Sarni's Scrolls: NFL tells its own Toy Story

By Jim Sarni

Everyone loves "Toy Story."

Woody and Buzz Lightyear are beloved characters.

The NFL thinks you'll like the "Toy Story" universe taking in a football game.

Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium will be contested inside of Andy’s room as part of an alternate telecast. “Toy Story Funday Football” will be streamed on ESPN+ and Disney+. ESPN+ also has the main broadcast

.This is the second time this year ESPN has done an animated alternate broadcast using Disney characters. In March, it aired the “NHL Big City Greens Classic” during a game between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.

Tim Reed, the network’s vice president of programming, said the NHL game provided a good baseline and something to build off.“

We looked at a lot of different concepts and then ultimately targeting ‘Toy Story’ because it resonates with older generations and kids together,” Reed told the Associated Press.

The telecast will be entirely animated, with the players’ movements in sync with what is happening in real time on the field. That’s done through player-tracking data enabled by the NFL’s Next Gen Stats system and Beyond Sports.Another unique touch: Instead of ads, there will be a series of football quizzes presented in a Toy Story-style, paid for by insurance company Allstate.Besides Woody and Buzz Lightyear, fans can also expect to see Bo Peep, Bullseye, Forky, Green Aliens and Slinky Dog.Drew Carter, Booger McFarland and 12-year old Pepper Persley will be the announcers. All three will be fully animated and their body movements viewed through motion-capture technology.

At halftime, Duke Caboom will attempt a motorcycle jump over double-decker buses.

The game will kick off at 9:30 a.m. EDT, but the replay of “Toy Story Funday Football” will be available on Disney+ for 30 days. Globally, over 95 countries will have access to the presentation

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Jim Sarni, BC Class of '69, is a former sportswriter for The Boston Globe and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He resides in Fort Lauderdale and watch