ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the NHL are teaming up to bring fans the Inside Out Classic — a real-time, animated NHL telecast using Sony’s Beyond Sports technology — featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers on Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
Here are 5 things to know:
- 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 award-winning franchise Inside Out.
- The traditional game telecast will be available on ESPN, while the real-time, animated telecast will be on ESPN+, Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney XD. Both telecasts stream on the ESPN App.
- The animated telecast will take place inside the mind of Inside Out character Riley on Hockey Island and 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.
- 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).
- 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.
