Dive Brief:
- Sony’s Beyond Sports division and Disney are partnering on “Dunk the Halls,” an alternate presentation of an upcoming NBA game that inserts characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck into the on-court action, per a press release.
- A mix of data processing, real-time visualization and optical tracking technologies will integrate the Disney icons into the matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 25. Each athlete will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player, the release said.
- The telecast, which marks Beyond Sports’ first foray into basketball, is airing on ESPN2, ESPN+ and Disney+. “Dunk the Halls” is part of a growing trend of alternate sports broadcasting that leans on family friendly intellectual properties.
Dive Insight:
SpongeBob and Patrick have previously manned the announcer booth at football games. Now, Mickey and Donald will get a chance to show off their skills in the paint.
“Dunk the Halls” represents an ambitious attempt at inserting well-known characters into live sports broadcasting. The kid-friendly concept could broaden the appeal of an upcoming NBA game to a wider audience — and potentially, a different set of advertisers.
Beyond Sports’ data crunching and real-time visualization solutions will be paired with sister Sony unit Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking technology to make every play of the Knicks vs. Spurs matchup look like a Disneyfied take on “Space Jam.” Refining the technology to work for basketball involves a lot of technical jargon, like accounting for ankle and toe points data and foot roll dynamics, and the effects will need to be seamless so as not to put off viewers who can easily catch a more straightforward broadcast of the game.
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale are all set to make cameos and will be accompanied by additional holiday elements, including gingerbread referees. Elves will man the cameras of the telecast while Santa Claus is in charge of ESPN’s birds-eye “SkyCam.” The Disney characters will give pep talks to players, participate in a halftime slam dunk contest and decorate a Christmas tree. In addition, Beyond Sports’ virtual commentator technology will drop ESPN announcers into the animation bonanza.
This is the third sports telecast collaboration between Beyond Sports and Disney this year, following a “Big City Greens” tie-up with the NHL from March and an NFL game earlier this month themed around “The Simpsons” that saw characters like Bart fill in the quarterback role. Last year, the Sony unit helped execute a “Toy Story Funday Football” production around the Atlanta Falcons-Jacksonville Jaguars game in London, which went on to win three Sports Emmy Awards.
“Dunk the Halls” is part of a packed slate of sports programming timed to Christmas Day that also includes Netflix’s first exclusive NFL broadcasts.
