Wednesday, August 23, 2017

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 8

Hotel Strangeduck


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Right at the start, this episode offers a lot of promise for greatness by establishing a plot of Scrooge planning on turning an old abandoned castle, said to be haunted by the ghost of a scientist named Ludwing von Strangeduck, into a hotel.  Ultimately, what we get in this episode really lives up to the potential.  We lead into the plot with a nice collection of gags of every member of Scrooge’s staff adjusting to the hotel environment as well as some enjoyable moments from the guests, the Duchess if Swansylvania for her charming elegance, and Benzino Gasolini for his flamboyant energy livening the scenes he’s in.  Things really start to get going when an invisible figure who claims to be Strangeduck signs into the hotel and spends a lot of his time scarring everyone by pulling off stunts that look like certain objects like books, bedsheets, candles, and cooking utensils are controlling themselves and later on trying to attack everyone.  There’s a strong mystery element present throughout this whole episode with everything that happens constantly making you guess about Strangeduck and his motives.  He has no gravestone, seems to enjoy causing trouble, and often gives an evil laugh, but why is all this the case?  This tone is effectively captured as we spend most of our time watching Huey, Dewey, and Louie investigate the hotel and its surroundings, being quick to point out anything strange happening.  They also point out how the guests may have a role in what’s going on with the Duchess suspiciously snooping around, and Benzino leaning towards being the ghost since he never shows up when it goes haunting.  All these investigations lead to an exciting climax where everything that happens keeps on building up in intensity.  First, Scrooge and the boys discover invisible paint which explains the ghost’s abilities and invisibility.  Then the ghost steals the Duchess’ jewels and fights Duckworth in an attempt to lower the drawbridge.  Then Scrooge finds out and engages in a pretty intense fistfight with the ghost while the boys try to use the invisible paint to help.  So much happens in this climax, and every bit of it is fun and exciting to watch.  The way everything is resolved is satisfying as it answers all lingering Strangeduck questions, subverts what could have been an obvious outcome, gives credibility to the Duchess as a character, and offers a humorous follow-up to Scrooge’s constant claims that ghosts don’t exist.  Once again, this ending bit has a lot to it, and everything just works.  That’s really a good way to describe this episode.  It’s an interesting story with a lot to offer which makes for a great sense of mystery, comedy, and characterization.  Because of all this, I’d say this episode is the strongest work I’ve seen of the show as of now. 10/10
The Ranking
1.      Hotel Strangeduck
2.      Robot Robbers
3.      Magica’s Shadow War
4.      Armstrong
5.      Master of the Djinni
6.      Sphinx for the Memories
7.      Send in the Clones
8.      Where No Duck Has Gone Before
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode as we close Disc 1 of the DVD set with Scrooge and the gang taking part in a race to "The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn."
If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

No comments:

Post a Comment