Sticky Situation (Backyard Sports)

Sticky Situation
Based on	Backyard Sports
Directed by	Mike Roberts
Voices of	Tiffany Haddish Arturo Castro Ego Nwodim Christopher Mintz-Plasse Donald Faison Ashleigh Crystal Hairston Adam Pally Utkarsh Ambudkar
Composer	Jonny Shorr
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Production companies	Playground Productions Lighthouse Studios

Sticky Situation is an upcoming animated special based on the Backyard Sports franchise. The special stars the voices of Tiffany Haddish, Arturo Castro, Ego Nwodim, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, Adam Pally, and Utkarsh Ambudkar. It will be the franchise's second animated production after the live-action/animated Backyard Basics (2002) ^[1] and is set to premiere at Dave & Buster's locations in 2026 before moving to YouTube. ^[2]

Premise

Team superstar Stephanie Morgan loses her lucky bubble gum 30 minutes before the first game of the Baseball season, leading the Backyard Kids on a journey to find it. ^[3]

Voice Cast

• Tiffany Haddish as Kiesha Phillips ^[3]
• Arturo Castro as Pablo Sanchez ^[3]
• Ego Nwodim as Stephanie Morgan and Jocinda Smith ^[3]
• Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Dmitri Petrovich ^[3]
• Donald Faison as Dante Robinson ^[3]
• Ashleigh Crystal Hairston as Sunny Day ^[3]
• Adam Pally as Pete Wheeler ^[3]
• Utkarsh Ambudkar as Achmed Khan ^[3]
• Lindsay Barnett as Vinnie the Gooch, Ashley Webber, and Sidney Webber ^[3]
• Michael Vlamis as Tony Delvecchio ^[3]

Production

Along with the announcement that Backyard Sports was being relaunched, it was stated that plans were made to expand the franchise into film. ^[4] In November 2024, it was announced that production on an animated project was about to begin. ^[5] The special was produced by Lighthouse Studios, with production finishing by October 2025. ^[6]

On October 28, 2025, it was announced that Tiffany Haddish, Arturo Castro, Ego Nwodim, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, Adam Pally, and Utkarsh Ambudkar had joined the cast for the special and that it would premiere at Dave & Buster's locations in 2026 before moving to YouTube at a later date. ^[3]

Future

Playground Productions executives Lindsay Barnett and Chris Waters have stated an interest in producing more Backyard Sports animated projects, including a potential scripted series, if the special is successful. ^{[3] [7]}

References

1. Ball, Ryan (2002-11-13). "NFL Films gets animated". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
2. read, Jacob Feldman·2 min (2025-11-13). "Backyard Sports to Launch New Game in '26 After Re-Releases". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
3. Campione, Katie (2025-10-28). "'Backyard Baseball' Video Game Lands First Ever Adaptation With Tiffany Haddish, Arturo Castro & More All-Stars Voicing Animated Special". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
4. Sharf, Zack (2024-08-20). "Pablo Sanchez Returns! 'Backyard Sports' Video Game Franchise Set to Relaunch and Expand Into Film, Television and More". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
5. "'Backyard Sports' Franchise Currently Developing First Next-Generation Video Game". SI. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
6. Bankhurst, Adam; Peyton, Michael (2025-10-10). "Backyard Sports Leads Announce Completion of the Retro Collection, Discuss Animated Special Wrapping Production, and More". IGN. Retrieved 2025-11-14.
7. Feldman, Jacob (2025-11-13). "Backyard Sports to Launch New Game in '26 After Re-Releases". Sportico.com. Retrieved 2025-11-17.