In an exclusive conversation with USA TODAY, the Golden State Warriors standout said he’s the “comic relief” in his animated film “GOAT.” Watch the new trailer now.
Stephen Curry creates and voices a giraffe named Lenny in the animated sports film “GOAT,” about an underdog goat who dreams of becoming a roaring legend.
- ‘GOAT’ is the story of a weak goat who dreams of becoming a star in the fast-paced world of roaring.
- Stephen Curry is the voice of Lenny, the giraffe athlete.
- The new trailer for ‘GOAT’ (in theaters February 13) will premiere exclusively on USA TODAY.
Stephen Curry is definitely in the GOAT conversation on the basketball court. However, when he is shooting animated hoops, he prefers to be a giraffe.
The Golden State Warriors guard stars in the upcoming sports film “GOAT” (in theaters Feb. 13), which focuses on a small but scrappy young GOAT named Will Harris (voiced by Caleb McLaughlin) who has big dreams of becoming a star in the fast-paced world of baseball. USA TODAY has exclusively debuted the first full trailer for the animated film, which also stars Gabrielle Union, David Harbour, Patton Oswalt, Jelly Roll and Jennifer Hudson.
“GOAT” comes from Sony Pictures Animation and the artists behind the “KPop Demon Hunters” and “Spider-Verse” films, as well as Curry’s production company Anonymous Media.
Curry promised that “GOAT” will feature family entertainment, comedy, themes that resonate with the sports community and underdog spirit. “There’s something for every generation,” he told USA TODAY. “We’re bringing something that’s hopefully inspirational, something that brings families together, and something that’s encouraging to many different people in the audience who can find their best self through one of the characters.”
The new footage introduces viewers to the exciting and colorful full-contact sport of Roarball, which features “really cool, unique areas that people haven’t seen before,” Curry teases. The trailer also reveals a bit of the story of the film. Will is a talented player who gets his dream opportunity when the Winless Thorns sign him, although it will be hard for this goat to actually become the GOAT, considering how big and in charge his fellow animal competitors are.
Plus, we get a chance to meet Will’s fellow Thorns: rhino Archie Everhart (Harbor), ostrich Olivia Burke (Nicola Coughlan), Komodo dragon Modo Olachenko (Nick Kroll), giraffe Lenny Williamson (Curry) and black panther Jett Fillmore (Union), Will’s idol who isn’t too excited about his new partner.
“Will is a small person in a big world,” says Curry, and his story of accomplishing a goal when people underestimate or count you out is universal. “Everyone feels underdog or underestimated at some point in their lives.”
When audiences see Will on screen, “there are a lot of impressive characters he’s competing against,” says Curry. “It normalizes him. He’s relatable but also believable that he can do what he’s going to do throughout the movie. But just the idea that she has to find it for herself, there’s something lovely about it.”
For his role in the film, Curry called Lenny “a change of pace, if you will, in the locker room. He’s considered one of the greatest because he’s a giraffe. He’s tall but he gets distracted at times. He’s the comic relief in the locker room, brings a musical flair to the team. And over the course of the story, you realize how important this game and his teammates are to him.”
Curry admits, “If you know me, you probably wouldn’t believe that the character of Lenny would resonate with me, except for the fun part. I enjoy everything, so there’s a connection there, but I’m very serious when it comes to my work and how I approach it.” His teammate Buddy Hield is currently Lenny on the Warriors, “but I’ve definitely had different versions of Lenny over the years.”
The hoops icon has four children with wife Ayesha Curry, and his two youngsters, daughter Ryan, 10, and son Canon, 7, might just be the biggest “GOAT” fans.
“They’re both super-energetic, super-charismatic personalities, and I feel like they’ll immerse themselves in that world immediately,” says Curry. “And they’re not shy about telling people how they feel. They’ll be the ones in the theater that people will probably be telling them to calm down because they’ll be talking and laughing and singing and dancing and all that. I can’t wait to see it with them.”
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