DuckTales: Rebooting Darkwing Duck -- The Duck Knight Returns Review | Reaction | Nostalgia

one of the greatest successes of Disney's new ducktail series has been its ability to recast beloved characters in a modern light while still retaining the essence of what made the my conic characters in the first place it's an inherently difficult trick to pull off a feat of writing that has to both defy and satisfy what fans think they love most about their favorite characters oh cool a big-budget reboot of a thing I loved as a kid those are always great ducktales has successfully given us new versions of Donald Duck Huey Dewey Louie webby gizmo duck mrs. Beakley Launchpad and even Scrooge McDuck himself but along the way it's been teasing fans with another modern adaptation one that might be even harder to get right than everything that came before it let's talk about the duck Knight Returns this is rebooting darkwing duck of all the shows that aired alongside the original duck tales in the 1990s Disney Afternoon after-school cartoon programming block you might think that darkwing duck would be the easiest to integrate into the canon of the new rebooted duck tales series after all they're both shows starring anthropomorphic ducks with a mixture of adventure comedy and family and they even share a co-star in Launchpad McQuack but believe it or not this actually makes rebooting darkwing duck into Disney's new duck tales series harder not easier seeing launchpad in both shows growing up almost felt like a continuity error fans who thought about it too hard we're left wondering how Launchpad could live in st. canard as Darkwing sidekick while still working as a pilot for Scrooge McDuck the only possible answer was that launch pad left duck bird and his ducktales family at some point and that was a story beep that never quite felt right in 2016 we found out why Darkwing Duck creator tad stones revealed that despite borrowing a character and universe from duck tales the two show's narrative Lee took place in different realities at the time a lot of fans were kind of taken aback by this revelation but it's an excellent nation that actually makes a lot of sense after all in duck tales Launchpad is a notoriously bad pilot someone who's proud of constantly crashing airplanes but in darkwing duck he's actually pretty competent it could even be argued that Launchpad was a different character in darkwing duck than he was in duck tails for better or worse darkwing duck was a show that didn't care about continuity if it got in the way of a good story idea not unlike the Silver Age comics that tad Stone says helped inspire the series Disney's new duck tales series on the other hand is a show that very much cares about continuity which means it faces a unique challenge how do you comfortably fit the world of duck tales and darkwing duck into the same universe the answer turned out to be more clever than any fan could have possibly imagined when we first saw darkwing duck appear in the new duck tales he was exactly as fans of the original might remember him as a television show specifically a TV show that Launchpad grew up watching and is an ardent adult fan of throughout that episode we see how launchpads fandom of the show and admiration for Darkwing as a character helped define who he is as an adult on top of being a great tool for helping us see Launchpad grow as a character the clips we see in that in universe TV show are a great tribute to the original Darkwing Duck cartoon not only featuring that show's original character design and a hearty helping of action and slapstick but also the talents of dark wings original voice actor Jim Cummings himself so you voted on its own this tribute was a completely satisfying way to pay respect to a classic Disney Afternoon cartoon and if ducktales left it at just that it would have been enough but that stellar sequence was only a setup for something even better a story that finds a way to take the separate worlds of ducktales and darkwing duck and bring them together in a single unified continuity of story a feat it pulls off by doubling down on tad stones controversial reveal that they take place in separate narratives and then Bhalla clear eken siling them together in a satisfying exciting way but first the show needs to expand on what it's already setup dark we duck is a TV show in the ducktales universe and that means the actor that played him jim Starlin is probably still around and that's where the duck night returns open showing us what that actor has been up to for all these years bit appearances and signing at the grand opening of furniture stores look I'm the one and only darkwing duck I need a real gig bigger than sofa store openings this is a great start to the introduction of jim Starlin as a character not only does it establish him as the character archetype of the washed-up actor surviving off of his old fame but it hones in on something that trope shares with the original character of Darkwing himself a huge ego and egos so big that when it hears is a darkwing duck movie in production it can't help but hear that is an entitlement to get itself back in the spotlight this brings Dewey launchpad and jim Starlin to mcduck studios a film company's scrooge founded to make cheap office safety videos this film studio is actually one of my favorite subtle jokes of the entire episode not only is it a silly and fun excuse for Scrooge to own a film studio for the plot to take place in but also hints that Donald Duck has a bit of a history as a film star each poster of the films that McDuck studios has made features a Donald like figure being the victim of several workplace safety mishaps in films like don't eat the toner and emergency evacuations save the money first those are all hilarious but safety videos isn't what McDuck studios is making this time you convinced me a fun little action movie would double my profits but you're already over budget that's right McDuck Studios is making the darkwing duck film unfortunately the movie is running behind schedule and over budget Scrooge isn't happy with the results and to make matters worse Launchpad and Jim burst into the studio to grill the direct on how the film is shaping up his dark weaves motorcycle in it is he still a noble hero who gets back up and fights for right no matter of what evil throws at him you're keeping the theme song right what the director shows them is the perfect parody of a high budget superhero reboot film from the gritty attitude and the subversive tones to the cute wordplay that hints at what fans want out of a movie but still somehow misses the point of what made the character beloved in the first place it kind of looks like dark Wayne but something isn't right and Launchpad catches on right away that is not Darkwing Duck DW never hurt innocent people or set the city on fire not a purpose pretty much nobody in the room is happy with where the film is going Dewey doesn't understand what the trailer is going for and he's bored which bothers Scrooge because kids like Dewey are who the film is supposed to be made for Launchpad the old fan is sad that it isn't the dark wing he knows and jim Starlin himself is furious to learn that he isn't dark when that is not the darkwing duck i know and love this kicks off jim Starlin dressed as dark winged teaming up with launchpad so they can sneak into the studio and fix the film it's really fun to see them scheming behind a bush and it absolutely evokes a lot of the vibes of the characters friendship from the original Darkwing Duck TV series but like the movie trailer that inspired these hijinks something seems off any questions 7 pick the most important month breaking in locking up doesn't that sound not heroic this line helps set the stage for how this episode helps transform Darkwing from my mere TV character to a proper part of the ducktales universe but before it can get to that launch pad needs to push his concerns about this situation aside and follow Jim starlings plan a plan that involves distracting the security guard fittingly voiced by the real Darkwing Duck creator himself tad stones what production need delivering to dock quick duck huh never heard of it good job tad you're a rising star in voice acting as we enjoy that cameo launch finds himself in the trailer of the actor set to play darkwing duck in the new movie and is all set to lock him inside so Jim can take over the role but launchpads heart just isn't in it here not helpless oh hey it's you even though Launchpad doesn't seem very confident in this plan he really wants this new darkwing duck movie to go right and so when the actor shows up against his better instincts he does try and stop him and keep him locked in the trailer but his Launchpad starts to fight the actor he starts to realize that he has a lot in common with this perceived enemy there's evidence that the actor is just as much of a superfan as the show as Launchpad is littered all around the trailer in fact this whole scene is a delight for fans of the original show the actors trailer is littered not just with references to the original Darkwing Duck cartoon but other little facets of Disney history as well my favorite is when Launchpad almost body slams the actor over a stack of Darkwing adventures comics a simple and really nice reference to the old Disney Adventures magazine I used to read as a kid as the to fight amongst the Darkwing Duck collectibles carefully trying to avoid damaging toys and comics Launchpad starts to realize that this person he thought was his enemy isn't there's a lot I love about this not only is it a solid beat for the story but it also serves as a callback to the kind of classic superhero comics that Darkwing is kind of based off of the stories where two heroes would meet each other and then in the initial misunderstanding and the direness of whatever the situation is have a disagreement and get into a fight before ultimately realizing that they're on the same side even better in the context of reboots and fandoms this is kind of an important message that gets forgotten a lot more often than not these days when a beloved film comic franchise or comic reboot or reimagining is announced there's a strong and backlash dedicated diehard fans who like Launchpad are so protective of something they love and means a lot to them they'll go to extremes to defend what they think is the right way to betray a character or make a story when in reality the people reimagining and rebooting these stories are almost always huge fans of the original - just like Launchpad often as fans our initial reaction to something new a reboot is to recoil back and try and protect it from being damaged or tainted in some way and that fear that something isn't exactly as we remembered might cause us to make the mistake of assuming that the creators don't care about the original story in the same way we might but the reality is most of the time they're just as big of fans of it as we are maybe bigger I could be reading into this too much but this part of the story feels like the perfect symbolic cartoon analog for that fan reaction one that reveals the truth behind that kind of misplaced frustrated fan backlash just like many fans Launchpad is initially defensive of darkwing duck to the point he's willing to lock up the new actor to protect his idealized version of the show but the more time they spend together the more context Launchpad gets and he realizes that this person he thought was an enemy is also a fan - and of course he is no matter what compromises you have to make as a creator working for a studio you don't just go pouring your heart into rebooting an iconic and classic show without worrying about getting it right and that context is brilliant the new Dark Queen actor will get into what his name is and why it matters in a minutes isn't just any fan of the show he's someone whose life was changed and inspired by us in a beautiful flashback comic drawn by Mike Piazza who worked on the original Darkwing series we see how as an awkward young kid the new dark wing was inspired by the original show that had taught him to believe in himself and to never give up and no matter how many times life knocks you down you back up again it's honestly a kind of inspiring backstory one that really helps fill out the motivation for this new actor and why he's such a big fan of jim Starlin and the original show and wide launchpad instantly understands why his fan backlash was misplaced look I know this movie's not perfect but I really want to make it better then maybe I can beyond the lunchbox that inspires some other kid like me it also adds a great character driven motivation for why in the original Darkwing Duck cartoon the hero was always getting beaten up in slapstick situations that's not something that ever needed any explanation but casting it as Darkwing Duck stew NASA tea that's clever speaking of that tenacity Launchpad may have come to understand that the movie's creators aren't out to destroy the legacy of Darkwing Duck but jim Starlin hasn't the old actor is obsessed with making a comeback and he's determined to take over the film at any cost it nearly does despite his unorthodox methods of taking over the role Jim starlings version of the finale is actually pretty awesome at least at first as Darkwing Jim faces off the new megavolt and springs into action but his obsession quickly gets the better of him soon the set is on fire and Starling has clearly gone over the edge someone needs to stop Darkwing Duck and there's only one person who can I am the overstuffed burrito that spills on to the lap of cry I'm doc wake ja this is the sequence that ducktales has been building to ever since it introduced dark we dug as an in-universe TV show character something that it did to set up not only the character but this very fight itself earlier in this episode we learned that ducktales universes Darkwing Duck TV show ended on a cliffhanger one word Darkwing Duck was going to fight another Darkwing Duck now that's exactly what's happening but with the full weight of everything we've seen to this point in old actors vanity an old fans anxiety over a reboot changing something he loved and to new friends working together to save something they both care deeply about let's get dangerous right what follows is a sequence that's almost the perfect tribute to the original dart Wing series it's both a high-stakes action sequence and a parade of slapstick gags that perfectly capture the mix of humor action and heroics that made the original series special in one moment Darwin is cartoonishly recovering from having a piano dropped on his head but he's also bravely and dramatically charging forward in the next moment this weird balance of seamless comedy and action is something that defined the original Darkwing Duck series and it's incredibly gratifying to see this duck tales tribute match that energy perfectly as the battle goes on the stakes are raised even higher as Jim starlings obsession overrides his reason it seems to be the end for our new masse Mallard until Launchpad steps in no matter how hopeless things got darkwing duck got back up and did what was right this may be the most eloquent Launchpad has ever beaten he knows a lot about this one thing but as the film studio collapses around them Launchpad speech helps Jim starlene put things back in perspective he seems to regain his composure and sanity long enough to save launchpad and the new dark wing just as the soundstage explodes when the smoke clears Starling is nowhere to be and the movie project is canceled but that doesn't mean that darkwing duck doesn't have a future you know you could do this for real yes no duck does it I am better than gizmo duck in a satisfying conclusion to both the episode itself and a season of teasing out the idea of darkwing duck as an in-universe TV show the new duck tale series does something the original Disney Afternoon never did it successfully merges the world of duck tales and darkwing duck into a single unified canon and it was extremely clever about it by making the new duck tales version of darkwing duck a TV show within the show it was able to build up the idea of the character without distracting from the ducktales core cast it also gave viewers unfamiliar with Darkwing a chance to build a fondness for the hero through launchpads fandom so when jim Starlin finally did appear in ducktales it wasn't just some nod to a series older ducktales fans might have watched but something everyone watching the show could recognize and enjoy bringing in a new character to fill in dark wings cape is equally brilliant by splitting the concept of the character between two actors ducktales was able to separate the best and worst aspects of the original dark wings personality the pure-hearted hero represented by the new actor and the somewhat selfish egotistical vigilante represented by jim Starlin pitting the two against each other may have been an unconventional way to pass that Dark Queen torch but it was still fun and exciting and it helped forge a new origin story for a character that Darkwing fans already know and love Drake Mallard never heard it it also gave the creators of ducktales the perfect opportunity to create a new origin for another fan favorite darkwing duck character they were grim and gritty I'm happy to play the part this entire episode is amazing on so many levels it's a loving tribute to a classic Disney Afternoon series that doesn't feel at all forced or out of place it's a story of fandom and being inspired by something you loved as a child to the point that it becomes part of who you are is in adults it may even be a passive commentary on fan backlash and the struggles creators face when trying to reboot a beloved franchise for a new audience it's also like a lot of the new duck tales series clearly a labor of love and it really shows this isn't a wink and a nod or a drive-by cameo but a story that was very carefully created to show the best of these characters and to bring them together in a wonderful way it's something the show's creators have been subtly teasing for a long time from jokes on Twitter to secretly quoting it at events and conventions you know that Darkwing line at the beginning of the big fight in this episode the one about the overstuffed burrito that falls into the lap of crime DuckTales co-producer frank agonies has casually said that at conventions at least a couple of times they've been teasing this episode for years and we didn't even know it either way it was well worth the wait from the stellar voice casting between Chris Diamantopoulos as the young pure-hearted Darkwing Duck and Jim Cummings returned as the jaded jim Starlin to the incredible story the symbolic commentary and an incredibly fun funny and heartwarming adventure it's a tribute that only works because the ducktales crew took the time to get it rights they set this episode all the way back in season one built it slowly throughout season two and delivered on that groundwork in a spectacular way it's one of the best episodes of the new tails show yet and a great tribute to another staple of the Disney Afternoon if you need a beloved series reimagined with love respect care and fresh angles that can take a franchise in new and exciting directions call Matt Youngberg Franken go neighs and the duck tails crew this is a reboot done right [Music]

Channel: Seaniccus

Views: 356,056

Rating: 4.8970561 out of 5

Keywords: ducktales, disney xd, disney channel, webby, webby vanderquack, duck tales, darkwing duck, gizmoduck, darkwing, disney, scrooge mcduck, huey, dewey, louie, launchpad, david tennant, beck bennett, gizmo duck, spear of selene, seaniccus, ducktales review, disney adventures, disney afternoon, drake mallard, jim cummings, fan backlash, childhood ruined, darkwing duck reboot, rebooting darkwing duck, rebooting darkwing, duck knight returns, ducktales the duck knight returns, fan theory

Id: kTdkiuYqwRM

Length: 21min 43sec (1303 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 13 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/Peabody77]

Don’t fudge it up

[u/DafniDsnds]

100% on the money.