The First Snow of Winter

The story takes place in Ireland. Winter is approaching and ducks are starting their migration south. A young and daring white duck named Sean McDuck decides to slide down a hill and cross over to the other side of a stream, despite warnings from his young puffin friend, Puffy. When Sean reaches the other side, Puffy tells him about a fox, which Sean narrowly escapes. When Sean and his family migrate, he gets lost trying to chase some seagulls. Later he is hit by an airplane resulting in his being stranded with a broken wing. His family thinks he has been killed by the fox when Sean's mother sees her with her kits playing with white feathers.

A kindly water vole named Voley is preparing for his winter hibernation but stops to help Sean get ready for the cold weather ahead. Voley also teaches Sean to play a blade of grass as a musical instrument and even does an Irish stepdance with Sean and a chorus line of sheep. Despite Sean's wishes for him to remain, Voley soon heads off to start his hibernation. After struggling through the first night of winter and having to take shelter in a wellington boot, Sean discovers that Puffy was also left behind.

For the rest of the winter the two friends keep each other company. When spring comes, Sean and Puffy eagerly look for their families. The two friends are then cornered by the fox and eventually end up on a ship, but are rescued by Voley while Sean manages to drive away the fox, regaining his ability to fly in the process. Shortly afterward, Sean and Puffy are happily reunited with their families as Sean stepdances with Voley.

• Voley - Dermot Morgan UK Version
• Voley - Tim Curry US Version
• Mother Duck - Sorcha Cusack UK Version
• Mother Duck - Carol Kane US Version
• Sean McDuck - Miriam Margolyes UK Version
• Sean McDuck - Ashley Johnson US Version
• Father Duck - Neil McCaul UK/US Version
• Puffy - Kate Sachs UK/US Version

• The First Snow of Winter at IMDb
• The First Snow of Winter at The Big Cartoon DataBase