The Mighty Ducks are back in a new series for Disney+ called The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers and the heart and soul of the series is young Evan…
Let’s hear you quack! The Mighty Ducks are back in the new Disney+ series, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. We’ve been meaning to check the show out for a few weeks, but we’ve been putting it on the back burner and have finally gotten around to it.
The series focuses on Evan Morrow and his single mother, Alex (Gilmore Girls‘ Lauren Graham). When Evan is axed unceremoniously from The Mighty Ducks hockey team for 12 to 14-year-olds, his social standing with his former teammates takes a hit with only his friends Sofi and Nick his only companions.
With Sofi having prior commitments due to her demanding parents, Nick is the only one who will sit with Evan at lunch. Not to mention, a video of Alex berating the head coach of the Ducks suddenly goes viral. Determined to not let her son’s former team win in their quest to bully him, the feisty mother of one agrees to help him form a new team.
Evan and Nick struggle at first as they are laughed at when they approach the other kids. Meanwhile, Alex also has her own difficulties when she comes up against her own issues in securing an ice rink. By chance, she comes across The Ice Palace which is being managed by the legendary Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estévez), the original coach of the 90s Mighty Ducks.
Bombay Isn’t Exactly A Hard Sell
What makes Game Changers unique is how Bombay is an easy sell when Alex asks him to use his ice rink for her team’s practice space. Usually, the veteran takes forever to make a decision but he doesn’t. He appears to take to Alex straight away and she doesn’t appear to mind his lies even after Evan and Nick correct him.
Bombay even appears to have an obsession with birthday cake in the first episode as his ice rink is used for children’s birthday parties where there’s leftover dessert. Despite his claim of hating hockey (we know he doesn’t) and children (another lie), he actually seems to enjoy having Evan and Nick around.
He also gives Alex and Evan unsolicited advice on how to handle each other. This was actually really considerate of him. Also, just a quick note, it has been years since we’ve watched the movies. So, we can’t remember any about Bombay outside of how arrogant he tends to be.
Alex Is Kinda A Push Over
In Game Changers, Alex works as a lawyer with another mother, Stephanie whose twins are on the Mighty Ducks. She’s even a bit obsessive as she hires all these professionals to help her children succeed.
What’s more, is that Alex isn’t afraid to call the other parents out for not allowing their children to have fun. She even points out to the head coach that none of the kids will probably ever become professional players. This is something the other parents will likely never admit. They treat their kids like pro athletes rather then the 12 to 14-year-olds they actually are.
However, Alex is also used by her coworkers to do their dirty work, especially Stephanie who is her boss.
Evan’s Big Heart Is The Backbone Of The Show
Evan’s unlawful axing from the Mighty Ducks because a plot point worth nothing. It shows that if someone isn’t going to be good enough, then they’ll be left behind. The head coach is already seen favouriting the better players over Evan and it shows straight away.
At first, Evan is disappointed that things are not going his way and refuses to come out of his room. With a little coaxing, he realises that if he wants to play hockey for fun, then he needs to be backbone. However, when he can’t get anyone to join him, he tells his mother that he was right. With another push, he goes back to school with more determination than before.
He stands up on a table in the cafeteria and addresses everyone despite knowing he’s going to be mocked. However, some of the kids volunteer to join. Though, Evan soon realises that almost no one can play let alone skate.
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers drops episodes every Friday exclusively on Disney+.
