IAN ZIERING, JIM BELUSHI, DENNIS FRANZ AND TIM CURRY QUACK IT UP IN WALT DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION'S COOL NEW SERIES~ 'MIGHTY DUCKS'
Guest Voices Include David Hyde-Pierce, Hockey Star Guy Hebert, and ESPN Announcer Roy Firestone
Sure, you think it's easy finding just the right voices for an animated series about a team of superhero hockey-playing ducks from another galaxy. But since this isn't exactly a character-type found on most actors' resumes, the producers of "Mighty Ducks" -- the all- new animated series making its syndication debut Friday, September 6 on 'The Disney Afternoon,' and on the ABC Television network Saturday morning, September 7 -- have turned to a stellar line-up of TV and film character actors. And, to a real-life Mighty Duck.
Leading the team is 'Beverly Hills 90210' heartthrob Ian Ziering as the brave, courageous Wildwing. "It's not often that I get to play an intergalactic freedom-fighting duck," notes Ian Ziering about Wildwing, the idealistic captain of the 'Mighty Ducks' hockey team, who always plays by the book, and is a consumate sportsman and role model for the team's young fans. "What's fun about doing this is I get to live vicariously through Wildwing," Ziering says. "It's exciting for me to voice a really big, 'in your face' character, because I don't get to do that on camera."
Comic actor Jim Belushi ('Taking Care of Business,' 'Curly Sue') runs interference as the team's non-stop-talker, always-on-the-move business manager, Phil. Only one human on earth knows of the secret mission of the world's favorite hockey team, and that's Phil. "I based the voice on a combination of my agent and my lawyer -- I stole their rap!" Belushi laughs. With a cel phone perpetually attached to his ear, Phil wheels promotion deals for the team ("Let's do a little business, Calvin! Underwear?! Sure, ducks wear underwear!"). "Phil's just a guy trying to make things happen," says Belushi. Phil might be the Ducks' most loyal fan, but he only reluctantly supports their mission to save the planet, because it takes too much time away from what they really should be doing -- making money for him.
Tim Curry ('The Three Musketeers,' 'Rocky Horror Picture Show') stirs up trouble as the Mighty Ducks' evil nemesis, Lord Dragaunus. Dragaunus, the reptilian renegade, escaped defeat in the Puckworld galaxy by traveling through a space-time vortex to earth, where he is plotting to enslave the planet. Little did he know when he made his escape that the Mighty Ducks were right on his tail, determined to thwart his diabolical plans. Curry can also be heard as the villain Moltoc in 'Quack Pack,' the new Walt Disney Television Animation series starring Donald Duck and premiering concurrently with 'Mighty Ducks' on 'The Disney Afternoon.'
Dennis Franz ('NYPD Blue') attempts to keep the peace by joining the Anaheim Police as Officer Klegghorn. Well-known to 'NYPD Blue' fans for his Emmy-winning role of Detective Andy Sipowicz, Franz lends his voice to a blustering, junk-food-eating disciplinarian who has suspicions about the Mighty Ducks. Klegghorn wonders why the appearance of the Ducks hockey team just happens to coincide with the appearance on the scene of a six-duck vigilante crime-fighting team. Franz explains how he performs the voice of Klegghorn: "I have three styles that I draw upon: loud, louder and loudest!"
Guest voices throughout the season include 'Frasier's' Emmy-winning David Hyde-Pierce, who voices the very Germanic hunting fanatic Baron von Lichtenstamp; and real-life Mighty Ducks hockey star Guy Hebert, as himself.
The 'Mighty Ducks' voice line-up also features ESPN sports anchor Roy Firestone as the ever-present Anaheim Pond rink announcer; comedian Brad Garrett ('Everybody Loves Raymond,' 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' 'The Tonight Show') as Grin, the largest of the Mighty Ducks, whose huge physical size and Zen-like philosophy of life ("You must return to the True Way of Hockey") are a lethal combination for his foes on and off the ice; Jennifer Hale as Mallory; Steve Mackall as Nosedive; and April Winchell as Tanya.
'Mighty Ducks' is produced by Walt Disney Television Animation for Buena Vista Television, subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company. Supervising Producer: Joe Barruso. Story Editor/Writer: David Wise. Directors: Doug Murphy and Frank Squillace.