TV: Duck Tales (2017)

"I wish we could just have normal family problems."

Scrooge McDuck (Tennant) is the richest duck in the world, who is known for being "smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies". He used to be an adventurer, but now spends his days bored and avoiding his board of directors. All that changes when his estranged nephew Donald Duck (Anselmo) asks him to watch his great nephews Huey (Pudi), Dewey (Schwartz), and Louie (Moynihan).

The boys are fascinated by Scrooge and prod him to return to a life of adventure, despite the protestations of Donald. With help from Scrooge's housekeeper and former secret agent Mrs. Beakley (Olagundoye), her weapons and history expert granddaughter Webby Vanderquack (Micucci), and chauffeur Launchpad McQuack (Bennett), they set out to show the world that family is the best adventure. Can Scrooge, family, and allies keep the world safe?

A reboot of the popular 1987 Disney TV show Duck Tales. Both shows are based on Disney's 1940s Donald Duck and 1950s Scrooge comics.

The Good:

This reboot manages the delicate balance of loving and paying homage to the original, while also forging it's own path.

The show has an updated version of the iconic "Duck Tales" theme song performed by Felicia Barton (written by Mark Mueller, Jeff Pescetto sang the 1987 version).

The characters were updated, but still feature the overall design or color scheme of the original. The triplets have their own voice actors, personalities and looks, while the original had them identical (and all voiced by Russi Taylor). They interact and fight like brothers, but also work well on their own. Huey is the rule-following triplet, wearing red, who often quotes the Jr Woodchuck guidebook and is voiced by Danny Pudi. Dewey is the adventurous, fame-seeking triplet, dressed in blue, who uses his name as a verb "let's Dewey it", and is voiced by Ben Schwartz. Louie is the schemer, in a green hoodie, who is looking for new ways to launch Louie Inc, and is voiced by Bobby Moynihan. Webby is also different from the 1987 version, also voiced by Russi Taylor. She still has the pink bow, but everything else is different. She is obsessed with the McDucks, has an impressive amount of weapons, and loves a good mystery. She is voiced by Kate Micucci. All of the main characters feel well rounded and have unique quirks (Gyro's inventions turn evil, Glomgold's schemes and sharks, etc). David Tennant is a funny Scrooge.

The villains, as a whole, pop up several times and occasionally team up to take on Scrooge. They are equally entertaining and various levels of inept. The voice cast is great.

The Bad:

The final season, specifically the final few episodes feel rushed. The majority of the finale feels earned and delivers, and the final sequence works well... but there are still some parts (and characters) that are forced.

Other Comments:

-The show included chacters from other 1980s-1990s Disney animated shows: Darkwing Duck, Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, Adventures of the Gummi Bears, TaleSpin, Gargoyles, and Bonkers (all of which had memorable theme songs). It works, feeding the nostalgia of the Millennials who loved the shows, while also fitting into this version of the show naturally. 

-They also go back to the 1944 Disney animated film, The Three Caballeros, which starred Donald Duck. Here they are Donald's "college band".

-Russi Taylor, who voiced the triplets and Webby in the 1987 show, cameos as Young Donald.

- Don Karnage was originally in Disney's TaleSpin, but I love him here. He has a great introduction, singing about himself while his crew steals everything in sight. He is a welcome addition to the villains on the show and subsequent vendetta again Louie is played for laughs. He is voiced by Jaime Camil. 

-I grew up with the original DuckTales, so I was leery of this reboot. However, I was hooked from the first episode. This is how you do a reboot!

-My favorite episode is Season 3 episode 2, Quack Pack. But I enjoy most od the episodes.

Duck Tales (2017-2020)

Creators: Matt Youngberg & Francisco Angones

Starring: David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck

Danny Pudi as Huey Duck

Ben Schwartz as Dewey Duck

Bobby Moynihan as Louie Duck

Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack

Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack

Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley

Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck

Paget Brewster as Della Duck

Keith Ferguson as Flintheart Glomgold

Jim Rash as Gyro Gearloose

Kimiko Glenn as Lena

Lin-Manuel Miranda as Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)

"Then he got an idea. An awful idea. The Grinch got a wonderful, *awful* idea!"

The Grinch (Karloff) hates Christmas.  He especially hates the way the town of Whoville celebrates, which carries to his home at the top of the mountain.  Dreading another year of all the noise that comes with Christmas, he decides to ruin the holiday, with the reluctant help of his dog Max (McKennon).

A television special based on Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!".

The Good:

Dr. Seuss was involved in this adaptation, and it shows.  All of the dialog comes directly from the book (nothing added).  Seuss also wrote all of the lyrics for the songs (the music was composed by Albert Hague): "Welcome Christmas", "Trim Up the Tree", and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch".  The animation is well-done and mimics the design of the book.  It is clear that the animators and directors Chuck Jones (best known for his work on the Looney Tunes shorts) and Ben Washam love and respect the original book.  The film is only 25 minutes and does not waste any of that time - it tells the story, with a few songs and some action, and keeps your attention.

Boris Karloff pulls double-duty, as both the Narrator and the Grinch (with a slightly gravelly tone).  While Karloff is the only actor credited in the film, voice actress June Foray (also known for working on the Looney Tunes) brings life to Cindy Lou Who.

The Bad:

Nothing - it's the perfect length, strong story, good animation, and lots of heart.

Other Comments:

-The iconic "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" song, was performed by Thurl Ravenscroft.

-This film and character of the Grinch were popular enough to make 2 more TV specials based on the Grinch (Dr. Seuss wrote both films): Halloween is Grinch Night in 1977 and The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat in 1982.  This film was released on CBS, the other 2 were released on ABC

-There have been 2 subsequent film adaptations of this story: the live-action Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (directed by Ron Howard, with Jim Carrey as the Grinch) in 2000 and the 3D animated The Grinch in 2018 (made by Illumination Entertainment, with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Grinch).

-This is my favorite adaptation of the story.  I enjoy the other 2 films, but this one is hard to beat.  The animation, the voice work, and songs all work together to create a timeless Christmas classic!  It is beloved by many and airs on TV every Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966) 25 minutes

Director: Chuck Jones and Ben Washam

Starring: Boris Karloff as Grinch / Narrator

June Foray as Cindy Lou Who

Dallas McKennon as Max

The Three Caballeros

It is Donald Duck's birthday and he receives presents from his friends in Latin America:

• The first present is a film strip called "Strange birds" featuring information about unique birds and 2 short films: 
• Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin: A penguin named Pablo hates the cold and decides to move to South America.
• The Flying Gauchito: A young gauchito discovers and befriends a flying donkey.
• The second present is a book from Brazil that includes his old friend José Carioca (do Patrocínio Oliveira)
• The third and largest present contains a pinata from Mexico and new friend Panchito Pistoles (Garay), who takes them on a tour of Mexico.

The 7th animated Walt Disney feature film. It is a follow-up to Disney's 1943 film Saludos Amigos, which also featured Donald and José.

The Good:

The Pablo short is fun and funny. The Aracuan Bird is also funny. The title song, "Three Caballeros", is bright and memorable and appears a few times in the film.

The Bad:

The last 10-15 minutes are weird. Also, I didn't really notice it much as a kid, but Donald is girl crazy, bordering om cringey.

Other Comments:

-Nominated for 2 Academy Awards: Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Sound Recording. 

-The Three Caballeros received their own TV show, The Legend of the Three Caballeros in 2018 (the Aracuan Bird also appears) and appeared in the Duck Tales 2017 reboot. 

-The "Baia" sequence features Aurora Miranda as Yaya. She sings Ary Barroso's "Os Quindins de Yaya" in Portuguese.

-During the Mexico sequences singer Dora Luz performs "Young Belong to my Heart". Carmen Molina dances with Donald Duck to "La Zandunga" and "Jesusita en Chihuahua".

-Ok, but not my favorite Disney package film. The animated shorts toward the beginning are good, but the film loses it's way.

The Three Caballeros (1945) 71 minutes

Director: Norman Ferguson, Clyde Geronimi, and Jack Kinney 

Starring: Clarence Nash as Donald Duck

José do Patrocínio Oliveira as José Carioca

Joaquin Garay as Panchito Pistoles

Almirante as the Aracuan Bird

Aurora Miranda as Yaya

Dora Luz as herself

Carmen Molina as herself

Sterling Holloway as the Narrator (Pablo the Cold-Blooded Penguin)

Frank Graham as the Narrator

Fred Shields as the Narrator (The Flying Gauchito)

Saludos Amigos

A group of Disney animators travel to South America. They create artwork inspired by their surroundings. In addition to clips of their trip, they create 4 sequences

• Lake Titicaca. Donald Duck is a tourist at Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia, experiencing the local culture and interacting (and arguing) with the Narrator (Shields)
• Pedro. A little mail plane in Santiago, Chile named Pedro makes his first solo mission to retrieve the mail in a dangerous mission.
• El Gaucho Goofy. Goof takes a break from life as a Texas cowboy, to travel to Argentina and become a gaucho.
• Aquarela do Brasil. Watercolor images set to the song "Aquarela do Brasil"by Ary Barroso. Donald Duck meets Jose Carioca in Brazil and learns to samba.

The story behind this trip, and it's follow-up film The Three Caballeros, is told in the documentary Walt and El Grupo.

The Good:

The animators quick drawings, during the clips from their trip, are incredible. They clearly enjoyed the trip and were inspired by their surroundings. 

The film segment with the animated watercolor artwork is beautiful and the song, "Aquarela do Brasil", is a fitting accompaniment. 

The Bad:

The Pedro segment is cute, but doesn't fit with the tone of the rest of the film. It has been released as a standalone short, which is probably a better fit.

Other Comments:

-This is the 6th animated feature film for Walt Disney studios.

-This was Disney's first package film, where several short films are grouped together to make a feature length film. 

-The character of José Carioca was created for this film and appeared in 2 more Disney animated films, while also appearing in Disney comics (and more recently, in the Legends of the Three Caballeros TV show and DuckTales 2017 reboot). He is also popular in Brazil.

-The animators had so many ideas for this film that they carried into the next Disney animated film, The Three Caballeros, which also featured Donald and José. 

-Nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Best Scoring of a Musical Picture, Best Original Song (for the title song "Saludos Amigos" by Charles Wolcott and Ned Washington), and Best Sound Recording.

-I appreciate aspects of this film, but it is not my favorite. It's not bad, but feels more like a travel diary than a coherent story. The animation is well done and interesting. 

Saludos Amigos (1943) 43 minutes

Director: Bill Roberts, Jack Kinney, Ham Luske

Starring: Fred Shields as Narrator

Clarence Nash as Donald Duck

José do Patrocínio Oliveira as José Carioca

Pinto Colvig as Goofy