D3: The Mighty Ducks (also known as The Mighty Ducks 3) is a 1996 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Robert Lieberman and sequel to the 1994 film D2: The Mighty Ducks. It is the third and final installment in The Mighty Ducks trilogy and was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. The film stars Emilio Estevez, Jeffrey Nordling, Heidi Kling and Joss Ackland. Estevez, Kling, Ackland, Joshua Jackson, Elden Henson, Shaun Weiss, Matt Doherty, Garette Ratliff Henson, Marguerite Moreau, Vincent Larusso, Aaron Lohr, Ty O'Neal, Kenan Thompson, Mike Vitar, Colombe Jacobsen and Justin Wong reprise their roles from the previous films in the series with Scott Whyte, who played Gunnar in the second film, returning in a different role.

Plot
After their victory at the Junior Goodwill Games, youth ice-hockey team The Mighty Ducks and their captain Charlie Conway are awarded the junior varsity hockey scholarships to Eden Hall Academy, a prestigious Minneapolis-area prep school that Coach Bombay attended. Charlie struggles with his transition from childhood to adolescence; he's outraged at Bombay, who is taking a job with the Junior Goodwill Games, and will not be coaching the Ducks; Also, Dean Portman and Jesse Hall have not accepted the scholarships, and will not be attending Eden Hall Academy either. Bombay informs Charlie prior to the start of classes that the team will be in good hands under the coaching of former NHL player Ted Orion.

The Ducks' start at the school begins inauspiciously; while the newer Ducks respectfully sit in at the headmaster's speech, the original teammates crash the ceremony on stage. The team faces new challenges, as Coach Orion is much sterner than Bombay, and he introduces a new "two-way hockey" defensive style, and abandons several Duck traditions and some of their youthful in-game 'trick' plays, locking horns with Charlie, from whom he strips the title of team captain. Also, the team loses Adam Banks, who qualifies for Varsity, and engage in off-ice conflicts with the Varsity team. The Ducks' struggles continue, culminating in a tie in their first game against the Varsity team, after having a huge lead. Later on, the Ducks engage in an unsanctioned early morning match with the Varsity team to settle their differences. After this, Orion revokes the Ducks jerseys, declaring "The Ducks are dead.", and for Charlie, this is the last straw. He decides to leave the team to return to public schools and seek a hockey career, Fulton follows, but considers quitting hockey much to Charlie's dismay. Sometime later, he ultimately returns to the team without Charlie.

Charlie's acting out alienates him from his mother, an ailing Hans (Gordon's old mentor and friend of the Ducks), and even his friends. Hans suddenly dies, and Bombay comes to Charlie's house the day after the funeral and takes him back to Eden Hall. He tells Charlie that Orion's career with the Minnesota North Stars ended when the team moved to Dallas and he stayed to care for his paraplegic daughter. Bombay tells Charlie the background story on how he first came to coach the Ducks and says he told Orion that Charlie was the heart and soul of the team, and it was his hope that both Orion and Charlie would learn something from each other. Bombay also admits telling Orion that Charlie was the real "Minnesota Miracle" man. Emotionally touched by his words, finding new resolve, and feeling guilt-ridden over how he acted against Orion and everyone else, Charlie agrees to rejoin the team and learn Orion's defensive style.

Arriving at the team bus for the next game, Charlie tells Orion he wants to play "two-way hockey". Surprised but pleased, Coach Orion welcomes him back. Before they depart, Dean Buckley, the school's headmaster, informs the team that its board of trustees wants to revoke the Ducks' scholarships and offers Orion a chance to start anew with a team of his choice. Satisfied with the team, Orion balks at the news, threatening resignation. At a board meeting the following day, Bombay, who was an experienced lawyer before coaching the Ducks, acts as the Ducks' attorney and fights successfully for their case, threatening the board with an injunction and promising to win the resulting lawsuit if the board expels the Ducks, and the board reinstates the Duck's scholarships with much reluctance due to Bombay putting them in a no-win situation. The Varsity are furious that the Ducks won't be expelled, but agree to a wager with the Ducks regarding the JV-Varsity match: If the Warriors win, the Ducks are expelled, but if the Ducks win, the team name will be changed to the "Mighty Ducks".

Prior to the annual JV–Varsity game, Orion brings back the Duck jerseys, giving the team a renewed vigor. Throughout the game, the Varsity dominates on offense. However, the Ducks play good defense and manage to keep the game scoreless after two periods. During the second intermission, Dean Portman returns to the team (having decided accepted his scholarship), adding a needed spark. Late in the game, the Ducks get two penalties and must play 5 vs 3. During the time-out, Orion reinstates Charlie as captain and tells him to go for the win if the opportunity presents itself. With seconds left in the game, Charlie gets a breakaway and beats all the defensemen and goalie; he passes the puck back to Goldberg, now a defenseman, who scores into a wide-open net as time expires, securing a 1–0 victory for the Ducks.

Following the victory, Charlie embraces Orion and spots Bombay who has attended the game, and they both look across the rink to a newly-presented Eden Hall banner with the Ducks' logo. Defeated, the Varsity team leaves the ice, although Varsity goalie Scooter takes his defeat gracefully. Bombay then departs with a smile amid a sea of cheering fans.

Cast

Paul Kariya, then-captain of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now Anaheim Ducks) when the film was released, makes a cameo appearance during the second intermission of the Ducks/Varsity Warriors game. The film's co-writer Steven Brill was an attendant at an arcade.

Departure
Brandon Adams, who played Jesse Hall, is the only actor from the previous films to not reprise his role as a Duck, after appearing in the first two films of the trilogy. It's assumed his character moved away.

Production
The third movie originally was going to be darker in tone and the main antagonists were originally going to be Bulgarians.
The character of Jesse Hall, played by Brandon Adams in the first two films and a fan favorite, was in the original script for this movie. His role was severely diminished with minimal lines and screen time compared to the first two films. Parts of the movie were filmed at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.

Reception

Box office
The movie debuted at No.4 in the box office and ended up grossing $22,936,273 in the US. It is the lowest-grossing film of the trilogy.

Critical
Like its predecessor, the film received negative reviews, and holds a 20% 'rotten' rating based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 3.8/10 on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes. John Anderson of the Los Angeles Times called the film "a self-reverential salute to Ducks" while also saying that the film was "lazier" than its predecessors. Steve Hedgpeth of the Newark Star Ledger wrote, 'Somebody put this stupid Disney franchise in Deep-Freeze'. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times wrote that "D3: The Mighty Ducks is a truly dreadful film, a lifeless, massive, childish exercise in failed comedy". Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune called it "dull, stupid, brainless, and dim-witted".

Home video release
The film was released on VHS on January 21, 1997, on DVD on September 2, 2002 and was also released on Blu-ray disc as a Disney Movie Club exclusive on May 23, 2017. It was also released on the Disney+ streaming platform on September 4, 2020.

See also
 List of films about ice hockey

References

External links

 
 
 
 
 D3: The Mighty Ducks Original screenplay by Jim Burnstein

1996 films
1996 children's films
1990s sports comedy-drama films
The Mighty Ducks
Walt Disney Pictures films
Films set in Minnesota
American children's comedy films
American sports comedy-drama films
American sequel films
Films shot in Minnesota
American ice hockey films
Films with screenplays by Steven Brill
Films directed by Robert Lieberman
Films scored by J. A. C. Redford
1990s English-language films
1990s American films