Directed by Shelly Lillibridge

Produced by Robin Talley-Virostko

Spring has come to the duck yard. Drake, the Mallard Duck, (Nathan Owens) and his long suffering partner, Ida, (Hallie Thomas) await the birth of a new brood, but the clutch seems to contain one inordinately large egg this year.   Sure enough, it cracks open to reveal an ugly duckling , (Luke Widder) nothing like his siblings, (Cecilia Brown, Danika Brenneman, Sean Ondayko, & Sarah Virostko).  Ida warms to him, though, and takes him out for the first swim on the lake, finding him to be a prodigious swimmer. The other farmyard fowl, however ridicule him, driving him into the eager arms of the Tom Cat, (Blake Lillibridge) who invites him back to the "Kitty Kat Snack Shack" for lunch… of the expected quack!

Ugly escapes by the skin of his teeth, but with night falling he becomes lost.  The concerned Ida insists that Drake and the others launch a search. The next day, Ugly finds himself on open marshland in the middle of a duck shoot. He is taken under the wing of Greylag, (Marley Cumbee) a pompous military goose, his well-meaning wife Dot, (Gabrielle Virostko) and a comical troupe of geese (Kayleigh Bowe, Brandon Ondayko, Patience Lahita, Chelcie King, Katerina Virostko, Misti Curvin, Tricia Brown & Shelby Jacobs).  Though the Cat appears and again tries subterfuge to get a hold of Ugly, his plans are once again thwarted. Meanwhile, Ida has left Drake in charge of the nest, and has gone in search of her missing boy. 

Back at the duck yard, Drake is learning valuable parenting skills, even as Ida's search becomes more frantic.  With the onset of freezing winter, Ugly's prospects are bleak but meeting a beautiful young swan named Penny (Shelby Jacobs) begins to give him hope.  Declining her invitation to join the swan family's  (Misti Curvin, Marley Cumbee & Brandon Onkdayko) migration.

Ugly resumes his journey to find his mother. Befriended by an ebullient bullfrog  (Tricia Brown) and his froglets, (Patience Lahita, Chelcie King, Kayleigh Bowe, & Meredith Evans) Ugly is cheered considerably, until he is caught in a hunter's net.  Rescued by the ever resourceful Cat, who is still hoping to dine on the growing bird, both are soon caught in a raging blizzard, and frozen into snow creatures. With the onset of spring, the swans and Ida arrive just in the nick of time, paving the way for a triumphant trip to the farmyard. 

The show is rounded out with a fine collection of waterfowl, landfowl and water birds including:  Ida’s best friend, Maureen, an Irish Moorhen (Katerina Virostko); Henrietta, a fancy chicken & the barnyard gossip (Chelcie King); the Barnyard School teacher, a pompous turkey (Matthew Knowlton); Her Grace, the regal Principal of the Barnyard School (Meredith Evans); Maggie Pie, the Poultry TV Newswoman (KaLyn Markley); and Maggie’s camerawoman (Alexandra Virostko).

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