If you want the short version, itās essentially, I thought this was a really good series. I had a few gripes here and there, but they are mostly due my liking of the comics. But overwhelmingly, this series was good.
Now, if you want the long - and I do mean long version. Keep on reading.
This series was really good. I started watching it with a slight wariness. The Ducks are very near and dear to me, and Iām always a bit wary of adaptations (even though I wasnāt really watching this as an adaptation of DuckTales, since I have never seen that, but rather, as an adaptation from the comics). Still, I wanted to give it a fair shot. And Iām glad I did. Iām also glad I wrote these reviews, because they really made me think what I liked and what I didnāt, beyond āitās differentā. And I was really positively surprised of how much I liked it, how much love and attention clearly had been given to it.
I was a bit surprised how little Donald was present. He is, after all, the character that created it all. Itās all built around him. So I expected him to be a more significant - if not the main - character. But altogether, he had quite little screen time. Thatās not a bad thing, just unexpected. And when he was there, he was great. And he was obviously voiced by the official voice of Donald Duck, Tony Anselmo, (who has been doing this since Clarence Nash passed, so since 1985), who naturally did a stellar job. I am wondering if his availability affected how much Donald was there, since Iām pretty sure that no one else is allowed to voice Don. (And thatās not a hyperbole.)
On the other side, I was very surprised over how much Scrooge was present and how central he was to the whole show and plots. And that was very nice. Not for any smart critical reasons, but purely for my own entertainment. Because - if it wasnāt obvious yet - I am obsessed with him and he is my absolute favourite character. And that is why I am going to talk probably most about him and why this review might get a little Scrooge central. Good thing he was also central to the plot. But for now, put a pin on that.
The boys! Do I remember their names? No. Okay, fine. I do remember that the blue one is Dewey, heās always screaming it, itās impossible not to remember. For the red and the green? I kind of want to say Lewey for bothā¦but I think I remember Doofus calling the green one Lu-Ellen (I know thatās not what it was, but thatās what it sounded like and I canāt remember how it was actually spelled) so he might have been Luwey. And that would make the red one Huwey. Maybe. Yes Iāve spent my whole life reading the comics, what about it? Youāre not supposed to remember their individual names.
Anyway, they were obviously very - maybe the most - different from their comic counterparts. I have a personal preference for the comic ones, but that being said, I really like what they did here. All the boys have a very distinct personalities, and they actually donāt to that much together. Well, they do things together, but often there are plot lines involving only one or two of the brothers. It allowed this show to give them their own small character arcs and to develop the relationships they had with the other characters. It was also interesting that the boys didnāt share an equal amount of importance in the plot.
Dewey seemed to be the āmainā of the three. His personality Iād say was of the classic ārascalā nephews, but there was also a lot of depth to him too. I really enjoyed the plot of the first season where he is uncovering the story of what happened to Della. And Iām glad that they allowed that storyline to uncoil in peace on the background, rather than hurrying it too much - this is the benefit of over twenty episode seasons with filler episodes, we get to know the characters and we care more about these slower plots.
The red one (ā¦Huwey?) was more of that junior woodchucks nephews type, which is my favourite characterisation for the boys and overall the most dominant in comics Iād say. But here it was mostly just the junior woodchuck part of him, otherwise his personality was quite different. In the comics the boys are very confident - a bit more like Dewey. But Huwey was more of a nervous wreck, constantly checking the guidebook for assurance on what he is doing. And I liked that, itās a fun thing to explore. The guidebook almost worked like this cheat-sheet for him on just āhow to exist in the worldā and in many ways, itās very relatable to feel the need for something that you can just lean on to trust to tell you what the right thing is.
The green one(ā¦Luwey?) was the most different from the comic boys. He was honestly most like Gander, if anyone, which I think they even pointed out in the show. (There actually seemed to kind of be a triplet for each of the Duck cousins, Donald for Dewey, Feathry for Huwey and Gander for Luwey, further confirming what I said about Dewey being the āmainā triplet. But the similarity is most clear in Luwey.) And I actually found his character maybe the most interesting of the boys. I really liked his relationship with Scrooge. They are fundamentally so different, but they both have the same goal - of being rich. The plot lines around their relationship were the most interesting of all the nephewsā plot lines.
Now if I have horrendeasly misspelt the boys names, Iām sorry. To me theyāll always be Tupu, Hupu ja Lupu. And the english spellings just wonāt stick in my head. Anyway. The boys were pretty much the leading part of the show, and while I liked them and what the show did with them, I do admit that the plots focusing solely on them (and the other kids) were not my favourites. But thatās down to preferences. And they still did have some plot lines I really enjoyed.
Webby was an interesting character, in that she doesnāt have a comic counterpart that Iām that familiar with. Which made her somewhat of a wildcard. I did not know what to expect at all. And, well, thatās a pretty apt description for Webby. She was a wildcard. I would maybe have liked there to be even more exploration around her relationship with her grandma and Scrooge. Her friendship with the other kids however was explored pretty neatly, and I really liked her and Lenaās friendship. There seemed to be some hinting at a crush she might have on Lena, whether sheās aware of it herself is another different thing.
I still donāt know what I think about Launchpad. It might be my experience with the DuckTales comics, which I always skipped because I found them boring, that is in some subliminal way affecting my opinion on him, or maybe I just donāt like overtly dumb characters that seem to lack the intelligence to exist. But he had his moments.
Okay. Then. Della. I liked her. I liked her when she was on the screen, and I found her funny and just fun to watch. However, there is a part of me - and this is going to sound silly - feelsā¦protective of her character. In the comics she doesnāt exist, not really. We donāt know where she is. We donāt know why Donald is raising her kids. We donāt know anything about her. The most significant portrayal that I am aware of her is from the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck in which she is shown as a kid standing next to Donald. She doesnāt even say anything. Then there is the one picture of her as an adult from Don Rosaās family tree of the Ducks. Thatās all. She wasnāt anywhere so much so, that the finnish translations describe the boys to be Donaldās āveljenpojatā. Which means nephews. But it directly translates to ābrother's-sonsā. When Donald Duck came to finland in the fifties, the translators just assumed that they were Donaldās brotherās kids. And to this day, they are often translated to be Donaldās āveljenpojatā because itās just gotten stuck and itās what people have gotten used to saying. Itās why grew up reading, even though the knowledge of Della came before I was even born. (Funnily enough, the same thing happened to Scrooge. He is translated to be Donaldās āsetƤā and Donald his āveljenpoikaā. SetƤ does mean uncle, but traditionally motherās brother would be called āenoā. That one isnāt as bad, since āsetƤā is a bit more neutral term and not so rigid on when it is used. But in the translations Scrooge does call Donald his brotherās son. Someday Iāll write a post about all the women in the duckverse and how they are the invisible clue that connects all these male characters. And how the translators just assumed that every single one of them was a man.)
Anyway, now that thatās out of the way, back to Della. This is why giving her any definitiveā¦anything, feels daunting to me. Which is why I was wary when I realised that she would be a part of the main cast. In some way I wish she had not returned. I really liked the hole her absence had left and how loud it was on season one. But I also like the character that I got to meet as she did return from her moon trip. That first moment when Scrooge saw her tore my heart.
But, for as much as I liked her, I wish they had done more with her. And the fact that she was gone so long. That episode with the money tree, where Scrooge shows this anger at her recklessness was amazing. I wanted more of that. She was this hole of absence in season one, now sheās back. But the effects of that hole donāt just disappear. I wanted the boys to struggle with coming in terms with the fact that they have to get to know their mother. And that sounds harsh, āhave toā, but itās true. To them their mother has been this story, someone they donāt know. More like a guardian angel than a person. Now they have a person with a personality and a voice and a face that they have to put on that ambiguous concept of mother that she has been to them their entire life. I wanted there to be more struggle with that.
I also would have liked there to be some conflict with Donald. Not as in them arguing but just some difficulty. Donald was mad for Scrooge for the part he played on her leaving, but sheās the one who took that risk. Was he angry at her? He had to raise her children and by the time she returns, heās more of a parent to them than she ever got to be. There could have been so many interesting things to explore from that. We didnāt really get any of that conflict of suddenly having two parents and all of the involved having to figure out how that works. If anything, Scrooge played a more parental role at times.
Speaking of which. Now that I have gone over the main cast and my thoughts on themā¦letās return to that pin. Scrooge McDuck. I kind of just glossed over him, because I have a lot to say about Scrooge. And just a warning, this is going to get veryā¦fannish.
I loved Scrooge. I loved him every second he was on screen. David Tennant did a great job giving him a voice, the animators were excellent with him - there were some shots that were truly amazing. i loved everything he did with his cane. He was intelligent, and funny, and he was sweet, and ridiculous. And so adventurous...but. Well, actually. Thereās not a ābut' coming. And thatās kind of the issue.
He felt quite detached from the character of Scrooge McDuck. Now I want to preface this by saying, his character was really good. It worked with the story really well. I am explicitly going to compare him to the comic version now, but please bear with me. Iāll explain myself, I promise. Scrooge felt detached from the character, because he was detached from his money. Now, obviously, this Scrooge is rich. He is the richest person in the world, he can swim in his money, he has a bin full of it. Itās a very big part of his character, they couldnāt do most of the things that they did were Scrooge not as rich as he was. Many plots revolved around his money, so obviously, itās clear that he is really rich, so what the hell am I talking about?
The thing about the character of Scrooge is that, heās not just rich, like many of the other rich fictional characters. Heās not just wealthy. Heās not Lucius Malfoy wealthy rich, heās not Tony Stark or Lex Luthor billionaire rich, heās not a king or a god. He is filthy rich. He is the richest. It is the main thing about his character. Heās not a villain, or a superhero or a business man. Heās rich. That is what everything else of his character is built around. And you might come across some number thrown around on the internet to estimate how rich he is, but whatever that number is, itās wrong. Because he is so rich that no one knows how rich he is, including himself. There is not enough ways to count all that he owns that it could actually be said how rich he is. Thatās how rich he is. His money should be always present, suffocatingly so. In the comics, the deviation is of course the stories taking place before he became rich. Except, not really. Even in those he is defined by his money. His poverty, him trying to claw his way out of it. And the entire time the reader knows what he will become. Itās part of what makes those stories so good. You follow this scrappy, poor, duck who is filled with ambition and who still has a light in him. And you know that he will succeed, that that young, happy, poor boy will become an old, miserable, rich man. He is always defined by his money. Itās everywhere.
But it ducktales, it wasnāt that precent. They live in the mansion, rather than having the money bin be the main locale, where the money is constantly present, physically. Scrooge doesnāt hang around in his money, we donāt see him interact with it that much. His money should have been a more central part of him. And I do understand why they might have wanted to shift away from that. To focus more in his love for adventures than his love for his money. It is uncomfortable, his money. And there has been a much more open dialogue in the last years about the rich and the 1% and we donāt view billionaires the same way anymore. And that has only become more true since the show has ended. So I understand why they might not want to focus on the money, but to that all I can say is, why choose Scrooge then? Why tell a story of him at all if youāre going to shy away from the main part of him? And let me be clear, I hate billionares. There is no ethical way of being that rich. But that has always been true, and I donāt think it makes Scrooge a worse character, I think itās central to his character. Because by removing the suffocating money aspect from Scrooge, they also rid him of his major flaw. His money is his biggest character flaw. In fact, it is his flaws that define him.
Thatās the other thing about his character, about who Scrooge is. He is a bad person. And the worst part is, that we know that he could be good and he knows that he could be good, he wantās to be good, but his own greed and his pride prevent that. So itās contained in secrecy and tricks. Just so he doesnāt have to admit that he does care. And that it is not enough. He is good. But he is also weak.
One of my favourite stories of Scrooge has him return to Scotland in hopes of finding the old treasure of the Knights Templar, that he has followed to the old McDuck Castle. In there it turns out that his sister Matilda has been taking care of the castle - of which only Donald was aware of. Because Scrooge hasnāt talked to his sister in two decades. Not since he chose his money over his family. And Scrooge is terrified of her. And she is still mad. Throughout the story she is disappointed in him, that he is once again trying to find some treasure, that still, all that he can think about is money. Things happen, the treasure is found, they beat the bad guys. And the treasure goes to the world bank in the end. Scrooge acknowledges that that amount of wealth can do a lot fo good - but not in his hands. When Matilda comes to speak of it to Scrooge, he says something about taxes and whatnot to explain why he did not insist on keeping the treasure. She says that he doesnāt care, that earlier when he had jumped in front of a gun to protect her, he must have just slipped. He agrees. Thatās how it must have gone. And she loses it! Sheās so mad at him, and suddenly Scrooge is filled with horror. He rushes to her, apologising. Because he cares, and he is so sorry. And then we have the most beautiful scene between these two, as they talk and Scrooge explains why he is the way he is. How money lost all of its meaning to him, how he became a recluse and stopped enjoying anything. Because he had no one. Until. Until one Christmas, the loneliness got too bad. So he reached out to his sister's son. Who was living with his nephews. He had family. And therefore, he was richer than Scrooge. Matilda asks why he hasnāt told Donald. And Scrooge says that, he canāt, because heāll loose the last respect if Donald finds out that he has more memories in his bin than he has money. And Matilda calls him selfish for not telling Donald. For refusing this side of himself from anyone. And sheās right. And he knows it. And itās still not enough for him to change.
Thatās something I would have liked more. I would have liked for him to be unpleasant. Cruel. Selfish. Greedy. Scrooge is defined by his character flaws, and I think those should be there, dominantly. And I just didnāt get that from this Scrooge. Heās not burdened by his wealth. Heās not hurting the people around him and himself. And I get that this is a different version of Scrooge, a happier, less confined by his money, more able to show his love. But I just canāt help but to think that if you donāt like those parts of Scroogeās character, why adapt him at all. If youāre going to leave out the most important characteristics of him, why bother. Why not pick another character? This Scrooge gets it all. Thereās no downside. His money doesnāt prevent him from finding happiness. From being happy. From having a family. Thatās the thing about Scrooge, what makes him so fascinating and tragic. You canāt help but to hope that he would have made better decisions, that this time he will make better decisions, it leaves you grasping at every moment that shows you hope that there is good in him. Scrooge could have had a family. But he chose his money, and no matter how much he regrets it, he canāt make himself choose otherwise.
And yet, this Scrooge gets it all. But. A part of me isā¦happy. It is comforting to know that there is a version of him that does get it all. The success. The joy. And the family. Thereās a version of him that does not have to feel deeply jealous of Donald. Because thatās another thing of Scrooge, he is so insanely jealous of Donald. For the fact that being happy is easier for Donald. And for the fact that Donald has a family. But this Scrooge that we see in the DuckTales, he doesnāt have to feel that. He used to, but doesnāt have to anymore. Because he gets to be part of it. He gets to choose family. He gets to be happy. Itās comforting. He still has his shadows, his weaknesses and his flaws, but he overcame them. And that might make him fundamentally a different character from the Scrooge that I know, but it is something worth celebrating. This story isnāt a tragedy, itās a triumph. Itās an adventure.
Admittedly, I might be asking too much from a comedy show. Butā¦I found that while focusing on the humour, the show didnāt shy away from touching darker and more serious themes. And thatās admirable. For me to be able to ask these things, to hope that these things would have been explored, are because it was so well made. If it was just bad I wouldnāt see the potential for better. I wouldnāt be inspired to think other things, more things I would have loved to see. The best shows leave you hoping for more.
I also find it truly admirable that they didnāt shy away from the silliness and the comedy. And that might sound ridiculous, but having that isnāt a given. Especially since they did also deal with the more serious aspects. But having both of those has always been the strength of the Duck world, and DuckTales kept to that legacy.
I also must compliment the voice actors. I already touched upon Tony Anselmo and David Tennant, but the rest too were amazing. Their voices told the story, just as well as the animation, which was also amazing. It is always amazing to see animation in any form. I even grew to like the style of the show more as I watched it.
The show wasnāt purely episodic, nor was it purely serialised, but rather, it was somewhere in the middle. There was a clear progression of time and events, but the established dynamics and characteristics allowed them to use these familiar characters to tell all kinds of stories about all kinds of topics. And I think that was one of the greatest aspects of this show, to me. I will definitely be returning to it, in some way or another. So, to close it all off. This was a really good series.
