Credit: PixarToy Story has once again done huge numbers for Disney.
The CGI franchise has been a fan favorite since the release of the first movie in 1995, which was a landmark in cinema for being the first feature-length film entirely created from CGI and the very first Pixar feature.
At this point, Toy Story fans have five different movies, if you include the disastrous Lightyear (2022), multiple short films, innumerable video games, numerous different Toy Story Land areas at Walt Disney World, Walt Disney Studios Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland, and Hollywood Studios, and now, a whole new record for the Disney+ streaming service.
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On October 1, Disney+ launched Toy Story Funday Football, a streaming CGI re-enactment of the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game at Wembley Stadium in London…which was being played at the same time.
Essentially, Disney recreated the game’s various plays and events in near-real time, a staggeringly ambitious task even if it was not also using the imagery and many characters from the Toy Story franchise. Viewers watching in real time could see Woody and Buzz Lightyear on the sidelines and cheering on the game while the referee was replaced by “the Claw,” the toy machine object of alien reverence from the first movie.
The half-time show was apparently replaced by a performance by Duke Kaboom, the daredevil motorcyclist toy introduced in Toy Story 4 (2019).
While the stream was reportedly plagued by glitches and log-in errors at the beginning of the game, it does not appear to have had a measurable effect on its viewership numbers.
Disney’s ambition has been well-rewarded because its recreation of the Falcons-Jaguar game is reportedly the single most popular live-streamed event that Disney+ has hosted to date, breaking records set by specials like the 2022 Elton John concert Farewell Dodger Stadium.
Interestingly, Disney has also announced the traditional game presentation of the Falcons-Jaguars was the most-viewed event ever on ESPN+, so it is safe to say that viewers around the world really, really wanted to watch the sport.
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In recent months, it has been clear that Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger views ESPN as key to the future of the iconic media corporation. It is unsurprising that Disney would figure out a way to link ESPN to important IP like Toy Story, likely in an effort to get more viewers to share both.
Disney+ has suffered dwindling viewership in the last year, which many blame on so-called “Marvel fatigue” reducing audiences for shows like Moon Knight and Secret Invasion. On the other hand, Star Wars: Ahsoka is getting record numbers, so maybe it is just how the company is utilizing its resources.
Given how successful this EPSN crossover livestream event was, we’ll likely see many more similar specials soon.
Did you watch Toy Story Funday Football, or was it a gimmick? Tell us your opinions in the comments below!