Warner Bros. to Host NHL Simulcast Starring Bugs Bunny, Superman
By Movieguide® Contributor
Warner Bros.’s most famous characters will hit the ice on April 14 when the company’s streaming sites host a special animated simulcast of an NHL game.
Bugs Bunny, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Velma, Shaggy, Steven Universe and Finn from ADVENTURE TIME are among the stars revealed to be participating in the game. The animated game will be a simulcast of the Colorado Avalanche facing off against the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Steve Mears and Colby Armstrong will commentate the game.
The simulcast is a promotion for Warner Bros.’s upcoming fighting game, MultiVerses, similar to Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. During the game, the popular cartoon characters will skate alongside animated versions of some of the biggest stars on the Avalanche and Golden Knights.
The arena they play in will change throughout the game, switching between environments pulled from MulitVerses such as the Space Jam Court, Sky Arena and Adventure Time Tree Fort. A “draft” for the game will occur during the NHL postgame show on April 7 to decide which characters will play on which team.
The MULTIVERSES NHL FACE-OFF Follows in the footsteps of previous simulcast games that added cartoon elements to the action. Last year, the NHL partnered with Disney to bring an animated version of a game through the BIG CITY GREENS CLASSIC.
Other leagues have offered similar experiences. The NFL partnered with Disney to bring a TOY STORY-ified version of one of its games and has run multiple simulcasts through Nickelodeon.
The simulcast game kicks off the final week of the NHL regular season. The Avalanche have already clinched a spot in the playoffs, while the Golden Knights are still fighting to advance.
The puck will drop on April 14 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The animated simulcast will broadcast on TruTV and stream on Max’s B/R Sports add-on.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Disney recently announced their plan to draw a younger audience into hockey by animating the game and its players.
On March 14, ESPN will air an NHL game between the Washington Capitals and the New York Rangers on Disney, DisneyXD and Disney+.
The game, called the NHL BIG CITY GREENS CLASSIC, will be animated and feature some characters from the popular cartoon BIG CITY GREENS.
Using the NHL’s own technology that maps the movement of the players and game puck, young viewers will see the cartoon characters skating alongside animated versions of the real-life hockey players, and the game’s action will follow that of the real match.
This plan to animate hockey games is part of ESPN and Disney’s plan to attract younger viewers to sports.
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