'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 14

Hero for Hire

Based on what I’ve seen of him, I’d say Launchpad McQuack is a great addition to the cast.  Even in the weaker episodes he’s in, he shows off a lot to love, willing to help those in need with devotion to everyone he’s close to despite his apparent naiveté and habit of crashing.  It’s these qualities that make him a likable character, so it’s great that we get this episode all about him.  It starts off with his flaws being seen as a major problem when Launchpad crashes into Scrooge’s newly-built bank and gets fired.  As Launchpad tries and constantly fails to find ways he can be a hero so to continue making a living, it’s easy to get a good laugh out of how Launchpad fails to be a hero, but also feel for him.  You know you’re watching something great if it can play with your emotions so well.  The plot really gets going when Launchpad’s attempts to be a hero get the attention of the Beagle Boys working with Ma Beagle.  They come up with an admittedly clever plan of tricking Launchpad into robbing banks by making him think he’s doing it as a movie star.  The scenes of the “film shooting” are strong comedic highlights of the episode with how passionate Launchpad is about the role, and how that delays the Beagle family’s true goal of stealing the money.  However, what makes these moments really work is that he’s not stupid enough to buy this scam until it’s too late.  It’s when the episode is about halfway through that Launchpad realizes his acting gig was a setup to make him look like a criminal. That leaves plenty of time to clear his name, thwart the Beagle family, get Scrooge’s money back, and get rehired, including hilarious banter with the bad guys, gags with cakes and pies filled with weapons, car chases, and big crashes to finish everything off.  It’s truly a climax to call Launchpad’s own and it’s just amazing.  It’s not just Launchpad and the Beagles who are great here.  Scrooge has a nice subplot where he slowly regrets firing Launchpad, displaying his more human layer within his greedy persona.  It’s especially apparent when he blames himself for Launchpad supposedly going criminal and shows major sorrow when it looks like he committed suicide by flying into a bridge which is a pretty emotional scene before we find out the truth.  Doofus Drake is also used well here since it’s he who inspires Launchpad to keep on trying when the going gets tough by reminding him that everyone needs a hero, which to me is the best way to write a number one fan type character.  With its engaging story, great character moments, and ability to play with your emotions, this is not just a great starring episode for Launchpad, but a major winner for the series. 10/10


The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Hero for Hire
3. Robot Robbers
4. Magica’s Shadow War
5. Duckman of Aquatraz
6. Armstrong
7. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
8. Master of the Djinni
9. Sphinx for the Memories
10. Send in the Clones
11. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
12. The Money Vanishes
13. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
14. Dinosaur Ducks

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Doofus Drake gets his own starring role when he becomes "Superdoo!"

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 13

Dinosaur Ducks

As the title implies, this episode tackles the subject of dinosaurs which is another good way to exploit the adventure aspect of this show.  It opens with an immensely entertaining sequence of Launchpad trying to bring a rare bird to Scrooge’s zoo while running from a dinosaur, accidentally letting the bird go, and literally crawling all the way back to Duckburg showing off a lot of comedy and appeal.  The potential for greatness is really laid down when Launchpad giving an account of what he got up to gives Scrooge an idea to go to a place called the Lost World where the only surviving dinosaurs live, and bring them back for his zoo.  The idea of there being a world of dinosaurs in the modern world is pretty creative and you’re led to expect a great display of character interactions from great characters like Scrooge and Launchpad.  However, we also have Huey, Dewey, and Louie stowing away to get in on the action, and while this greatly shows off their mischievous sides akin to their portrayal in the classic Disney shorts, this moment does lead to them kind of hijacking the focus of the episode following an entertaining crash landing that separates them from Scrooge and Launchpad.  While these two characters still have some highly entertaining interactions as they try to find the boys in the Lost World, what we watch for the majority of the episode’s remainder is the boys coming across a baby dinosaur and try to catch it for their Uncle Scrooge, and each of their plans backfiring.  The moments are fine and good for a bit of a laugh, but they’re not as interesting of what could’ve been the main plot.  This is mostly because the dinosaur-catching attempts slowly start to feel repetitive for how they all end up backfiring, and also, despite showing great problem-solving skills in many previous episodes, Huey, Dewey, and Louie don’t approach the situation differently from how any kid would, meaning they’re not very interesting characters to follow.  Then, wouldn’t you know it, the very character who saves the day is Webby, who also stowed away on the trip.  Through her cutesy nature, she convinces the boys, and later Scrooge and Launchpad, that the baby dinosaur should stay in the Lost World with his family instead of being forced to be part of a zoo exhibit.  I find Webby establishing the ultimate conclusion of this plot to be sweet, but also disappointing since it further lessens the potential for an epic scope appropriate for this kind of subject.  Still, it’s nice that Scrooge still finds a way to use the dinosaurs to make money despite this decision.  This episode may not be as interesting, grand, or epic as it could be, but it’s still good for what it is thanks to its creativity in spots and most of its character moments. 8/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Robot Robbers
3. Magica’s Shadow War
4. Duckman of Aquatraz
5. Armstrong
6. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
7. Master of the Djinni
8. Sphinx for the Memories
9. Send in the Clones
10. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
11. The Money Vanishes
12. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
13. Dinosaur Ducks

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Launchpad gets up to even more awesome moments as a supposed movie star in "Hero for Hire."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 12

Sir Gyro De Gearloose

From what I’ve seen of Gyro Gearloose so far, I’d say that he’s a fairly enjoyable character mostly because of his shtick of pulling off great inventions, only for them to be made a little too well or causing all kinds of chaos when they fall into the wrong hands.  He’s not the best character, but it’s easy to tell that we’re in for quite a time when he’s involved in an episode.  Here, we see a new side to Gyro’s character.  He’s tired of everyone turning to him as a gadget man and wants to be liked for something else, so he invents a bathtub that can send him back to time periods that might have been such as a time period where he might have been a famous knight.  Ultimately, he, along with Huey, Dewey, and Louie end up back in time in the kingdom of Quackelot ruled by King Artie.  Throughout their stay, it’s easy to feel for Gyro when he tries to prove himself as a knight, but ends up getting everyone in the kingdom to worship him as a gadget maker.  It’s made clear through scenes of Gyro creating a catapult to stop a black knight, or a cider hose to stop a fire-breathing dragon, and even a wheel to hold up his lance, that Gyro simply can’t escape what’s been established as his major talent which is one he’s sick of.  What makes these moments strong is that it’s believable that many people would feel this way.  As for the worshiping, Gyro’s gadget-making gets the attention of a wizard named Moorloon, who grows to want to impress King Artie and his court with gadgets as opposed to magic which, like Gyro’s gadget-making, is his true talent.  Now, while Gyro’s attempts to become a knight never go too far, Moorloon ends up making a deal with enemy ruler, Lessdred, which gets Quackelot invaded showing off a nice difference in consequences to actions depending on the extremes one goes to.  Anyway, both Gyro and Moorloon reach a solid conclusion to their arcs when they decide that no one can be good at everything, and save Quackelot by sticking to what they know best with Gyro inventing a magnet-based gadget to attract the armor of Lessdred’s men and Moorloon powering it with his magic.  By the way, the outcome of Gyro’s gadget is sure to get a laugh out.  This message of sticking to what you know is a common one in shows, but I feel it’s one people of all ages should be aware of.  That, along with Gyro’s character development, and the medieval atmosphere of the whole adventure make this another strong entry to invest me in this show. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Robot Robbers
3. Magica’s Shadow War
4. Duckman of Aquatraz
5. Armstrong
6. Sir Gyro de Gearloose
7. Master of the Djinni
8. Sphinx for the Memories
9. Send in the Clones
10. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
11. The Money Vanishes
12. Where No Duck Has Gone Before
    

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the show tackles another common subject for adventures with "Dinosaur Ducks."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 11

The Money Vanishes

This is a more comedic gag-driven episode, and as such, it’s a strong one for how creative the gags are and how almost all of them successfully bring about a laugh.  The characters that bring about the gags are the Beagle Boys who once again break out of jail with the help of a shovel their ma successfully snuck into a cake which is another nice example of genuine family values coming from a family of robbers that I really appreciate.  For much of the first part of the episode, there’s a lot of humor to be found in a collection of scenes of the Beagle Boys working off each other through character interactions as well as digging to different locations with the shovel.  Then, the plot really gets going when they end up digging to Gyro Gearloose’s barn where they find out that Gyro has invented a ray that can transport anything showered upon with a certain spray to any location.  The way the Beagle Boys get the invention is a good demonstration of Gyro’s appeal where he’s smart enough to create extraordinary inventions yet naïve enough to fall for the ploys of common bank robbers, though in his defense, Scrooge also falls for their tricks.  Speaking of Scrooge, as you can guess from what their main thing to steal is, the Beagle Boys use the invention to steal every last bit of money from his money bin.  However, as was the case with the last episode, it’s Huey, Dewey, and Louie who closely examine the trick that got the Beagle Boys to steal Scrooge’s money, and they’re the ones who find out the truth of the matter, leading to them facing off against the Beagle Boys in the confrontation during the episode’s third act.  It’s filled with a bunch more comedic gags involving the spray and relocation ray mostly involving them being used on animals during a chase through a zoo or everyone running into Gyro who we amusingly see going for a jog and eventually winning a race as a result of the Beagle Boys’ earlier scam.  There are even some fun gags involving the ray and spray as the confrontation reaches its climax when Huey, Dewey, and Louie use them to send the Beagle Boys back to jail.  Then after the money’s returned to Scrooge’s bin, we end on one last humorous confrontation between him and Gyro after the inventor suggests another invention that could potentially cause a rich duck like Scrooge to go through another money-losing ordeal.  While the story is very basic and in a way relies on adults being easily fooled to get things going, the comedy and moments from characters like the Beagle Boys and Scrooge’s nephews make it highly enjoyable and worth a viewing. 9/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Robot Robbers
3. Magica’s Shadow War
4. Duckman of Aquatraz
5. Armstrong
6. Master of the Djinni
7. Sphinx for the Memories
8. Send in the Clones
9. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
10. The Money Vanishes
11. Where No Duck Has Gone Before

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Gyro gets his own starring role as he goes back in time and becomes "Sir Gyro de Gearloose."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 10

Duckman of Aquatraz

Any story that threatens to strip Scrooge of his millionaire status has a lot of potential to turn out great, and the one in this episode fits that bill.  It’s about him being framed for stealing a valuable piece of artwork from Flintheart Glomgold’s art gallery and being sentenced to 15 years in the intensely guarded prison of Aquatraz.  On Scrooge’s end of the story, we’re given a believable look at how one might adjust to prison life.  At first, Scrooge dreads this lifestyle and finds himself getting into conflicts with all the other prisoners.  Through it all, he’s really sympathetic, especially since he never committed the crime in question.  However, as the story goes on, Scrooge slowly adapts to his surroundings, and even befriends his cellmate Mad Dog McGurk.  Actually, their friendship is the strongest part of the episode mostly for how gradually it builds up into something nice.  At first, they don’t get along, but then they bond through the equally admired activity of wrist-wrestling. Then Scrooge does something nice for Mad Dog by not ratting him out for causing a fight even though he had the chance to do so, and then their friendship reaches its strongest point when he arranges Mad Dog’s mother to come to the prison to see her son during visiting hours.  It’s not only a great payoff to everything Scrooge had to put up with at first, but it’s also the makings of a great duo.  It’s a duo so great, it’s easy to root for them when Mad Dog arranges an escape from Aquatraz for him and Scrooge out of respect, and even gets Scrooge to understand his actions when he reveals that he too was imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit another reason to get behind this pair of friends.  In addition to the main plot, the subplot involving Huey, Dewey, and Louie trying to prove Scrooge’s innocence really shows off how despite being young and mischievous, they’re really skilled when it comes to solving problems.  They know right away that Scrooge would have no reason to steal a painting since he’s the richest duck in the world, and they confirm this by successfully eavesdropping on a conversation between Flintheart and a henchman that the family portrait Scrooge said he was trying to pick up must not be found.  Also, when that portrait ends up ruined, the boys find another way to solve the problem by closely examining the tape, thus discovering that Flintheart set Scrooge up the whole time.  It leads to a well-deserved pardon for Scrooge and Mad Dog and a humorous sentence for Flintheart, but I really can’t believe that no one else besides the boys thought to closely examine the tape.  Aside from that little bit of head-scratching, I say that this episode represents the show once again showing off some true storytelling greatness. 9.5/10

The Ranking

1. Hotel Strangeduck
2. Robot Robbers
3. Magica’s Shadow War
4. Duckman of Aquatraz
5. Armstrong
6. Master of the Djinni
7. Sphinx for the Memories
8. Send in the Clones
9. The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn
10. Where No Duck Has Gone Before

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Beagle Boys cause more hijinks when they get a hold of Gyro Gearloose's newest invention and "The Money Vanishes."

If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'Toon Reviews 5: DuckTales Vol 1 Part 9

The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn

The main adventure for this episode has an interesting setup.  In the universe of this show, emperor Genghis Khan lost his crown in a snowy mountain called Shadow Pass, and years later when some explorer found it, he was scared off by a snow monster and left it behind.  Now, the crown is seen as a treasure of Scrooge McDuck and the members of his Explorer’s Club to retrieve as part of a yearly contest to decide the Explorer of the Year.  As has been the case with what I’ve seen of the show so far, the adventure present here has a lot of exciting things to offer which help enhance the story.  Scrooge, aided by Launchpad, the boys, and the boys’ mate from the mansion, Webby, finds himself putting up with a lot of obstacles.  In addition to the threat of the snow monster, he and his crew become targets of dirty moves from an Explorer’s Club member named Sir Guy who vows to do whatever it takes to find the crown an be named Explorer of the Year. This includes a suspenseful crash landing and avalanche that separates Webby from the group not to mention the snow monster causing everyone to get separated in an ice cave.  Through it all, we get a lot of nice character moments with Scrooge nicely balancing his feelings of his family with his feelings for the crown, and Launchpad nicely lightening the intense mood of the adventure through his light-hearted mannerisms.  Huey, Dewey, and Louie aren’t really given much to do and mostly just comment on what happens, and then there’s Webby.  As a character in general, she mostly just acts all girly and cute, and while she’s mostly fine to watch, her cutesy mannerisms don’t always blend well with the tones of the adventures.  In this case, we’re treated to most of the episode revolving around everyone trying to find her, practically freezing to death in the ice cave, and Webby turns out to be perfectly fine, even going so far as to befriend the snow monster.  This makes all the suffering Scrooge and the others went through pointless for the sake of cuteness which isn’t cool, but at the same time, it’s kind of interesting that Webby’s girly nature is what got the snow monster on their side.  Plus, it results in the monster getting the crown for Scrooge and later exposing Sir Guy for his unfair acts during the challenge.  It may not have the best constructed tone, but this episode still has enough material for a great character-driven adventure, even if some are too cute for their own good. 9/10

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.  The Lost Crown of Genghis Kahn

9.  Where No Duck Has Gone Before

Well, that's it for the first disc.  Next time, we'll start reviewing the second disc with "Duckman of Aquatraz."
If you would like to check out other reviews on this blog, click here for the guide to all the reviews posted so far.

'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.