The Mighty Ducks (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Mighty Ducks
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Stephen Herek
Produced by	Jon Avnet Jordan Kerner
Written by	Steven Brill
Starring	Emilio Estevez Joss Ackland Lane Smith
Music by	David Newman
Cinematography	Thomas Del Ruth
Editing by	Larry Brock John F. Link
Studio	Walt Disney Pictures Avnet–Kerner Productions Touchwood Pacific Partners
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s)	October 2, 1992 (1992-10-02)
Running time	104 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$14 million
Money made	$50.8 million

The Mighty Ducks is a fun sports comedy-drama movie from 1992. It is about a youth hockey team and was directed by Stephen Herek. The main star is Emilio Estevez. This movie was made by The Kerner Entertainment Company and Avnet–Kerner Productions. Walt Disney Pictures released it. It is the first film in The Mighty Ducks movie series.

A year after the movie came out, Disney started a real NHL hockey team. They named the team the "Mighty Ducks of Anaheim" after the film.

Story of the Mighty Ducks

Gordon Bombay, played by Emilio Estevez, is a very successful lawyer in Minneapolis. After winning many cases, he makes a mistake and is sentenced to 500 hours of community service. His job is to coach a local Pee-Wee hockey team called "District 5".

Bombay has a tough past with hockey. When he was a kid in 1973, he was the star player for the Hawks. But he missed a penalty shot in a big championship game. This disappointed his coach, Jack Reilly, played by Lane Smith. The Hawks lost that game, which was very rare for them.

Bombay meets the District 5 team. He quickly sees that the kids have no good place to practice, no proper equipment, and not much skill. Their first game with Bombay as coach is against the Hawks. Reilly is still the Hawks' coach. He is still upset about Gordon's missed shot from years ago. District 5 loses badly. Bombay gets mad at his team for not listening. The players then question his coaching.

For their next game, Bombay tries to teach his team to fake injuries to get penalties. This also leads to a loss. One player, Charlie Conway, played by Joshua Jackson, refuses to fake an injury. Bombay visits his old friend Hans, played by Joss Ackland. Hans owns a sports store. Bombay remembers quitting hockey after his dad passed away and Reilly blamed him for the loss. Hans tells him to remember his love for hockey. Bombay realizes his mistake and says sorry to Charlie and his mom.

Bombay asks his boss, Gerald Ducksworth, played by Josef Sommer, to help the team. This allows them to buy new, good equipment. Bombay also gets time to teach the players basic hockey skills. The team is renamed the Ducks, after Ducksworth. Their next game against the Cardinals ends in a tie.

The team gets three new players. These are siblings Tommy and Tammy Duncan, who are good at Figure skating. They also get Fulton Reed, played by Elden Henson, who has a very powerful slap shot. Bombay sees potential in Charlie. He teaches Charlie some of the special moves he used when he played for the Hawks.

Bombay finds out that the Hawks' best player, Adam Banks, played by Vincent LaRusso, actually lives in District Five. This means Adam should be playing for the Ducks. Bombay makes Reilly transfer Adam to the Ducks. The Ducks' players are upset when they hear a misunderstanding about Bombay. Most of them leave, except Charlie and Fulton. This causes the team to lose a game because they don't have enough players.

Ducksworth tries to make a deal with Reilly for the Hawks to keep Adam Banks. Bombay is tempted but refuses. He believes in fair play. He chooses to lose his job rather than let his team down.

Bombay manages to earn his players' trust back. They win a key game against the Huskies to get into the playoffs. Adam Banks decides to play with the Ducks. He becomes a great help to the team. The Ducks win their way through the playoffs. They beat the Hornets and the Cardinals. This leads them to the championship game against the Hawks.

Reilly tells his team to injure Adam Banks to get him out of the game. But the Ducks still manage to tie the game late in the final period. Charlie is tripped by a Hawks player as time runs out. This leads to a game-deciding penalty shot, just like the one Bombay missed as a kid. Bombay tells Charlie to do his best shot and that he will believe in him no matter what. Charlie is inspired. He fakes out the goalie with a "triple-deke" move Bombay taught him. He scores, winning the state championship!

The Ducks players and their families celebrate on the ice. Bombay thanks Hans. Hans tells Bombay he is proud of him. Gordon lifts the championship trophy. The team cheers "Ducks!" together. A few days later, Bombay gets on a bus for a tryout for a minor-league team. He got this chance from Basil McRae of the Minnesota North Stars, who played hockey with him as a kid. The Ducks give Bombay the same encouraging words he gave them. He promises to come back next season to defend their title.

Meet the Cast

Awards and Recognition

The American Film Institute (AFI) has recognized The Mighty Ducks on these lists:

• 2006: It was nominated for "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers," which celebrates inspiring movies.
• 2008: It was nominated as one of the top sports films in "AFI's 10 Top 10."

See also

In Spanish: The Mighty Ducks para niños