Today I want to highlight my most recent discovery (and favourite thing to watch) - the new rebooted series of DuckTales.
Above is the entire first episode available on YouTube.
I remember when the original was on reruns when I was a kid, and like most children, I enjoyed having them in my Saturday morning cartoon mix. However, I do admit that I remember more of Talespin, Darkwing Duck, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers than DuckTales. So when I first heard the reboot was commencing my thoughts mainly circled around: 1) This is yet another money making scheme cashing in on millennial nostalgia rather than making original content 2) I'm not sure about the altered artistic stylistic design of all the characters with more angles rather than traditional rounded cartoon styling and 3) Happy that David Tennant was chosen to voice Scrooge McDuck.
However, a few days ago on cable, I saw that the reboot was on, and I tuned in out of curiosity. I came in partway through the episode, but I immediately loved it. As soon as it was done I went to find the beginning of the episode online, then I promptly binged the five episodes that have been released. (I am terribly saddened that I came in so early to the show since that means I can't binge seasons of episodes, but also excited because it calls back to the old days when people had to wait every week to see what happens next).
By far the best Disney children's show since Phineas and Ferb, DuckTales is utterly charming, supremely well made, and tons of fun. After becoming accustomed to the stylistic change of the characters (essentially more angular), I liked that it harkened back to a more "comic book" feel of the "DuckTales" comic book series. Not only in the character design, but also through the colouring and the animation style. Each freeze frame of the show could easily be a comic book panel in its own right - all it's missing are the speech bubbles.
Character-wise, the easiest improvement that the 2017 series has done is develop separate personalities for Donald's triplet nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Huey (in a red polo shirt and ball cap) has emerged to be a bit of a nerd - he loves organization, science, and the Junior Woodchuck scouts. Dewey (in a blue long sleeved/short sleeve combination) has been more defined as a bit of a prankster, eager to prove himself, and considerate of his friends. Louie (in a green hoodie) has been characterised to be a trickster, a bit lazy, always looking for the easy way out, but also not afraid of hard work for if it means helping his family.
However, the series has also done a marvellous job elevating Mrs. Beakley from Scrooge's maternal maid to his tough-as-nails housekeeper-a-la-secret-agent as well as keeping the original spirit of Scrooge's well-meaning (if not extremely dim) pilot Launchpad McQuack. Not to mention that they have revamped Webby Vanderquack from the "token girl character/little sister stereotype" to an adventurous, independent, and valued, friend of the triplets.
And of course, the ultimately good-hearted (if not also frugal) spirit of the infamous Scrooge McDuck is wonderfully brought to life by Tennant's voice acting talents. While Donald Duck's character is properly paid homage to by the series depicting his bad temperament (and other iconic characteristics) through everything from fresh plotlines to traditional gags (for instance, in his inability to blow out his own birthday candle in the promotional short).
Yet the clearest indicator for what makes this series so very special is that each episode clearly has a lot of heart put into it. From the design of each frame to the development of the characters to the voice talents of the cast, this series has been made with a lot of care. This is most obviously attested to in its fresh, zany plotlines that do a great job at including easter eggs and homages to the original series (and comic books) as well as advancing the in-canon universe lore. The best example of this can be seen in the fact that the series may finally address a decades-old mystery: Who are (and what happened to) Huey, Dewey, and Louie's parents?
And despite the fact that every episode is a fun action-packed adventure full of laughs, each episode also uses its multi-generational cast of characters to its full advantage - teaching valuable lessons like the value of a hard day's work and the importance of family in every storyline.
So I encourage you to watch this series that is clearly not "just for kids". It will give you a lot of laughs, a bit of nostalgia, and overall some quality content to make you look forward to Saturday morning cartoons again.
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