No one crows quite like John Legend.
The award-winning artist lends his voice to the inspiring animated short film Crow: The Legend—and E! News has a sneak peek at Legend's feathered character performing in the forest. "Frogs gonna leap / Gators gonna bite / A gray wolf pack is gonna rule the night," the bird sings. "A mountain lion's never been afraid of heights / But it's better when you can fly."
As the project's executive producer, Legend also teamed up with Baobab Studios for an experimental virtual reality short. Directed, produced and written by Eric Darnell, Crow: The Legend is based on by the inspirational Native American story about the bird's cultural genesis.
Narrated by Kiowa-Caddo Tribal Elder Randy Edmonds, Crow: The Legend boasts an all-star voice cast that includes Sarah Eagle Heart (whose character is named after Luna Stephens, Legend's daughter), Liza Koshy, Diego Luna, Tye Sheridan, Oprah Winfrey and Constance Wu.
In the official synopsis for the film, Baobab Studios says, "Crow, once the most revered and beautifully-rainbow colored and melodic animal in all the forest, must choose between himself and his fellow animals when tasked with saving them from a destructive endless winter. Realizing he is their only hope, Crow ventures in seek of help but the arduous trek irrevocably damages his voice and stunning colors. Embarrassed by his physical transformation, Crow ultimately learns that his self-sacrifice is far more beautiful and important than his appearance."
Crow: The Legend premieres Thursday on YouTube and on Oculus VR.