New ‘Mighty Ducks’ Disney+ series great family viewing

The Mighty Ducks are back in business, much to the delight of fans old and new alike. The beloved ‘90s youth hockey movie franchise gets a reboot in the form of a Disney+ series, “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers,” which bows on the streaming service Friday.

The good news is that for fans of the original trilogy, this series, which brings back Emilio Estevez as the grumpy but lovable Gordon Bombay, truly captures the magic of the movies. Steven Brill, the writer of “The Mighty Ducks” (1992) and “D2: The Mighty Ducks,” (1994) is back as a writer and executive producer on the series, and he’s maintained the winning combo that pairs a rag tag group of scrappy underdogs with Coach Bombay’s bone-dry sardonic humor, plus a whole lot of heart.

This time around, Lauren Graham, who plays Alex, the mother-turned-coach of our main scrappy underdog, Evan (Brady Noon), tosses the sarcastic one-liners right back at Bombay, giving him someone his own size to bounce off of. The series is also updated in new ways for this generation, with a focus on the pressure kids feel to perform at an elite level in both school and sports. Now, the Ducks are the big, powerful team, and Alex and Evan have to start their own team of misfits, embracing an inclusive approach to friendship and having fun in youth hockey.

Brady Noon as Evan Morrow in ‘The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers

Also, Disney revealed last week that the original Ducks players from the movies will be making an appearance in the series, making for the first on-screen reunion of Marguerite Moreau, Garette Ratliff Henson, Elden Henson, Vincent Larusso, Justin Wong and Matt Doherty.

Honestly, one doesn’t even need a kid around to enjoy the series, but if you do have kids, it’ll be great fun to share while ushering them into Mighty Ducks fandom. Pro-tip: All three “The Mighty Ducks” movies are on Disney+ as well, so make it a movie marathon to prep for the series. My personal favorite is “D2,” in which the Ducks head to Los Angeles to compete in the Junior Goodwill Games, adding a few new players along the way, including a young Kenan Thompson.

— Tribune News Service

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3tVfRCf