GOAT Trailer, Poster, and Images From Sony Pictures Animation

From Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and the artist who made KPop Demon Hunters, comes GOAT, 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, biggest 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!”

“‘GOAT’ is a generation-defining underdog story,” says director Tyree Dillihay. “Great sports movies are emotional, inspirational, and transcendent. They inspire people to want to strive to be great. I love that about our story. But it’s also funny. This idea of rhinos, polar bears, and this tiny goat–with their oversized bling, tunnel walks, and signature sneakers–dribbling, dunking, or setting picks made me laugh out loud from the beginning.”

Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, who’s a producer for the film, wanted to showcase the world of sports on and off the court. “We included the accessories, the clothes, a dope soundtrack–the cultural references that everybody can laugh at and appreciate,” he says. “This is a timeless story–if you watch it 20 years from now, you’ll go back to a moment in time. We’re super excited to have those relatable references throughout the entire movie.”

Set in an all-animal world where “bigs” and “smalls” live side by side, the film introduces a wild game called roarball—a co-ed, high-octane sport played on dynamic, oversized courts that feature natural obstacles ranging from writhing vines to cracking sheets of ice.

The game is dominated by the most powerful animals in the world. “They can make use of all of their animal attributes,” says producer Michelle Raimo Kouyate. “They run on two paws, four paws, use their tails, horns, snouts, wings, tongues—anything goes.”

Anything except smalls, that is. “In our world, there’s no difference between bigs and smalls as far as the culture is concerned,” says co-producer David Schulenburg. “But roarball is so dangerous—the pace, the terrains—the idea that a small goat would play the game is just unheard of.”

But Will’s goal to play in the ROAR league started when he was a kid, and his mom taught him to dream big. Says head of story Keely Propp, “She told him he could change the game. She told him if he played the game his way and worked hard, he could make it.”

According to co-director Adam Rosette, GOAT isn’t just about aiming high in sports. “It represents what it’s like to have a dream, not only what it’s like to play sports,” he says. “It’s about Will’s dream, which just happens to be becoming a pro roarball player. If you’ve ever had a dream—something that you aspire to be—this movie is for you. There’s heart, there’s hustle and humor.”

Dillihay seconds the humor and the heart. “Physical animal comedy was a great source of universally understood humor for us,” he says. “Where we and the animators took extreme liberties to push the boundaries of physical comedy, we took just as much care to deliver the subtlety and subtext to land the emotional heartfelt performances of our voice actors.”

The lineup brings together performers from the entertainment and sports arenas. Topping the roster is Caleb McLaughlin, who lends his voice to Will Harris, a small goat with big dreams—he’s had his eye on the Vineland Thorns since he was a little goat. Will’s idol, roarball veteran Jett Fillmore, is voiced by Gabrielle Union.

The Thorns’ starters also include Olivia Burke, a high-strung ostrich voiced by Nicola Coughlan; Modo Olachenko, an eccentric Komodo dragon voiced by Nick Kroll; rhino Archie Everhardt, a defensive specialist and girl dad voiced by David Harbour; and tall-man Lenny Williamson, a giraffe and aspiring rapper voiced by Stephen Curry.

The voice cast also includes Aaron Pierre as uber-confident ROAR league MVP Mane Attraction, Patton Oswalt as down-and-out Thorns coach Dennis Cooper, and Jenifer Lewis as the posh and calculated owner of the Thorns, Flo Everson. Audiences can also hear the voices of Jennifer Hudson, Jelly Roll, Ayesha Curry, Andrew Santino, Bobby Lee, Sherry Cola, and Eduardo Franco.

Filmmakers created a vast and diverse world for the film that consists of six biomes—each features a professional roarball team that plays in a unique arena. At the heart of the world is Vineland, the birthplace of roarball, home of the Thorns, and the big dreamer himself, Will. Says Dillihay, “Vineland is Brooklyn meets Brazil. We took references from the jungle; we took references from Brooklyn—combine these two habitats, you get this new visual gumbo that you’ve never seen before.”

Adds Raimo Kouyate, “The vibe of this film, the look—it was all influenced by a combination of cultures: basketball culture, street culture, hip hop, fashion, music. We blended the natural world and real-world elements to create the overall feel for the film.”

GOAT is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for some rude humor and brief mild language. Featuring a score by Kris Bowers, Sony Pictures Animation’s GOAT opens in theaters on Feb. 13, coinciding with the NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles.