Disney's 1992 live-action movie The Mighty Ducks had nothing to do with cartoons unless you count an oblique reference to funny animals in the title. But aside from a couple of sequels, it touched off some unusual fallout, including a half-hour animated TV series, which started on ABC Saturday, September 7, 1996.
The cartoon series Mighty Ducks wasn't the least bit related to the movie (or to the same-named Disney-owned real-life pro hockey team, another unusual bit of fallout), except for using its title. These Mighty Ducks were duck-shaped extra-dimensional aliens from Puckworld, where they take their hockey very seriously. They'd traveled to our world on a do-gooding mission, partly to save us from the evil Lord Dragaunus, last survivor of The Saurian Overlords, who had taken over Puckworld in years gone by. The other part of their mission on Earth was to get hold of The Mask (no relation), a Puckworld invention capable of bestowing heroic qualities on the wearer.
There were six on the mission, just enough to make a hockey team. Wildwing was the team leader, who played goalie in games. He was voiced by Ian Ziering, who also played Vinnie in Biker Mice from Mars. The big, Macho type was Duke L'Orange, voiced by Jeff Bennett (The Man with the Yellow Hat in Curious George). Nosedive was Steve Mackall (various voices in Duckman and All Dogs Go to Heaven). Grin was Brad Garrett (Bibbo in the animated Superman). The token females were Mallory, voiced by Jennifer Hale (Ms. Keane in Powerpuff Girls) and Tanya, voiced by April Winchell (Cruella DeVil in TV versions of 101 Dalmatians). Lord Dragaunus was Tim Curry (Nigel Thornberry).
In addition to its weekly series on ABC, Mighty Ducks was also part of The Disney Afternoon, the daily programming block that also, at various times, included TaleSpin, The Little Mermaid, DuckTales and several other Disney-made half-hour cartoons.
Mighty Ducks ran its course in a couple of years, and is rarely seen anymore.
— DDM
