Bart joins the Bengals while Homer teams with the Cowboys in ‘The Simpsons Funday Football’ live altcast, with animated versions of Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Carter, streaming December 9 at 8 PM.
Ay, Caramba! The Simpsons Funday Football, a live animated Monday Night Football game set in the world of The Simpsons, is set to stream December 9 on Disney+ and ESPN, and on mobile with NFL+. Atoms Stadium in Springfield will host the fully immersive fan viewing experience featuring the Cincinnati Bengals at the Dallas Cowboys, ESPN’s NFL game that evening. This is the second consecutive year ESPN, Disney, and the NFL have presented a Funday Football telecast.
The traditional Monday Night Football telecast will be available on ESPN, ABC and ESPN Deportes with Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli on ESPN2. Both the traditional telecast and Peyton and Eli will also be on ESPN+, making each distinct presentation available in the ESPN App. All telecasts will begin at 8 p.m. ET. Internationally, the special presentation will be available on linear or streaming in more than 145 markets live and via replay. Video on Demand will also be available 12 hours after the live broadcast ends in these and other markets.
The Simpsons Funday Football will be a true family affair as Bart Simpson sides with Joe Burrow and the Bengals while Homer aligns with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. For most of the game, Bart and Homer will let their new Bengals and Cowboys teammates manage the action, but the iconic father and son duo won’t sit on the sidelines for the entire game. Each will select key opportunities to play offense and/or defense, replacing a player and joining his other 10 teammates on the field.
The Simpsons creators have collaborated on the look, sound and feel with ESPN and the NFL to ensure the authenticity of the scripted series. Sony’s Beyond Sports makes the event possible by combining two data sources, analyzing, validating, enhancing, translating to a 3D environment, and streaming to a desired platform in real-time. Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking creates dynamic player and character movement, including detailed limb movement and mannerisms.
Surrounding the gameplay, Marge and Lisa will interview players during the game and Maggie will fly the SkyCam. Lisa, Krusty, Nelson, Milhouse and Ralph will be with Bart (Bengals); while Carl, Barney, Lenny and Moe will be with Homer (Cowboys).
Popular characters, show references and aesthetics will also feature. Hank Azaria, Nancy Cartwright, Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner and Yeardley Smith will voice several of their characters in prerecorded bits and skits. Outside of the live game, The Simpsons producers have written original content for the telecast that will be utilized before, during, and after the game.
The Simpsons Funday Football will have its own animated commentators, as ESPN’s The Simpsons enthusiasts Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will provide football strategy discussion with Drew Carter calling the game action. Kimes, Orlovsky and Carter will be animated in the style of the Simpsons and don ESPN Edge Innovation Partner’s Meta Quest Pro headsets to experience the game from Springfield thanks to VR technology and Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator Technology.
Source: ESPN
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
