When the Jaguars and Falcons traveled to London for their face-off at the beginning of the month, viewers were given yet another unique location to view the game, Andy’s bedroom for the Pixar classic, Toy Story.
The game was an animated “mirror” of the game, which gave fans an animated adaptation of the showdown.
While, admittedly, there were bugs throughout the game and some oddities that need fixing, the “Funday Football” on Disney+ was a unique way to try and open up football to younger demographics.
“We looked at a lot of different concepts and then ultimately targeting Toy Story because it resonates with older generations and kids together,” ESPN’s VP of Programming Tim Reed said, according to OutKick.
The nostalgic and fun game was the first fully animated NFL game that had many nods to the movie and easter eggs kids and parents were able to enjoy.
Fans saw Slinky Dog on the sideline as the chains, aliens operated the aerial camera, Woody and his friends cheered on the teams from the sidelines, the infamous claw placed the ball instead of referees and there was even a “Duke Caboom Daredevil Spectacular” halftime show.
While the little elements were cute, they didn’t quite mask the glitches in the system, like ball tracking, camera angles, or even game coverage for parts.
“Catches were occasionally presented as drops, and bounces were apparently not trackable — the football would just plug into the area rug. And kicking wasn’t great either, as punt height was not properly depicted,” IndieWire said.
However, despite the errors, the game should still be considered a success. First off, as any good media communications student can tell you, trying new technology in any production, especially live, is bound to be rough for a bit. Trial and error is key.
“This is really a combination of a bunch of new technologies coming together with two of the most powerful brands probably out there in Toy Story and the NFL and trying to make sure we do right by both of them technically, visually and in a storytelling type of fashion,” ESPN Senior Director of Animation, Michael Szykowny told Sports Business Journal.
The technology to animate the game was run by Beyond Sports, who had previously set a NHL game in a Disney scene. According to Disney, football is even harder with many more variations.
“For the first time, Beyond Sports will have two separate tracking systems at its disposal: both the AWS-powered NFL Next Gen Stats, which shares sensor-based, single-point positional data, as well as Hawk-Eye optical tracking that collects 29 points on the body, including limbs — at least when there isn’t too much pile-up occluding the cameras. That limb-tracking data enables free reign to create animated viewpoints anywhere on the field,” Sports Business Journal said.
A newer production like this, while ambitious, is exactly what sports need to make them more fun and palatable for kids.
Even with the glitches, the game was a hit with a lot of parents and kids who expressed their wonder for the game on social media.
“Broadcast on Disney+, ESPN+, and NFL+, the game drew a massive audience. In fact, according to Disney, Toy Story Funday Football was the most-viewed event ever on ESPN+,” MickeyBlog said. “Additionally, the alternative broadcast was the biggest live event to date on Disney+ (based on peak concurrency).”
The numbers clearly show an interest in a “fun” football, and I don’t see any harm for more as long as we continue to have classic coverage. According to recent announcements, we can expect more soon.
“Earlier in 2023, the NFL announced that another Nickelodeon game would take place on Christmas Day between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. In February 2024, Super Bowl LVIII will be simulcast in a Nickelodeon format,” KSL Sports said.
The “Funday Football” trend is something that we might see continue, and hopefully it will usher in a new era of sports fans.
For any sceptics or people resistant of the trend, there will still be game coverage spread out throughout various platforms. Additionally, it is not the only effort to expand interest. The reason Jacksonville and Atlanta played in London was to try and make football more welcome internationally.
“As the NFL looks to expand its international footprint and with Jacksonville wanting to extend its commitment to playing one home game a year at Wembley, there’s speculation that back-to-back games in London could be part of the small-market franchise’s foreseeable future,” AP News said.
While Falcons fell to the Jaguars 23-7 in both London and in Andy’s room, the NFL killed two birds with one stone generating more interest for the game of football.
Football in “Andy’s Room” may have been a good first step
When the Jaguars and Falcons traveled to London for their face-off at the beginning of the month, viewers were given yet another unique location to view the game, Andy’s bedroom for the Pixar classic, Toy Story.
The game was an animated “mirror” of the game, which gave fans an animated adaptation of the showdown.
While, admittedly, there were bugs throughout the game and some oddities that need fixing, the “Funday Football” on Disney+ was a unique way to try and open up football to younger demographics.
“We looked at a lot of different concepts and then ultimately targeting Toy Story because it resonates with older generations and kids together,” ESPN’s VP of Programming Tim Reed said, according to OutKick.
The nostalgic and fun game was the first fully animated NFL game that had many nods to the movie and easter eggs kids and parents were able to enjoy.
Fans saw Slinky Dog on the sideline as the chains, aliens operated the aerial camera, Woody and his friends cheered on the teams from the sidelines, the infamous claw placed the ball instead of referees and there was even a “Duke Caboom Daredevil Spectacular” halftime show.
While the little elements were cute, they didn’t quite mask the glitches in the system, like ball tracking, camera angles, or even game coverage for parts.
“Catches were occasionally presented as drops, and bounces were apparently not trackable — the football would just plug into the area rug. And kicking wasn’t great either, as punt height was not properly depicted,” IndieWire said.
However, despite the errors, the game should still be considered a success. First off, as any good media communications student can tell you, trying new technology in any production, especially live, is bound to be rough for a bit. Trial and error is key.
“This is really a combination of a bunch of new technologies coming together with two of the most powerful brands probably out there in Toy Story and the NFL and trying to make sure we do right by both of them technically, visually and in a storytelling type of fashion,” ESPN Senior Director of Animation, Michael Szykowny told Sports Business Journal.
The technology to animate the game was run by Beyond Sports, who had previously set a NHL game in a Disney scene. According to Disney, football is even harder with many more variations.
“For the first time, Beyond Sports will have two separate tracking systems at its disposal: both the AWS-powered NFL Next Gen Stats, which shares sensor-based, single-point positional data, as well as Hawk-Eye optical tracking that collects 29 points on the body, including limbs — at least when there isn’t too much pile-up occluding the cameras. That limb-tracking data enables free reign to create animated viewpoints anywhere on the field,” Sports Business Journal said.
A newer production like this, while ambitious, is exactly what sports need to make them more fun and palatable for kids.
Even with the glitches, the game was a hit with a lot of parents and kids who expressed their wonder for the game on social media.
“Broadcast on Disney+, ESPN+, and NFL+, the game drew a massive audience. In fact, according to Disney, Toy Story Funday Football was the most-viewed event ever on ESPN+,” MickeyBlog said. “Additionally, the alternative broadcast was the biggest live event to date on Disney+ (based on peak concurrency).”
The numbers clearly show an interest in a “fun” football, and I don’t see any harm for more as long as we continue to have classic coverage. According to recent announcements, we can expect more soon.
“Earlier in 2023, the NFL announced that another Nickelodeon game would take place on Christmas Day between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. In February 2024, Super Bowl LVIII will be simulcast in a Nickelodeon format,” KSL Sports said.
The “Funday Football” trend is something that we might see continue, and hopefully it will usher in a new era of sports fans.
For any sceptics or people resistant of the trend, there will still be game coverage spread out throughout various platforms. Additionally, it is not the only effort to expand interest. The reason Jacksonville and Atlanta played in London was to try and make football more welcome internationally.
“As the NFL looks to expand its international footprint and with Jacksonville wanting to extend its commitment to playing one home game a year at Wembley, there’s speculation that back-to-back games in London could be part of the small-market franchise’s foreseeable future,” AP News said.
While Falcons fell to the Jaguars 23-7 in both London and in Andy’s room, the NFL killed two birds with one stone generating more interest for the game of football.