Mighty Ducks (TV series)

Mighty Ducks is an American animated series that aired on ABC and The Disney Afternoon in the fall of 1996. The show was inspired by and very loosely based on the live-action films and NHL team of the same name. Twenty-six episodes were produced in total. The series most recently aired on Toon Disney but was removed from schedules in November 2004, and has not appeared on the channel's line-up since.

A direct-to-video feature film, Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off, was released in 1997. It comprises three episodes of the animated series edited into one continuous movie: The First Face-Off parts I and II, and Duck Hard.

The series' main theme, composed by Carl Swander Johnson, is performed by Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship fame.

DisneyQuest, an "Indoor Interactive Theme Park" located in the Downtown Disney area of the Walt Disney World Resort, has an attraction loosely based on the program called Mighty Ducks Pinball Slam. Wildwing is the only character from the show featured, first as a life-size cutout at the front of the queue line and then again as the goalie in the game.

Story
In this series, in another galaxy in another universe exists a planet populated entirely by humanoid ducks. Dubbed "Puckworld" by its inhabitants, it is a very cold, icy planet, perfectly suited to the Ducks' favorite pastime, ice hockey. For the citizens of Puckworld, hockey was not simply a sport, but a way of life, occupying virtually every aspect of day-to-day existence, from fashion to philosophy.

A very popular legend has it that centuries ago, during an invasion by a reptilian race called Saurians, a duck by the name of Drake DuCaine became the planet's savior over the Saurians' Overlords. The legend tells that DuCaine did so with a seemingly normal goalie mask that transforms into a high-tech mask. With it, DuCaine sent the Saurians to a mysterious dimension, known only as "Dimensional Limbo".

As it turns out, the legends ended up being true. The last of the Saurians escape Dimensional Limbo and return to Puckworld with an armada of robotic attack ships. The group of four is led by the last of the Saurian Overlords, Lord Dragaunus, who is assisted by the burly Siege, the shape-shifting Chameleon and the mystic Wraith. They invade the planet, enslaving the people of Puckworld so that they can produce more weapons to conquer the universe. However, a resistance was formed by Canard, a brave duck who found The Mask of Drake DuCaine in a tomb in the mountain called Twin Beaks. With it, the wearer of the Mask could see through the Saurians' invisibility cloak. Canard formed a band of Ducks to fight Dragaunus. The members of his team consists of Wildwing, Nosedive, Tanya, Duke, Mallory and Grin. They go on a mission to destroy Dragaunus's fortress the Master Tower and free the planet from the Saurians' control. While the mission is successful despite some setbacks, Dragaunus and his forces narrowly manage escape in their ship, the Raptor. The Saurians opened up a dimensional gateway and did the same thing that they did to escape Dimensional Limbo, attempt to escape through it. But Canard and the others followed him into the portal with the Aerowing, intent on capturing him and returning him to where he belongs and return home victoriously.

Dragaunus finds out that they're following him, attempts to get rid of the Ducks inside the portal by attacking them with an electromagnetic worm that will grow until it can swallow the Aerowing. In a desperate attempt to get rid of the worm, Canard sacrifices his own life by throwing himself to the worm. The plan succeeds, but at the price of Canard being devoured by the worm and never being seen again (except for in flashbacks and the episode "Take Me to your Leader", though the latter was Chameleon disguised as Canard to lure the ducks into a trap). Luckily, Canard gave the Mask and the leadership of the team to Wildwing Flashblade, his best friend. Both the Raptor and the Aerowing leave the portal and enter a different dimension, landing in the Earth city of Anaheim, California. The Ducks meet Phil Pomfeather, a human who becomes their manager and makes them a legitimate NHL team. Their arena, only known as The Pond in the show, has a hockey rink that doubles as a landing pad for the Aerowing above and has a formal HQ below. On Earth, the Ducks and Dragaunus continue their fight, although there are other villains that also challenge the six Ducks.

The Ducks and Saurians that landed on Earth are the only ones seen except in some flashbacks done by Grin when speaking of his past and one Lucretia DeCoy who was a traitoress to the race of the Ducks and a spy for the Saurians.

Main characters

 * Wildwing Flashblade (voiced by Ian Ziering) - Saved by Canard back on Puckworld, he is the leader of the Ducks on and off the ice. At first reluctant to take charge after Canard fell, eventually he comes to accept the role of leadership. As a hockey player he's the goalie, known for his ability to take any kind of beating and still remain standing. Brave like Canard before him, Wildwing is also intelligent and just. He usually plays the straight man to the other ducks and protector to his younger brother, Nosedive. Along with the mask of Drake DuCaine, Wildwing uses body armor and a Puck Launcher on his left gauntlet. In real life, Wildwing is the mascot for the Anaheim Ducks, known as the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim until the 2006–07 NHL season. His jersey number is 00.
 * Nosedive Flashblade (voiced by Steve Mackall) - Wildwing's younger brother, who initially was not intended to be part of Canard's resistance. However, Wildwing makes Canard take Nosedive with them ("If you want me, then my brother's part of the deal.") Once they reach Earth, Nosedive becomes an official member of the team, both on the hockey team and the crime fighting team. He is by far the team's most impulsive and immature member, similar to Michelangelo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. His character may have been influenced by Michelangelo; the two series were initially penned by the same writer. Nosedive is more childish and easy-going than the other Ducks, and often looks toward his older brother for support and protection. Nosedive can be very likable, making friends with teammate Grin, and humans Thrash and Mookie. He wears body armor, but not as much as Wildwing. He usually uses a Puck Blaster and rides a Duckcycle. His jersey number is 33.
 * Duke L'Orange (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - A notorious jewel thief on Puckworld, Duke changed his ways to battle Lord Dragaunus. Duke has used a Puck Blaster in some episodes, but he mainly uses a golden sword called a Ducksaber (or sometimes just a 'saber'). He also carries lock picks and a grappling hook attached to his wrist. Duke has a Brooklyn accent and is pretty level-headed, albeit egotistical at times. He also has an eyepatch and a chipped beak, possibly as a result of his past as a thief (In the episode "Dungeons and Ducks" he tells Vorg, "Hey take it easy, you can put someone's eye out with one of that thing (a sword), I should know." Might be a clue to how he lost his eye). He was the leader of a gang called The Brotherhood of the Blade. He remains the most experienced of all the Ducks and possesses a good balance of skill and confidence. Unfortunately, there are some minor trust issues with Mallory due to Duke being an ex-thief, though this fact doesn't seem to faze their leader Wildwing. His name is a pun on the dish duck à l'orange. His jersey number is 13.
 * Mallory McMallard (voiced by Jennifer Hale) - Mallory is a fiery red head who is well-learned in Puckworld's version of the martial arts, although most of the time she is content with just using a Puck Blaster. She has a sharp tongue and usually directs it towards Nosedive's immature acts, or anything that she feels is "out of line." Her trust is easily broken, particularly in Duke's case, and as she sees it, for some very good reasons. With her strong military background as a member of the "Puckworld Special Forces," she often thinks in black and white. She's a strict disciplinarian, and has a high regard for the chain of command. She's also stubborn, which can be a fault as much as a strength. Her jersey number is 15.
 * Tanya Vanderflock (voiced by April Winchell) - The Ducks' resident genius who is often the one turned to for advice, even by Wildwing. She is good with mechanics and uses the Omnitool on her wrist with many of her projects. Despite her intellect, she has bad allergies, lacks confidence, has a gentler personality, and is not as good a fighter as the other ducks. She makes up for this with her good common sense and wry humor. According to herself, her middle name is Gertrude. Her jersey number is 23.
 * Check "Grin" Hardwing (voiced by Brad Garrett) - A super strong Goliath with a Zen-like philosophy. Unlike the stereotype of strong people, Grin is wise and doesn’t let his anger cloud his judgment. He rarely uses weapons in battle, relying on his wisdom and strength instead. He has a strong sense of honor and can always be counted on for support. He is a good friend of Nosedive. During Grin's younger years, he had a horrible temper. He found enlightenment with the training from the grand hockey master, Tai Quack Do. His jersey number is 1, the same number on Tai Quack Do wears on his robe.
 * Canard Thunderbeak (voiced by Townsend Coleman) - Canard Thunderbeak was Wildwing's best friend, and the only remaining survivor of the Resistance from Puckworld (or so we thought). He was the original leader and team captain of the Mighty Ducks before being pulled into Dimensional Limbo. While following Dragaunus through a dimensional gateway, Canard sacrificed himself when the Saurians released an electromagnetic worm on the Aerowing. Before he did, he gave the mask of Drake DuCaine to Wildwing and told him to be the team captain. To this day, as far as the Mighty Ducks know, Canard is still trapped in dimensional limbo. He was a great leader and a great friend. Wildwing believes Canard is still alive and swears he will find him. In the episode Take me to your leader, he appears to have escaped and made a distress call to the Ducks, but it is revealed to be Chameleon setting a trap for them once again leaving Wildwing feeling guilty for not being able to save his friend and possibly more determined to find him.

Human allies

 * Phil Palmfeather (voiced by James Belushi) - The ducks' manager when they are being an ice hockey team. He'd rather have the team do sometimes rather dangerous or stupid promotional gimmicks and autograph signings with fans than having them save the world, although he does acknowledge that they do good. He also has bad taste in fashion.
 * Captain Klegghorn (voiced by Dennis Franz) - A police officer for the city of Anaheim who initially doesn't trust the ducks, particularly due to the lack of evidence that Dragaunus even existed in the first place. While he still doesn’t like them, eventually they come to terms when he helped Wildwing retake the Pond when the Saurians took their headquarters.
 * Thrash & Mookie - Nosedive's seemingly only human friends who dress like punk rockers. They run the comics store called "Captain Comics," of which Nosedive is a frequent customer. They were the first people that they met on Earth. Thrash is male, Mookie is female.
 * Bernie "Buzz" Blitzman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) - Buzz is an orphaned genius young boy in his early teens. He is a big fan of the Ducks, and is particularly fond of Mallory. He proves to be a big help to the Ducks.
 * Dr. Huggerman (voiced by Efrem Zimbalist, Jr) - A scientist and friend of Tanya's. He turned his back on humanity when they abused his inventions. He briefly returns to help the Ducks stop the energy creatures.

Other allies

 * Borg (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - Prince regent of the dimensional Anaheim. The Ducks helped him take back his throne and fought against Asteroth. He soon returns to warn the Ducks of Asteroth's search for his amulet, and he helps Nosedive and Duke find the Star Sword, a weapon capable of destroying Asteroth's amulet.
 * B.R.A.W.N. (voiced by Frank Welker) - A large gold robot who is a bounty hunter, sent to capture Dragaunus but was reprogramed to eliminate the Ducks. Tanya was able to re-reprogram him into joining their cause and stopping Dragaunus' assault platform. Almost his entire body was destroyed, but his head still remained. He briefly appears in "The Return of Asteroth".

The Saurians

 * Lord Dragaunus (voiced by Tim Curry) - The leader of the Saurians, Dragaunus is evil, big, strong and can breathe fire. He's not above working with humans or even aliens in his quest for world domination. He doesn't take kindly to the failures of his cronies, Siege, Chameleon and Wraith. Dragaunus has lost faith in the Saurian dark magic which Wraith uses and only when somewhat desperate, will he allow Wraith to employ them in a major part of his latest plan. Otherwise, the main tools he equips himself and his henchmen with are teleporters, rays, blasters, rockets, and cloaking devices. Most of Dragaunus's schemes involve trying to create an alternative fuel source for his flagship, The Raptor.
 * Siege (voiced by Clancy Brown) - Siege is a soldier who is aggressive and has a strong hatred for the Ducks (particularly Grin, due to the large duck being able to go toe-to-toe with him on a daily basis and generally win or draw in the fight). He can also be viewed as Dragaunus' second in command, though the window is pretty wide. His cruel nature is mechanically and technologically minded, and he believes that brute force is the only means of victory. He often builds weapons and vehicles and directly uses them against the Ducks. He scoffs the dark magic of the ancient Saurians, and Dragaunus seems a little more tolerant and open to his ideas as a result. However, when he fails, he gets little better treatment than the others.
 * Chameleon (voiced by Frank Welker) - A shapeshifter that is able to increase or decrease his strength, size and dexterity depending on his transformations. Much of the time, an imperfect transformation can give him away. Also, he ends up wasting his powers a lot by doing corny impressions of human celebrities(mostly famous early 20th century comedians). At times, he is capable of transforming into a large reptilian form rivaling Siege or Grin in strength. Dragaunus has little patience for his antics and stupidity. The most effective uses of his powers has been in his impersonations of the Ducks and other humans, which comes in handy the most for such tasks as infiltration, sabotage, and espionage.
 * Wraith (voiced by Tony Jay) - A Saurian warlock with a dry sense of humor. He is smarter than Siege or Chameleon, but disdained by Dragaunus because of his firm belief that the dark magic of their ancestors is the only means for victory. He shuns weapons in battle, preferring to use his ability to throw fireballs. He is very glum and is often predicting the inevitable failure of their mission. Of course, he is usually proven right.
 * Hunter Drones - Robotic foot soldiers of Dragaunus. They have blasters on their hands. They are often easily destroyed by the Ducks. In "The Iced Ducks Cometh", they face off against a much larger Drone, nicknamed Tiny by Siege. Nosedive destroys Tiny by crushing him with a zamboni.

Other villains

 * Dr. Droid (voiced by Charles Adler) - Formerly a human named Otto Maton, Dr. Droid is now mostly android (essentially a cyborg), and wants to turn the rest of the world into robots. The Ducks tangle with him twice.
 * Asteroth (voiced by W. Morgan Sheppard) - An evil wizard from another dimension, which is actually a supernatural version of Anaheim, California. His title is "Lord of the Red Dragon", since he can morph into a large red dragon when enough power is in his possession. The Ducks fight him twice: first in the alternate Anaheim, and then in the "real" Anaheim.
 * Falcone (voiced by Reed Diamond) - Falcone is a Raptrin member of The Brotherhood of The Blade. Duke pretended to join up with Falcone to learn what he was up to, and found out that Falcone was working for the Saurians, trying to help them steal the world's largest jewels for a new weapon. Duke tried to stop him, but failed as Falcone got him arrested. Falcone got the gem, but not long after that, his ship blew up and sent him down into a moat. There, the guards of Big Ben found him. Falcone is currently sitting in London's jail cell for stealing a jewel from them.
 * Lucretia DeCoy (voiced by Kath Soucie) - Lucretia DeCoy is a traitor to the race of the Ducks and a spy for the Saurians. Tanya was the only one who knew who she was, but Lucretia prevented her from revealing that she was a spy by tying her to the top rafters of The Pond. She tells the others that her name is "Vonda McDrake". She was thrown into Dimensional Limbo by Dragaunus, who believed that she switched the item she was sent to steal from a tomb with the help from the Ducks; however, it had really been switched by Wildwing. The end result was her being sent to Dimensional Limbo and the weapon Dragaunus tried to use the chip for blowing up in his face.
 * Dr. Swindle (voiced by Rob Paulsen) - A corrupt scientist the Saurians hired in "Beaks vs. B.R.A.W.N." to create a flotation device. When the Saurians refused to pay him for his work, he attempted to sell the machine to the highest bidder instead. The highest bidder turned out to be Chameleon, who took the device and left Swindle with a suitcase full of newspapers. A running gag has the Doctor insisting that his name is pronounced "Swindel".
 * Big Daddy-O Cool - (voiced by Jim Cummings) A deformed beat poet who is into monster trucks. In "Monster Rally", he challenged the ducks to a monster truck battle, and had planned to put toxic waste into the world's water supply to make the world a "cooler" place. It's stated that he was once human, until he fell into some toxic waste. When his plan is thwarted, the toxic waste changes him into a 1950s insurance salesman.
 * Dr. Pretorious - (voiced by Matt Frewer) A mad scientist who likes to splice different types of DNA on test subjects. His main purpose was to try his experiment out on the Ducks by trapping them in a small town called Sunnyville, where he disguised himself as the town mechanic. He then kidnapped the town residents and made humanoid replicas of them, after he made a satellite that jammed their frequencies forcing their vehicle to break down and prevented them from using their comlinks. He was about to extract their DNA until Nosedive saved them.


 * Phineas P. Viper (voiced by Xander Berkeley) - An industrialist who helped Dragaunus with his plan to create a Super Raptor. In the future, he ruled Earth with an iron fist while the Saurians were off conquering the galaxy, and he genetically emerged himself with his pet snakes in that time. He was mentioned again in "Bringing Down Baby" when Wildwing, Duke and Tanya found out that he was still helping Dragaunus with his plans.
 * Baron Von Licktenstamp (voiced by David Hyde Pierce) - A German hunter who owned an island. He captures Wildwing, Tanya and Duke and hunts them. He had robotic animals to help with his hunt. He collaborated with Dragaunus, giving him the Salerinite substance in exchange for the hunt. He was captured by the three ducks and had his head stuck on a wall.
 * Stanley Strazinski (voiced by Jim Cummings) - A former hockey player with a violent attitude. Dragaunus came to him for help and used a DNA accelerator to transform him into a monsterous version of himself to fight the ducks. Stanley changed his ways when Grin's words reached him. He was turned back to normal and becomes a referee.

Weapons, items & vehicles

 * Drake One - The Ducks' super computer built by Tanya under the Pond.
 * The Migrator - The Ducks' battle van. On one occasion, Tanya created the "Mega-Migrator" after the original was damaged battling one of Daddy-O-Cool's monster trucks. However, the new van's weapon systems failed to work properly, either backfiring or not aiming in the right direction, and it was eventually destroyed.
 * The Aerowing - The Ducks' airship. It can also travel into outer space, and was the only vehicle that they brought with them from Puckworld.
 * Duckcycles - The Ducks' motorcycles.
 * The Duckfoil - The Ducks' motorboat.
 * Puck Blasters - A gun that shoots hockey pucks.
 * Puck Launcher - A rocket launcher-style weapon that shoots hockey pucks.
 * Omnitool - Tanya's multipurpose tool, containing everything she needs to fix, disassemble, defuse and reprogram mechanical items.
 * Ducksaber - Used by Duke, the Ducksaber is a weapon that dematerializes into the hilt once deactivated, and the hilt can be detached at the grip and expanded. It can also shoot pucks with ropes attached.
 * The Raptor - Dragaunus' ship, which is stranded on Earth. Considered the base for the Saurians, it requires Balerium Crystals to function properly and fly. The tip of the ship held their Dimensional Gateway Generator, which was originally used to travel to Earth when trying to escape the Ducks. Dragaunus later tried to use it to bring more Saurians from Dimensional Limbo to help him conquer Earth, but Wildwing blew it up with the Aerowing. It is currently at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Many of Dragaunus' schemes involve trying to create a fuel source for the Raptor.

Awards and nominations

 * Daytime Emmy Awards
 * 1997 - Outstanding Sound Editing - Special Class - Paca Thomas, Nick Carr, Marc S. Perlman, Kris Daly, Melissa Ellis, Phyllis Ginter, Eric Hertsguaard, Paul Holzborn, Jennifer Mertens, William Griggs, Jeff Hutchins, Kenneth Young, Bill Kean, David Lynch, and Otis Van Osten (won)