Stitch is bringing a friend to Main Street this Christmas. Angel, also known as Experiment 624 from Lilo & Stitch: The Series, will make her Dunk the Halls debut when Disney, ESPN and the NBA bring back their real-time animated NBA game for a third year on Christmas Day.
The animated version of the San Antonio Spurs at the New York Knicks, a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals, tips off at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific, on Friday, December 25. Dunk the Halls will air on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel and the ESPN App, and the first look at the new pairing is already out.
Angel joins Dunk the Halls
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) November 11, 2026
Main Street Gets Its Christmas Court Back
The game will once again be re-created on Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom, with shots of Cinderella Castle and other landmarks dressed in holiday decor and falling snow. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale and Stitch are all returning, and Angel joins them for the first time.
The story picks up the same way as before. Mickey’s Christmas wish to Santa Claus brings the NBA to Magic Kingdom, and this year Angel tags along with Stitch and the rest of the gang for the celebration.
How The Animated Game Works
Every player shows up as a motion-tracked animated version of himself. Sony’s Beyond Sports turns the live game into character movement in real time, with optical tracking data from Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations, so every dunk, layup and pass from the real game at Madison Square Garden plays out on Main Street as it happens.
Who Is Calling The Game
Drew Carter, Monica McNutt and Daisy Duck all return from last year. Carter handles play-by-play with McNutt as analyst, and Daisy is back as the sideline reporter. Carter and McNutt will be animated in the style of the broadcast and wear Meta Quest Pro headsets to call the game from Main Street in virtual reality.
If you would rather watch the regular broadcast, the traditional Spurs and Knicks telecast airs on ABC and ESPN with Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler in the booth and Lisa Salters courtside. That game also streams on Disney+. Victor Wembanyama, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Spurs into New York to face Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and the defending champion Knicks. All five NBA Christmas Day games air on both ESPN and ABC.
More Animated Games Are On The Way
Dunk the Halls is part of a bigger push by ESPN into real-time animated sports. Next up is Star Wars Funday Football, an animated version of Super Bowl LXI set in the Star Wars galaxy, which streams on Disney+ and the ESPN App and airs on Disney Channel and Disney XD on Sunday, February 14, 2027.
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