Mighty Ducks movie viewership: The rookie and the re-visitor

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.

J.P. Vigier is not ‘lion’ when he says Simba still speaks to him

J.P. Vigier was a 17-year-old playing junior hockey in his native Manitoba when The Lion King hit North American theaters. In another two years, his dues in the MJHL would pay off in a ticket to college at Northern Michigan University.

Granted, Disney’s loose, kid-friendly adaptation of Hamlet hardly made a motivational difference in Vigier’s career, which would amount to 12 professional seasons and 213 games with the Atlanta Thrashers. But to this day, his absorption and assessment of the film speaks to his split stance over the boyhood-adulthood threshold he crossed in the mid-’90s.

“It really moved me and made me believe that anything is possible,” he told Pucks and Recreation. When pressed for more, he added, “The Lion King still hits home with dealing with adversity and being true to yourself.”

As late as his second full season in the pros, Vigier was proclaiming himself a “kid at heart” for his lasting interest in animated movies. He said as much in his profile in the 2001-02 Chicago Wolves yearbook.

Fast-forward 15 years, and he admits that passion has somewhat receded. Today, he has reunited with his old NHL employer in their current incarnation back in his native province, covering the Jets for TSN 1290 radio. In the offseason, which he insists is nonexistent for him nowadays, he runs an elite youth hockey camp, which affords him little time to explore any touted summer releases.

Nonetheless, Vigier has kept a little of his inner critic and his profound takeaways from the Simba saga, among other past delights. Much like the game he played for a living until 2012, he has decelerated the activity, but kept the memories and lessons to transmit to another generation.

To that effect, he fielded the following breakaway shots from Pucks and Rec.

Do you think an animated movie could, let alone should, ever win an Oscar for best picture?

“To win best picture, I feel there must be real characters in it, and most animation is now computer generated.”

Do you have any kids, nieces or nephews that you’ve instilled this passion to?

“Both my daughters enjoy watching a good movie with a bowl of popcorn. I see them getting carried away with the story and feel the pain and gain of the show they watch.”

It is now a common practice at pro hockey games to flash TV or movie clips on the jumbo screen, usually in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Are there any you particularly enjoy seeing at Bell MTS Place?

“Most of the tongue-in-cheek makes me laugh, but I don’t think there is one that is standing that far out front of the others.”

Can you think of anybody you played with or any current NHL player who would make a great film character?

“Darcy Hordichuk (Thrashers winger from 2000 to 2002)…He had many sides to him, and was always there for a good laugh.”

Many goalies have painted noteworthy cartoon characters on their masks. Do you have a favorite among those?

“None of those really hit home to me. I was about the character persevering and overcoming a battle. That was what hit home for me. Those long-shot stories reminded me to always keep working for what you really wanted.”

At your hockey camp, do you ever find yourself joining in conversations about movies?

“It does not happen as often as it used to, as kids now see movies that I have not seen. Or, when they throw out the funny lines, I am not up to date. So I tend to stay away unless they talk about the older shows. I guess that makes me old.” 

-          Eugene Helfrick