ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of ‘Dunk the Halls’

ESPN Creative Studio and Beyond Sports re-team for Christmas Day production

Mickey, Minnie, and friends are back to bring some holiday cheer, as ESPN embarks on its second-annual Dunk the Halls animated broadcast on Christmas Day. It’s ESPN’s second animated altcast in less than three weeks – following Monsters Funday Football on Dec. 8 – and seventh overall since it began utilizing Sony’s Beyond Sports real-time visualization technology in 2023.

“The operation and technology are always advancing,” says Michael ‘Spike’ Szykowny, VP, Edit, Animation & Graphics Innovation, ESPN Creative Studio. “This helps contribute to our being able to tell better stories. We learn from what we have done in the past and we always apply it moving forward. We always are looking to add new storytelling surprises and there are many of those in Dunk The Halls.”

Building on last year’s Dunk the Halls effort, the ESPN Creative Studio and Beyond Sports teams will virtually transport the on-court action between the Knicks and Cavaliers from Madison Square Garden to “Main Street, U.S.A.” in Magic Kingdom at The Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

Each player will appear as a motion-tracked animated version of themselves, captured via Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking. In addition, announcers will don Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game right from Main Street, U.S.A via Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy will be playing in the game, while Daisy Duck reports from the sidelines and others like Pluto and Chip and Dale cheer from the stands. They will be joined for the first time by Stitch, who makes his Dunk the Halls debut and will play a leading role in the broadcast on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD, and the ESPN App.

“We have added Stitch to the mix, who is one of the biggest movies stars on the planet this past year, and of course he brings so much charm, fun, and excitement to this year’s event,” says Szykowny. “Last year we had a Dunk Competition, but this year at halftime the Disney Characters are competing in a Christmas Parade Float competition and that is something everyone will want to see. You won’t want to miss what Stitch has planned for this event.”

From MSG to Bristol: Inside the Live Animated Production Workflow

As has been the case for all of ESPN’s Beyond Sports-driven animated altcasts, the entire game production will be handled out of ESPN’s Bristol, CT campus, including all crew and talent.

On site, an array of 14 HawkEye cameras at MSG will optically track every movement of the ball and players at 60 fps, providing precise three-dimensional movement data. HawkEye tracks 29 points on each player’s body, which are used recreate the movement of each player’s avatar. Beyond Sports’ custom PCs in Bristol will receive optical tracking data from the Hawkeye system at MSG and use this data to render the real-time game animation.

Beyond Sports has worked with ESPN director Ashley Ward (who also directed last year’s Dunk the Halls broadcast) to create approximately 50 camera angles from any virtual camera position including aerials, railcams, and first- and third-person POV cameras. Ward works with Beyond Sports data visualization producer Alexandre Pages to cut those cameras on a Beyond Sports computer that produces a single output of the live animated game coverage into the switcher. Two additional Beyond Sports systems are manned by ESPN media operators who create replays from the same group of camera options. Ward is responsible for blending the Beyond Sports line cut, dozens of pre-built animations, and the replays to create the comprehensive animated game coverage.

Behind the scenes in Bristol, more than 40 people will contribute to the Dunk the Halls production, including Graphics, Production, Studio Directing, Resource Coordinators, Technical Operators, Edit team, Media Replay, Talent, and Beyond Sports support staff.

Animation Evolution: Stitch Joins the Party as Technology Advances

From his playful antics on the sidelines to leading the new halftime Christmas Parade, Stitch – the beloved, mischievous alien from Disney’s Lilo and Stitch – will drive the fun throughout the broadcast.

“This year the ESPN Animation team brought Stitch to life using a rig that was provided by Disney,” says David Sparrgrove, Senior Director, Animation, ESPN Creative Studio. “This was a unique opportunity to create dozens of animations using a beloved and popular Disney character, while also pushing the envelope of how to make the character speak in an authentic way. Using a variety of techniques, including motion capture and face tracking, the animators were able to add even more emotion and personality to Stitch’s character.”

Production highlights include Stitch headlining the action with his first-ever Dunk the Halls appearance and starring in a brand-new animated Christmas Parade down Main Street during halftime. The competition will feature floats from Mickey & Minnie, Donald & Daisy, Goofy & Pluto, and “Experiment 626” Stitch all vying for the title of “Best Christmas Parade Float.” ESPN created the five-minute Parade Float 3D animated piece in collaboration with animation house Big Studios.

Daisy Duck also returns for her reporting duties with a special sideline interview with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Santa’s elves return as camera operators, with Santa piloting ESPN’s “SkyCam.” Shots of “Main Street, U.S.A.” and iconic landmarks like Cinderella’s Castle will also appear throughout, transformed with festive décor, snowfall, and a few Stitch-inspired surprises.

All animations in the broadcast can be put into two buckets: real-time animations triggered by Beyond Sports via their Unity engine, and pre-produced animations created in-house by the ESPN Animation team using Cinema 4D and After Effects.

In-game animations were developed collaboratively by ESPN and Beyond Sports and are tied directly to gameplay events — such as a made three-pointer or a snow effect during the game. These are built in Unity and triggered live alongside the action.

ESPN produces dozens of longer-form “roll-in” animations, which are pre-animated storytelling moments that support key, IP-driven narratives. Examples include Goofy eating churros throughout the game or Stitch causing well-intended mischief.

ESPN also animates all speaking characters, including precise lip-sync to character voices, as well as minute-long “Explained” segments that teach basketball fundamentals.

“Together, these elements create an entertaining, immersive, and magical way to experience an NBA game,” says Sparrgrove.

In Front of the Camera and Inside the Virtual World

Returning to the Dunk the Halls broadcast booth for the second straight year, Drew Carter will once again serve as play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. Carter and McNutt will again be animated in the style of the telecast and don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from “Main Street, U.S.A..” via Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.

Tiny cameras on the MetaQuest Pro headsets capture Carter and McNutt’s facial and body movements and this data is used to drive the movement of their 3D avatars.  An output from the Beyond Sports computer shows them in the environment shot from a virtual camera that can be placed anywhere.

“When Drew and Monica put on the MetaQuest Pro headsets, they step into a virtual world where Beyond Sports can place them anywhere in the Main Street environment where the game takes place,” says Phil Orlins, VP, Production, ESPN. “They see the game, each other, and the environment as if they were there in person in this virtual world.”

Looking Ahead: Much More Where That Came From

Christmas Day will mark the latest chapter – but certainly not the last – in ESPN’s animated altcast odyssey. In October, ESPN extended its deal with Beyond Sports to convert live sports action into real-time animation using Disney’s library of intellectual property. As part of the announcement, ESPN said it plans to produce a total of four animated telecasts during the 2025–26 season (including Monsters Funday Football and Dunk the Halls), with additional projects planned for 2026–27.

“As a team we are always trying to evolve our animated alt-casts and this will continue into the future,” says Szykowny. “I feel like we came out of the box very strong with our very first animated alt-cast which was [the NHL Big City Greens Classic]. Since then we have worked with Pixar on Toy Story and Monsters Funday Football, The Simpsons, and the NBA and Disney Animation. That is an all-star lineup of the best sports and IP in the world, and we plan on continuing to innovate and evolve what we have established as being world-class animated alt-casts for 2026 and beyond.

“Oh yeah,” he adds, “and we do have a Super Bowl coming up in 2027!”

The animated alternate presentation of the New York Knicks hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers will tip-off at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney XD and the ESPN App via ESPN DTC or pay TV authentication, with the traditional telecast available on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and the ESPN App.