Disney's "The Simpsons," the world's most famous animated family, is taking over the football world with the launch of this year's edition of "Funday Football."
A joint venture between ESPN, Disney, and the NFL, the fully immersive animated special will transport a game of Monday Night Football into the city of Springfield.
The "alternate viewing presentation" will showcase the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, December 9, with the show's creators ensuring that the ESPN and NFL are depicted in a style true to the iconic series.
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Through Sony's Beyond Sports Technology, each athlete participating in the game will show up onscreen as an animated player.
With the help of NFL's Next Gen Stats tracking technology and Sony's Hawk-Eye Innovations' optical tracking, fans can enjoy the show with real-time play updates as the match progresses.
Brand collaborations with huge brands, such as "The Simpsons Funday Football," ensure access to a wider and more diverse audience for all parties involved.
And by partnering with an iconic animated show, ESPN and the NFL are able to give fans exclusive content and experiences, while enabling Sony to showcase what its technology can do.
The Citizens of Springfield
Set within Springfield's Atoms Stadium, the telecast will feature appearances from many fan-favorite characters from the show's massive cast.
Of course, Bart and Homer will play the leading roles, each siding with different teams to settle their beef.
Marge and Lisa will be in charge of courtside action, conducting interviews with players as the game commences. Meanwhile, Maggie will operate the flying SkyCam as cameo characters and show references keep audiences on their toes.
These pre-recorded skits written by Simpsons producers will also feature authentic voice acting from legends like Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, and Yeardley Smith.
Stephen A. Smith and Peyton and Eli Manning, ESPN regulars, and Simpsons fan commentators will also show up as animated characters.
Finally, NFL players from both teams will also join in on the fun, appearing in segments where they interact with Simpsons characters.
Streaming on Disney+ and ESPN+, with NFL+ on mobile, it will take the place of traditional "Monday Night Football," which will be available on ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, and ESPN Deportes.
Meanwhile, "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli" will be shown on ESPN2.
This is the second year of the NFL's "Funday Football" series, which first launched last year by partnering with Disney Pixar's "Toy Story."
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Central to the campaign is a 30-second spot that opens with the epic voice of a typical movie trailer narrator as he foreshadows a clash between two ancient foes.
The camera lingers on a few abstract clips of colored shapes, which turn out to be Bart's shorts and Homer's bald head.
Zooming out, the spot ends by revealing the father-son duo in the middle of struggling over an incoming football as the show's iconic "SPRINGFIELD" sign decorates the horizon.
ESPN continues to strive to produce unique content for sports fans. Earlier this month, it launched a dramatic video to mark the opening of the NHL season.
