'Toon Reviews 12: DuckTales Vol. 2 Part 5: Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 5: Too Much of a Gold Thing

The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 5: Too Much of a Gold Thing

Finishing off the “Treasure of the Golden Suns” arc, we have a spectacular finale of a gold-hunting adventure that just builds with everything that makes up the story.  In fact, everything about this part of the arc presents the original DuckTales series at its strongest.  The adventure to the gold is full of many obstacles that build in intensity as Scrooge and the gang make their way through the Valley of the Golden Suns.  There’s alligator-infested waters, huge gold discs that become loose when too many of them stand on one, and dangerous traps that can go off as the result of one’s greed.  Speaking of greed, one major element that helps the adventure stand as something great is Scrooge and how he approaches the gold hunt while slowly getting diagnosed with one last plot-moving element of the arc, gold fever.  It’s a peculiar disease that happens to those who become particularly greedy for gold.  Some might say that Scrooge was already greedy so it doesn’t make sense for him to get it, but given that the last four episodes have shown him clearly grow attached to the nephews and the newest members of the help, him to act this determined to get to gold despite clear dangers is a very strange shift in character.  He forces everyone to never stop advancing towards the gold from paddling in roaring rivers to climbing tall stairs to opening tight doors putting aside all cares for their well-being.  Like the adventure itself, gold fever keeps building in intensity as Scrooge develops symptoms like twitching, hiccups, and an intense fever which apparently could even lead to death as a scene of duck skeletons brought by gold fever shows.  The fever only gets worse when they finally find a huge fortress where literally everything is made of gold, even piles of gold sand and a well of hot molten gold which foreshadow majorly obsessive greed coming.  That’s not even mentioning that the gold fever spreads to Huey, Dewey, and Louie for a bit, showing that not just Scrooge is in grave danger, but also innocent children.  Heck, it’s heavily implied that El Capitan has always had gold fever, and it clearly shows here as he threatens Scrooge and the others to hand over the gold fortress at GUNPOINT, and longs for the molten gold well which is clearly deadly.  While Scrooge and El Capitan are similar beings under their gold fevers, one thing sets them apart and that’s how Scrooge has enough common sense to know it’s not worth being a dead duck to become a rich duck which ultimately cures him while El Capitan still wants the gold no matter what.  This is made interesting when set against an incredibly epic destruction scene of the fortress when one trap too many is ignited.  Then everything is capped off nicely when everyone’s saved by Launchpad, which in turn is a good endpoint for all his comedic attempts to start his plane throughout the episode, and El Capitan is left to hopelessly dig for the gold, now buried.  Scrooge is even rewarded for making the right decision when Launchpad’s plane turns out gold from the fortress destruction going to show that a little common sense and love for your family are the true ways to success.  With epic moments, humorous moments, genuine intensity, and great characters to follow, this episode is a grand end to the premiere story arc and solidifies the true greatness of this show as well as what is to come. 10/10

The Ranking:

1.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 5: Too Much of a Gold Thing

2.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

3.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 4: Cold Duck

4.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don’t Give up the Ship

5.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 3: Three Ducks of the Condor

Now that the pilot story arc is completed, we’ll just factor in every episode of the Vol. 1 DVD, and now we’re back to looking at the series in the proper order.  We'll just continue with that order next time with the review of the first episode to explore Scrooge's love life, "Back to the Klondike."

If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 12: DuckTales Vol. 2 Part 4: Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 4: Cold Duck

The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 4: Cold Duck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to continuing the story arc and giving us an exciting artic adventure with several great moments, this episode gives us a proper introduction on what to expect from Mrs. Beakley and Webby.  At first, Huey, Dewey, and Louie show a major disdain towards them both, which honestly portrays them as incredibly dense little boy archetypes who have no real reason to dislike them just because their female, and in Webby’s case, really wanting to join them in their fun.  This is evidenced by the opening scene of them pranking them with a tuning fork which interestingly enough, works as a bit of foreshadowing as we’ll see later on.  However, they slowly grow to appreciate them when they get word of Scrooge landing in Antarctica while searching for the other half of the map to the Valley of the Golden Suns, prompting them to stow away on Launchpad’s supply plane while Webby tags along and Mrs. Beakley runs after her for protection.  They all land in Antarctica where they get up to an adventure filled with several memorable elements.  For one thing, the icy environment from the ice caves to the snowy cities filled with penguins are well designed and capture the feel of the setting nicely, which makes the whole episode visually unique.  There’s also some depths to how the penguins who live there work with them being shown to dislike being nothing but black and white, stealing anything colorful from newcomers they later imprison and storing the objects in their own color museum, as shown when we see how Scrooge became lost in the first place.  This point about the penguins really shows how they don’t value themselves for who they are which make them relatable, yet the lengths they go through to get what they want make them legit threats.  This also makes for an exciting climax where everyone has to scramble to escape to the plane while avoiding an army of penguins (who even have their own tanks) along with an escaped prehistoric walrus.  Going back to the two newcomers, the strongest of them is Mrs. Beakley.  She really proves to be more than a simple house servant through showing a clear readiness for action aside from apparent maternity and fear for safety.  She’s quick to jump onto the plane when she finds Webby onboard, finds a way to track Scrooge down when the group first notices his tracking beeper all alone, busts Scrooge, the boys, and Launchpad out of penguin jail, calling back to the tuning fork bit from earlier, and even plays a role in taming the giant walrus which she was scared of at first.  Mrs. Beakley’s capability here shows her great appeal as an adventurer in a housekeeper’s attire, and if some episodes reviewed from Vol. 1 are any indication, what she does here is a great introduction to what to expect from her, not to mention get the boys to finally learn that characters like her can be strong.  As for Webby, she brings the adventure down a bit with a lot of time devoted to her overly cutesy nature as she bonds with a little penguin called Skittles which, like in many of her future appearances shown in Vol. 1, doesn’t fit the adventurous tone very well.  To be fair, she does have her moments like using her crayons to make a copy of Scrooge’s map at the color museum when the group has to leave without it, and Skittles is a nice representation of the penguins’ color problem and it’s easy to feel glad for her when she gets a colorful break from black and white through being friendly in the end.  Overall, this is one of the most appealing parts of this story arc with mostly strong character moments, creative and thought-provoking bits, and a visually appealing setting.  9.5/10

The Ranking:

1.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

2.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 4: Cold Duck

3.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don’t Give up the Ship

4.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 3: Three Ducks of the Condor

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of the "Treasure of the Golden Suns" arc with the review of "Too Much of a Gold Thing."

If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 12: DuckTales Vol. 2 Part 3: Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 3: Three Ducks of the Condor

The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 3: Three Ducks of the Condor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hidden ship of gold may be sunk, but this story arc still finds a way to add on more to the adventure.  Now the primary object to move along the plot is that single gold coin Scrooge was given, which sends him on an expedition to the Andes, where another coin like that one is located.  In the process, we’re given an introduction to two major supporting characters in the cast.  First, there’s Gyro Gearloose who doesn’t do that much here, but the way he comes up with the idea of constructing a helicopter for Scrooge that’s perfect for scaling the mountains gives a taste of what kind of entertainment he’ll bring as a quirky inventor.  The other character is the one and only Launchpad McQuack who immediately demonstrates his appeal as a character as he literally crashes in to be Scrooge’s pilot and turns out to be a major player not just in the series, but also this arc.  On a side note, this episode also introduces us to Mrs. Beakley and Webby who are simply assigned to watch Huey, Dewey, and Louie while Scrooge is gone.  They don’t do much in this arc until later episodes, but their parts mostly consist of overly cutesy moments from Webby and the boys showing some outdated disdain towards her.  Back to the main plot, it’s made entertaining by the three main players of the Andes mission as Scrooge and Launchpad pick up Donald who’s given a three-day leave and have him be their guide up the mountains.  Each of their personalities work off each other very well, and when they get to the Andes civilization where the other coin is located, they each add their own unique flair.  We have Donald giving his infamous temper tantrums at anyone messing around with him as well as everyone lampshading how it’s hard to understand what he’s saying.  There’s also Launchpad getting up to humorous antics as he goes down the mountain to fix the plane and later is tasked to fly a giant condor first by amusingly holding it by its tail feathers and only flies it awesomely when Donald startles it with his camera.  Scrooge, of course, is the most focused on the task at hand and gets acquainted with the leader of the tribe, Juaquin Slowly (get it?).  He learns Juaquin’s story of how he’s a descendant of the founders of the treasure who lost it to their captain and only had two single coins and parts of a map to show for it, and he uses the coin to rule over the peasants who honestly feel a little too shallow to consider someone their leader just because he has a special coin.  Scrooge, being talented at making deals, gets Juaquin to give his half of the map for the other coin with a little help from Donald and Launchpad’s antics.  However, Scrooge is also smart to predict Juaquin double-crossing them given his petty tyrant status as a ruler, and when Scrooge proves correct, the trio is ready to fight as shown in an exciting chase where Juaquin has the natives chase them through the cliffs on condors and beat them while simply flapping the plane’s wings.  All these characters’ moments are nicely capped off by Donald narrowly making it back to his base on time, Juaquin losing both coins which is the only reason the natives stop following him, and Scrooge setting off to find the other half of the map by following the ocean current like in Juaquim’s story.  Ultimately, we have a solid adventure elevated by the strength of the three ducks facing the condors. 9/10

The Ranking:

1.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

2.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don’t Give up the Ship

3.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 3: Three Ducks of the Condor

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Webby and Mrs. Beakley are given their time to shine in the fourth part of this saga, "Cold Duck."

If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 12: DuckTales Vol. 2 Part 2: Treasure of tue Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After getting the first taste of Scrooge McDuck and the nephews in the first part of this story arc, we move forward in the second part that not only has them progress towards a huge stash of gold, but also gives an introduction to Scrooge’s rivalry with Flintheart Glomgold.  As we’ve seen in the first DVD volume of the series, Flintheart’s main objective as an antagonist is to beat Scrooge as the richest duck in the world, and does so in some pretty dastardly moves sometimes going as far as to try and get Scrooge arrested.  Still, the rivalry is mostly comedic through how much banter the business rivals have during constant bets to see who can make the most money.  Such a bet is the major focus of this episode when Scrooge and Flintheart set out to see who can make the most money in two weeks, which Scrooge uses as an opportunity to hunt down the gold.  This also leads to the introduction of another prominent element in the series, Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s expert problem-solving skills, mostly relating to their Junior Woodchucks status achieved in the previous episode, which make them stand out from average kid characters.  It plays a huge role in Scrooge’s hunt for the gold since it’s them who uncover its location in Ronguay, South America, the meaning of the frequently repeated word, “monsapis,” and ways their ship works as a map.  The boys’ moments sell their appeal as competent adventurers especially when it encourages Scrooge to keep going when he’s briefly despondant, and also set up how they’d operate in the episodes to come.  We also get a good sense of the lengths Flintheart goes through just to one-up Scrooge such as rigging his plane to Ronguay with a bomb, leading him into quicksand caused by the torrential downpours that are monsapis, and laying low in the gold ship he eventually finds just to spring on him.  In addition to also giving an idea of what we’ll see of Flintheart for the rest of the show, we see more appeal to El Capitan.  Although he’s a standard greedy villain whose sole motivation is to get gold, his overdramatic tendencies on the subject make his single dimension something to laugh at don’t make this a huge issue.  It all leads up to an exciting climax on the ship of gold, which creatively includes gold planks and gold sails.  Even after apprehending Scrooge and the boys and taking the ship for himself, Flintheart shows some heart by leaving his rival with a single gold coin.  Giving even a bit of the treasure away infuriates the greedy El Capitan which sends him overboard and the treasure is sunk again.  In a clever turn of events though, Scrooge having the one coin Flintheart gave him has him win the bet and brings on a hilarious comeuppance point for Flintheart.  As an episode to set up the adventure norm of the series, this leaves us a lot to take away in terms of comedy, creativity, and character moments. 10/10

The Ranking:

1.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 2: Wronguay in Ronguay

2.      The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don’t Give up the Ship

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Scrooge's single coin brings on the next part of the story arc and we meet Launchpad McQuack for the first time in "Three Ducks of the Condor."

If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 12: DuckTales Vol. 2 Part 1: Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don't Give Up the Ship

Life is once again like a hurricane as we return to a previously reviewed show via its second DVD set:

DuckTales (Vol 2)

 

Basic Premise

Despite never growing up with this show, DuckTales turned out to be an exceptional animated series when I reviewed its first DVD volume a while back.  With creative story ideas, likable and interesting characters at the center, and the perfect pace to take in what happened, this series is pretty much everything great about the classic works of Disney brought to life in a TV series.  Of course, being so impressed by the first released set of episodes, I was incredibly motivated to track down the rest of the original series to get a complete feel of it.  It’s especially appropriate to start looking more into it now with the reboot of the series getting the attention of many animation fans.  That’s why, we are now going to devote time to looking into the episodes of the second DVD volume.

As was the case with the first volume, the focus of the series is on the adventures of the richest duck in the world, Scrooge McDuck, and his many adventures to maintain his wealth and keep up his family bonds with his grand-nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.  Along the way, they’re joined by the cute little girl companion, Webby, the crash-happy pilot, Launchpad McQuack, Duckworth the butler, Mrs. Beakley the adventurous maid, and even the occasional drop-in on the one and only Donald Duck serving in the navy.  There’s also no shortage of run-ins with rivals after various parts of Scrooge’s wealth with Flintheart Glomgold targeting the “richest duck in the world” title, the bank robber team, the Beagle Boys, targeting his prized money bin, and Magica de Spell the witch targeting Scrooge’s number one dime.  In addition to the usual standalone episodes, we’re also going to be getting a grander feel in the adventures combined into multi-episode story arcs.  Among the arcs included on this DVD, is the one that started the whole dang series, “Treasure of the Golden Suns.”  Why it wasn’t included on the first volume I’ll never understand, but it’ll still be great to start off with the origins of the show’s core elements.  So, let’s pop in the first disc in the set, and get the reviews started.

Now on with the reviews:

The Treasure of the Golden Suns Part 1: Don’t Give Up the Ship

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, here’s the episode that really begins the show despite not being released on DVD first, and it’s a great introduction to both many of the core parts of the series and what this particular story arc will offer.  Scrooge McDuck’s first scenes demonstrate his appeal as a character where he may be full of greed as he relishes in literally swimming in all his money and finding a way to back out of spending any, but does so with a special charm you can’t help but find entertaining.  The charm doesn’t always work as you’ll soon see though.  We also get a lot of Huey, Dewey, and Louie struggling to adjust to their new life with Scrooge when their Uncle Donald enlists in the navy for the series.  If their first heartwarming scene of them saying good-bye to their uncle isn’t enough to sell how hard the adjustment is, then plenty of scenes of Scrooge, the boys, and even Duckworth the butler having problems with this new lifestyle surely will.  The boys want to have fun and take advantage of living with their millionaire great-uncle, but Scrooge clearly doesn’t want anything to do with them by keeping them in the attic, getting offended when they play with his money, and harshly punishing them when they get their hands on a model ship in his museum.  All these scenes bring sympathy for the boys, but don’t do justice for Scrooge as a character.  As for the ship, it becomes one of many plot-driving objects in the arc when the ever-humorous Beagle Boys are enlisted by a mysterious figure who gets amusingly over-dramatic about gold, El Capitan, to steal it from the museum. It’s supposed to help find a huge abundance of gold, which makes Scrooge’s feelings about the boys touching it make sense.  Still, it’s hard to tolerate him when he threatens to send Huey, Dewey, and Louie to boarding school when they explain they were trying to stop the Beagle Boys from stealing the ship.  Thankfully, even with Scrooge’s mean moments, the end of the episode shows he does have a heart and fondness to the boys when he expresses sadness of never really having a family before during an interview at his candy factory.  The moment’s power is proven genuine when he and the boys finally see eye-to-eye and work together to get the ship back from the Beagle Boys in a climax made more appealing by the candy-themed antics.  The last moment of them all growing closer as a family perfectly gets you excited for what they’ll get up to for the rest of the arc.  Aside from a few questionable character moments, this premiere episode nicely kicks off the show and is a solid starting point for what promises to be a treasure hunt unlike any other. 9.5/10

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode, this story arc's thrilling continuation and introduction to Scrooge's rival, Flintheart Glomgold, "Wronguay in Ronguay."

If you would like to check out other DuckTales reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.