Disney, ESPN and the NBA are teaming up to present Dunk the Halls – the first real-time animated NBA game using Sony’s Beyond Sports technology – on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25, at noon ET when the New York Knicks – led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns – host the San Antonio Spurs and Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul. 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+.
The setting
The virtual, live re-creation of the Spurs vs. Knicks game will be set on iconic “Main Street, USA” in Magic Kingdom® Park as the teams play while Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale cheer them on. Shots of “Main Street, USA” and other famous landmarks within Magic Kingdom® Park will be regularly shown, including Cinderella’s Castle.
The story
The storyline behind the Dunk the Halls presentation begins with Mickey’s Christmas wish to 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.
The first-of-its-kind technology
Each Spurs and Knicks player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special Christmas matchup. Through state-of-the-art real-time visualization technology enabled by Sony’s Beyond Sports, combined with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, fans watching Dunk the Halls will see every three-pointer, dunk, layup, pass and more from the real-life Spurs vs. Knicks game at Madison Square Garden in New York as it happens.
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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 will operate 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 get to find out if it will snow on “Main Street, USA” and see how many churros Goofy can eat.
ESPN commentators
Drew Carter will serve as the play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. The duo will be joined by a very special guest – Daisy Duck – who will serve as the sideline reporter. Carter and McNutt will 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, USA” thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.
All five NBA Christmas games on December 25 will be available on ABC, ESPN, Disney+ and ESPN+. The traditional broadcast of the Spurs vs. Knicks game will be called by Ryan Ruocco, analyst Cory Alexander, and reporter Cassidy Hubbarth. For more details on the schedule, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.
Dunk the Halls continues ESPN and the NBA’s well-documented history innovation, including alt-cast executions that utilize the unmatched depth and scope of The Walt Disney Company. 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. TWDC.com: ESPN and Marvel Debut First-Ever Marvel-Inspired NBA Special Edition.
ESPN recently announced it will produce an animated, real-time alt-cast for Monday Night Football on December 9 called The Simpsons Funday Football, streaming on Disney+ and ESPN+. For more information, visit ESPNPressRoom.com.
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