Introducing… The Ducky Crew!
We are proud to present the cast of Lucky Ducky for the current iteration of our pitch deck! Drawing inspiration from the original collection, plus our community projects and feedback, we have been developing characters and designs that we think are cute and fun but also simple enough to be well-suited for animation.
We’ve been thinking of the pitch deck as a living project that evolves as we receive feedback from those we’ve pitched to as well as trusted industry friends. We have adopted an approach of building the story and characters in modular building blocks that could allow us to scale up or down the complexity of the project for whatever budget or opportunity that may arise.
The world of Lucky Ducky draws inspiration from some of our favorite animated classics of yesteryear, especially Gumby and Looney Tunes. In these stories, the relationships between the characters are well-defined, but the setting is mutable and changes often. Much like Gumby jumping into any genre of book, the Ducky Crew handily journeys through time and space to visit almost anywhere, but definitely including The Wild West, outer space, Medieval fantasy lands, the Golden American 50’s, sci fi dystopias, and more, using their bonds and talents to overcome any challenges that they find along the way.
Lucky is our main character. He is an impetuous adventurer with a mischievous streak. Sometimes his curiosity gets the best of him, but he uses his wits and imagination to get himself out of any tight situations, with a little luck and most importantly, the help of his friends!
Penelope, a.k.a. Penny is Lucky’s best friend. She’s playful, headstrong and brave like Lucky, but with a temper that can flare up quickly, especially when she’s defending her friends! Her friends are the only force that can stop her when she gets really mad.
Next is Lindsay a.k.a. Zees. They’re the sometimes clumsy, always sleepy, childhood friend of Lucky. They somehow inadvertently show up at just the right moment to save the day, in their own clumsy way.
Then there’s Ducktective Willis. He’s a private eye that takes himself very seriously, though he can be a bit paranoid and often jumps to the wrong conclusion. When Ducktective Willis shows up, the Ducky Crew is plunged into a dramatically lit film noir-inspired world of mystery and intrigue.
Sometimes the Duckies hang with Phil, who loves leading the crew on adventures…in his favorite game, Duckies and Dragons!! He’s a geek that can be a bit of an annoying know-it-all, but once the crew gets launched into the fantasy realm, he becomes a very important ally, eventually discovering that his magic is real.
The final member of the Ducky Crew is Maddie. Maddie is a worrier, and doesn’t like to go out much, preferring to stay in and work on their hobbies, like building miniatures. Their best friend is Maddie Jr., a frog that has a knack for calming Maddie down when they’re in distress. Once in a while the Duckies manage to get Maddie out of the house, where their analytical skills are an immense help when it comes time to solve a complex problem.
There are 2 main antagonists that the Ducky Crew encounter in the world of Lucky Ducky:
Firstly, The Quacken, a legendary monster of the high seas. Lucky and the crew set on a swashbuckling adventure seeking the treasure hidden in the belly of the Quacken! They will find out that despite the intimidating reputation, the Quacken is a big softy who eventually becomes a friend and ally to the Ducky Crew.
The most chaotic force in the Lucky Ducky universe would have to be Dr. Ray. He’s a nefarious, insecure schemer in the tradition of Wile E. Coyote: ingenious, but ultimately always foiled by his own ambition. He pursues the Ducky Crew during a Frankenstein-styled caper in an effort to extract their luck, eventually learning that luck and fun aren’t things you can just take from others.
As we launch more sub-projects and community events, we’re sure that the lore of the Ducky world will continue to evolve even more still. We love to see your art and hear your takes on the characters and possible themes! A lot of what we’ve come up with has been inspired by the community itself, from the people and conversations that we’re having around technology, to our relationships with ourselves, the world, and one another. Thank you for being a part of the Lucky Ducky universe and we look forward to more projects and fun with you all!
