ESPN, Disney, Pixar and National Hockey League Team Up for Inside Out Classic – Disney+ Press Center

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ESPN+, Disney+, Disney Channel, and Disney XD to present real-time animated presentation of Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers on Sunday, April 5 at 7 p.m. ET 
Inside Out Classic complements traditional NHL telecast on ESPN 
Inside Out Classic is the third ESPN/Disney animated NHL presentation created with Sony’s Beyond Sports visualization technology, NHL EDGE positional data (NHL Puck and Player Tracking), and Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations optical tracking data   
ESPN, Disney, Pixar and the National Hockey League (NHL®) are teaming up to bring fans Inside Out Classic, a real-time, animated NHL telecast featuring the Washington Capitals vs. New York Rangers on Sunday, April 5 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. Highlights for this year’s animated telecast: 
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 utilizing 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.  
NHL and the NHL Shield are registered trademarks of the National Hockey League. NHL and NHL team marks are the property of the NHL and its teams. © 2026 NHL.  All Rights Reserved. 
Media Contacts
ESPN: Olivia.Coryell@espn.com, Andrea.Dicristoforo@espn.com  
Pixar: Chris.Wiggum@pixar.com  
Disney+: Dorothy.Ballowe@disney.com  
Disney Networks: Ambir.Sniezko@disney.com 
NHL: BKlein@nhl.com 
Beyond Sports: Alice.Pyrgos@wearebeyondsports.com  
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