,” said Erick Peyton and Curry of Unanimous Media. "GOAT is the kind of story we love to tell at Unanimous — full of heart, humor, and high-octane action that we hope audiences of all ages will cheer for.”
In collaboration with the NBA, Sony Pictures Animation will release GOAT theatrically on February 13, 2026, timed for NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles (Feb 13–15).
SPA shared the following information about the cast:
Stephen Curry is a transformative NBA player and 11-time All-Star known for revolutionizing the game with his record-breaking 3-point shooting. A four-time NBA Champion, two-time MVP, and 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist, Curry is the Golden State Warriors’ all-time leading scorer. Off the court, he launched Unanimous Media in 2018 with partner Erik Peyton, a production company creating award-winning content focused on family, faith, and sports.
Caleb McLaughlin is best known for his role as Lucas Sinclair in Netflix’s Stranger Things, for which he has won both the NAACP Image Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by a Youth’ and a Screen Actors Guild Award alongside his cast mates for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series’. Most recently, he starred in and executive produced the scripted podcast ‘Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi’ for Audible & QCODE. His film credits include Concrete Cowboy opposite Idris Elba, Lee Daniels’ The Deliverance, Jeymes Samuel’s The Book of Clarence, and Shooting Stars for Peacock.
Gabrielle Union is an actress, producer, activist, and best-selling author known for her roles in Bad Boys II, The Perfect Find—which she also executive produced and earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for—The Inspection, Riff Raff, and Cheaper by the Dozen. She served as executive producer on Amazon MGM Studios’ The Idea of You, which became the most-watched Amazon original film on Prime Video in 2024. Union also has notable TV roles in Being Mary Jane and LA’s Finest, among others.
Nick Kroll is a multi-talented creator, writer, producer, and actor best known for co-creating and voicing over 75 characters on the Emmy-nominated Netflix series Big Mouth, as well as launching the FX comedy Adults which he executive produces and directs. His film roles include the upcoming Horror Comedy, I Don’t Understand You, as well as Red One, Don’t Worry Darling, and voice work in The Addams Family movies.
Nicola Coughlan is best known for her roles as Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton and Clare Devlin in the acclaimed comedy Derry Girls. She recently starred in Big Mood, earning a BAFTA nomination, and appeared in Barbie, Doctor Who, and the upcoming adaptation of The Magic Faraway Tree. Later this year, she’ll make her National Theatre debut in The Playboy of the Western World.
David Harbour is an Emmy and Tony Award-nominated actor known for roles like Jim Hopper in Netflix’s Stranger Things and the Red Guardian in Marvel’s Thunderbolts. He will next star and executive produce HBO’s dark comedy DTF ST. LOUIS opposite Jason Bateman and Linda Cardellini, with additional credits including Creature Commandos for DC, Gran Turismo, Violent Night, and Hellboy among many others.
Jennifer Lewis is an acclaimed actress, singer, author, and activist who gained widespread recognition for her role as Ruby Johnson on ABC’s black-ish and currently stars in Showtime’s I Love That for You. Her film credits include What’s Love Got to Do with It, Madea’s Family Reunion, Cast Away, and voice work in Disney’s Cars and The Princess and the Frog.
Patton Oswalt is an Emmy and Grammy-nominated comedian and actor known for his award-winning comedy specials and roles in films including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Young Adult, Big Fan, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Zoolander, The Informant, and voice work in Ratatouille and The Secret Life of Pets 2. On TV, he appeared in the Apple TV+ series Manhunt, and his 2022 Netflix comedy special We All Scream, which he also directed, earned him a Grammy nomination.
Curry and Erick Peyton produce for Unanimous Media, Michelle Raimo Kouyate, Adam Rosenberg, and Rodney Rothman for Modern Magic.
David Schulenburg co-produces, with Rick Mischel and Fonda Snyder serving as executive producers.
Source: Sony Pictures Animation
Dan Sarto's picture
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.