ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the National Hockey League (NHL) have teamed up to ring Inside Out Classic, a real-time, animated NHL telecast featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers on 5 April at 7 p.m. ET.
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 award-winning franchise Inside Out. 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.
The 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 visualise 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).
The real-time animated telecast will be produced in association with ESPN Edge Innovation Center and NHL partner, Sony’s Beyond Sports. Driven by Sony’s Beyond Sports’ proprietary virtual recreation technology, the broadcast transforms tracking data from fellow NHL partner Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations into animated action on the ice.
In 2025, ESPN and Sony’s Beyond Sports expanded its agreement to continue to produce alternate telecasts utilising Disney’s extensive portfolio of intellectual property to expand its audience. Along with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations and the use of state-of-the-art technology, ESPN has already produced multiple animated alternate telecasts under the new agreement.
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. Video on demand will also be available in most markets, including the United States and its territories, on Disney+ shortly after the real-time telecast.
