So, I’m huge fan of the Duck clan and their stories, have been since I was like four or five. I watched Ducktales 1987 back then, I’ve read the Don Rosa and Carl Barks comics and even lots of the LTB comic book collections that were penned by other writers but fell off after a while, even though I would still snoop through one now and then.

So, when I heard they were going to reboot Ducktales,I was actually pretty psyched, especially since they were updating it. Now, having watched the first two episodes, I have to say, it’s fucking awesome. The cartoon is energetic, I am loving the updates and it’s just giving this fun feeling of awesome adventure that makes me feel like a kid again. The humor is snappy and funny and made me laugh out loud quite a few times. The animation is gorgeous and the voice acting is a delight.

So far, there will be two seasons. The first is going to be 21 half an hour episodes and two one hour specials. Next episodes will air on September 23, 2017.

Lots of pretty good voices are also working on this: David Tennant as Scrooge, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as the triplets, Kate Micucci as Webby, Beck Bennett as Launchpad, Toks Olagundove as Mrs. Beakley (Webby's grandma) and Tony Anselmo as Donald.

The triplets now seem to have distinct personalities, which, let’s be honest, is kind of a new thing for them, excluding Quack Pack. I mean, sure, I liked them back then but the differences between the three were I guess more of a wishful thing one did as a viewer but not really part of the writing. In earlier days, they really couldn’t do much wrong. They weren’t saints by any measure but after joining the Junior Woodchucks they pretty much were ready for anything, especially with the deus ex machina that was the Guidebook which had information on everything and anything. Here, it is less the triplets pulling their dumb uncle out of hot waters but rather that Donald is actually rather capable in the whole adventuring business and was helping his nephews from the background. Here, things are open for real character growth. Curious to see how far long they’ve been woodchucks. Focus has been more on the blue one (still have trouble with the English names, I'm afraid. I knew them as Tick, Trick and Track) but I hope that's just because they all will get their own story arcs later on and his just happened to be first, rather than him being the main character of sorts.

Saint Canard was mentioned, the city Darkwing Duck is from and we were promised at least one appearance by him, so really looking forward to that. Also hoping for Gizmo Duck to make his appearance at one point, although he certainly wasn’t in the opening. I'm told Lin-Manuel Miranda will be voicing him so pretty psyched we'll see him, hopefully in as large of a role as back then. Then again, Launchpad was only barely in it as well. The butler seems to have disappeared but then again, he was just a stoic butler and hardly anyone’s favorite. Guess the bigger focus on the triplets and Webby and the inclusion of Donald kinda cut into Launchpad's screentime but hey, no such thing as perfection.

Webby and her grandma have undergone huge updates, probably the most. Webby went from a sweet, nice girl who liked things sweet, nice girls like to adventure obsessed but kinda sheltered young girl, who got training from her grandma who seems to be the Roberta kinda maid. To early to tell how she’ll be but hey, I liked the interactions she had with Scrooge so far, so rather positive and it’s more interesting than the fussy old woman she was before, even if it is a bit meh that the only way they figured to make her interesting was to make her a retired spec ops member or something, although to be fair, it makes sense as to why Scrooge would hire and trust her.

Not too psyched on Flintheart Glomgold’s design but think it’ll grow on me.

Donald is one of my favorite characters but damn is he hard to understand, especially for someone to whom English is not my native language. Hopefully I will grow used to this rather soon or I might need actual subtitles. But cool to see him having a much bigger role again. I have to say, one of the many problems the old Ducktales had was that they benched Donald for most of it, with him being in the navy and only joining the adventures here and there. With him being part of the core group again, things should be better. Have to say, the adventures of Barks and Rosa, where the triplets, Donald and Scrooge went on treasure hunts were among the best adventure stories I have ever read. Webby seems like a cool addition to that as well.

Kinda hoping other characters such as Daisy, Gladstone Glander, Magica DeSpell, Fenton, John D. Rockerduck and others will also appear. We at least saw Gyro Gearloose and the Beagle Boys in the opening so they we’ll at least see.

Donald plugging the holes in the wall to stop the water has got to be a callback to the story with the dam.

Spoiler

Holy shit, that last frame. So Donald’s sister finally gets an appearance or at least her character will be explored. Think the most we knew off her in the old comics was that she died during a cruise or something? Hopefully we’ll also get to see the other female McDuck’s like Scrooge’s sisters. Donald’s mother being just as prone to bursts of violent rage was hilarious to see that one time, would love to explore that family tree.

So, yeah, am honestly blown away and those two episodes were among the most fun I had with a series in a long time. The updates work and it’s just a joy so far.

Anyone else watching this?

Here is the opening

Here is the voice cast singing the opening.

 

I am so stoked for this. I've never read the Barks/Rosa comics, but I'm glad that the new series seems to be pulling a lot from them--every McDuck clan fan I've talked with swears by those comics. The first episode--which Disney put on its Youtube channel--was fantastic start to finish.

 

I had no idea they had different names in other languages. If you're living right, you learn something new every day.

lol

Before that, the nephews were trying to hot-wire the boat and go to Cape Suzette, which was the setting for TaleSpin. Spoonerville was also mentioned, which (though I never watched it) was the setting for Goof Troop.

They really want all eyes on this reboot. The Saturday it premiered, they started airing it at midnight and, as far as I know, it just repeated for most of the day. Then they put the episode on their YouTube channel - in 1080p, no less.

They're definitely hewing closer to the comics. The animation extensively employs halftones, sketchy lines, and coloring that doesn't quite fit within the outlines, like a comic with a printing misalignment. And, of course, the colors Donald and Scrooge are wearing are from the comics, not DuckTales. A lot of the imagery in the opening sequence is straight out of Carl Barks paintings and comic art, most notably the red-sailed Flying Dutchman.

The opening blatantly takes place within the panels of a comic, 'nuff said. Them chasing Scrooge's Number One Dime throughout the theme is a neat idea... still not sure about that bird call they slipped into the music, though.

I have to say, with Alan Young being the voice of Scrooge since I was 7 years old, any new voice was going to sound weird, but I find Tennant's Scrooge to be kind of grating.

Glomgold's bevy of lady pipers kind of cracks me up. Note: His mercenaries aren't the "best of the best," he says they're "the best of the cheapest."

Not sure how Donald is getting phone service in the middle of the ocean with that cell phone. Scrooge, on the other hand, is specifically using a satellite phone. Nice.

Spoiler: Webbigail

Note...

Original Webbigail.


New Webbigail's crazy stalker room (note the arrow-impaled doll in the upper right).



Of course, the original Webby had a doll that looked just like her, and this new one apparently does as well. So what are the makers of the new show trying to say with this impaled doll? Does the doll represent itself, and this is a message that this Webby is an adventurous, empowered, modern, girl who has no interest in dolls (as though the two were mutually exclusive)... or, does the doll represent the old Webby, and they're "killing" her because they couldn't stand the annoying, whiny, baby any more than the rest of the audience could? Looks like she still owned and wore the old dress, in this incarnation, though...

This is one instance where I'm glad they shit-canned the original version of a character in favor of a new take. The original Webbigail, from what I remember, was insufferable more often than not.

Spoiler: Terry McGovern...

the original voice of Launchpad McQuack, invented the word Wookie, while in a car with George Lucas. So, if your childhood involved DuckTales and Star Wars (and if you're anywhere near my age, how could it not?), you can thank him twice.

I wonder how many Scottish people will take this new opportunity to whine that Scrooge and Glomgold are both based on a negative stereotype. My guess? ZERO. I'm sure some SJW busybody who's as far from Scottish as I am from Ugandan will take the opportunity to complain on their behalf, though... if the show prove$ popular enough.

 

Watched it. Loved it. That ending. Nostalgia rearing its head. Why does September seems so far away?

 

I haven't heard that version. But in one of the Dutch comics we are told that she

Spoiler

decided to try space travel and due to time dilatation triplets will be already over thirty when she returns.

The translations of Duck comics are a really big thing in European countries. See this for example.

Glomgold isn't Scottish though, he is from South Africa.

 

I hate to be pedantic (that is a lie), but Glomgold was only South African in the original comics. In the Duck Tales cartoon (not the reboot, the first one), he was Scottish:

 

That's more random than pedantic, considering that we, you know, talk about the new cartoon.

Also, IDW does a spin-off comic series written by Joe Camaragna. The series proper starts in September, but the issue #0 was released last month and was decent. It was (as fitting for #0) a prequel showing Donald's previous attempts at getting a job (and showing why it's Louie that is the evil triplet). I hope that it'll get better when it gets to actual adventure stuff, as so far it was rather generic.

 

Yeah, German names are rather different. Scrooge McDuck is also Dagobert Duck. Glomgold is McMoneysag (translated into McMoneybags), Rockerduck is Klaas Klever, Gladstone Glander is Gustav Gans, Magica DeSpell is Gundel Gaukelai, Gyro Gearloose is Daniel Düsentrieb and the Beagle Boys are the Panzerknacker.

Funnily enough, Gizmo Duck had two names. on Darkwing Duck he was called Dings-Bums Duck whereas on DuckTales he was Krachbum-Ente

Pretty sure most languages have their own names for them.

Ducktales/Disney Afternoon Cinematic Universe is a go!

 

So, episodes 2 and 3 were released by now.

Episode 2 was probably the least impressive episode so far. It had good moments, Webby's bloodthirsty-ness is delightful and the triplets get good lines. Not sure if I like the new design of Ma Beagle but I can roll with it. Not sure if I prefer the "all the Beagle Boys look identical but for their number" approach or the "they are pretty much the Daltons in terms of personality and size" approach but it worked fine enough.

Episode 3 was amazing. The update to Gyro Gearloose is awesome, to change him from a kind hearted, soft, a bit of a doormat inventor who gets taken advantage off by others to the mad, arrogant scientist type whose inventions tend to go evil to his annoyance. He was entertaining and I loved his lines. Gizmo Duck is already being teased.

Uncle Scrooge arguing with the vultures of his board about his expenses was hilarious, especially with lines like him needing the the anti magic protection due to the amount of revenge curses on him. The archivist was interesting enough and honestly, until the "she has worked for me for 40 years line" I thought she was Magica De Spell but maybe that is something that will happen to her but who knows.

In the end, Scrooge having to deal with his competent but ultimately crazy employees in his money bin has been a pretty great change.

It's interesting that we get episodes for specific characters and not that every episode had all the main cast in the forefront. Episode 2 barely had any Scrooge in it for example, whereas in episode 3, the Huey, Beakley and Donald were missing entirely.

So yeah, 3 episodes in and I am loving this. it's funny, charming and super entertaining. Has been some time since I had that much fun with a cartoon.

Then of course there is the fact that we already got more hints and teasing for the Della Duck plotline. So yeah, if you haven't, check it out.