- Sep 30, 2016
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Today's GDT brought to you by the classic Disney film series The Mighty Ducks (how original!)
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Today we will talk about some interesting facts you may not have known about the Mighty Ducks film series. You surely remember that?
A different actor was originally cast to play the role of Charlie Conway
Interestingly, Joshua Jackson was not the first choice to play Charlie Conway, the main character, in the first Mighty Ducks film. A small, unknown actor tried out for the role and was going to be cast. That unknown actor’s name was Jake Gyllenhaal. Unfortunately for the casting department, and fortunately for Joshua Jackson, Jake’s parents would not let him do the movie, so they producers cast Jackson instead!
Gordon Bombay was named after alcohol
Ironically, for how very kid-friendly The Mighty Ducks is, one of the characters is named after something that is not so kid-friendly. Gordon Bombay is actually named after alcohol! More specifically, he is named after gin. There are two pretty famous brands called Gordon’s and Bombay.
The writer of the movie put the two together and ended up with Gordon Bombay.
Leonardo DiCaprio Got Snubbed
Not only was Jake Gyllenhaal considered for the role of Charlie Conway, but another massively famous young actor was considered as well. Leonardo DiCaprio tried out for the main role but lost the part to Joshua Jackson. Unlike Gyllenhaal, who was originally picked for the movie but couldn’t do it, DiCaprio straight up lost the role to Jackson.
Originally, The Mighty Ducks was all about revenge
Another surprising secret about The Mighty Ducks is that the first movie was originally intended to be much, much darker in tone and plot than what it ended up being. The original script called for Gordon Bombay to be a recovering ex-NHL player who wants revenge on his coach, so he starts coaching the team opposite him.
Disney bought the rights to the movie and changed a lot of what was originally intended. They changed Bombay to a lawyer instead of an ex-NHL player and also downplayed the whole recovering-from-a-problem angle. Bombay had to start coaching the pee-wee team due to risky driving, but it was not the focus of the film. I’m glad they changed angles into a more family-friendly movie, and the movie is better off for it.
The Mighty Ducks are like the Jets this season - they didn't have a captain!
Did you know that the first Mighty Ducks film is the only film in the franchise where none of the players are referred to as the team captain? That seems weird as Charlie Conway has always seemed like he was the team captain from the very start, and it was actually surprising to me to learn this little fact! Nobody is referred to as the team captain until the second movie.
In the second movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Adam Banks is mistakenly referred to as the team captain, and then later in the film, Charlie is also referred to as the team captain. In the third movie, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Charlie is correctly referred to as the team captain. He is then stripped of the title, and then given it back again.
Art Imitating Life
An interesting tidbit about the second film, D2: The Mighty Ducks, is that the scene where the team does sprints on the ice after their game with Iceland is actually based on a real-life event. The 1980 USA Olympic Men’s Hockey Team, coached by Herb Brooks, did sprints on the ice for over an hour after they tied the Norwegian Hockey Team!
This real-life event is portrayed in another Disney hockey movie as well.
The scene is portrayed in the movie, Miracle, which was also produced by Disney based on the famed Miracle on Ice. It makes sense that the writers of D2: The Mighty Ducks would include such a famous event in USA Hockey history, and it gave the movie a more real-life feel to it as well.
Honouring Former NHL Players
In D2: The Mighty Ducks, the sequel to the first film, a new character is introduced named Dwayne Robertson. Dwayne Robertson is from Texas and is a very good hockey puck handler. When he is introduced, he says the following line: “It’s a great day for hockey!” This line was a tribute to “Badger” Bob Johnson.
Badger Bob Johnson was a former hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames, a former coach for the Wisconsin Badgers, and a former USA Hockey executive. Badger Bob died in 1991 before he could fully become the USA Hockey coach, and this line was how he greeted his players every day. It was a subtle tribute to a man who was very big in the hockey world.
Joshua Jackson thought he was too famous for a second sequel
Joshua Jackson, who portrays the main character Charlie Conway throughout the three Mighty Ducks movies, has actually stated in later interviews that he absolutely did not want to do another Mighty Ducks film when it came time to do D3: The Mighty Ducks. He felt he was transitioning as an actor into more adult roles and The Mighty Ducks was too kid-friendly. However, he decided to take the role.
Charlie was written as a much more moody character in D3: The Mighty Ducks, so Jackson channeled his frustrated feelings into the role to make the character seem more believable. I have to say, I think it worked brilliantly! Charlie is definitely a much different character than he was in the previous two movies, which made it a more realistic portrayal of a teenager.
A hockey movie where there isn't a whole heck of a lot of actual hockey being played (kind of like the Jets this season!)
Here’s another fun fact that will probably win you some bets with your friends. D3: The Mighty Ducks is the movie where the least amount of hockey is shown. The Mighty Ducks are only shown playing hockey three times in this sequel. That seems a bit surprising seeing as how the entire movie is based around playing hockey! The team is shown playing hockey much more in the other films.
The only times the Mighty Ducks are shown playing hockey is the game against the Blake Bears, and two games against the Varsity squad at the prep school, including the unofficial scrimmage game they had against each other. When you go back and watch the movie, there is really not a lot of hockey that is shown.
There was a cartoon based off the film series that no one watched
The Mighty Ducks television show was actually the very last animated show that was added to the Disney Afternoon cartoon lineup. The show was added to the block in 1996 and the block then went off the air and was replaced by another block the following year.
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There, now the Jets game won't be the worst thing you will see today!
Source: Disney: 25 Secrets About The Mighty Ducks That Make Us Quack
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Today we will talk about some interesting facts you may not have known about the Mighty Ducks film series. You surely remember that?
A different actor was originally cast to play the role of Charlie Conway
Interestingly, Joshua Jackson was not the first choice to play Charlie Conway, the main character, in the first Mighty Ducks film. A small, unknown actor tried out for the role and was going to be cast. That unknown actor’s name was Jake Gyllenhaal. Unfortunately for the casting department, and fortunately for Joshua Jackson, Jake’s parents would not let him do the movie, so they producers cast Jackson instead!
Gordon Bombay was named after alcohol
Ironically, for how very kid-friendly The Mighty Ducks is, one of the characters is named after something that is not so kid-friendly. Gordon Bombay is actually named after alcohol! More specifically, he is named after gin. There are two pretty famous brands called Gordon’s and Bombay.
The writer of the movie put the two together and ended up with Gordon Bombay.
Leonardo DiCaprio Got Snubbed
Not only was Jake Gyllenhaal considered for the role of Charlie Conway, but another massively famous young actor was considered as well. Leonardo DiCaprio tried out for the main role but lost the part to Joshua Jackson. Unlike Gyllenhaal, who was originally picked for the movie but couldn’t do it, DiCaprio straight up lost the role to Jackson.
Originally, The Mighty Ducks was all about revenge
Another surprising secret about The Mighty Ducks is that the first movie was originally intended to be much, much darker in tone and plot than what it ended up being. The original script called for Gordon Bombay to be a recovering ex-NHL player who wants revenge on his coach, so he starts coaching the team opposite him.
Disney bought the rights to the movie and changed a lot of what was originally intended. They changed Bombay to a lawyer instead of an ex-NHL player and also downplayed the whole recovering-from-a-problem angle. Bombay had to start coaching the pee-wee team due to risky driving, but it was not the focus of the film. I’m glad they changed angles into a more family-friendly movie, and the movie is better off for it.
The Mighty Ducks are like the Jets this season - they didn't have a captain!
Did you know that the first Mighty Ducks film is the only film in the franchise where none of the players are referred to as the team captain? That seems weird as Charlie Conway has always seemed like he was the team captain from the very start, and it was actually surprising to me to learn this little fact! Nobody is referred to as the team captain until the second movie.
In the second movie, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Adam Banks is mistakenly referred to as the team captain, and then later in the film, Charlie is also referred to as the team captain. In the third movie, D3: The Mighty Ducks, Charlie is correctly referred to as the team captain. He is then stripped of the title, and then given it back again.
Art Imitating Life
An interesting tidbit about the second film, D2: The Mighty Ducks, is that the scene where the team does sprints on the ice after their game with Iceland is actually based on a real-life event. The 1980 USA Olympic Men’s Hockey Team, coached by Herb Brooks, did sprints on the ice for over an hour after they tied the Norwegian Hockey Team!
This real-life event is portrayed in another Disney hockey movie as well.
The scene is portrayed in the movie, Miracle, which was also produced by Disney based on the famed Miracle on Ice. It makes sense that the writers of D2: The Mighty Ducks would include such a famous event in USA Hockey history, and it gave the movie a more real-life feel to it as well.
Honouring Former NHL Players
In D2: The Mighty Ducks, the sequel to the first film, a new character is introduced named Dwayne Robertson. Dwayne Robertson is from Texas and is a very good hockey puck handler. When he is introduced, he says the following line: “It’s a great day for hockey!” This line was a tribute to “Badger” Bob Johnson.
Badger Bob Johnson was a former hockey player for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames, a former coach for the Wisconsin Badgers, and a former USA Hockey executive. Badger Bob died in 1991 before he could fully become the USA Hockey coach, and this line was how he greeted his players every day. It was a subtle tribute to a man who was very big in the hockey world.
Joshua Jackson thought he was too famous for a second sequel
Joshua Jackson, who portrays the main character Charlie Conway throughout the three Mighty Ducks movies, has actually stated in later interviews that he absolutely did not want to do another Mighty Ducks film when it came time to do D3: The Mighty Ducks. He felt he was transitioning as an actor into more adult roles and The Mighty Ducks was too kid-friendly. However, he decided to take the role.
Charlie was written as a much more moody character in D3: The Mighty Ducks, so Jackson channeled his frustrated feelings into the role to make the character seem more believable. I have to say, I think it worked brilliantly! Charlie is definitely a much different character than he was in the previous two movies, which made it a more realistic portrayal of a teenager.
A hockey movie where there isn't a whole heck of a lot of actual hockey being played (kind of like the Jets this season!)
Here’s another fun fact that will probably win you some bets with your friends. D3: The Mighty Ducks is the movie where the least amount of hockey is shown. The Mighty Ducks are only shown playing hockey three times in this sequel. That seems a bit surprising seeing as how the entire movie is based around playing hockey! The team is shown playing hockey much more in the other films.
The only times the Mighty Ducks are shown playing hockey is the game against the Blake Bears, and two games against the Varsity squad at the prep school, including the unofficial scrimmage game they had against each other. When you go back and watch the movie, there is really not a lot of hockey that is shown.
There was a cartoon based off the film series that no one watched
The Mighty Ducks television show was actually the very last animated show that was added to the Disney Afternoon cartoon lineup. The show was added to the block in 1996 and the block then went off the air and was replaced by another block the following year.
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There, now the Jets game won't be the worst thing you will see today!
Source: Disney: 25 Secrets About The Mighty Ducks That Make Us Quack
and chew these Ducks up tonight.
