Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie will be back on the TV airwaves in two years time.
On February 25, Disney XD announced that it will be rebooting the very popular “Duck Tales” TV series starting in 2017 based on the Uncle Scrooge comic books, reports Examiner.com.
Originally aired in 1987 to 1990 for four seasons and produced by Disney Television Animation, the animated adventure series went on air for a total of 100 episodes. Its first few episodes were actually part of “The Daily Afternoon” syndication block on TV. In fact, it was the first Disney animated cartoon to be picked up in the syndication block due to its popularity among fans.
“Duck Tales” tell the story of Scrooge McDuck and his three nephews and close friends in various types of adventures as they journey around the world. Uncle Scrooge McDuck, as his nephews call him, is very wealthy. In fact he is so wealthy in the series that he can actually swim in piles of money.
The animation series became a hit that it actually spawned in 1990 the film titled “Duck Tales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp” before the show ended its run on TV.
All the characters and story ideas of the original “Duck Tales,” save for Donald Duck who has been a Disney original, were created by cartoonist Carl Banks.
Special place in Disney history
“Duck Tales” set a lasting standard for animated entertainment that endeared it both to kids and adults alike.
This attribute of the series has given it a special place in Disney’s TV animation history. It also helped that the series drew inspiration from the superb storytelling and artistic showmanship of Disney legend cartoonist Carl Banks, who was the author of the comic books.
Marc Buhaj, Disney XD programming and general manager says that the “Duck Tales” reboot will bring the same type of energy and adventurous spirit to the new generation of Disney fans that the original series brought back then.
Important secondary characters
In addition to the four main characters and Donald Duck occasionally, the “Duck Tales” reboot shall also feature some important secondary characters.
These include Scrooge McDuck’s butler Duckworth, his pilot Launchpad McQuack, and the inventor Gyro Gearloose. There will also be the expected appearances of nanny Mrs. Beakley, and her granddaughter Webbigaai Vanderquack who are friends with Huey, Dewey and Louie.
Donald Duck has been the perennial antagonist in the series especially to the three nephews but he always comes out part of the protagonists in the end.
The “Duck Tales” reboot will feature new antagonist characters including witch Magica DeSpell., the Beagle Boys Ma, Bouncer and Burger, who are the nephews’ nemesis, and Flintheart Glomgold.
To drumbeat promotions for the reboot series, the original “Duck Tales” TV series is now available for watching on the Watch Disney Channel app as well as online.