Review: Stitch Brought the Chaos to Dunk the Halls 2025 NBA Broadcast

For the second year in a row, Mickey Mouse’s Christmas wish to bring an NBA game to Main Street U.S.A. was granted. ESPN once again delivered an alt-cast, translating the Cavaliers vs. Knicks matchup at Madison Square Garden into an animated version of Disney’s iconic street.

Many elements from last year returned: Hidden Mickeys sprinkled throughout the broadcast, explainer clips breaking down terms like “coast to coast,” “brick,” and even “G.O.A.T.” Gingerbread figures reprised their roles as referees, Santa’s elves operated the cameras, Goofy consumed massive amounts of churros, and Mickey and friends subbed into the game. But this year, Stitch crashed the party, bringing far more chaos than anyone likely anticipated.

Stitch Brings Chaos

With just over five minutes left in the first quarter and Cleveland up 18–5, Stitch transformed into the basketball. Something went wrong. Suddenly, all the characters disappeared from the court. In place of live gameplay, viewers were shown various animations typically reserved for timeouts or gameplay pauses. After around 8 minutes without any additional gameplay footage, the digital Drew Carter and Monica McNutt appeared from a Main Street balcony, acknowledged technical difficulties, and thanked viewers for sticking with the broadcast. It would take nearly 15 minutes before on-court action returned, and even then, the reset was far from smooth.

Glitches persisted. With the score now Cavaliers 38, Knicks 23, the gingerbread referee had become a player, and avatars for the wrong teams appeared on the court. Carter gamely narrated the mayhem, describing “the Cavaliers defending against each other,” before finally placing the blame squarely on Stitch. McNutt quickly agreed: he is, indeed, an agent of chaos.

Sideline reporter Daisy Duck summed it up perfectly: “Somehow trouble seems to always find Stitch.” While she promised the disruption would remain mostly manageable so he could stay off  Santa’s naughty list, Monica and Drew had to chuckle as the rendering of events at Madison Square Garden continued to unravel. Goofy suddenly became a referee. Players seemingly defended their own teammates. The only consistent elements were which end of the court they occupied and whether the ball went through the hoop. Carter was left describing players tossing the ball into the “wrong basket,” while McNutt occasionally clarified what was actually happening, such as a Knicks basket by Jordan Clarkson that appeared onscreen as Cavaliers forward Dean Wade scoring. 

Another break followed, with humorous footage of Santa’s elves getting together to form what appeared to be a Christmas tree. When the scene finally reset with 7:50 left in the quarter, the score stood at CLE 41, NYK 38 — the Knicks having gone on an impressive run during the broadcast issues, but the visuals seemed to be in good form again. We didn’t have any further disruptions of such length, but we also didn’t get to experience whatever hijinks they had planned for Stitch as the basketball, because that particular story element wasn’t attempted again.

Halftime Parade

I suspect halftime provided a moment when the broadcast could take a breath and reassert control, since the content wasn’t live-rendering. Last year’s Slam Dunk Competition was replaced with a Halftime Float Competition. I’d hoped this might allow for a broader mix of Disney characters (much like the parks parade), but they kept to the characters we’d been seeing throughout the program. Four floats were presented to the judging crew of Commissioner Adam Silver and a pair of elves created by Mickey & Minnie, Goofy & Pluto, Donald & Daisy, and Stitch. Mickey & Minnie’s float included a basketball court so they had a chance to show off skills reminiscent of last year’s dunk competition. Goofy’s gingerbread house float nearly missed judging altogether after he began snacking on it mid-presentation, while Donald’s ice sculpture was destroyed thanks to distractions from Chip and Dale. As expected, Stitch wowed the crowd and took home the top prize with a high-energy display. Monsters Funday’s Cheer Canister Challenge remains the most entertaining halftime to date, feeling more like an animated short.

As always, the alt-cast shined in the small moments: Mickey driving on Donald, Minnie falling to the court dramatically taking a charge, and premium dad jokes like Drew Carter asking Donald if he “fowled out.” Monica McNutt balanced fun with education, clearly breaking down terms like “in the paint” and even sneaking in an Air Bud reference.

We laughed as Goofy’s feet went well over the free-throw line and Stitch’s lightning-fast steps, but it was Minnie’s giggle as she drove and scored that will linger with me. And the game itself delivered a thrilling, come-from-behind Knicks win over the Cavaliers, 126–124.

In just its second year, Dunk the Halls has started to establish itself as a holiday tradition, built on moments that linger well beyond the final buzzer.

You can catch a replay on Disney+.