Mercedes-Benz and Sony Footage Animation Crew Up for GOAT Movie With New CLA and Electrical GLC within the Highlight : Automotive Addicts
Automotive
Mercedes-Benz is heading to the films this winter, saying a collaboration with Sony Footage Animation’s upcoming theatrical launch GOAT, set to hit theaters globally in February 2026. The movie takes place in an all-animal world and follows Will, a younger goat chasing a seemingly inconceivable dream of going professional in a high-intensity sport known as roar ball, and Mercedes is leaning into that underdog power with a easy message: “There’s a place for many who dream.”
For automotive folks, the enjoyable half is the on-screen storage. Mercedes says three autos will seem all through the film: the all-new CLA 250+ with EQ Know-how, the all-new electrical GLC (with provisional effectivity figures), and the ever-familiar Sprinter van. It’s an attention-grabbing combine that blends aspirational with on a regular basis utility, which is strictly how product placement works greatest when it looks like a part of the world as an alternative of a wink on the digital camera.
Mercedes just isn’t stopping at in-film appearances both. A devoted marketing campaign runs from January by March 2026, constructed round a 30-second spot and a full unfold of cutdowns for streaming, TV, digital, and theatrical placements. The idea is constructed round a child leaving the cinema buzzing from GOAT, with creativeness bleeding into the trip dwelling in a CLA, which is a fairly traditional recipe for making an advert really feel like a brief story as an alternative of a spec sheet.
What makes this partnership really feel well timed is the place Mercedes is placing its chips proper now. The corporate is positioning the CLA and electrical GLC as key gamers in its greatest product launch program to this point, and that’s simpler to promote when the automobiles are proven as characters in a narrative reasonably than simply transportation. In a family-friendly animated movie, you additionally get a built-in stage for themes like security, consolation, and each day usability, the stuff that really convinces folks to attempt an EV.
Mercedes additionally used the announcement to remind everybody that the brand new CLA is already stacking up accolades, together with being named “Automotive of the 12 months 2026” and incomes “Greatest Performer” recognition in Euro NCAP testing. These are the sorts of bragging rights that are likely to get misplaced within the noise of fixed EV information, so tying them to a pop-culture second is a great approach to broaden the viewers past the same old fanatics.
As for GOAT itself, the film has a powerful pedigree on paper. It comes from Sony Footage Animation, with Tyree Dillihay directing and Adam Rosette co-directing, and it’s produced by a group that features Stephen Curry, who additionally voices a personality. The forged checklist is stacked with acquainted names, and the premise sounds just like the form of energetic sports activities comedy that performs effectively in a theater, particularly with its February timing.
In the long run, that is much less a couple of single movie cameo and extra about how automotive manufacturers market in 2026. Mercedes is utilizing leisure to make its latest autos really feel current in on a regular basis life and in creativeness, which is strictly the place fashionable EV branding must dwell. If GOAT connects the way in which Sony and Mercedes suppose it’s going to, anticipate to see much more collaborations like this the place the automotive just isn’t the hero, however it’s positively a part of the journey.
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Lloyd Tobias is a seasoned automotive journalist and passionate fanatic with over 15 years of expertise immersed on the earth of automobiles. Whether or not it’s exploring the newest developments in automotive know-how or preserving a detailed pulse on breaking trade information, Lloyd brings a pointy perspective and a deep appreciation for all issues automotive. His writing blends technical perception with real-world enthusiasm, making his contributions each informative and fascinating for readers who share his love for the drive. When he’s not behind the keyboard or underneath the hood, Lloyd enjoys check driving the latest fashions and staying forward of the curve in an ever-evolving automotive panorama.
