Disney and ESPN+ went to infinity and beyond by creating a fun, intriguing way for kids to enjoy Sunday football with their parents, as kids were able to watch the toys from the “Toy Story” universe host a game in Andy’s room.

On October 1st 2023, The NFL premiered their Toy Story Funday Football for the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars game at Wembley stadium in London. The game was animated exactly how it was being played in real time, with a twist of everything happening inside of Andy’s room from the Toy Story movies. 

The producers of this game cleverly included all the classic characters from the first movies for the parents to enjoy, but also included characters from the most recent movies for the kids to connect to the game on a different level.

Many of the star characters from all four of the movies were seen on the sidelines, including Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Forky, and virtually all of the fan favorites. One of the most lovable characters, Slinky Dog, played the important role of marking the downs for each play. 

Working along with Slinky, The Claw and The Aliens placed the ball on the line of scrimmage for every down, making each and every play special for the kids to watch as the ball was lowered on and off the field. The way the animators incorporated the characters not only on the sidelines of the game, but helping with basic on-field tasks shows the true dedication they had to keep the game intriguing.

Even when either team scored a touchdown, the animators added balloons and celebratory actions by all the characters to show support for both teams. With player-tracking data, even the players exact touchdown celebrations were shown to mimic the real game. 

As many kids leave the room while the halftime advertisements play during the game, Disney decided to exceed all expectations and put on a performance you couldn’t take your eyes off of, Duke Caboom attempting to make his motorcycle jump over double decker buses. As expected, Duke leaps over the busses, strikes one of his famous poses, and lands gracefully on the other side. 

Though the game was mostly kid-oriented, the producers made sure to include funny tidbits before the game started, like a comparison of the “stadiums”, and how Wembley stadium has had 25 games played, while Andy’s room has only had one. 

The Toy Story broadcast is exactly what was needed for the NFL to draw in younger generations and intrigue them for games in the future, while also giving the parents a great chance to watch the game as a family.