| DuckTales | |
|---|---|
_logo.svg){kind=logo} | |
| Also known as | Disney's DuckTales |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Uncle Scrooge byCarl Barks |
| Developed by |
|
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Mark Mueller |
| Opening theme | "DuckTales" byJeff Pescetto |
| Ending theme | "DuckTales" (Instrumental) |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 100 + 1 film(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Walt Disney Television Animation |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release | January 16 (1987-01-16) – April 10, 1987 (1987-04-10) |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18) – November 28, 1990 (1990-11-28) |
| Related | |
| DuckTales (2017–21) Darkwing Duck (1991–92) | |
DuckTales is an Americananimated television series produced byWalt Disney Television Animation. This series, with episodes 1–13, was initially broadcast as a limited preview run onDisney Channel on January 16, 1987, in a limited release. The main broadcast began insyndication on September 18, 1987, spanning 100 episodes across 4 seasons, with the final episode airing on November 28, 1990.
Based uponUncle Scrooge and otherDuck universe comic books created byCarl Barks, the show followsScrooge McDuck, his three grandnephewsHuey, Dewey, and Louie, and close friends of the group. Most episodes involve various adventures, most of which either involve seeking out treasure or thwarting the efforts of villains seeking to steal Scrooge's fortune or hisNumber One Dime.[3]
DuckTales has inspired video games, merchandise, and comic books, along with an animated theatrical spin-off film entitledDuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, that was released to theaters across the United States on August 3, 1990. It is the first Disney cartoon to be produced for weekday syndication,[4][5] with its success paving the way for future Disney cartoons, such asChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers andTaleSpin, creating the syndication blockThe Disney Afternoon. The show's popular theme song was written byMark Mueller. Launchpad McQuack, a side character, later returns to appear in another Disney animated series, becoming a main character inDarkwing Duck.
In February 2015,Disney XD announced the revival of the show, with the intention ofrebooting the series. The rebooted series premiered on August 12, 2017, and concluded on March 15, 2021.
WhenDonald Duck decides to join theUS Navy, he enlists his uncleScrooge McDuck to look after his nephews,Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Although he is reluctant to do so due to their hyperactivity, along with his continual pursuit of increasing his wealth and maintaining harsh business ethics, he takes them into his manor. Eventually, he warms up to them upon them proving their skills and brings them on several adventures. Scrooge McDuck is well known for his characteristic Scottish accent, spats, and top hat. We later learn in the series his family comes from Castle McDuck, a large but mysterious castle. He came to America when he was young by creatingshoe-shinning machines, learning how to "work smarter not harder". In addition to them, the show features frequent appearances byGyro Gearloose, an established comic book character, as well as guest appearances by Donald in the first season – this was either a full appearance, or in a cameo scene when Scrooge and his nephews read letters he sends to them, and a few minor appearances by Scrooge's old flame,Glittering Goldie, whose character was adapted from the comic books. The show introduced new characters to the Duck universe; while some were minor including the nannyMrs. Beakley, whom Scrooge hires to babysit the nephews; Mrs. Beakley's granddaughterWebby; Scrooge's pilotLaunchpad McQuack;Doofus Drake, an admirer of Launchpad and a close friend of the nephews; and the McDuck Manor butler,Duckworth. The second season later introduced three new additional characters as part of the show's stories: "caveduck"Bubba Duck and his pettriceratops Tootsie; andFenton Crackshell, Scrooge's personal accountant who secretly works as a superhero named Gizmoduck.
The show's primary villains consist of those from the comics:Flintheart Glomgold, who seeks to replace Scrooge as the "richest duck in the world"; theBeagle Boys, who seek to rob Scrooge of his fortune and often target his money bin; andMagica De Spell, who seeks to steal his Number One Dime. A few changes were made to these villains – unlike the comics, Flintheart is of Scottish descent and wears a couple of pieces of Scottish attire, including a kilt; Magica, who is Italian in the comics, has an Eastern European accent, always saying "darling" (which shocks Scrooge in an episode when Magica changes into the form of Mrs. Beakly). She has a brother named Poe, who was transformed into a raven; the Beagle Boys have individual personalities and are headed by their mother, Ma Beagle, who sometimes springs them from jail to conduct schemes with her, but always avoids being caught by the police. The animated series also featured a list ofminor villains, most of whom sought to either claim Scrooge's wealth or beat him to treasure.
Most of the stories used in the show revolve around one of three common themes – the first focuses on the group's efforts to thwart attempts by various villains to steal Scrooge's fortune or hisNumber One Dime; the second focuses on a race for treasure; the third focused on specific characters within the show. Although some stories are original or based on Barks' comic book series, others arepastiches on classical stories or legends, including characters based on either fictional or historical persons.DuckTales is well noted for its many references to popular culture, includingShakespeare,Jack the Ripper,Greek mythology,Ancient Egypt,James Bond,Indiana Jones,Frankenstein's monster,Dinosaurs,Sherlock Holmes and others. After its first season, the show moved away from globe-trotting stories, with adventures focused mainly withinDuckburg the city in which it is set.
The show also featured a range of additional voice actors who voiced several minor characters, most frequently including the following:
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Walt Disney Television Animation began production onDuckTales in 1986, intending to have it ready for a premiere in 1987, and its episodes airing within a 4–6 p.m. placement, at a time when more children would be watching television, rather than within a morning timeslot.[6] Seeking to create a cartoon with high quality animation, in comparison with other 1980s cartoons which had much lower budgets, the animation was handled byWang Film Productions (some 1987 and 1989–1990 episodes only), Cuckoo's Nest Studio,Tokyo Movie Shinsha (season 1 only), and Burbank Films (1 episode only) having previously been used on two other Disney cartoons in 1985 –The Wuzzles andDisney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears – both of which had demonstrated better quality cartoons on TV than in previous years.[7] Although the Japanese provided them with more available artists for the cartoon, this also increased production costs, due to the currency exchange rates between theyen and thedollar, though Disney intended to invest heavily in itsDuckTales's production, with plans to recuperate its money by having itsyndicated via its syndication unit,Buena Vista Television, with a 2.5/3.5 syndicator/station ad split.[6] While this was a concept that worked well with live-action TV reruns, it had only ever been used with inexpensive cartoon series in the past that either recycled theatrical shorts from decades past or only featured limited, low-budget animation, and thus had never been attempted with a high quality animated series, with the heavy investment considered a risky move.[7]
The cartoon premiered worldwide between 18 and 20 September 1987 (the time and date varying between markets), with a television movie special entitledThe Treasure of the Golden Suns, which was later split up into a five-part serial in future reruns.[5] The first season, aired between 1987 and 1988, consisted of 65 episodes, the "magic number" requirement needed for a show to have weekday syndication (five days a week for thirteen weeks). Disney then commissioned three more seasons – the second season (aired between 1988 and 1989) consisted of two television specials entitled "Time Is Money" and "Super DuckTales", with future reruns splitting them into two five-part serials; the third season (aired between 1989 and 1990) consisted of 18 episodes, with it forming an hour-long syndicated block alongsideChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers; and the fourth season (aired during late 1990) consisted of seven episodes (including three unaired episodes meant for the previous season), which was used to form a two-hour-long syndicated block calledThe Disney Afternoon, consisting ofDuckTales and three other half-hour cartoons.
The cartoon continued running withinThe Disney Afternoon until 1992.[8] Following its departure from the Disney Afternoon,DuckTales reruns remained in syndication until 1995. On April 19, 1997, reruns began airing on ABC's "American Broadcasting Company" Saturday Morning block, up until August 30, 1997. Two days later, on September 1, 1997,Ducktales began reairing again in a new syndication run.[9] Reruns continued on theDisney Channel from October 1995 to 2000, where it was at first part of a new two-hour programming block called "Block Party" that aired on weekday late afternoons,[10] with it returning to syndication between 1997 and 1999. Reruns were later shown onToon Disney[11][12] between 1999 and late 2004.
The show proved an immense success for Disney, who decided to commission other cartoons with a similar level of quality, which includedChip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers,Darkwing Duck, andTaleSpin. In addition,DuckTales also spawned its own feature-length movie, entitledDuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, which was released to theaters on August 3, 1990,[13] along with a franchise of merchandising, including toys, comic books and video games,a spin-off series, and eventually a revival in 2017, thatrebooted the series. In 1990, the same year the original show ended,Russi Taylor-the voice of regular DuckTales characters Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby- obtained more voiceover work outside of Disney when she began providing the voices of some recurring characters onThe Simpsons.[14][15]
 | This articlecontains alist of miscellaneous information. Please helpimprove it byrelocating relevant information into other sections or articles.(November 2025) |
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| 1 | 65 | September 18, 1987 (1987-09-18) | January 1, 1988 (1988-01-01) | |
| 2 | 10 | November 24, 1988 (1988-11-24) | March 26, 1989 (1989-03-26) | |
| 3 | 18 | September 18, 1989 (1989-09-18) | February 11, 1990 (1990-02-11) | |
| Film | August 3, 1990 (1990-08-03) | |||
| 4 | 7 | September 10, 1990 (1990-09-10) | November 28, 1990 (1990-11-28) | |
10 VHS cassettes, containing two episodes each, were released in the United States.
| VHS title | Episode(s) | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| "Fearless Fortune Hunter" | 'Earth Quack' 'Master of the Djinni' | May 31, 1988 |
| "Daredevil Ducks" | 'The Money Vanishes' 'Home Sweet Homer' | |
| "High-Flying Hero" | 'Hero for Hire' 'Launchpad's Civil War' | |
| "Masked Marauders" | 'Send in the Clones' 'Time Teasers' | October 4, 1988 |
| "Lost World Wanderers" | 'Dinosaur Ducks' 'The Curse of Castle McDuck' | May 9, 1989 |
| "Duck to the Future" | 'Duck to the Future' 'Sir Gyro de Gearloose' | |
| "Accidental Adventurers" | 'Jungle Duck' 'Maid of the Myth' | September 28, 1989 |
| "Seafaring Sailors" | 'Sphinx for the Memories' 'All Ducks on Deck' | |
| "Raiders of the Lost Harp" | 'Raiders of the Lost Harp' 'The Pearl of Wisdom' | August 14, 1990 |
| "Space Invaders" | 'Where No Duck Has Gone Before' 'Micro Ducks from Outer Space' |
Also, the episode "Ducky Horror Picture Show" was released with theGoof Troop episode "FrankenGoof" on a VHS cassette entitledMonster Bash in 1993.
10 VHS cassettes, each containing two or three episodes, were released in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
| VHS title | Episode(s) | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| "Earthquack" | 'Earth Quack' 'Back to the Klondike' | September 11, 1992 |
| "Micro Ducks from Outer Space" | 'Micro Ducks from Outer Space' 'Scrooge's Pet' | September 11, 1992 |
| "The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan" | 'The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan' 'The Money Vanishes' | September 11, 1992 |
| "1001 Arabian Ducks" | 'Master of the Djinni' 'Merit-Time Adventure' | September 11, 1992 |
| "High Sea Adventures" | 'Maid of the Myth' 'Send in the Clones' | September 11, 1992 |
| "Hotel Strangeduck" | 'Hotel Strangeduck' 'Superdoo!' | September 11, 1992 |
| "Fool of the Nile" | 'Sphinx for the Memories' 'Top Duck' 'Much Ado About Scrooge' | September 10, 1993 |
| "Little Duckaroos" | 'Ducks of the West' 'Magicia's Shadow War' 'Sir Gyro De Gearloose' | September 10, 1993 |
| "Jailhouse Duck" | 'Where No Duck Has Gone Before' 'Duckman of Aquatraz' 'Home Sweet Homer' | September 10, 1993 |
| "Runaway Robots" | 'Robot Robbers' 'Sweet Duck of Youth' | September 10, 1993 |
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has released the complete series on DVD; four volumes have been released in Region 1 featuring all 100 episodes of the series. The first was released on November 8, 2005 (containing episodes 1–27), the second on November 14, 2006 (containing episodes 28–51), and the third volume on November 13, 2007 (containing episodes 52–75).[19][20][21] The fourth and final volume was released as a Disney Movie Club exclusive on September 11, 2018 (containing episodes 76–100). The first three volumes were packaged in a box containing 3 slipcases, one for each. The 2013 re-releases of the first three volumes packages the discs into one DVD case.
DuckTales: Destination Adventure!, a DVD compilation release of episodes from the 2017 reboot, contains two episodes from the original series as bonus features: "New Gizmo Kids on the Block" and "Ducky Mountain High". These episodes were available before their inclusion in the Volume 4 release.
The episodes are in the order that they originally aired (except for the five-part serial "Treasure of the Golden Suns", placed at the beginning of Volume 2). None of the DVD sets contain any special features.
| DVD title | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Volume 1 | 27 | November 8, 2005 |
| Volume 2 | 24 | November 14, 2006 |
| Volume 3 | 24 | November 13, 2007 |
| Volume 4 | 25 | September 11, 2018 (Disney Movie Club) |
In the United Kingdom, Disney released one Region 2 volume in 2007, titledDuckTales First Collection.[22] Despite the set being similar to the North American version, the DVD contained only 20 episodes, while having 5 language tracks: English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. Other regional versions were distributed to other countries, but only going up to episode #20. On November 12, 2012, the UK received two further releases of Collection 2 and Collection 3, being a Region version of the 2nd and 3rd volumes from North America. Unlike the first release, these 3-disc sets include aDisney’s FastPlay mode, and only four language tracks: English, Dutch, German and French, but subtitles have not been added.[23]
There are currently no plans to release the rest of the series, or the seven episodes missing between the first two sets.
| DVD title | Ep # | Release date | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ducktales – 1st Collection | 20 | February 12, 2007 | English, French, German, Spanish and Italian |
| Ducktales – 2nd Collection | 24 | November 12, 2012 | English, Dutch, German and French |
| Ducktales – 3rd Collection | 24 |
InIndia where Duck Tales was dubbed inHindi for TV broadcast onDoordarshan and syndication onStar Plus,60 episodes out of the first 70 episodes from Seasons 1 and 2 were released bySony DADC India under license fromDisney India, on 20 DVD volumes andVideo CDs inPAL format.[24] These discs support Region 2, Region 4 and Region 5. However, due to a limited number of copies, they quickly went out of stock. Each DVD contained only 3 episodes. Episodes 08, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24, 36, 55 and 61 are missing from the released set. The remaining episodes starting from episode 70 to 100 ("Super DuckTales" from Season 2, and entire Seasons 3 and 4) are yet to be released in Hindi on DVD.
Season One ofDuckTales was released onAmazon Video in 2013 and was free forAmazon Prime members but as of February 28, 2014,DuckTales Season 1 is no longer accessible through Amazon Video or Amazon Prime accounts.
As of December 11, 2015, some episodes from Season 1 have been made available on Netflix in Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. In Denmark, at least, only 20 episodes from season 1 are available on Netflix. The episodes available do follow the correct airdate order but some episodes are simply missing. For instance, the episodes on Netflix do not include a lot of Season 1 episodes, even though they have indeed been dubbed into Danish. Amongst the episodes missing are the Five-Part Miniseries, "Treasure of the Golden Sun", "Duckman of Aquatraz", and "Top Duck".
The entire series is currently available for purchase onAmazon Instant Video in Germany, with the episodes split into eight different seasons.
iTunes and Amazon Instant Video in the United States currently offer the entire series (except the episode "Sphinx for the Memories") for purchase in SD format, split into six volumes at $9.99 per volume.
The series has been available to stream onDisney+ since its launch on November 12, 2019, however some episodes are out of order and the episodes "Sphinx for the Memories" and "Launchpad's Civil War" are missing.[25]
Episode musical scores and background cues were principally written byRon Jones, who composed and conducted an extensive library of cues to be reused throughout the series beginning with his score for the episode"Armstrong". In contrast to how other composers were creating a "patronizing" and "cute" score for the show, Jones says he composed the music with regard to the audience and their intelligence. "I would not play the score like a kid's show at all. If (the characters) went on an adventure I would play it serious likeRaiders of the Lost Ark."[26]Jones' score forDuckTales, which remains unreleased, has received critical acclaim from fans of the series.[citation needed]
Other musicians who worked on the series included Thomas Chase and Steve Rucker, who were credited (as Thomas Chase Jones and Stephen Rucker, respectively) for scoring the episode"Dinosaur Ducks" under the notation "Additional Music".[citation needed]
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The series theme song was written byMark Mueller, anASCAP award-winning pop music songwriter who also wrote the theme song toChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers; Mueller was paid a little over $1,000 to write the tune.[28]
TheDuckTales Theme was sung byJeff Pescetto. There are four different versions of the theme song. The original version, serving as the show's opening theme, contained one verse, chorus, bridge, and then a chorus. A shorter version of the opening theme was used inThe Disney Afternoon lineup with the line, "Everyday they're out there making Duck Tales, woo-ooh", taken out.
A full-length version of the theme song was released on the Disney Afternoon soundtrack, the third volume (which was released in a set with the other two volumes) inThe Music of Disney: a Legacy in Song along with the fullTaleSpin theme and in the November 2013 release of theDisney Classics collection. Also, it is heard in the end credits ofDuckTales: Remastered and is also released on its official soundtrack.
The full version contains a second verse, and it includes aguitar solo, which is performed with awah-wah pedal to make it sound like duck-like noises. It also has a fadeout ending, unlike the other versions. There is also a rare extended version that was used in the read-along cassettes in 1987. It has a sequence order of verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-instrumental break-chorus.
According to an interview conducted with Jeff Pescetto in 2009, he was originally approached by Mark Mueller to cut a demo version of the theme song for Disney's approval. Although they were impressed with Pescetto's demo, Disney had decided at first to hire pop groupThe Jets to perform the theme song for broadcast. However, after recording a version with the group, Disney felt that the theme song needed a different vocal style, and instead commissioned Pescetto to perform the theme.[29] After performing onDuckTales, Pescetto would later be asked to sing the vocal themes forChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (composed by Mueller and produced byAlf Clausen),Darkwing Duck (composed by Steve Nelson and Thom Sharp and produced bySteve Tyrell), and forThe Disney Afternoon itself. The Jets, meanwhile, later performed a full-length version of theRescue Rangers theme song in a music video aired onThe Disney Channel in 1989.
Maximilian Leunig ofCollider wrote, "This classic series brought along characters that hadn't been in much media apart from comic books, notably written by Carl Barks and Don Rosa. Among these were famous villains like Magica De Spell, the Beagle Boys, and Flintheart Glomgold, to allies like Gyro Gearloose and Glittering Goldie. Of course, the show also created beloved partners like Launchpad McQuack, Gizmoduck, and Webby, who all brought fun and adventure to this Disney classic."[30] Emily Ashby ofCommon Sense Media rated the show a 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "DuckTales was a huge hit with fans during its four-year run in the '80s and continues to entertain today with quality stories, wild adventures, and classic Disney characters such as Scrooge McDuck and the dynamic trio of Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Because the stories often are set in far-flung places such as Greece, Antarctica, and the Klondike, kids are introduced to basic concepts of geography and diverse world cultures."[31]
Jeremy Hayes ofBuzzFeed rankedDuckTales 2nd in their "Best Cartoons From The '80s" list, saying, "Arguably the greatest Disney cartoon show ever, the animation and voice acting really stand out (from what I've seen of this show). Often considered one of the most underrated cartoons ever, the show ran for four seasons after debuting in September of 1987."[32] In January 2009,IGN listedDuckTales as the 18th best show in the Top 100 Best Animated TV Shows, writing, "This was Disney's first syndicated animated TV series and it paved the way for other hugely successful shows likeTaleSpin andChip n' Dale Rescue Rangers. It even created two spin-offs,Darkwing Duck andQuack Pack. Disney made the smart move of taking classic characters like Scrooge McDuck and Baloo fromThe Jungle Book and giving them a late '80s reboot."[4]
The theme song, written by Mark Mueller, has been widely regarded as one of the most memorable for a television program, with Dan Fletcher ofTime magazine noting its lasting impact despite being just a children's song: "Some of the lyrics might not make sense to those older than the age of 10 — we're not sure how life in Duckburg is like ahurricane, or exactly what a 'duck blur' is — but the DuckTales song is still awesome."[33][34][35][36] An article fromVanity Fair noted that the song has a tendency to stick in someone's head, a phenomenon known as anearworm.[27]TVLine lists the theme song among the best animated series themes of all time.[37]
| Year | Award | Category | Results | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Animated Program | Nominated | [38] |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Cartoon | Nominated | [39] | |
| 1989 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Animated Program | Nominated | [40] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Animated Programming (for Programming One Hour or More) (episode: "Super DuckTales") | Nominated | [41][42] | |
| 1990 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Film Sound Editing | Won | [43][44] |
| 2019 | Online Film & Television Association Hall of Fame | Television Program | Won | [45][46] |
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp was released nationwide in the United States on August 3, 1990, byWalt Disney Pictures andDisney MovieToons, Disney TV Animation division andDisney France. The film follows Scrooge McDuck and his nephews as they try to defeat the evil warlock Merlock from taking over the legendary magic lamp.[13]
The film was well received by critics and audiences, but was considered a financial disappointment[47] by Disney and several planned sequels were abandoned as a result.
In February 2015,Disney XD announced a reboot of the originalDuckTales TV series. It premiered on August 11, 2017[48] and ran for three seasons.
In May 2015, Terry McGovern (the original voice of Launchpad McQuack) stated on Facebook that the entire voice cast would be replaced, stating he felt "heartsick" at the news.[49]
ADuckTales video game was developed byCapcom and released for theNintendo Entertainment System andGame Boy in 1989. A sequel to the game,DuckTales 2, was released for NES and Game Boy in 1993. A Disney'sDuckTales hand-held LCD game fromTiger Electronics was also released in 1990. ADuckTales mobile game was developed by Artefact Games and published byDisney Mobile and released forMobile Phones on 2011 inMoscow.[citation needed]
A different platform game,DuckTales: The Quest for Gold, was released byIncredible Technologies for computers in 1990.DuckTales: Remastered, an HD remake of Capcom's original game, developed byWayForward Technologies, was released byDisney Interactive forPlayStation Network,Nintendo eShop andSteam on August 13, 2013. It was also released on September 11, 2013, forXbox Live Arcade. A retail copy forPlayStation 3 was released on August 20, 2013, with a code to download the game and aDuckTales collector pin.[50]
VariousDuckTales items appear in the Toy Box of theDisney Infinity franchise. In1.0, the Money Bin item and Scrooge and Beagle Boy townspeople appear in addition to the "Scrooge's Lucky Dime" power disc. In2.0, Scrooge's pile of money and a Scrooge portrait are interior items in addition to the iOS-exclusive "Scrooge's Top Hat" power disc. In3.0, a Launchpad McQuack townsperson was added.
Launchpad was a selectable character for the mobile game titledDisney Snow Sports in 2007.
An app was released by Disney in the late summer/early fall of 2013 calledDuckTales: Scrooge's Loot, where the player tries to get Scrooge back his money that was stolen by Flintheart Glomgold, Magica de Spell, and the Beagle Boys.[citation needed]
Scrooge McDuck, Launchpad McQuack, Webby Vanderquack, Magica De Spell, and Gizmoduck appeared inDisney Emoji Blitz.
Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby appear as playable characters as part of aDuckTales collection in the video gameDisney Magic Kingdoms, along with The Money Bin and The Golden Condor as attractions.[51][52]
In 2019, the original characters of the series Gizmoduck and Launchpad McQuack were added toDisney Heroes: Battle Mode as playable characters.[53][54]
DuckTales releasing on thePicture Books from the part ofDisney Gold and was Published byKodansha.
DuckTales had two series of comic books. The first series was published byGladstone Publishing and ran for 13 issues from 1988 to 1990, and the second series was published byDisney Comics and ran for 18 issues from 1990 to 1991. Disney also published a children's magazine based on the show, which also featured comic stories, one of which was written byDon Rosa. Subsequent comic stories were also printed in the magazineDisney Adventures from 1990 to 1996.
On August 29, 2007,Gemstone released a trade paperback ofScrooge's Quest and on October 7, 2008, it was followed byThe Gold Odyssey; together they collect the majority of the Disney Comics run.
| Ducktales: Scrooge's Quest | |
|---|---|
| Ducktales Volume 2 #1–7 | |
| Ducktales: The Gold Odyssey | |
| Ducktales Volume 2 #9–15 | |
| Walt Disney Treasures | |
|---|---|
| Trade Title | Issue Reprinted |
| Disney Comics: 75 Years of Innovation (2006) | Ducktales Volume 1 #4 |
| Uncle Scrooge: A Little Something Special (2008) | Ducktales Volume 1 #7 |
On May 24 and July 19, 2006, Gemstone published a two-volume trade paperback,Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories. The trades contain reprints of stories written by Carl Barks which were specifically adapted into television episodes ofDuckTales.
Both volumes start with an introduction and compare the original comic story with itsDuckTales episode counterpart. Volume 1 also includes a two-page article delving into details on adapting the show from the comic series.
| Volume 1 | |
|---|---|
| Issue Number | Story |
| Four Color #456 | Back to the Klondike |
| Uncle Scrooge #13 | Land Beneath the Ground (The episode was titled "Earthquack") |
| Uncle Scrooge #65 | Micro Ducks from Outer Space |
| Uncle Scrooge #9 | Lemming with the Locket (The episode was titled "Scrooge's Pet") |
| Uncle Scrooge #14 | The Lost Crown of Genghis Khan |
| Uncle Scrooge #29 | The Hound of the Whiskervilles (The episode was titled "The Curse of Castle McDuck") |
| Volume 2 | |
| Issue Number | Story |
| Uncle Scrooge #58 | The Giant Robot Robbers (The episode was titled "Robot Robbers") |
| Uncle Scrooge #12 | The Golden Fleecing |
| Uncle Scrooge #3 | The Horseradish Story (The episode was titled "Down and Out in Duckburg") |
| Uncle Scrooge #41 | The Status Seeker |
| Uncle Scrooge #38 | The Unsafe Safe (The episode was titled "The Unbreakable Bin") |
| Uncle Scrooge #6 | Tralla La (The episode was titled "The Land of Tra-La-La") |
On February 17, 2011,BOOM! Studios announced that a newDuckTales comic series would begin May 2011[55] under itsBOOM! Kids / Kaboom! imprint. The series was written byWarren Spector (author of theEpic Mickey videogame) with art by Leonel Castellani and Jose Massaroli.[56] It lasted for 6 issues, with the final two crossing over withDarkwing Duck. The BOOM! Studios comic will be reprinted inIDW Publishing'sDisney's Afternoon Giant in October 2018.[57]
| DuckTales: Rightful Owners | |
|---|---|
| DuckTales #1–4 | |
| Darkwing Duck/DuckTales: Dangerous Currency | |
| DuckTales #5–6 andDarkwing Duck #17–18 | |
Before its updatedDuckTales comic book, BOOM! Kids (later called Kaboom!) featured internationally producedDuckTales comic book stories never before seen in the US in issues 392–399 of theUncle Scrooge comic book. These issues, published 2010–2011, were collected into two trade paperback volumes.[58]
| Uncle Scrooge in DuckTales: Like a Hurricane | |
|---|---|
| Uncle Scrooge #392–395 | |
| Uncle Scrooge in DuckTales: Messes Become Successes | |
| Uncle Scrooge #396–399 | |
The success ofDuckTales led to the translation of the show into many languages. Featured together withChip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers in a Sunday morning program titledWalt Disney Presents, the show premiered in the formerSoviet Union in 1991, the first American cartoon shown in the region after theCold War. One year later,Darkwing Duck was also added to this lineup.However, the show's theme song (written by Mark Mueller and originally sung byJeff Pescetto) remained in English for several episodes. The first Russian version of the song was replaced midway through the series with an alternate rendition that contained completely different lyrics.
The series screened inNew Zealand weekday afternoons onTVNZ. WhenTV3 started airing in November 1989 they took over the rights to Disney properties previously held by TVNZ, and as a resultDucktales was later repeated on TV3.
The series aired inIndia onDoordarshan, dubbed inHindi. The title track for the original series was sung in Hindi by Amit Kumar. The features were dubbed and the episodes have voice cast of Chetan Shasital, Javed Jaffery, Rakshanda Khan and others. In many countries, the theme song was performed by well-known singers (like in Finland, where it was sung byPave Maijanen[citation needed]).
In Spanish speaking countries of Latin America, the series was calledPato Aventuras (Duck Adventures). Scrooge McDuck is called "Rico McPato" and the nephews were translated as Hugo, Paco, and Luis, keeping the names of the translated vintage cartoons and comic books. In Spain, while the Latin American dub was used for the first broadcast, a high-quality local dub was produced afterward, keeping the local "Gilito/Juanito/Jaimito/Jorgito" names for the characters. In Brazil, the series was called "Duck Tales: os Caçadores de Aventuras" (Duck Tales: the Adventure Hunters).
InItaly, the series was calledAvventure di paperi.
InFrance, the series was calledLa bande à Picsou (McDuck's gang).[59][circular reference] The French name of Scrooge McDuck isBalthazar Picsou. Scrooge's last namePicsou comes from a French expressionPique-Sou emphasizing Scrooge's stingy behavior. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are calledFifi,Riri andLoulou.
InHungary, the term "DuckTales generation" (Kacsamesék generáció) refers to the people who were born in the early to mid-1980s, because the death ofJózsef Antall, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Hungary, was announced during aDuckTales episode in 1993. This was the generation's first encounter with politics.[60]
InRomania, the series was calledPovești cu Mac-Mac (Stories with Mac-Mac). Only the episodes 1–65 were dubbed and aired. Scrooge McDuck was dubbed by a well-known actor,Gheorghe Dinică, until his death (only 5 episodes remained after his death). After Gheorghe Dinică's death, Valentin Uritescu dubbed Scrooge (episodes 50, 57, 60, 64, 65). Also, Angela Filipescu provided the voices of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez provides the voice of Ms. Beakley, Mihaela Mitrache was Webbigail along with the great master Cornel Vulpe as Duckworth. The series was broadcast onPrima TV and first aired onTVR1 in 1994 and the dubbing studio who provide the Romanian version is Ager Film. The intro song was performed by a winner from Mamaia Festival, Alin Cibian.[61]
inIran, this series was broadcast onIRIB Pooya & Nahal from 2018 to 2019 then the2017 reboot was broadcast onIRIB Pooya & Nahal in 2019 after The DuckTales 1987 series was broadcast in Iran.
In thePhilippines, the series was broadcast onGMA Network from 1988 to 1993.
This was Disney's first syndicated animated TV series and it paved the way for other hugely successful shows like TaleSpin and Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers. It even created two spin-offs, Darkwing Duck and Quack Pack.
As a piece of music, the DuckTales theme has an extraordinary tendency, as neurologist Oliver Sacks described the phenomenon in his book Musicophilia, to "bore its way, like an earwig, into the ear or mind." Its irresistible earworminess is so notorious that it was once the subject of an (admittedly slight) Onion joke.
One Disney executive Chris Montan described his paycheck of $US1,250 as "whopping".
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