Mighty Ducks (also known as Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series) is an American animated television series that aired on ABC and the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon, the last show produced by the block, in the fall of 1996. The show was loosely inspired by the live-action Mighty Ducks films and the eponymous National Hockey League team, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Unlike the films and the hockey teams, the show was about a team of anthropomorphic hockey-playing ducks.
Twenty-six episodes were produced in total.
The series' main theme, composed by Patrick DeRemer, is performed by Starship vocalist Mickey Thomas.
Contents
Story
In another universe exists a planet populated entirely by humanoid ducks. Dubbed "Puckworld" by its inhabitants, it is an icy planet, perfectly suited to the Ducks' favorite pastime, 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.
Legend has it that centuries ago, during an invasion by a reptilian race called Saurians, a duck named Drake DuCaine became the planet's savior over the Saurians' Overlords. The legend tells that DuCaine did so with a high-tech goalie mask which gave him the ability to see through the Saurians' cloaking technology which was a game changer for him and his people. With it, DuCaine sent the Saurians to a mysterious "Dimensional Limbo".
The last of the Saurians escape from the 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 his minions Siege, Chameleon and Wraith. They invade the planet and enslave the people of Puckworld. After some time, a resistance is formed by Canard Thunderbeak, who has found The Mask of Drake DuCaine. With it, the wearer of the Mask could see through the Saurians' invisibility cloaks. Canard forms a band of Ducks to fight Dragaunus. The members of his team consists of Wildwing Flashblade, Nosedive Flashblade, Tanya Vanderflock, Duke L'Orange, Mallory McMallard and Grin Hardwing. 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, Dragaunus and his forces manage to escape in their ship, the Raptor. The Saurians open up a dimensional gateway to escape through, but Canard and the others follow him into the portal with the Aerowing, intent on stopping them.
Dragaunus 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. Before doing so, however, Canard gave the Mask, and 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 Palmfeather, 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, with Dragaunus's plans of conquest often curtailed by damage to the Raptor's power source and his efforts to find a new source of power, although there are other villains that also challenge the six Ducks.
Characters
Main
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, he eventually comes to accept the role of leadership. As a hockey player, he is the team's goaltender, wearing jersey number 00, and is known for his ability to take any kind of beating and 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. The character is based on Wild Wing, the mascot of the Anaheim Ducks since their debut in 1993.
Nosedive Flashblade (voiced by Steve Mackall) is Wildwing's younger brother, who initially was not intended to be part of Canard's resistance. However, Wildwing makes Canard take Nosedive with them, stating "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. Nosedive is more childish and easygoing than the other Ducks and often looks toward his older brother for support and protection. He usually uses a Puck Blaster and rides a Duckcycle. On-ice, Nosedive is the left winger, and his jersey number is 33.
Duke L'Orange (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a notorious jewel thief who was the leader of a gang called the Brotherhood of the Blade, but reformed after joining the resistance against 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 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. Duke is the team's center, and his jersey number is 13.
Mallory McMallard (voiced by Jennifer Hale) is a fiery redhead who is well-learned in Puckworld's version of 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. A former member of the Puckworld Special Forces, Mallory is a strict disciplinarian and has a high regard for the chain of command. Mallory is the team's right winger, and her jersey number is 15.
Allies
Canard Thunderbeak (voiced by Townsend Coleman) was Wildwing's best friend and the only remaining survivor of the Resistance from Puckworld. He was the original leader and team captain of the Mighty Ducks. While following Dragaunus through a dimensional gateway, Canard sacrificed himself when the Saurians released an electromagnetic worm on the Aerowing, causing him to be trapped in dimensional limbo.
Phil Palmfeather (voiced by Jim Belushi) is the Ducks' manager. Phil would rather have the team do dangerous or stupid promotional gimmicks and autograph signings with fans than have them save the world over hero work sometimes, although he does acknowledge that they do good. He also has bad taste in fashion.
Captain Klegghorn (voiced by Dennis Franz) – Head commissioner and captain of the Anaheim Police Department who initially does not 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 helps Wildwing retake the Pond.
Thrash (voiced by Jeff Bennett) and Mookie (voiced by April Winchell) are Nosedive's seemingly only human friends who dress like punk rockers. They run a comics store called "Captain Comics," of which Nosedive is a frequent customer.
Bernie "Buzz" Blitzman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a young orphan and boy genius 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.) is a scientist and friend of Tanya's. He turned his back on humanity when they abused his inventions.
Borg (voiced by Rob Paulsen) – Borg is the prince regent of an alternate dimension version of Anaheim. The Ducks help him take back his throne and fought against the evil wizard Asteroth.
B.R.A.W.N. (voiced by Frank Welker) is a robotic bounty hunter who was sent to capture Dragaunus and return him to his Dimensional Limbo prison cell but was reprogrammed to eliminate the Ducks. Tanya was able to re-reprogram him into joining their cause and stopping Dragaunus' assault platform. His name is short for Bounty Robotic Assault and Weapons Negotiator.
Villains
The Saurians are a race of reptilian humanoids and the primary antagonists.
Lord Dragaunus (voiced by Tim Curry) is the dragon-like leader of the Saurians and the last of the Saurian Overlords. Dragaunus is not above working with humans or even other aliens he hates in his quest for world domination. Most of Dragaunus's schemes involve trying to create an alternative fuel source for his flagship, the Raptor, after Grin and Tanya destroyed its power crystals. The Raptor's remaining power is only enough to run the ship's cloaking device.
Wraith (voiced by Tony Jay) is a dragon-like sorcerer with a dry sense of humor. He is smarter than Siege or Chameleon and serves as Dragaunus' second-in-command, but disdained by Dragaunus because of his firm belief that the dark magic of their ancestors is the only means for victory. Wraith 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.
Siege (voiced by Clancy Brown) is an Ankylosaurus-like soldier who is aggressive and has a strong hatred for the Ducks. He 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.
Chameleon (voiced by Frank Welker) is a chameleon-like Saurian with shapeshifting abilities. Much of the time, an imperfect transformation can give him away. 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 Hunter Drones are robotic foot soldiers of Dragaunus. They have blasters on their hands. They are often easily destroyed by the Ducks. Dragaunus himself destroys them whenever he is extremely angry.
Tiny – In "The Iced Ducks Cometh", the Ducks face off against a much larger Drone, nicknamed Tiny by Siege. Nosedive destroys Tiny by crushing him with a Zamboni.
Dr. Droid (voiced by Charlie Adler) – Formerly a human named Otto Maton, Dr. Droid is now a cyborg and wants to turn the rest of the world into robots.
Episodes
Home media
A direct-to-video feature film titled Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off was released on VHS on April 8, 1997. It comprises three episodes of the series ("The First Face Off" Parts 1 and 2, and "Duck Hard") edited into one continuous movie. The director of this movie is credited under the pseudonym Alan Smithee, usually chosen by any director who chooses not to be credited, which has been used in various productions since 1969.
The series has been available on the streaming service Disney+ in the U.S. since its launch in November 2019.
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)