‘Backyard Sports’ Animated TV Special Unveils First Look at New Pablo Sanchez and Team Ahead of YouTube Launch (EXCLUSIVE)

“Backyard Sports” fans are going back out to the ’90s-era ball game this month with the release of a new animated TV special starring Pablo Sanchez and his iconic ragtag team of kid athletes.

The special stars Tiffany Haddish as Kiesha Phillips, Chris Mintz-Plasse as Dmitri Petrovich, Donald Faison as Dante Robinson, Ego Nwodim as Stephanie Morgan and Jocinda Smith, Ashleigh Crystal Hairson as Sunny Day, Adam Pally as Pete Wheeler, Utkarsh Ambudkar as Achmed Khan, Arturo Castro as Pablo Sanchez, Lindsay Barnett (who is the CEO of Playground Productions) as Vinnie and the Webber Twins, Deborah Barker Jr. as Jimmy, and Michael Vlamis as Tony Delvecchio.

Per the official description for the animated special, “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 “Backyard Sports” animated special will launch later in January on YouTube after first debuting at Dave & Buster’s as part of a new partnership with “Backyard Sports” IP owner Playground Productions. The exact release date for the special will be announced soon.

See below for a first look at the “Backyard Sports” characters in the new animated TV special alongside the voice actors playing them.

Written by Joe Purdy (“Hey Arnold!”) and directed by Mike Roberts (“Final Space,” “Bojack Horseman”), the special hails from Animation Production Lighthouse Studios (“Bob’s Burgers the Movie,” “Rick and Morty,” “Cuphead Show”).

The “Backyard Sports” animated special is the latest in a spring of projects based on the iconic ’90s video game, which has been revived by new rights holder Playground Productions over the past few years with the re-release of all the original games for modern platforms. Additionally, Playground Productions is now working on an all-new “Backyard Sports” game, as well as projects in the TV and film space based on the characters.

“We’re excited to bring these animated characters to the world and storytell in the ‘Backyard Sports’ universe,” Playground Productions CEO Lindsay Barnett (who voices Vinnie) said. “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.”

Playground Productions chief product officer Chris Waters added: “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.”

The “Backyard Sports” animated special is executive produced by Chris Waters, Lindsay Barnett, Avi Savitski and Ari Pinchot. Phil Crain is line producer. Music was done by Jonny Shorr.

Baker Jr. is represented by Innovative Artists Entertainment.

Mintz-Plasse is repped by Verve and Artists First.

Nwodim is represented by CAA.

Castro is represented by WME, Untitled, HJTH, and Shelter PR.

Ambudkar is represented by Gersh, 3Arts, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein.

Pally is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein Lezcano Bobb & Dang.

Faison is represented by UTA and Fuller Law.

Haddish is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.