And this announcement comes three days after the world lost Chris Barat, which seems like a cruel joke. Even if it ends up being terrible -- though it does seem like at least at this point, the project is fueled by respect for the original series and for Barks -- Chris would want to be there to see it and to assess it for himself. And who knows -- maybe his magnum opus, his DuckTales 20th Anniversary Retrospective blog project influenced the conception of this new series.
I like that it sounds like Donald might be a regular this time around.
-- Ryan
I can't help wondering if they'll adopt Donald's "Duck Avenger" guise and have him pal around with Fenton. I would also like to see Brigitta MacBridge added to the cast, since I think Tress MacNeille would be perfect casting for that character.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if Alan Young will reprise his role as Scrooge again, but I suppose Rob Paulson or Maurice LaMarche couldrecreate the voice of Young's Scrooge voice if needed. I recall Phil Harris was bummed out that he didn't get to play Baloo in "Talespin" because of his age, yet I think he outlived Ed Gilbert by a few years.
'rehab,
ReplyDeleteNothing is written in stone at this very early stage, so who knows what direction the new series will take ... but from the emphasis in the press release on capturing "that same energy and adventurous spirit" of the original, and that they even listed Mr. Poe as being part of the planned cast but made no mention at all of Fenton/Gizmoduck or Bubba, they seem to be "dialing back" to the first season.
This is completely a matter of personal preference, but I'm hoping that pans out. I think that a "Duck Avenger" episode would work as a wacky one-off (kind of like Barks' original "Super Snooper" story was, or in terms of DT's original season, like "Double-O-Duck" was or like "Super Doo!" should have been.) But I'd prefer that in the "average" episode, Donald would be just plain Donald.
At 95, I'm not sure if Alan Young would make the long-term commitment to an entire series, but I would love it if here up for it. I've wondered if Scottish comedian Billy Connolly -- who I only know from the 2008 X-Files movie and his narration for Disney's 2011 animated short "The Ballad of Nessie" -- would make a good Scrooge. Here's a clip of "Nessie": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-XI66LiedE ... I'm not sure, what do you think? Kind of too wheezy -- I'm not sure if he could bring the spark and strength that Young did.
-- Ryan
Connolly's Scrooge would be quite lively..and sound like he's been to the pub a few times, but quite nice. I would also nominate Craig Ferguson, who was very good as the voice of Owl in "Winnie The Pooh".
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense that Fenton and Bubba would be redundant if Donald's returning, plus we've seen there's potential in storylines featuring the trio of Scrooge, Donald and Launchpad. And a "Duck Avenger" one-off would be just fine, but I still like the idea of establishing a new status quo for him in place of being in the navy, since Scrooge is always regarded as the central character...then again, a Donald Duck who behaves like Carl Barks' Donald DOES count as a role already. Either way, I'm glad to see the show coming back.