By Michaela Gordoni
A new animated TV special based on ’90s “Backyard Sports” video games, starring comedian Arturo Castro, will be available later this month on YouTube.
The description reads, “It’s Opening Day at Steele Stadium. But team superstar Stephanie ‘Bubbles’ Morgan is in crisis. She’s lost her gotta-have-it, never-play-without-it lucky bubble gum! With just 30 minutes until game time, the Backyard kids embark on a wild mission to track it down and save their season.”
The special stars Tiffany Haddish, Chris Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, Ego Nwodim, Jocinda Smith, Ashleigh Crystal Hairson, Lindsay Barnett and more, Variety reported.
Joe Purdy writes and Mike Roberts directs.
“We’re excited to bring these animated characters to the world and storytell in the ‘Backyard Sports’ universe,” said Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett (who voices Vinnie and the Webber twins). “Each of these actors is a perfect fit for their role, and we can’t wait for fans to see these characters come to life on screen later this month.”
Related: New Video Game From ‘Backyard Sports’ Franchise in the Works
The special will initially debut at Dave & Buster’s through a partnership with Playground Productions, the studio behind the “Backyard Sports” ’90s video game franchise.
The games were recently re-released for modern platforms and consoles. Playground Productions will also release a brand new “Backyard Sports” game soon, along with more TV and film projects.
Playground Productions chief product officer Chris Waters said, “Backyard is a wonderful blend of comedy, heart, and the joy of play. We chose this incredible group of actors because they bring humor, humanity, and an infectious sense of fun that perfectly captures the spirit of the franchise.”
In October, Arturo shared about being on the project: “Be still my little millennial heart! I can’t believe I get to voice Pablo Sánchez! Coincidentally, my brother in law is also named Pablo Sánchez and plays softball, so it’s all meant to be? :)”
“Thank you to Chris Waters and the entire @backyardsportsofficial team for having me onboard!,” he added.
Barnett was formerly an elementary school teacher. She secured the Backyard Sports franchise after she struggled to find good video games for her students.
“Seeing a cast of 15 girls and 15 boys of equal playing ability is what drew me into the franchise, and the easy-to-pick-up-and-play game mechanics kept me coming back for more,” she said. “So, long story short, I hired a private investigator to track the rights down and, two and a half years later, started to bring the brand back.”
But there was a hitch — though she didn’t let that stop her.
“We, unfortunately, do not have any source code,” Barnett explained. “So we thought the retro titles were completely gone, but we were able to reverse engineer and CD-ROM hack to make the original games playable on modern devices, and this ultimately allowed us to bring the IP back into the cultural conversation immediately after acquiring the rights.”
“We really believe that it’s a multi-generational brand and that the whole family can enjoy together,” Waters told Deadline. “One might be experiencing childhood and the other might be experiencing the memory of it, but that’s what makes Backyard really, really special to us.”
The special is slated to be on the Backyard Sports YouTube channel sometime later this month.
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