Disney Plus scores a Christmas slam-dunk with the first-ever animated basketball game jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol) | usagoldmines.com

• This real-time animated NBA game is set for Christmas Day
• Sony’s Beyond Sports tech will animate the players and the action in real-time
• Mickey, Minnie, and more will sit on the side of a court on ‘Main Street USA’

Holidays and sports have gone together for ages, and come Christmas Day, you might be more interested than ever before in the annual NBA game. Sure, the matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks will be fun, but the NBA is teaming up with Disney and ESPN for something even more fun.

How does a basketball on Main Street USA in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom with Cinderella’s Castle in view and Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and even Goofy cheering on the sideline sound? Oh, and the players at the NBA game will be animated in real-time to appear as animated players mimicking every move, thanks to Sony’s Beyond Sports technology.

Enter ‘Dunk the Halls.’ It’s the first ever real-time animated NBA game, a feat that the NFL has done a few times, including tossing in some slime-zones for a Spongebob-themed game and a Toy Story-themed one that streamed on Disney Plus and used the Beyond Sports tech. This will be the first time for the NBA and basketball, though.

Disney is clearly very excited about the match and the technology itself – and Sony Beyond Sports is all about the data ingestion and visualization to create the experience of this game without noticeable latency. Beyond Sports will work in conjunction with Sony’s Hawk-eye technology for tacking the players on the courts, something that other sports leagues, including the NFL, use.

Disney fans, specifically fans of the Fab Five, will be treated to a pre-show, in-game commentary, and a special half-time show from the characters, with Mickey and Minnie leading the pack. As far as full, professional game commentary, that honor will go to Drew Carter, ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt, and Daisy Duck. Since it’s Christmas, Santa will be operating ESPN’s Sky-Cam for a unique view of the animated camera, and if the teaser for the “Dunk the Halls” game is to be believed, Disney World might see snow.

The action starts at noon ET on December 25th, 2024, streaming on Disney Plus and ESPN Plus and broadcasting on ESPN 2. It’s certainly a neat collaboration between three major brands – Disney, Sony, and the NBA – with the tech being a critical point here, and it’s clearly a trend that all the sports leagues want to get on. Remember, an upcoming Simpsons NFL game on Disney+ arrives on December 9th, 2024.

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