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Boo! Monsters Funday Football is Coming Dec. 8 Featuring Eagles-Chargers Set in the World of Pixar's Iconic Monsters, Inc.
On ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney XD, Beloved Monsters, Inc. Characters Participate in Real-Time Animated Monsters Funday Football Presentation
Monsters Funday Football Complements Traditional Monday Night Football Game Broadcast on ESPN and ABC
Driven by NFL Next Gen Stats Player and Ball Tracking Data Combined with Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations Optical Tracking Data and Created by Sony's Beyond Sports
Game Set in Monsters, Inc. Factory; Iconic Film's Scenery, Elements and References Utilized Throughout
Created in Collaboration with ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the NFL, Building off Success of Toy Story Funday Football (2023) and Simpsons Funday Football (2024)
ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the National Football League will present Monsters Funday Football on Monday, Dec. 8, a real-time, animated Monday Night Football game, featuring the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles at the Los Angeles Chargers, inside the iconic Monsters, Inc. building. Powered by the NFL's Next Gen Stats and Sony's Beyond Sports visualization technology and Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations, this season's immersive Funday Football experience will transport fans to Monstropolis for ESPN's Week 14 MNF matchup.
Monsters Funday Football marks the third consecutive season ESPN, Disney+ and the NFL have presented a Funday Football telecast with the alternate presentation, for the first time, available on ESPN2, Disney Channel, and Disney XD, and the new ESPN App (via ESPN DTC or pay TV authentication), while continuing to stream on Disney+ and, on mobile, NFL+. Video on Demand will be available on Disney+ shortly after the live broadcast.
The traditional Monday Night Football telecast, with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will be available on ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes and streaming live on the ESPN App. Both presentations begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Again this season, Funday Football will be available internationally, live on ESPN platforms and/or Disney+, in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia & New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Canada (TSN+). Video on Demand will be available on Disney+ shortly after the live broadcast in these markets - and in other regions such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea and more - for a total of more than 155 markets.
Cutting-Edge Technology: Each Snap, Run & Touchdown Comes to Life in World of Monsters, Inc.
Every Eagles and Chargers player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated version of themselves brought to life through NFL Next Gen Stats, Sony's Beyond Sports, and Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking, which have been utilized throughout each iteration of Funday Football. Using the player tracking data, Beyond Sports' virtual recreation engine animates gameplay in real time within Monstropolis that mirrors the live action from SoFi Stadium.
Monsters Funday Football follows the success of The Simpsons Funday Football (December 2024) and Toy Story Funday Football(October 2023).
"Each iteration of Funday Football has pushed the boundary of what's possible in sports technology. By blending real-time NFL data and tracking with cutting-edge animation, we're transforming the way fans experience an NFL game," said Michael "Spike" Szykowny, ESPN VP, Graphics Innovation. "Our continued innovation with partners like the NFL, Beyond Sports and Disney+ showcases how technology can turn a live game into a fully immersive world, giving fans an additional way to consume sports."
Monstropolis Meets Monday Night Football: Beloved Characters Headline Presentation with Many Monsters, Inc. Elements Throughout
Adored monsters Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan will make their football debut, joining Jalen Hurts and the Eagles and Justin Herbert and the Chargers, respectively. The action will unfold on the Cheer Floor - a reimagined version of the film's famed Scare Floor - and will be adorned with a full-length football field filled with thousands of cheering monsters. Continuing a hallmark of every Funday Football presentation, this edition's setting builds on previous imaginative worlds - following Andy's bedroom in Toy Story Funday Football and Atom's Stadium in Springfield from The Simpsons Funday Football.
While Mike and Sulley will mostly leave the game execution to the professionals, they will sub in for key offensive and defensive moments, similarly to how Bart and Homer only joined the action for significant plays in their game - which included Homer throwing a touchdown pass for the Cowboys. During the game Mike & the Eagles and Sulley and the Chargers will compete for Cheer Canisters - a rebrand of the classic Scream Canisters - storing monster cheers instead of screams. The night will end with not only a game winner but also a Cheer Champion.
Additional characters, film references and aesthetics will bring a regular day at Monsters, Inc. into an exciting Monday Night Footballatmosphere:
路 Fan-Favorite Monsters, Inc. Characters: Accompanying Mike and Sulley will be Roz, the slug-like monster, who will serve as the game's sideline reporter because she "is watching, always watching!" The Child Detection Agency (CDA) will also be in attendance to monitor the crowd and the game - helping to clean-up the penalty and challenge flags that are thrown. Many additional fan-favorite characters will also make appearances.
路 Familiar Sights from Monstropolis: In addition to the converted Scare Floor and Scream Canisters, the Scarer's Leaderboard will become the Cheer Competition Leaderboard, while floating Monsters, Inc. bedroom doors hover above the field, showing fans viewing the game from their bedrooms, all over the world.
路 Famous Voices of Monsters, Inc.: Renowned Hollywood actors, Billy Crystal (Mike), John Goodman (Sulley) and Bob Peterson (Roz) return to voice their original characters through prerecorded lines.
路 Halftime Show Fit for Monsters: While Mike and Sulley duke it out for cheers throughout the entire game, the competition will ramp up during halftime with Mike & Sulley's Cheer Canister Competition.
路 Boomer Takes Monsters, Inc.: ESPN legend Chris Berman makes his Funday Football debut with a special animated segment.
路 NFL Star Cameos: Eagles and Chargers players appear in fun, prerecorded interactions with the Monsters, Inc. crew.
ESPN's Drew Carter and Dan Orlovsky Call the Action Live from Monstropolis
ESPN play-by-play commentator Drew Carter, who has called every edition of Funday Football and six total animated alternate telecasts across ESPN properties, and NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, who will be calling his second Funday Football, will be in the broadcast booth as animated versions of themselves within the Monsters, Inc. world. Using virtual reality technology and Sony's Beyond Sports Virtual Commentator Technology, the duo will experience the action firsthand through VR headsets.
New this year, ESPN sports and lifestyle content creator Katie Feeney will serve as the game's social media correspondent, appearing in pre-produced segments as an animated version of herself, bringing fans the latest on the Monsters in attendance, an inside look at the Cheer Canister and fun facts about the game.
ESPN Funday Football Receives Various Awards and Recognition
Toy Story Funday Football, the first-of-its-kind NFL broadcast, earned three Sports Emmys (Outstanding Production Design, George Wensel Technical Achievement, and Outstanding Graphic Design) and four US Festival Awards, while The Simpsons Funday Football received multiple Sports Emmy nominations and a SportsPro Media Award nomination for Best Branded Sports Content.
In the ensuing weeks, leading into the presentation, fans can expect to see various previews of Monster Funday Football across ESPN platforms, including social and digital.
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