Mighty Ducks
Series, 1996, The mid '90s, Set in Anaheim
Mighty Ducks is #12 of 22 in release order and #12 of 22 in chronological order in the ABC Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Puckworld is home to a race of hockey-loving humanoid ducks. When the sinister Dragaunus takes over the planet, a band of determined rebels, The Mighty Ducks, manage to chase him from the planet. During the fight, they are caught in a dimensional portal and end up stranded in Anaheim, CA. The Ducks form a hockey team and build a secret base under the Anaheim Pond so they can continue to fight Dragaunus and hopefully find a way home.
Mighty Ducks recap
Mighty Ducks (1996) recasts Disney's hockey franchise with alien ducks from another universe who play hockey in Anaheim and fight lizard invaders. Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir and David Wise created it, and it ran for one season of 26 episodes on ABC and The Disney Afternoon from September 6, 1996, to January 17, 1997, loosely tied to the films and the NHL's Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. On Puckworld, a planet where hockey is a way of life, the reptilian Saurians escape from Dimensional Limbo under Lord Dragaunus (Tim Curry) and enslave the planet. Resistance leader Canard Thunderbeak sacrifices himself in a dimensional portal after handing the Mask of Drake DuCaine, and the leadership, to Wildwing Flashblade (Ian Ziering). Stranded on Earth, Wildwing leads his younger brother Nosedive (Steve Mackall), the reformed jewel thief Duke L'Orange (Jeff Bennett), former special forces soldier Mallory McMallard (Jennifer Hale), the genius Tanya Vanderflock (April Winchell) and the Zen strongman Grin Hardwing (Brad Garrett). They play home games at the Pond under their manager Phil Palmfeather (James Belushi) and keep Dragaunus and his minions Siege, Chameleon and Wraith from conquering Earth, while police captain Klegghorn (Dennis Franz) doubts the Saurians even exist. Mickey Thomas of Starship sings the theme.
Mighty Ducks ending explained
Mighty Ducks ends with "To Catch a Duck," aired January 17, 1997, in which Dragaunus sends the Puckworld thief Falcone after jewels for his newest weapon, and Mallory questions Duke's loyalty because Falcone once belonged to his gang. The series stops without a finale: Dragaunus is still on Earth, Puckworld is still occupied, and Canard remains lost. No second season was made, and the franchise next returned in live action with The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers on Disney+ in 2021.
Where to watch Mighty Ducks
Mighty Ducks is streaming on Disney+ in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.5/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after ReBoot, before Brand Spanking New! Doug.
- Chronological order: after ReBoot, before Brand Spanking New! Doug.
Cast
- Jeff Bennett as Duke (voice)
- Brad Garrett as Grin (voice)
- Jennifer Hale as Mallory (voice)
- Steve Mackall as Nosedive (voice)
- April Winchell as Tanya (voice)
- Ian Ziering as Wildwing (voice)
- Dennis Franz as Klegghorn (voice)
- Clancy Brown as Siege (voice)
- Jim Belushi as Phil (voice)
- Tim Curry as Lord Dragaunus (voice)
- Tony Jay as Wraith (voice)
- Frank Welker as Chameleon (voice)
Created by Marty Isenberg, Robert N. Skir, David Wise.