Wednesday, September 13, 2017

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 25

Home Sweet Homer









What starts out as a typical adventure of Scrooge and the boys going on an expedition to the lost city of Ithaquack soon turns into one of the most creative and exciting experiences ever brought to this show.  You see, during the expedition, in the time of 1100 BC, there’s an evil sorceress named Circe who’s plotting to get rid of the current king, Homer, so she can take over Ithaquack.  In her attempt to do that, she ends up bringing Scrooge and the boys back in time by mistake and the episode follows them teaming up with Homer to journey back to Ithaquack and put an end to Circe’s reign of terror.  What makes their adventure so great are the many creative obstacles the main protagonists have to get through each filled with a lot of imagination and memorable moments.  They include coming to an island inhabited by a king who can’t stop sneezing, a siren creature who entices Scrooge to abandon ship by appeasing to his interests, and the group struggling to dodge both a whirlpool and a sea monster.  These moments all put together show off what the animation medium can do when it comes to great imagination of talented artists and storytellers.  Everyone involved with this episode is able to leave a mark that’s distinctly their own while also keeping true to the original story by the real life Homer, The Odyssey.  Plus, the characters we follow here are a strong bunch to get behind.  Scrooge is portrayed as a great leader in the first part of the adventure by getting the whole crew through a storm and eventually leading them to safety when their ship is destroyed.  It’s pretty appropriate that Scrooge’s leadership proves inspirational to Homer as well as the boys who state a clear desire to be like Scrooge.  In fact, Huey, Dewey, and Louie get the chance to do just that for the rest of the episode.  The ways out of all the obstacles are really their ideas, and it’s them who have a big hero moment in the end.  As for Circe, she may be a typical power-hungry villain, but she’s an awesome one.  Her temper is over-the-top and hilarious, and follows the creative theme by utilizing her plethora of spells that also make her a huge threat, especially her ability to turn anyone into a pig.  Because of this, the moment she transforms Homer and Scrooge followed by the boys undoing her magic is an epic highlight of the episode.  Then we get an appropriate ending with Circe defeated, Homer ruling happily with his queen, and Scrooge and the boys going back to their own time, complete with a special appearance by Donald Duck if you can believe it.  High creative overtones and lovable characters make this an essential episode to view. 10/10
The Ranking
  1. The Curse of Castle McDuck
  2. Home Sweet Homer
  3. Hotel Strangeduck
  4. Maid of the Myth
  5. Hero for Hire
  6. Top Duck
  7. Robot Robbers
  8. Much Ado About Scrooge
  9. Magica’s Shadow War
  10. Duckman of Aquatraz
  11. Launchpad’s Civil War
  12. Armstrong
  13. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
  14. Master of the Djinni
  15. Sphinx for the Memories
  16. Send in the Clones
  17. Sweet Duck of Youth
  18. Earth Quack
  19. Down and Out in Duckburg
  20. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
  21. The Money Vanishes
  22. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
  23. Dinosaur Ducks
  24. Pearl of Wisdom
  25. Superdoo!
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the gang's adventures at sea continue in a "Bermuda Triangle Tangle."
If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

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