DuckTales Returns – Woo-oo! (DVD Review)

Fans of Duckberg rejoice!

Donald and his nephews have once again taken residence up with old Scrooge McDuck. More of a reboot than a continuation of their past adventures, those wacky ducks are at it again but this time with a twist. Underlying the first season is the mystery of what happened to Huey, Dewey, and Louie’s mother and Donald’s sister – Della Duck! An old picture in Scrooge’s collection reveals she was as adventurous as Donald and Scrooge. But what happened to her all those years ago?

The cover for the new DVD which includes the first episode and 6 bonus shorts

DUCKTALES – Comic Book Bios – Disney XD’s “DuckTales” stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck. (Disney XD)

For those of you who might have missed the beginning of their adventures, DuckTales is out on DVD (not BluRay – sorry folks). Titled DuckTales: Woo-oo! it chronicles the first chapter in the new series. In it we find out why and how Donald and his nephews end up living with Scrooge and we are reintroduced to Launchpad McQuack, Webby and Mrs. Beakley. It was announced that Gizmoduck will also be returning later in the season and voiced by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda! Other notable voices in the series is of course David Tennant as Scrooge (famous for being one of the Doctors in Doctor Who) and Kate Micucci as Webby (who among other things was featured in Big Bang Theory as one of Raj’s girlfriends).

DUCKTALES – “Woo-oo!” – Donald Duck reluctantly takes his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie to the home of their reclusive great-uncle Scrooge McDuck. Enthralled by their once legendary great-uncle and the wonder of McDuck Manor, the triplets and their newfound fierce friend Webby learn of long-kept family secrets and unleash totems from ScroogeÕs epic past, sending the family on an adventure of a lifetime to the Lost City of Atlantis. “DuckTales” premieres in a one-hour television movie to be presented for 24 consecutive hours, SATURDAY, AUGUST 12 (beginning at midnight EDT/PDT), on Disney XD. (Disney XD)
HUEY, WEBBY VANDERQUACK, DEWEY, LOUIE

There are definite differences between the 2017 version and the previous one. The underlying mystery of Della Duck is one of them, but for me, the most notable was the lack of “duck” like voices for Huey, Dewey, and Louie who sound like normal kids instead. It makes sense and Donald’s voice is almost unintelligible so probably better, too. And instead of Donald heading off to sign up for the Navy, this time Donald is off to a job interview. There’s also the mystery of why Donald and Scrooge stopped talking to each other for 10 years and suddenly Donald feels okay about bringing the kids by to Scrooge’s place, but that’s probably tied into the Della mystery. The animation style in this series is not quite the same as the old version, with more stylized backgrounds in place, but has that 21st century animation aesthetic.

The DVD is a solid release and terrific for Duckberg fans. The bonus shorts are pretty funny and cute and serve as good introductions to the characters. And overall it’s classic family fun. At under $10, it’s a great bargain for quality home entertainment.