Stephen Curry-Produced Animated Sports Film 'GOAT' Hits Theaters With Roarball and Underdog Heart
After seven and a half years of development, the animated sports film GOAT opens in theaters Friday. Executive-produced by Stephen Curry, who also lends his voice to one of the characters, the movie reframes basketball as a larger-than-life sport called roarball and centers on an underdog story meant to echo Curry's own career arc.
From long gestation to premiere day
Director Tyree Dillihay has been shepherding the project since 2018, and he described the moment of premiere as celebratory. "Do you know what today is? It's premiere day, " Dillihay said, capturing the sense of relief and excitement that comes after years of work. The film was developed with an eye toward elevating the sport beyond realistic constraints and building an animated world where animals play at a scale and intensity that only animation can achieve.
The central protagonist is Will, a young goat voiced by Caleb McLaughlin, who dreams of competing in the big leagues despite being underestimated for his size. That underdog through-line was intentionally modeled on the journey of small guards who changed the modern game — a trajectory Dillihay and the creative team folded into Will's narrative so it would resonate for younger viewers who might be learning what perseverance looks like on and off the court.
Roarball: basketball turned up to 11
Roarball flips conventional basketball rules to fit an animal-populated universe. Courts vary by region — from vinegar-tinged red clay courts where roots and vines can trip players to icy arenas in polar zones — and the playing field itself is stretched to accommodate different anatomies. The court length in roarball was extended to the equivalent of 120 yards with 15-foot rims to allow animals space for full strides and gravity-defying plays.
Players are permitted to use any part of their bodies: hands, paws, claws, hooves, tails or wings. They may alternate between two-legged and four-legged movement as the action demands. Dillihay summarized the creative intent simply: "You take the sport of basketball and flip it on its head and turn the volume up to 11 and exaggerate it and call it roarball. " The rules are fantastical by design, but the filmmakers worked to keep the play believable within the film's internal logic.
To ground the spectacle in genuine hoops fundamentals, the production consulted former and current professional players for input on plays and pacing. Dillihay cited detailed conversations with Curry about footwork, spacing and momentum — practical minutiae that helped shape how characters move and react in-game. Another former teammate walked the directors through actual play concepts used in championship-caliber basketball, helping ensure that even the most exaggerated sequences had a base in real strategy.
Cast, style and audience reach
In addition to McLaughlin and Curry, the voice cast includes well-known NBA and WNBA figures and established actors. The film aims to appeal both to young audiences who will revel in its kinetic visuals and to older viewers who can appreciate the layered references to the sport and its personalities. The animation employs a dynamic visual style that leans into rapid pacing and high-energy sequences, turning each game into a roller-coaster set piece meant to dazzle.
GOAT is rated PG and runs approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes. With its mix of heartfelt underdog storytelling, celebrity involvement and bold animated invention, the film positions itself as a family-friendly entry in the sports-animated genre — one that attempts to broaden what a basketball movie can look and feel like when animals are allowed to play by their own rules.
