DuckTales Video Essay

Perhaps the biggest indicator of what an amazing reboot the 2017 DuckTales is - both faithful to the original and its fans, yet self-aware enough to change just enough to engage modern audiences - lies within its new rendition of the classic theme song, performed by Felicia Barton. Emphasizing parts of the song that stuck with audiences, speeding the tune up just enough, all set to an opening literally consisting of comic book panels. Yep, I’d say this is an accurate depiction of the reboot.

Most of the time when a classic series is rebooted, it’s a shameless cash grab to bank on the rampant trend of revitalized nostalgia we’ve seen time and time again over the last few years. Look no further then the infamous Teen Titans Go, which - while not totally awful - took its original and twisted it into something else so that hyperactive five year olds being babysat by Uncle Television - or I suppose nowadays, their tablets - would watch on repeat til Trigon brought about the End.

2017 DuckTales, however, has been lauded as perhaps one of the best - if not, the best - reboots of series beloved by many. Today we’re going to be covering why that is, and how other reboots can take notes to hopefully replicate this success. You know, at least til the nostalgia trend - and another trend I’ll mention later on - inevitably die out.

WHAT WAS DUCKTALES?:

Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, the original DuckTales ran from September 1987 to November 1990, producing 100 episodes, and even a theatrical spin-off movie, Treasure of the Lost Lamp. Following the episodic adventures of richest billionaire in the world Scrooge McDuck and his three clones - I mean, triplet nephews - Huey, Dewey, and Louie, the show enjoyed massive success, even resulting in the production of other cartoons such as Darkwing Duck - please god, let that be the next reboot - TaleSpin, and even a series for Chip and Dale. Ya know, those annoying chipmunks who keep nagging you about all the cool stuff your Gummi Ship can do.

Disney in the ‘80s had been trying to become Supreme Rulers of Everything - doesn’t seem much else has changed - and that included the Realm of Television. And so they took the ultimate ‘80s risk: making an animated series that wasn’t just meant to sell toys. (The ‘80s were a dark time, y’all)

The series was actually inspired by several Donald Duck comics, in which Carls Barks - an in-between for Disney - actually fleshed out his personality and character. No longer was Donald the lazy hot mess most of us know him for - specifically Kingdom Hearts fans (JUST CAST CURE, YOU LITTLE-), but now he was a brave adventurer with actual motivations and emotions. This is also where the black coat comes from, by the by.

To say nothing else, the show wasn’t afraid to do its own thing, and it succeeded because of that. I mean, what other kid show was willing to primarily star a crotchety old duck man who was greedy as all hell and conveyed that as a positive? It opened up so much more potential for animated series, and if not for DuckTales, perhaps we wouldn’t have eventually found ourselves in the Golden Era of Animation today. So of course, it only makes sense that it’s been rebooted to join the ranks of its successors, but unlike what recent trends might tell you, it’s actually by far among the best series currently airing. How is that possible? Well, it’s quite simple actually.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR SOURCE MATERIAL (Thesis):

When rebooting a classic series - in this instance, an animated series - you’d best adhere to three rules:

1. Understand and clearly respect the spirit of the original, either remaining faithful to it (Not meaning not changing anything, but rather keeping the spirit - the tone, meaning, etc. - of the original intact), or subverting it in a clever and thoughtful way.
2. Adapt the show to the zeitgeist without infringing upon its core identity. The modern insights - current worries, modern technology,  current pop culture - should be kept supplemental. Also be aware of dated tropes that could possibly be improved or parodied.
3. (The most important one) Don’t shit on the original target audience, but also don’t pander to them. Earn their trust and treat them respectfully, while also allowing new viewers to join. Understand that this is not a battle of new vs. old, but rather creating a bridge between the old and the new. The goal should be to expand your initial audience.

And so with all these in mind, let’s talk about what modern shows have done, and how DuckTales has followed these trends while remaining authentic to its original identity.

THE MODERN AUDIENCE (Modern Shows):

The landscape for western animation is constantly in flux, and the last few years, it’s been the thing for series to lean more into overarching stories across their episodes. Avatar: The Last Airbender was the gold standard for a happy medium between episodic and serialized storytelling, and since then, we’ve gotten even more stories attempting a grand narrative, such as Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated—which I really need to check out if it’s as good as I’ve heard—Steven Universe, and Star versus the Forces of Evil. Even Tangled the Series has created an overarching story about the origin of Rapunzel’s hair. It’s really good, by the by, you should watch it.

Modern audiences also are much more sadistic. They just love to see their characters suffer as they develop, preferably developing PTSD in the process. Older generations had alcoholism; we have Shell Shock. And debt, of course. Lots and lots of debt. We youngins lead miserable lives, hence why we love seeing our characters suffer. Stories that don’t stray from darker themes, themes of genocide, prejudice, and trauma, those are stories we get behind for their authenticity.

Tokens and bland characterization are also red flags for modern viewers. Where the original series struggled in this regard were in Webby being the token girl, having to represent an entire gender through stereotypes, while the triplets were treated like a hive mind to a degree almost as disturbing as the Olsen Twins. “Come play with us” to the Original Triplets.

Thankfully they fix this issue by giving each triplet his own set of goals and traits. Huey is obsessed with organization and is an incredibly huge nerd; Louie is lazy and will do whatever it takes to find a shortcut (They also signify this through him being the only triplet with Scrooge’s ability to swim through gold); and Dewey craving constant attention as the middle child always being forgotten, as well the essential main character.

Webby, meanwhile, is pretty much Duck Mabel. She’s the granddaughter of a spy who’s been sheltered most of her life, so while she kicks a lot of ass, she also struggles to pick up on most social cues, and values any potential friendship she comes across. “You really are my best friends.” (Episode 1)

And last but not least… modern audiences love them some fourth wall breaking. Because of how saturated all forms of entertainment have become, even the most casual of viewers is able to pick up on common cliches and tropes that have been done to high heaven. Hell, TV Tropes is filled to the brim with - I assume - literally every single trope known to man. So how have we not gotten sick of all this yet?

Well, the answer to that is… get meta.

METATEXTUAL COMMENTARY:

Metatext refers to commentary on the act of writing and storytelling within one’s writing, or commentary on another work. For the lay men, metatext is basically “Wow, this is super cliche, but looks like we’re doing it anyway! Woo-oo!” Given how familiar audiences are with all the used and abused tropes in storytelling, creators have begun a trend of using metatextual commentary to try and catch audience’s attention. Like hey, we’re smart! We know things, and we know you know things, but little do the creators realize that the audience knows that the writers know that the audience knows… ya know?

The whole trend of using meta commentary or meta humor has itself become stale. At this point, acknowledging tropes for lols has become just as trite and stale as trying to subvert the crap out of them without a second thought. One look at the live action Disney remakes of beloved animated classics reveals just how cynical and tired this kind of metatextual pandering can be. Like yeah, you’re aware that people are bitter about all the dead Disney moms or the logical fallacies in goddamn fairy tales of all things. Lindsay Ellis kinda made that clear, and that’s wonderful. Now tell me an actual story and quit trying to look smart already, you hacks.

This is where DuckTales shows us how to properly use metatext: namely, in being aware of their audience’s expectations, and giving them something more. Never does the metatext get in the way of the actual story, but it is used to further engage the audience. Ending interview of episode 1.

DuckTales uses metatextual jokes and commentary to do things like further characterize the triplets—”FACTS COME FROM ME WHEN I’M NERVOUS.” (Episode 14)—and even take the occasional loving at the original—”OH NO, DEWEY’S BROTHERS.” (Episode 14)—for comedy—”Who needs treasure when we’ve got each other?” Laughter. (Episode 21)—and even to parody their own audience–”I know everything about you.” (Episode 17) Webby in general is pretty much the audience surrogate. “Let’s take a blood oath!” (Episode 14)

They even use it to make fun of broader storytelling tropes, namely… “Friendship is the greatest magic of all!” “That’s not how magic works.” (Episode 14) Of course in that instance, they then promptly actually used the magic of friendship, but at least it was used for Lena’s character development instead of… I don’t know, just advancing the plot in the most hollow and shallow way possible, like… certain shows.

This also could be argued to include Easter eggs referring to the original DuckTales—most notably that nod to Webby’s original design in “The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck”—as well as other classic animated series. The first that comes to mind is likely DarkWing Duck. DarkWing Duck (Episode 6) Oh god, I need that reboot next. Launchpad asking Dewey about pausing DarkWing Duck. (Episode 22) But then there’s also this little gem. Gummy Bear References (Episode 17)

Those unaware, this is basically a reference to one of the older Disney animated series known as Gummy Bears, whose theme song I would say definitely rivals the DuckTales intro. Though a reboot of that series would probably result in some kind of social divide between the bears who can jump and those who can’t, or maybe some kind of gummy bear genocide. Lowkey, of course, but it’d definitely be there. Remember, new DuckTales gave us “Let’s take a blood oath!” (Episode 14)

Though I definitely have to say the biggest missed opportunity to utilize this meta humor was in the episode “Sky Pirates… in the Sky!” Ironically enough, despite the title itself being a meta joke, when the pirates board the Sunchaser and sing, the heroes just kinda… stand there and let it happen. They don’t even joke about the song distracting them afterwards. Like… excuse me? Oh well.

CONCLUSION:

But perhaps if we want to see more reboots like this—more revitalized classics that actually manage to adapt to the modern landscape of entertainment—then maybe studios should take some notes from 2017 DuckTales, and just follow these three core tenets:

1. Understand and clearly respect the spirit of the original, either remaining faithful to it (Not meaning not changing anything, but rather keeping the spirit - the tone, meaning, etc. - of the original intact), or subverting it in a clever and thoughtful way.
2. Adapt the show to the zeitgeist without infringing upon its core identity. The modern insights - current worries, modern technology,  current pop culture - should be kept supplemental. Also be aware of dated tropes that could possibly be improved or parodied.
3. (The most important one) Don’t shit on the original target audience, but also don’t pander to them. Earn their trust and treat them respectfully, while also allowing new viewers to join. Understand that this is not a battle of new vs. old, but rather creating a bridge between the old and the new. The goal should be to expand your initial audience.

If you do these three things, then maybe—just maybe—your reboot won’t be shit.

OUTRO (After cut to black):

This video actually marks my second use of Adobe Premiere Pro for the first time. I’m getting accustomed to the new software pretty quickly, and I hope that these DuckTales videos will be the start of a new era of higher quality, unrushed videos. If you enjoyed this video and haven’t seen it yet, consider giving my DuckTales Review a look.

After this, my next video essay will be on how RWBY’s struggles in matching up to its criticisms actually serves as a proper rendition of its core theme. That’s to say, RWBY not being the greatest series, and losing its original spirit, seems to speak to what Ruby’s character arc should’ve been.

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I’m the Unicorn of War, and this has been a shit show.