The
first Mighty Ducks movie, if not the
whole trilogy it begat, can pass as a Slap
Shot for kids.
It
takes a protagonist team of athletes of roughly the same age as the intended
audience on an age-old Cinderella path. Along that road, it spawns a slew of
you cannot get out of your head, but can certainly spread to your peers’ brain
books.
But
with the film’s silver anniversary comes a more visible reality that, for the
youngest age groups, viewership is not necessarily automatic, even for budding
hockey enthusiasts. Unlike Slap Shot,
where a first-time screening can be like a curious youngster’s first beer, the
1992 Disney film may not be passed down as easily.
Case
in point: Pucks and Recreation boasts one correspondent who admitted to never
having seen the movie. To rectify that in a fun, productive way, he belatedly
broke that ice while a colleague who grew up on the film rewatched it after a
protracted hiatus.
Both
viewers’ assessments yielded ample encouragement for Ducks devotees who hope their childhood staple cements its place in
the collective peewee pucksters’ entertainment library.
Ceremonial faceoff:
Enlightening exposure
Eugene Helfrick: Growing up in
Florida means a sport like hockey was never on the radar as a kid. Sure, you
knew about the sport and would watch it on occasion. But in general, hockey was
that “other” sport that existed on that magical surface known as ice that you
only saw in cubed form.
Due
to this lack of knowledge of the sport, I never saw The Mighty Ducks in theaters or on VHS. Somehow, well into
adulthood and hockey fandom, I still never saw the movie that popularized so
many tropes about the sport.
My
question going in: Does the film hold up after 25 years, or is nostalgia its only
hope for long-term appeal?
Zach Green: Conversely, I
grew up outside of Philadelphia, one of the most hockey-crazed cities in the
world. I am a little too young to have been able to see any of the Mighty Ducks movies in theaters, but was
just the right age to watch them whenever they were on TV.
When
my friends and I would play street hockey, oftentimes, one team would be the
Flyers and the other would be the Ducks. It went so far that one of my friends
had a Mighty Ducks mask that whoever was playing goalie would wear.
With
Eugene seeing The Mighty Ducks for
the first time, this was the perfect opportunity for me to watch it again as
someone who views it with nostalgia, and to get my feelings as to how the movie
has held up.
First period: How
the film holds up with millennials this day and age
Eugene: To start off,
the film is very watchable. This may sound like weird praise, but there are
many sports movies released in the ’90s (especially ones made by Disney) that
are simply unwatchable today.
Obviously
this is a film made for children and young adults, so much of the humor falls
on deaf ears. And sure, the plot is one giant cliché, but it works. It helps
that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, with everyone on board with the fact
that they are in a Disney sports movie.
In
fact, The Mighty Ducks doesn’t feel
like a Disney film, which also helps its appeal. It is firmly entrenched in the
’90s, allowing for scenes that would never happen in a Disney film today. Just
look at how, within the first 10 minutes, the lead character is shown drinking
and driving, smart-mouthing a cop and swearing.
Even
the kids get on with this theme, openly swearing and making mildly racist
remarks in a Disney film. While it does fit with the era, it also comes off as
very forced at times when you can tell that the kids are supposed to be nothing
more than attitude.
Zach: I completely
agree about how watchable it is. Children’s movies in general get tougher to watch
as you get older, but not The Mighty
Ducks. It stands the test of time, which is something that very few movies
do, and is a film that I will be showing my future children. It was super-entertaining
to me as a kid, and still is today.
While
yes, this is a kids’ movie that does toe the line on appropriateness, it isn’t
unheard of from Disney. I agree that some scenes wouldn’t fly today, but Disney
has more recently made some PG-13 movies like that aren’t in the studio’s classic
mold. The Pirates of the Caribbean
franchise comes to mind.
This
is where I feel The Mighty Ducks fits
in. I agree with Eugene as well when he says that it is helped by the fact that
it doesn’t feel like a normal Disney movie. Otherwise, I might not be able to
enjoy it as much as I still do.
Second period: The
quality of the hockey scenes
Eugene: I did appreciate
how authentic the actual hockey looked onscreen. This was supposed to be a peewee
league, and it actually looked like a bunch of unstable kids on the ice.
Players were constantly falling and skating slowly, which gave the film a
little more realism in the one area where realism matters.
Zach: This was such a
crucial detail that Disney got just right. They could have cast some elite
hockey players for the roles, but didn’t.
Another
observation I made was that the ice they played on wasn’t perfect either. Had
it looked like they brought out the Zamboni before every shot, it may have been
noticeable and brought me back to a reality that wasn’t real.
Third period: The
quality of the humor
Eugene: The few moments
that made me laugh out loud weren’t related to the film at all, just some retrospective
thoughts.
Chief
among them, the two NHL teams that were briefly shown in the film — the
Minnesota North Stars and the Hartford Whalers — don’t exist anymore. Yet the
franchise spawned by the film will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next
year. Times change fast when it comes to sports franchises.
Zach: I still love the
jokes in the movie. “Cake eater” is my favorite hockey insult ever, and absolves
this movie of all poor attempts at humor.
In
addition, I am a sucker for cheesy jokes, of which there are plenty. I now see
the comedic irony of the teams featured, but didn’t ever think of that as a
kid.
Overtime:
Conclusion
Eugene: In all, The Mighty Ducks is worth watching, if
for no other reason than to understand some of the quotes the movie spawned.
Everyone knows the Flying V and the “Quack” chant, so having the context to
those jokes is nice after so many years.
The
movie itself holds up well, and is fun enough to keep it as one of those
classics that stay around for another 25 years.
Zach: I still love
this movie, and now am going to go watch the other two. Surprising as it may
be, some things never change, as evidenced by how similar our observations are
on this movie.
It
is a must watch for any hockey fan, regardless of age, if only to learn the
jokes from the movie that have become commonplace in hockey-related
conversations.
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