The Mighty Ducks is the first film in The Mighty Ducks trilogy, produced by Avnet-Kerner Productions and Walt Disney Pictures, distributed by Buena Vista Distribution, and originally released to movie theatres on October 2, 1992.
In the UK and Australia the film was titled Champions. UK video and DVD releases are now titled The Mighty Ducks are the Champions, reflecting both titles.
Plot
After getting arrested for drunk driving, hot-shot Minneapolis defense attorney Gordon Bombay is sentenced to community service, namely coaching the local peewee hockey team. He quickly discovers that the team is inept, underfunded, and unmotivated. They get decimated in their first game by the Hawks - the same team that Gordon himself had played on as a youth, and whose long string of championships was broken by a missed penalty shot by Bombay in the past.
After angering several parents with his attitude and coaching style, Bombay convinces his lawfirm to sponsor the team. This boosts the team's morale considerably, and Bombay begins teaching the kids the fundamentals of the game. Several other kids are recruited to the team, each with unorthodox skills that are harnessed for the game. They christen themselves as the Ducks, and begin fighting their way out of the bottom of the standings. A rift between the players and the coach happens when Bombay attempts to steal a player off the Hawks due to a boundary dispute, causing the players to call into question Bombay's confidence in the team, but they reconcile just in time to squeak into the playoffs.
The Ducks coast into the championship game against the Hawks. The Hawks jump out to a big lead early on, taking out the former Hawks player in the process. But the Ducks recover and tie the game in the waning moments, then earn a penalty shot with no time remaining. A player who originally had the worst shot on the team is nominated for the shot, and after a quick pep talk by Bombay, makes the same type of shot that Bombay had missed when he played, and the Ducks win the state championship.
The movie ends with Bombay - who had been fired from his lawfirm after the border dispute with the Hawks - getting on a bus to a Minor League tryout, getting the same encouragement from his players that he gave to them at the beginning.
Reception
While reviews from critics were very mixed, the film became a surprising success. It grossed $50,752,337 in the U.S. alone (not counting inflation). The film's success inspired two sequels, an animated TV show, and an NHL team was named after the trilogy. While both sequels box-office totals didn't match the first movie, they were still financially successful.
Cast
- Emilio Estevez... Gordon Bombay
- Joss Ackland... Hans
- Lane Smith... Coach Jack Reilly
- Heidi Kling... Casey Conway
- Josef Sommer... Mr. Gerald Ducksworth
- Vincent Larusso... Adam Banks
- Joshua Jackson... Charlie Conway aka The Minesota Miracle Man
- Elden Henson... Fulton Reed
- Shaun Weiss... Greg Goldberg
- M.C. Gainey... Lewis
- Matt Doherty... Lester Averman
- Brandon Quintin Adams... Jesse Hall
- J.D. Daniels... Peter Mark
- Aaron Schwartz... Dave Karp
- Garette Ratliff Henson... Guy Germaine
- Marguerite Moreau... Connie Moreau
- Gords Silva... Mr. Gords
Ambiguity
- The Australian release of the movie was entitled Champions, with the sequel being listed only as The Mighty Ducks, as opposed to the US release D2: The Mighty Ducks. However, the third installment was titled D3: The Mighty Ducks, the same as the US release.
- During the scene with the ladder, despite the Cardinals draw with the Ducks, the Cardinals got 0 ties. It should have been at least one.
Source: Wikipedia
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