Star Wars animated altcast joins Disney’s Super Bowl LXI lineup
Disney plans to turn live Super Bowl plays into a Star Wars animated broadcast on Disney+, its television channels and the ESPN app.
Disney plans a Star Wars-themed animated alternate broadcast of Super Bowl LXI, scheduled for February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Called Star Wars Funday Football, it will recreate the live game for viewers on Disney+, the ESPN app, Disney Channel and Disney XD, alongside the main broadcast and other alternate presentations.
How Star Wars Funday Football will show the game
Variety reported that each play will be recreated as it happens, with real players represented by animated avatars. Star Wars characters are planned to appear at key moments, with references to the films throughout the game. The Hollywood Reporter said Lucasfilm, ESPN, Disney and the NFL are presenting the altcast.
The animation will draw on player-tracking data from the NFL’s Next Gen Stats and optical tracking from Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations, according to Variety. The Hollywood Reporter said Anthony Daniels will voice C-3PO and other franchise characters. Variety reported that Disney expects to announce further details, including the settings, commentators and characters, in the coming weeks.
Where the Super Bowl altcast is planned to air
The Hollywood Reporter listed live availability in the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, sub-Saharan Africa, Japan, Sweden, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as Canada through TSN+. It said viewers in other territories would receive the presentation after the game. Those plans make the animated version an option for audiences across several regions, though its release will vary by territory.
Disney’s other Super Bowl presentations
The Super Bowl marks a larger stage for Disney’s Funday Football format. Earlier animated NFL presentations featuring Toy Story, The Simpsons and Monsters Inc. characters accompanied regular-season games, The Hollywood Reporter said. Disney’s Super Bowl plans also include a Pat McAfee-hosted Field Pass, a ManningCast with Peyton and Eli Manning, a statistics-focused Playbook presentation and a Spanish-language telecast on ESPN Deportes, according to Variety.
Disney is also extending the Star Wars theme to its regular-season football coverage. The Hollywood Reporter said the Disney+ version of SportsCenter will feature Star Wars-themed Monday Night Football highlights, with an animated Darth Vader set to interview a player beginning with the October 26 game.
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Sources and context
- ‘Star Wars’-Themed Super Bowl Altcast Joins Disney’s Big Game LineupThe Hollywood Reporter
- ‘Star Wars’ Comes to 2027 Super Bowl With Animated ‘Alterna-Cast’ for Disney Channel, XD, Disney+Variety
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.