On October 1st, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Atlanta Falcons will travel to Wembley Stadium in London for a Week 4 matchup. But not only will these teams be playing overseas, they will also be playing on a special Toy Story-inspired virtual gridiron.
Similar to what we've seen with CBS Sports' Nickelodeon broadcast presentation, Disney and ESPN are doing their own family-friendly production for an NFL game. The "Toy Story Funday Football" is a real-time alternate presentation of the game that will be played, taking the action as it unfolds on the field in real life and transforming it into a fully animated representation using state-of-the-art tracking technology.
The broadcast will feature a virtual football field set up in Andy's room. And the players will be shown as if they are actual toys playing the game of football. So imagine Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence throwing a touchdown pass in real life, but doing so as a toy instead during this broadcast.
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 this cutting-edge presentation, the broadcast will also feature other fun nods to the Pixar franchise, including guest appearances from popular Toy Story characters, such as Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Bullseye, Bunny, Ducky, Forky, Green Aliens, Jesse, Rex and Slinky Dog. And making a special guest appearance during halftime is Canadian stuntman Duke Caboom who will attempt a daring motorcycle jump.
If you're new to the game of football, the broadcast will also feature helpful tips and demonstrations to help you learn the game. How-to videos, trivia and more will be offered to help teach the game of football to a new audience.
The Toy Story Funday Football presentation will kick off on October 1 at 9:30 a.m. ET (it's a game in London which explains the early kick off time) on Disney+ and ESPN+. Fans can also tune in on mobile with an NFL+ subscription or through local broadcast stations in the markets of the participating teams.
With Toy Story 5 currently in production at Pixar, not only could this be a wonderful way to introduce younger audiences to football but also an equally effective way for Disney to introduce new audiences to the Toy Story franchise, which first debuted back in 1995. With most Toy Story fans now older with kids of their own, this could be a great way for Disney to ensure the younger generation now also looks forward to the new movie.