Posted in: Disney+, NBA, Sports, TV | Tagged: , ,

Disney, ESPN & NBA's Dunk the Halls: Your Preview/Viewing Guide

With New York Knicks/San Antonio Spurs kicking off at 12 noon, here's your preview/viewing guide for Disney, ESPN, and NBA's Dunk the Halls.

Published
by
|
Comments

If you're an NBC fan, then we don't need to tell you just how big Christmas Day is for the professional basketball league – with today bringing five big back-to-back games. But this year, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and the rest of the Disney gang are joining in for Disney, ESPN & NBA's Dunk the Halls – the first real-time animated presentation of an NBA game and the first NBA game to stream on Disney+. With the animated alt-cast of the New York Knicks/San Antonio Spurs game set to hit ESPN2, Disney+, and ESPN+ screens beginning at 12 noon today, we've got a rundown of everything you need to know: how Mickey, Minnie, and the others get involved; how the animated magic was brought to life; some behind-the-scenes looks from ESPN and the players, and more.

NBA
Image: Disney/NBA

Who's Playing in Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls"? Kicking off the day's run of games, we have the New York Knicks hosting the San Antonio Spurs.

How Can We Check Out Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls"? The animated simulcast gets underway on Christmas Day (December 25th) at 12 noon ET.

Where Will Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls" Be Played? The virtual, live re-creation of the Spurs vs. Knicks game will be set on "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.

What's the Backstory on Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls"? It looks like Mickey's Christmas wish to bring the NBA players to "Main Street, USA" at Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort to play in the first animated NBA game catches Santa Claus' attention.

Who's Doing Play-by-Play and Color Commentary for Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls"? Drew Carter will serve as the play-by-play commentator alongside ESPN basketball analyst Monica McNutt. – with none other than Daisy Duck as the sideline reporter.

Do You Have Any Previews for Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls"? Absolutely! Here's a preview from ABC's Good Morning America, followed by some looks at the upcoming alt-cast from Malika Andrews (NBA Today, NBA Countdown), and members of the Spurs getting into the spirit of things:

How Exactly Does Disney, ESPN & NBA's "Dunk the Halls" Work? Here are some of the highlights:

  • 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.
  • 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 the combination of VR technology and Sony's Beyond Sports' Virtual Commentator Technology).
  • At halftime of the Spurs vs. Knicks game, Mickey Mouse and more will compete in a special slam dunk contest.
  • Santa's Elves will operate the cameras, while Santa himself will operate ESPN's "SkyCam" during the game.
  • Disney characters 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.
NBA
Image: ESPN

What's the Full Lineup for NBA Christmas Day on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN+ & Disney+? The Walt Disney Company and NBA don't mess around on Christmas Day – kicking things off with the first game and noon running straight through to midnight (and possibly longer):

12 p.m. San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks (ABC, ESPN, Disney+, ESPN+)

Dunk the Halls: San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks (ESPN2, Disney+, ESPN+)

2:30 p.m. Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks (ABC, ESPN, Disney+, ESPN+)

5 p.m. Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (ABC, ESPN, Disney+, ESPN+)

8 p.m. Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors (ABC, ESPN, Disney+, ESPN+)

10:30 p.m. Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns (ABC, ESPN, Disney+, ESPN+)

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
twitterinstagram
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.