DuckTales (2017 TV series)

DuckTales is an American comedy-adventure animated television series developed by Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones originally for Disney XD, and then later for Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series is a reboot of the original 1987 series of the same name. DuckTales was officially announced in February 2015 and premiered on August 12, 2017 with a 44-minute special titled "Woo-oo!". The first season, which resumed on September 23, 2017, consisted of 21 further twenty-two minute episodes and a 44-minute season finale special. Before the series was released, it was renewed for a second season on March 2, 2017.

The second season premiered on October 20, 2018, and included a Christmas episode under the title "Last Christmas!". On September 21, 2018, DuckTales was renewed for a third season.

Premise
After not speaking to each other for ten years, Scrooge McDuck is reunited with his nephew Donald Duck after he asks Scrooge to babysit his three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie for the day. The presence of the newcomers rekindles Scrooge's sense of adventure, leading the group to go on many new treasure-hunting expeditions. The nephews and their new friend Webby seek the truth behind their uncles' strained relationship and the unexplained disappearance of Huey, Dewey, and Louie's mother and Donald's twin sister Della Duck.

Cast
The show's main voice cast includes:


 * 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

Production
Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones grew up watching the original series, and had always wanted to develop an updated version for a newer generation. Youngberg said, "We're hoping that in thirty years, the kids who watch our show will then be bringing back the next version of DuckTales because they loved what we did so much."

In May 2015, Terry McGovern, the original voice of Launchpad McQuack, stated in an interview that the entire voice cast from the original series would not be returning for the reboot, which made him "heartsick" at the news. The new voice cast for the series was revealed on December 16, 2016 in a video where they sing an a cappella version of the original theme song in promotion of the news. The following May, Lin-Manuel Miranda was announced as the voice of Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera / Gizmoduck. The character was changed to being Latino due to Lin-Manuel's heritage and because Angones felt that there were not enough positive Latino superheroes. In June, more cast members, including Tony Anselmo reprising his role as Donald Duck, were announced, and during the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, Disney announced that Darkwing Duck would also make an appearance in the TV series.

The art style of the show is heavily influenced not just by Carl Barks' original Uncle Scrooge comics, but also some of Barks' paintings. The theme song, written by Mark Mueller for the 1987 series, was re-recorded for the 2017 reboot. It was arranged by Michael "Smidi" Smithand and TJ Stafford and sung by Felicia Barton.

Welcome to Duckburg!
Released through the Disney XD YouTube channel ahead of the show's premiere, these shorts spotlight several characters.

30 Things
Recycling an idea used for promotion of the Disney Channel original movie Zombies, these shorts feature the kids listing off thirty things they like. Concurrent with the show's move from Disney XD to the Disney Channel, these and all subsequent shorts were released through the Disney Channel YouTube channel.

Webby Reacts
These shorts are "reaction videos" featuring Webby watching another Disney Channel show.

The World's Longest Deathtrap!
This five-part serial sees Webby and Dewey caught in an incredibly slow-moving deathtrap.

Fly
This was a cross promotional short between Disney and electronic music producer Marshmello using his song "Fly" which he had previously released on March 8, 2018. The video was simultaneously aired on Disney Channel and released through Marshmello's YouTube channel and depicts Scrooge, Donald and the kids traveling through space and encountering an animated Marshmello who fittingly lives on a marshmallow planet.

Dewey Dew-Night!
Episodes of Dewey's home-made "Dewey Dew-Night!" talk show, as introduced in the episode "Day of the Only Child!"

Broadcast
The 44 minute pilot, titled Woo-oo!, premiered on August 12 at 12:00 AM and was repeated consecutively for the next 24 hours. Two days later on August 14, the pilot was also released on YouTube. The pilot also aired on Disney Channel on September 17, 2017. The series officially premiered on September 23, 2017, coinciding with the original show's 30th anniversary. On May 1, 2018, the show moved to the Disney Channel, with new episodes airing on Fridays beginning May 4, 2018.

In Canada, the pilot premiered on Disney XD on August 12 and the full series started on September 23, 2017. In Australia and New Zealand, the show premiered on Disney Channel on October 13, 2017. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the pilot premiered on Disney Channel on November 4, 2017. The full series debuted on March 1, 2018 on Disney XD. In Indonesia, the show is aired on RCTI from July 8, 2018.

Marketing
On March 10, 2017, a trailer for the series aired on Disney Channel during the premiere of Tangled: Before Ever After, and on June 14, 2017, the title sequence for the series, featuring a re-recording of the theme song written by Mark Mueller and performed by Felicia Barton, was released.

Home media
A DVD titled Woo-oo! was released on December 19, 2017. The DVD contains the pilot episode and all 6 Welcome to Duckburg shorts. A second DVD titled Destination Adventure! was released on June 5, 2018. It contains the episodes The Beagle Birthday Massacre!, The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!, The Impossible Summit of Mt. Neverrest!, The Spear of Selene!, The Missing Links of Moorshire!, and Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!, as well as 2 episodes of the original 1987 series previously unreleased on DVD (New Gizmo Kids on the Block and Ducky Mountain High).

Critical reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 100% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 9.0/10. IGN's Chris Hayner gave the series premiere, Woo-oo!, a score of 8.5 out of 10, stating that the reboot "may be aimed at modern young audiences but there's no denying the heart and adventurous spirit it gets from the original series."

Disney comics creator Don Rosa, primarily known for his Uncle Scrooge comic sub-series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, has expressed his dislike of the DuckTales reboot series, claiming that it bears "virtually no resemblance whatsoever" to Barks' original comics.

Printed media
An ongoing comic series based on the show is being published by IDW Publishing, with Joe Caramagna, Joey Cavalieri and Steve Behling sharing writing duties, and Luca Usai, Gianfranco Florio and others providing the art. Ducktales #0 was released on July 19, 2017, and #1 of the monthly series followed on September 27.

In 2018, Disney Press published "DuckTales: Solving Mysteries and Rewriting History!", a companion book covering the majority of season one, as seen from the perspective of Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby. It is written by Rob Renzetti and one of the shows writers, Rachel Vine.