‘Toy Story’ Characters Hit the Gridiron in Disney Bid to Woo Young Viewers to NFL
11.09.2023 - 23:29
/ variety.com
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor After working for Walt Disney Co. for decades, Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their “Toy Story” friends have been given new jobs by the large entertainment conglomerate. Characters from the popular animated Pixar films will in October take part in the latest in a series of experiments aimed at getting young kids to watch live sports.
When ESPN+ streams a Sunday-morning game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London on October 1, Disney+ will offer an “alternate” version of the proceedings in which fully-animated “Toy Story” figures echo the action of the game, slated to take place in the room of “Andy,” the toys’ original owner in the iconic movies. On ESPN+, viewers will see sports-network mainstays like Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick, and Laura Rutledge calling the game. On Disney+, viewers can watch Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep, Bullseye, Bunny, Ducky, Forky, Green Aliens, Jesse, Rex, and Slinky Dog in various game-day antics.
The “Toy Story” characters will go though the same paces as the NFL players, thanks to use of next-gen stats and player tracking. Graphics, scoreboards, penalty announcements and more will all embrace the “Toy Story” theme. So too will the announcers and other signature sports segments.
Drew Carter and Booger McFarland will lay out the action alongside Pepper Persley, a 12-year-old sports journalist who has landed gigs as an WNBA sideline reporter. Duke Caboom, one of the characters from “Toy Story 4,” will attempt a motorcycle jump during a bespoke halftime program. Viewers will see “how-to” vignettes and trivia questions during the streamcast, along with pre-recorded interviews with players from the Falcons and Jaguars.
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