DuckTales

For the richest duck in the world, life is no hurricane in Duckburg. In fact, Scrooge McDuck finds it downright BORING. Long gone are his adventuring days, trotting across the globe, searching for rare artifacts and long lost treasures. Now he sits through endless board meetings, wondering what happened to that dashing duck. Until one day, when his nephew Donald Duck, in needing to take a new job, drops his three nephews off at Scrooge’s mansion: red hued Huey, an intelligent, analytical and very by the book (and by that I mean the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook) person; the blue bedecked Dewey, rambunctious, glory seeking, and with an irrepressible thirst for adventure; and green garbed Louie, a greedy schemer, who is always looking for a way to get someone else to do his work. Arriving at the Mansion, the nephews are met by an impossibly bad pilot Launchpad McQuack, the gruff and imposing Mrs. Beakley, Scrooge’s housekeeper, and Webby Vanderquack, her intense but naïve granddaughter. Soon enough, the nephews and Webby stir up trouble for Scrooge, who says, “Family is nothing but trouble. Curse me kilts, I’ve MISSED trouble!” Scrooge then decides to take the kids (and Donald, after some job related problems) on various adventures, which proves to be a great success! But you don’t get to the be richest duck in the world without making a few enemies, whether it be the rival Scottish rich duck Flintheart Glomgold, crime family Beagle Boys, or even tech wiz Mark Beaks, the McDucks are going to need to be Smarter than the Smarties, Tougher than the Toughies and Sharper than the Sharpies in order to survive! But I wouldn’t worry: after all, this is Scrooge McDuck after all, the greatest adventurer in the world! With wonderful characters, a unique animation style, a surprising amount of emotional moments and an absolutely killing opening number, DuckTales is an awesome adventure! Many comparisons can be made to the original, which, while charming in its nostalgia, cannot compare to this one. The nephews all have their own distinct personalities, which lends to each one having their own strengths and weaknesses and their own arc, allowing for some great moments, and Webby is more than “the little girl with her dolly”. Scrooge McDuck himself also has much improved characterization, going from just being greedy and going on adventure just for money, to being a seasoned adventurer who, while wanting to fill his money bin, also has plenty of adventures just for the fun of it! Even the opening is better: while using the same lyrics and music, it reaches heights in impact and tempo that make you feel excited for the adventure. And well you should: you’re adventuring with Scrooge McDuck, the greatest adventurer of all time! What really impressed me, though, was the love and care that went into this show, pulling from the original and the comics and also from other sources as well. So much so, I always got the feeling that the people who made this show love DuckTales and Disney itself, that they wanted to show it off to everyone! So grab your cane, your Junior Woodchuck Guidebook and a grappling hook, cause we are going on an adventure! Just make sure to not have Launchpad fly. And soon enough, you too will be shouting “DUCKTALES, WHOO-OO!!!!”