'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 5

Robot Robbers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The episodes of this show are mostly self-contained, meaning that they don’t usually rely on continuity between them except with story arcs.  That said, one of the biggest strengths of this one is that it ties in nicely to the events of the previous episode demonstrating the show’s willingness to break from the norm every now and then.  It’s about Scrooge discovering that his business rival, Flintheart Glomgold, has commissioned giant robots to be built so to have the better construction crew, and Scrooge disapproves of these robots being built because of what happened with Armstrong.  Now, the previous episode’s appeal mostly revolved around the strong man vs. machine theme which to me seemed like a little addition to help it stand out.  What you really need to make an episode appealing is an interesting story with a lot of strong character moments, and those elements are stronger here.  Scrooge and Flintheart’s rivalry is a major comedic highlight for its well-written banter that sets up visual gags and features a cool chemistry of greed with Scrooge’s greed being the more considerate.  The story and characters are further enhanced when Ma Beagle takes control of one of the robots and uses them to bust her sons, the Beagle Boys, out of jail.  We’re then treated to a lot of fun moments of the Beagle family using the robots to terrorize Duckburg on their way to their main goal, robbing Scrooge’s money bin, which also shows off some nice family values which is especially hard to expect from a gang of robbers.  Things keep on building to even more entertainment as Scrooge and Flintheart find themselves forced to team up to stop the Beagle family and their robot rampage where they come up with some clever ways to fight back, including a follow-up to an earlier gag.  Then after the Beagle Boys are defeated and Ma Beagle escapes in another nice display of family love between the enemies, we get a confirmation that even though they can work together fine, Scrooge and Flintheart will remain rivals as we close out with one last humorous bickering between them.  To me it’s for the best because this duo is perfectly fine with them fighting them to be the richest.  As you can see, everything associated with the characters and storytelling is filled with so much to get you invested.  The little moments of fun put together make the story really humorous and exciting, the continuity nods to the previous episode are welcome, and Scrooge, Flintheart, and the entire Beagle family have a lot of likable traits that enhance their performances.  10/10

The Ranking

1.      Robot Robbers

2.      Armstrong

3.      Sphinx for the Memories

4.      Send in the Clones

5.      Where No Duck Has Gone Before

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode featuring the only other appearance of Magica de Spell on this DVD in "Magica's Shadow War."

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