The NBA is getting animated on Christmas.
“NBA on ESPN‘s” “Dunk the Halls” will feature a live recreation of the Christmas matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in the league’s inaugural animated game. It will air at noon E.T. and will be available on Disney+, ESPN+ and ESPN2.
A Thursday press conference showcased a sneak preview of “Dunk the Halls,” in which an animated Santa Claus grants Mickey Mouse his wish for he and his friends to play in a basketball game. “Dunk the Halls” features animated versions of players from both the Knicks and Spurs, such as New York’s All-Star Jalen Brunson as well as San Antonio’s Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama.
ESPN play-by-play announcer Drew Carter serves as the primary broadcaster for “Dunk the Halls,” alongside ESPN Analyst Monica McNutt and Daisy Duck, who will be a sideline reporter for the game.
“It’s a great opportunity to introduce really interesting characters to an audience that may have never seen them before,” Carter told Variety. “Victor Wembanyama — seeing him in person is insane. It’s like seeing an alien descend on a basketball court, and I think we kind of captured that in his animated character.”
The broadcaster explained how the main character of the special can fluctuate depending on each viewer’s perspective. Some fans may be tuning in because of their love for specific Disney characters, while others may be avid listeners of sports shows such as “NBA Today,” he said. “It is a fine balance between doing too much basketball and doing too little because I think every viewer is going to want a different amount,” Carter told Variety. “If somebody’s watching because they love Disney and Mickey Mouse, they’re watching for Mickey and friends. If somebody is watching because they love the NBA and they want to watch something new and see how it’s presented differently, then maybe Wemby and Brunson are the main characters.”
Paul Benedict, Chief Executive Officer of Sony’s Beyond Sports, shared that the team behind “Dunk The Halls” took into consideration the rising stardom of Wembanyama as a major asset in attracting international audiences. Because Wembanyama led France to the Olympic gold medal match this summer, and because Paris is six hours ahead of New York’s Eastern Time zone, the content will likely have some distribution on InterNational League Pass.
“Get some of these viral moments out, and our individual teams and our social accounts and ESPN are all working together,” Benedict told Variety. “We think that will create a splash in attracting an international audience as well.”
ESPN Senior Director of Creative Animation David Sparrgrove said “Dunk the Halls” features a series of 10 educational explainer videos created to teach others about the nuances of a sport such as basketball. The longest of these videos is only about a minute long and breaks down the different positions that make up an NBA team.
“It’s really compelling to tell what makes up a game in an incredibly fun way,” Sparrgrove told Variety. “I think everybody will remember what ‘dropping a dime’ is after watching that animation. Those are critical to really educate our audience.”
He added that the team has weaved an effective combination of relevant, timely NBA topics through Carter’s commentary as well as an engaging graphics package boasting aesthetic elements such as lower thirds, full screens and more.
“Just from the creative point of view, we’re really set up to kind of magically realize Mickey’s wish of having the game,” Sparrgrove told Variety.
