All-New DuckTales (TV series)

All-New DuckTales is an American animated television series, produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and distributed by Buena Vista Television. It’s the follow-up to the original 1987 series. The cartoon series premiered on ABC on September 10, 1994. It aired for a total of 65 episodes for over 5 seasons, with its final episode broadcasting on December 5, 1998.

Based upon “Uncle Scrooge” and other Duck universe comics created by Carl Barks, the story followed Scrooge McDuck’s three teenage grandnephews (Huey, Dewey & Louie) and their close friends on various adventures, some of which either involve thwarting the efforts of villains seeking to steal Uncle Scrooge’s fortune or overcoming problems with growing up in  Duckburg .

The series was a ratings success, receiving a franchise of merchandise, including toys, video games and comic books. This Disney TV show was being notable for the first one to get a follow-up treatment.

The series featured the voices of Neil Patrick Harris as Huey, Kirk Cameron as Dewey, Wil Wheaton as Louie and Alyssa Milano as Webby.

Premise
Huey, Dewey and Louie resided with their uncle Scrooge McDuck. Working for Mr. McDuck was Mrs. Beakley, who was the maternal grandmother of Webby Vanderquack.

In some episodes, the nephews attempt to help someone in jeopardy, but they end up getting themselves and their friends into deep trouble. Meanwhile, Webby often liked to get along with the nephews.

Alongside these characters, other stories also featured appearances by Moby Duck, Fethry Duck, Gladstone Gander, Duckworth the butler, Gyro Gearloose and Donald Duck, as well as guest appearances by José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles.

Unlike the original 1987 series, and in the ‘90s series, Scrooge McDuck appeared in a recurring role.

Most stories used in the TV show revolve around one of three common themes – the first focused on the group’s efforts to thwart attempts by various villains to steal Scrooge’s fortune and take over the world; the second focused on specific characters within the show; the third focused on the nephews and Webby’s days in high school. Although some stories were original or based on Barks’ comic book series, others were pastiches on classic stories or legends, including characters based on either fictional or historical people. Much like the original series, it’s well noted for many references to popular culture, including James Bond and Indiana Jones.

Production
With the success of a string of Disney animated shows like “Darkwing Duck”, Walt Disney Television Animation began production on a sequel series in 1992, with the intention of having it ready for a 1994 debut, and its episodes airing within an 8-10 a.m. placement, on a Saturday morning when more children would be watching television. Seeking to create another Disney cartoon with high-quality animation, similar to other 1990s cartoons which had much higher budgets, Disney outsourced some of the animation workload to AKOM, having previously used other Korean production companies on such cartoon shows as “Tiny Toon Adventures”, “Batman: The Animated Series” and “X-Men”.

Legacy
Like the original “DuckTales”, “All-New DuckTales” proved even more immediate success for Disney. Additionally, it spawned a franchise of merchandising, including toys, video games and comic books.

Characters
The main characters of the series, who appear in almost every episode, were Scrooge McDuck’s three teenage grandnephews (Huey, Dewey and Louie).

Being clever and intelligent, yet fairly immature, Huey, Dewey and Louie were teenage students who attended  Duckburg High School . Their characteristics were similar to that of teen sitcoms like “Head of the Class” and “Saved by the Bell”.

The series also featured a blend of characters carried over from the original ‘80s series. Scrooge’s household also consists of Duckworth, Mrs. Beakley and Webby Vanderquack.

Initially, recurring characters include the seafaring Moby Duck, the eccentric Fethry Duck, the inexplicably lucky Gladstone Gander, the absent-minded Gyro Gearloose, Scrooge’s little brother Gideon McDuck and the befuddled Fenton Crackshell (who possessed the dual identity of GizmoDuck).

The show’s primary villains consist of Flintheart Glomgold and the Beagle Boys. Although they’re all financial threats to Scrooge in one way or another, they each had different movies: Glomgold wanted to dethrone Scrooge as the “richest duck in the world”; and the Beagle Boys want to rob Scrooge of his entire fortune.

Other characters in the TV show, which were carried over from previous cartoons, include the flamboyant José Carioca, the boisterous Panchito Pistoles and the bumbling Darkwing Duck (who’s often called “the terror that flaps in the night”).

Differences between versions
Added characters: Other differences include the following:
 * In the first episode (1990s version), Moby Duck makes his first appearance. Until then, he only appears in the comic-book pages. He has a remarkable knowledge about the sea (which serves him well) and speaks in his nautical dialect. He wears a blue sailor hat, a red-striped shirt and blue pants.
 * In the fourth episode (1990s version), Fethry Duck makes his first appearance. Until then, he only appears in the comic-book pages. He’s an obsessive New Age thinker, eagerly trying to pursue new hobbies and lifestyles based on books and TV shows. He wears a magenta stocking cap and a trademark sweater (usually bearing two black stripes).
 * The original ‘80s series are distinguished by the 20th century’s design motifs, music and references.
 * Whereas the ‘80s stories were basically comic-book plots in a classic cartoon setting, many of the ‘90s stories delve into mainstream, retro/nostalgic pop culture.
 * Like the ‘80s series, the ‘90s series is aimed at young viewers:
 * Kids 6-12
 * Teens 12-18
 * Unlike previous Disney animated shows, the characters from “All-New DuckTales” appear in 30-second public service announcements (PSAs). For example, when two Beagle Boys try to break into a house, Huey calls 911 for an emergency. The police capture the crooks and sends them to jail, then congratulates Huey for his service to society.
 * The ‘90s opening credits contain a re-recorded track of the original theme song, which features the use of an electric guitar typical of rock music, and new footage.
 * The ‘80s closing credits contain the same theme tune as the intro.
 * The ‘90s credits has to accommodate a much larger production staff.
 * The ‘80s episodes contain only title cards at the beginning of each story. When the ‘90s episodes are made, they contain the writer and director’s names.
 * All of the ‘90s episodes are colored, the same as the ‘80s episodes were. This time, they’re using lighting effects, which include shadows and highlights.
 * The backgrounds in the ‘90s version contain vivid colors. They are more detailed than those in the ‘80s version.
 * For the ‘80s series, the animation was done overseas by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (Tokyo, Japan) and Wang Film Productions (Taipei, Taiwan). For the ‘90s series, the animation is done overseas again, this time by AKOM and Rough Draft Studios (both in Seoul, South Korea).
 * In the ‘90s version, Gladstone Gander appears more often than the ‘80s version (when, voiced by Rob Paulsen, he only appears in two episodes).
 * Also for the ‘90s series, Gyro Gearloose wears a new laboratory coat, for instead of inventing crazy gadgets, he focuses on scientific experiments.
 * While the ‘80s episodes were accompanied by an original soundtrack (composed by Ron Jones, who also wrote the music for “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), the ‘90s episodes are accompanied by a brand-new soundtrack (composed by Michael Tavera).
 * When the ‘90s episodes are made, and in order to give Uncle Scrooge’s nephews – and Webbigail Vanderquack – a makeover, the setting has to take place about several years after the original series. Huey, Dewey and Louie are 17, while Webby is 16.

Cast

 * Neil Patrick Harris as Huey Duck
 * Kirk Cameron as Dewey Duck
 * Wil Wheaton as Louie Duck
 * Alyssa Milano as Webby Vanderquack
 * Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck

Several voice actors were changed between the original “DuckTales” and “All-New DuckTales”. The major replacements include:
 * Harvey Korman as Duckworth (replacing Chuck McCann)
 * Corey Burton as Gyro Gearloose (replacing Hal Smith, due to Smith’s death in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake)
 * Malcolm McDowell as Flintheart Glomgold (also replacing Hal Smith)
 * Patrick Fraley as Bigtime Beagle (replacing Frank Welker)
 * Mark Hamill as Fenton Crackshell / GizmoDuck (replacing Hamilton Camp)

A few voice actors managed to keep their voices of the characters, albeit in reducing roles:
 * Joan Gerber as Mrs. Beakley
 * Chuck McCann as Burger Beagle / Bouncer Beagle
 * Frank Welker as Baggy Beagle
 * Rob Paulsen as Gladstone Gander

A few voice actors also gave life to new characters in “All-New DuckTales”. They include the following:
 * Corey Burton as Moby Duck
 * Paul Eiding as Fethry Duck

The series also featured a wide range of additional voice-over actors who voiced several minor characters, most frequently including the following:


 * Charlie Adler
 * Michael Bell as Gideon McDuck / José Carioca
 * Jeff Bennett
 * Mary Kay Bergman
 * Susan Blu
 * Hamilton Camp as Panchito Pistoles
 * Cam Clarke
 * Danny Cooksey as Megabyte Beagle
 * Peter Cullen
 * Brian Cummings
 * Jim Cummings


 * Bill Farmer
 * Tony Jay
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Tress MacNeille
 * Danny Mann
 * Jason Marsden
 * Scott Menville
 * Kevin Schon
 * Kath Soucie
 * Russi Taylor
 * B.J. Ward

Several TV actors voiced several minor characters, frequently including:
 * Ed Asner
 * Tim Curry
 * Mary Hart as Canary Hart
 * Tim Matheson
 * John Tesh as John Thrush
 * Vanna White as Loona White

Music
The series’ theme music was written by Mark Mueller, an ASCAP award-winning pop music songwriter.

Episode musical scores were written by Michael Tavera.

The original “DuckTales” theme song was rearranged by Jordan Knight (from New Kids on the Block).

Marketing
Disney launched a massive marketing campaign to promote “All-New DuckTales,” intending to reach 89% of American children aged 6-11 and 93% of American teenagers aged 12-18. Disney’s television division spent $13 to $17 million for a $44 million invested in promotion; the company contracted 50 licensees, including Hanes underwear, Crayola coloring kits and Milton Bradley board games. Disney provided bound style guides featuring collections of artwork, coloring instructions and product ideas.

Produced for $120,000, the style guide included fonts, logos, character art, merchandising mock-ups, video clips and other interactive content. Disney announced 48 licensees as of mid-July 1994.

According to Playthings magazine, “All-New DuckTales” was ranked #2 in the top 20 licensed kids’ properties for the year of 1994.

Disney marketed “All-New DuckTales” through a substantial diversity of products, considering its campaign as a role model for future TV shows. In 1993, Mattel acquired figurine licensing rights and created a product line of figurines for fall 1994 release. Disney felt that Mattel’s commitment legitimized the “DuckTales” marketing strategy, and next secured partnership with Pizza Hut and other food retailers. Cross-promotional sponsor Quaker Oats included $5.00 mail-in rebates for future videotapes, display contests and instant coupon offers on over 70 million packages. By the time the TV show was cancelled in 1998, Mattel has sold over 85 million action figures.

Topps used artwork, sketches and plots from the first and second seasons to create a 120-piece trading card collection. Walt Disney Records produced an audiocassette adventure based on the episode ‘Fast Times at Duckburg High.’ The TV show’s credits advertised a soundtrack available exclusively from Disney.

Marketers tied in “Classic DuckTales” merchandise, launching a promotion with Best Western hotels, United Airlines, Welch’s fruit products and Oscar Mayer meat products, offering rebates for the original 1987 TV pilot  Treasure of the Golden Suns  & classic new-to-video episodes, and repromoting the theatrical “DuckTales” movie Treasure of the Lost Lamp.