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ESPN Draws Up ‘Toy Story’ Broadcast of Falcons-Jaguars Game

jacob feldman
·2 min read

Buzz Lightyear is headed to the NFL. ESPN’s next football Altcast will feature the fake astronaut and his figurine friends when the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars face off on Oct. 1.

While ESPN+ broadcasts the real-life contest from London that morning, another feed available on that same service, as well as Disney+, will show cartoon versions of the players in real time, transported to “Andy’s room” from the Toy Story universe.

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After collaborating on a Big City Greens version of an NHL game earlier this year, Beyond Sports will use NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking data this time around to recreate the action in a virtual world. Drew Carter, Booger McFarland, and 12-year-old Pepper Persley—all animated by Silver Spoon using Unreal Engine—will call the action. Pixar also contributed notes regarding how its intellectual property, like the wallpaper in Andy’s bedroom, would be represented, with ESPN’s in-house Edge Innovation Center bringing the elements together.

“With what we learned before and with this amazing IP and then the power of the NFL, it’s just very exciting to bring that all together,” Michael Szykowny, ESPN Creative Studios senior director of animation, graphics innovation and production design, said in an interview.

Work on the show began in earnest this July, with production teams sorting out how best to integrate Toy Story elements into an NFL broadcast (Duke Caboom will perform at halftime, for instance) and how to ensure NFL pieces—from the uniforms to player visors—are recreated faithfully. Toy Story characters slated to make at least a cameo include Lightyear, Woody, Bo Peep, Bullseye, Bunny, Ducky, Forky, Green Aliens, Jesse, Rex and Slinky Dog.

“Toy Story Funday Football” follows other alternate presentations aimed at younger viewers, with “how-to” videos and pre-recorded segments featuring NFL players planned for air.

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