ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the NHL are teaming up to bring fans Inside Out Classic, a real-time, animated NHL telecast featuring the Washington Capitals vs New York Rangers on April 5th.

ESPN+, Disney+, Disney Channel, and Disney XD will present the real-time, animated telecast, while the traditional telecast will be available on ESPN. In 2023, the NHL Big City Greens Classic featured the Capitals vs Rangers and was the first-of-its-kind real-time volumetric animation presentation in sports.

Inside Out Classic will feature virtually created real-time animation of the action between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers modeled after characters on Pixar’s Inside Out franchise.

The animated telecast will leverage tracking technology to present the action on the ice in real-time while featuring Inside Out characters skating alongside animated versions of the NHL players. Highlights for this year’s animated telecast:

• The presentation will blend two types of tracking technologies – NHL EDGE positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking) and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking – to create more dynamic player and character movement to help fans better visualize detailed limb and stick movement and mannerisms.
• Inside the mind of Inside Out character Riley, Hockey Island will host the animated presentation where Riley’s Emotions will skate alongside animated versions of the NHL players.
• Using Sony’s Beyond Sports’ Virtual Commentator technology, the ESPN commentators calling the action on the animated telecast – Drew Carter, Kevin Weekes and Arda Öcal – will wear virtual reality headsets for motion capture, immersing them in the animated environment of Hockey Island in Riley’s Mind.
• Inside Out voice talent will also be featured in the animated presentation, including Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Lewis Black (Anger), Tony Hale (Fear) and Maya Hawke (Anxiety).

Inside Out Classic will be available internationally on Disney+ in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa (live, no replay), and Europe. VoD will also be available in most markets, including the US and its territories, on Disney+ shortly after the real-time telecast.

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Tags: Disney, inside out, NHL, Pixar