Watch 'Dunk the Halls,' a real-time animated NBA game, Christmas Day at noon ET.
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.
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.
About Disney+: Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the general entertainment content brand, Star, and in the U.S., Disney Bundle subscribers can also access extensive Hulu content, including next day TV and Hulu Original titles, on Disney+. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from Disney, Disney+ offers an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney's long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as a standalone streaming service or as part of bundled offerings, including Disney Bundle plans in the U.S. that give subscribers access to Disney+ and Hulu or Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About ESPN+: Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ is the No. 1 sports streaming platform, serving fans in the U.S. with exclusive access to more than 27,000 live sports events each year, an unmatched library of on-demand replays and acclaimed original content, and premium written articles by the top reporters and analysts from ESPN.com. Fans can sign up to ESPN+ at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or in the ESPN App on mobile and connected devices. For more, visit the ESPN+ Press Kit.
About the NBA: The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents. NBA rosters at the start of the 2024-25 season featured a record-tying 125 international players from a record-tying 43 countries. NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 2.3 billion likes and followers globally across all leagues, team and player platforms. NBA Cares, the NBA's global social responsibility platform, partners with renowned community-based organizations around the world to address important social issues in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and wellness.