At Sony Animation Studios, making GOAT wasn’t just about drawing cute animals playing basketball. It is a full-blown creative adventure that took over seven years. From the very first idea to the final frame, every choice mattered, from the way a leaf moved on the court to how the arena lights bounced off the sneakers.
“Every single department influences the others,” says director Tyree Dillihay. “It’s like a giant puzzle where color, environment, animation, and sound all have to fit perfectly together.”
And the team at Sony doesn’t rely on standard tools. They build their own systems around the artists because they don’t want to limit anyone’s creativity. If an artist has an idea, they figure out how to make it work.
One of the biggest visual breakthroughs came from designing the film in HDR from the start. HDR lets the colors shine with real intensity. It’s not just about bright or dark; it’s how everything glows and pops. The lights in the stadium, the shine on the sneakers, even subtle reflections, all feel alive.
The storyboarding team, a group of twelve artists, was especially critical. People underestimate how much they do. This team is always thinking about acting, staging, and camera angles. They’re basically tiny directors for every scene. They’re creative geniuses. Each frame went through countless iterations, and most ideas evolved, or even disappeared, entirely.
“You can’t get attached,” Dillihay laughs. “What looks perfect on paper often doesn’t work on screen, and that’s okay.”
Also, Basketball fans will notice all the little Easter eggs scattered throughout the movie, from nods to Basketball Films like Do the Right Thing and City of God, to characters inspired by players or real-life moments like when Allen Iverson’s mom braided his hair courtside.
When it comes to creating animal basketball courts, “We wanted each stadium to feel like a unique world,” says the director. “It’s kind of like Game of Thrones, but for basketball arenas.” Even the action sequences were carefully choreographed using “impact frames” to make every dunk and pass feel weighty and exciting.
The attention to basketball detail came from consulting real players. “We had Andre Iguodala over for a two-hour session with tiny 3D characters on a conference table, mapping out plays like a living chalkboard,” says Dillihay. “It was like playing chess with these little athletes. The moments of emotion and tension all come from that kind of careful planning.”
When it comes to Will and the heart of the story his journey is about more than basketball. GOAT is about believing in yourself, chasing a dream, even when the odds are stacked against you. The small-but-mighty goat isn’t just a nod to Stephen Curry’s small-ball era in the NBA; he’s a symbol of courage, resilience, and rewriting the rules of the game.
By the time GOAT hit screens, hundreds of artists had touched every frame, every environment crafted with care, and every play meticulously designed to feel real.
“It’s a love letter to everything I grew up loving—basketball, sneaker culture, fashion, tech, cartoons,” Dillihay says. “I wanted every moment to carry that passion, and I hope audiences feel it when they watch.” GOAT isn’t just a movie about sports; it’s a movie about heart, creativity, and dreaming bigger than the world expects.
GOAT is now available to rent or buy on digital.
About GOAT
From Sony Pictures Animation, the studio behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, 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 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!”
