ESPN's Toy Story Super Bowl ad ESPN Woody and Buzz, meet Pat and Peyton.
In a crossover only The Walt Disney Co. could pull off, ESPN on Wednesday debuted a new spot in its Super Bowl LXI “We’re Going” campaign, turning many of the sports behemoth’s stars into Toy Story characters.
The spot sees ESPN talent like Super Bowl commentators Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters, as well as Pat McAfee, Adam Schefter, Peyton and Eli Manning, Randy Moss and Jason Kelce turned into action figures in the mold of Toy Story, coming to life to travel from ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut to Los Angeles for Super Bowl LXI.
In a box truck they also happen to bump into a pair of familiar faces that will be starring in this summer’s Toy Story 5…
Watch:
The spot, dubbed “Toy Story 5.5,” is of course connected to the upcoming Pixar sequel, a textbook example of Disney synergy at play.
It is also part of ESPN’s “We’re Going” campaign, in its Year of the Super Bowl push, leading up to Super Bowl LXI in L.A. next year. The company is going all-out in the push with extensive marketing and programming meant to drive interest and engagement in the brand’s first ever Super Bowl (ABC has had the game before).
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