In the last week or so, Disney has been treating fans with announcements of tons of new content. Marvel and Star Wars fanatics are learning more about new series and movies for their fandoms. In the plethora of Disney announcements, hockey fans have received a treat as well. Disney has officially announced the title and given us a teaser trailer for The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers series coming to Disney+.
What We Know So Far
Watching the teaser confirms the rumors that the series will star Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls fame. Also confirmed is the return of Emilio Estevez as coach Gordon Bombay. It also looks as if Bombay is going to play a significant role in the series, so fears that Estevez could come and go as quickly as he did in D3: The Mighty Ducks might be put to rest.
Another rumor about the storyline that now seems to be confirmed by the teaser is the idea that the Ducks are now a powerhouse hockey club. The Ducks look like they might be the new Hawks. Now Gordon Bombay must return to help take down what he built almost 30 years ago. I’m getting excited just thinking about it.
The teaser does not give any details on a release date besides a release in 2021. It’s also unknown if any of the original Mighty Ducks players are going to be returning to the ice for the series. However, Disney never hesitates to provide fans with a good dose of nostalgia. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if at least one or two of the original Ducks pop up at some point in the series.
A Mighty Ducks Fan’s Reaction
Recently, I wrote an article arguing why the Mighty Ducks movies are the greatest hockey movies ever. If you’ve read that, then you know that I’m a huge fan of anything that has to do with the Ducks. After seeing all the new details regarding the upcoming Disney+ series, I have to say that I’m excited.
The teaser makes the series appear like it is going to capture the same spirit of the original movies. It’s probably going to be ridiculous with some bad jokes every once in a while. Then again, that’s part of the charm of the Mighty Ducks. In the teaser we get the joke, “I have more of a podcast body”. If podcasts were around in the 90s, that’s definitely something that Goldberg would have said. A Mighty Ducks level joke that kids nowadays can relate to.
As I mentioned before, I also like the concept of the Ducks now being like the villains. With the success the Ducks achieved in the original movies, it only makes sense that they’ve grown into a youth hockey powerhouse over the last few decades. The Mighty Ducks franchise has always been about overcoming adversity. Now a new group of misfit hockey players have to take down the Mighty Ducks (pun intended). It’s an ambitious concept for a series that’s probably going to rely a lot on invoking nostalgia, so I’m interested to see how it plays out.
Will The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers end up being as iconic as the original movies? Probably not. Any reboot is going to struggle with the balancing act of honoring the original material while also creating a good new story. Only time will tell if the new series can capture the same magic as the movies hockey fans like me grew up loving.
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