REVIEW: The Spirit of the Ducks Lives On in Disney+’s New Series, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”
A wholesome, feel good show for all ages, the spirit of The Mighty Ducks lives on in The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers. The series follows Evan Marrow (Brady Noon), a middle school kid who loves to play hockey. Originally a member of the Ducks hockey team, Marrow has it all, until he doesn’t. Cut from the team, Marrow’s “friends” are no longer talking to him and he thinks his hockey career is over. His mother, Alex, played by the fast talking Lauren Graham, has other plans.
Emilio Estévez reprises his role from The Mighty Ducks film series as Coach Gordon Bombay. But instead of enjoying a successful career as the Head Coach of the Ducks, Bombay is living his life by one rule, “No Hockey”. When a rag-tag team of middle schoolers invade his ice rink, Bombay is finding it hard to not break his rule and help this team go from the worst to the best. Estévez does not miss a beat reprising this role. He’s great with everyone he is on screen with and will have the audience, once again, wishing he would be their coach.
Estévez is joined in the new series by Gilmore Girls alum, Graham and it was a little hard for me to separate this character from her Gilmore Girls character, Lorelai. Both are fast talking moms, who will do anything to see their child succeed. However, even though, at times, it felt like she was playing the same character, she still brings a refreshing take to the series. Her scenes with her on-screen son, Noon were enjoyable while her back and forth banter with Estévez were a joy to watch.
Rounding out the cast are our youngsters, Noon , Maxwell Simkins, Swayam Bhatia, Luke Islam, Kiefer O’Reilly, Taegen Burns, Bella Higginbotham, and DJ Watts. Simkins is, so far, the best part of this show. His character is funny and wise beyond his years. He is the character that just keeps giving.
Like the original movies, the overall goal of the series remains the same. The underdogs come together and prove that sometimes being the worst also means being the best. But the progression to that goal on the show feels like its take forever. Having seen the first three episodes of the series, I had to constantly remind myself that this is a TV show and progression takes time. Unlike the movie, where everything happens at a much faster pace, the series will feel like it is taking baby steps towards its goal. However, if you manage to push that notion aside and just enjoy the ride, you will end up loving every part. For those who can’t, plan to binge watch the episodes when they are released.