Disney, ESPN, NBA Set To Dunk the Halls With Animated Alt-Cast of Spurs–Knicks Christmas Day Game

The production marks ESPN’s latest real-time animated-broadcast effort

Mickey and Minnie Mouse are set to hit the hardcourt. Disney, ESPN, and the NBA are teaming up to present Dunk the Halls, a real-time animated broadcast of the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks matchup on Christmas Day. The virtual, live re-creation of the game will leverage Sony’s Beyond Sports technology. Set on iconic “Main Street, USA” in Magic Kingdom Park, Dunk the Halls will be presented on ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+. The special alt-cast marks the first animated presentation of an NBA game and the first NBA game to stream on Disney+.

Each Spurs and Knicks player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special Christmas matchup. Real-time visualization technology enabled by Sony’s Beyond Sports, combined with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, will enable fans watching Dunk the Halls to see all the action from the game at Madison Square Garden as it happens.

Shooting Hoops at the Magic Kingdom

The Dunk the Halls storyline begins with Mickey’s Christmas wish for Santa Claus to bring the NBA players to “Main Street, USA” at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort to play the first animated NBA game on Christmas Day. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, and Chip and Dale will cheer from the sidelines, and shots of “Main Street, USA” and other Magic Kingdom Park landmarks, including Cinderella’s Castle, will be regularly shown.

More production highlights:

• At halftime of the Spurs vs. Knicks game, the Disney characters, led by Mickey Mouse, will compete in a special slam-dunk contest.
• Santa’s elves will operate the cameras for the game while Santa himself operates ESPN’s Skycam during the game.
• The Disney characters will deliver pregame and halftime speeches to the players and decorate a large Christmas tree during the game.
• Fans will also find out if it will snow on “Main Street, USA” and see how many churros Goofy can eat.

Drew Carter will serve as play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. The duo will be joined by a very special guest: Daisy Duck will serve as sideline reporter. Carter and McNutt will be animated in the style of the telecast and don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from “Main Street, USA,” thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports Virtual Commentator Technology.

The Rise of Real-Time Animated Broadcasts

Dunk the Halls is the latest chapter in Disney and ESPN’s real-time animated-broadcast effort. ESPN recently announced that, on Dec. 9, it will produce an animated, real-time alt-cast, titled The Simpsons Funday Football and streaming on Disney+ and ESPN+, for Monday Night Football. Other animated alt-casts include Toy Story Funday Football in September 2023 and editions of the NHL Big City Greens Classic in both March 2023 and March 2024.

Dunk the Halls also continues ESPN and the NBA’s history of alt-cast executions using IP from The Walt Disney Co. In 2021, ESPN and the NBA teamed up with Marvel for Marvel’s Arena of Heroes, an alt-cast of an NBA regular-season game.

The five NBA games on Dec. 25 will be available on ABC, ESPN, Disney+, and ESPN+. Talent for the traditional broadcast of the Spurs–Knicks game will be play-caller Ryan Ruocco, analyst Cory Alexander, and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth.

Stay tuned to SVG in the coming weeks for more in-depth coverage of the Dunk the Halls and The Simpsons Funday Football productions.