The ESPN+ exclusive broadcast of Falcons-Jaguars in Week 4 from London will get an alternate, animated broadcast.
ESPN released a trailer for what has been dubbed the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast, which will be available on ESPN+ and Disney+.
The alternate broadcast will be animated in the mold of Toy Story and take place in Andy’s room from the franchise.
Tracking the players accurately is possible through the use of the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Here’s more from ESPN’s release.
Andy’s room will replicate the on-the-field gameplay from Wembley Stadium, where each Falcon and Jaguar player will have animated representation on a traditional looking field, catered to the “Toy Story” setting. Fans will view every run, pass, score and all football-related action through state-of-the-art tracking technology enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats player tracking data and Beyond Sports.
In addition to the gameplay, all the surrounding aspects of the game – announcers, graphics, scoreboard, penalty announcements, celebrations, and more – will all embrace the “Toy Story”-themed offering in their packaging and delivery, all occurring in Andy’s room.
Woody, Buzz Lightyear and many of the characters from the acclaimed animated series will be visible throughout, participating from the sidelines and in other non-gameplay elements.
This first-of-its kind NFL presentation is made possible by ESPN, ESPN’s Edge Innovation Center, Disney, NFL, Pixar, Next Gen Stats, Beyond Sports, and Silver Spoon.
The Toy Story Funday Football broadcast will be called by Drew Carter, Booger McFarland, and Pepper Persley, who will all be animated. Characters from the Toy Story franchise will make appearances throughout the broadcast, which will also feature demonstrations, trivia, and pre-recorded interviews with players.
Back in March, ESPN did something similar with a Capitals-Rangers NHL game. Available on ESPN+, Disney+, and DisneyXD, the NHL Big City Greens Classic was fully animated and came off pretty well.
The Falcons-Jaguars London game takes place on Sunday, October 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET. Both the traditional and alternate broadcasts will be available on ESPN+, with Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick, and Laura Rutledge on the call of the traditional game broadcast.
[ESPN]
