Pixar & NFL Teaming Up for Monsters Funday Football

Pixar and NFL Team Up for ‘Monsters Funday Football’ on December 8!

Get ready to scream… with cheers! ESPN, Disney, Pixar, and the NFL are joining forces once again for the third annual “Funday Football” presentation, this time transporting fans to Monstropolis for ‘Monsters Funday Football’ on Monday, December 8.

The special, real-time animated broadcast will feature the Week 14 Monday Night Football matchup between the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Chargers, set entirely inside the iconic Monsters, Inc. building.

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Where Football Meets Monstropolis

This isn’t your average football game. Every snap, run, and touchdown will be animated in the world of Monsters, Inc., bringing an immersive and unique viewing experience to a broad audience.

Cutting-Edge Technology Powers the Magic

The players—including the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and the Chargers’ Justin Herbert—will be transformed into motion-enabled, animated versions of themselves. This marvel is made possible by the seamless integration of:

• NFL’s Next Gen Stats (NGS): Providing real-time player tracking data.
• Sony’s Beyond Sports Visualization Technology: The virtual recreation engine that animates the gameplay in real time.
• Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations: Optical tracking to ensure every on-field move is mirrored accurately in Monstropolis.

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Mike and Sulley Enter the Huddle

Beloved monsters Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan will make their gridiron debuts, joining the Eagles and Chargers, respectively. The action will unfold on a transformed Cheer Floor (formerly the Scare Floor), complete with a full-length football field and thousands of cheering monster fans.

Monsters, Inc. Elements Take Center Stage:

• The Goal: Instead of competing for a game score, the Eagles and Chargers will compete for Cheer Canisters—a rebrand of the classic Scream Canisters—to be crowned the Cheer Champion.
• Special Cameos: Mike and Sulley will sub in for key offensive and defensive plays, similar to the memorable Homer Simpson touchdown pass from The Simpsons edition.
• Star-Studded Voices: Billy Crystal (Mike), John Goodman (Sulley), and Bob Peterson (Roz) return to voice their original characters via prerecorded lines.
• Familiar Faces: Roz, the perpetually watchful slug-like monster, will serve as the game’s sideline reporter, while the Child Detection Agency (CDA) will monitor the action and help “clean up” the penalty and challenge flags.

The broadcast booth will feature animated ESPN commentators Drew Carter and Dan Orlovsky, with Katie Feeney joining as the social media correspondent. The presentation will also include a special animated segment featuring ESPN legend Chris Berman and prerecorded player interactions with the Monsters, Inc. characters.

How to Watch the Monster Mash

‘Monsters Funday Football’ will air on Monday, December 8, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

For the first time, the alternate animated presentation will be available on a wider range of platforms:

• ESPN2
• Disney Channel
• Disney XD
• The new ESPN App (via ESPN DTC or pay TV authentication)
• Disney+ (streaming)
• NFL+ (mobile streaming)

The traditional Monday Night Football telecast will air concurrently on ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes, and the ESPN App. Furthermore, the Funday Football experience will be available to international audiences in over 155 markets via ESPN platforms and Disney+.

Get ready for an electrifying night where sports innovation meets Pixar magic!