DuckTales (1987 television series)

From WE Computers Museum

This article is about the 1987 DuckTales television series. For the 2017 television series, see DuckTales (2017 television series). For the video game by Capcom, see DuckTales (video game).

DuckTales 1987.jpg
DuckTales
Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation
Distributor Buena Vista Television
Formats Digital, DVD, VHS
Released TV: September 18, 1987 - November 28, 1990
VHS NA: May 31, 1988 - August 14, 1990
VHS UK/AU: September 11, 1992 - September 10, 1993
DVD NA: November 8, 2005 - September 11, 2018
Digital: 2013
Disney+: November 12, 2019
Added to
Museum
Volume 1 DVD: January 21, 2019

DuckTales was an animated television series by Walt Disney Television Animation. It was the first animated television series in the DuckTales series.

Development

While DuckTales was primarily based on the Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck comics by Carl Barks and Don Rosa, it also included original characters including Webby Vanderquack and Mrs. Beakly, the butler Duckworth, the superhero Gizmoduck and his alter-ego Fenton Crackshell, the pilot Launchpad McQuack, and Bubba the Caveduck.

Legacy

DuckTales was adapted into a feature-length theatrical film titled DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp in 1990.

It also was adapted into several video games including DuckTales and DuckTales 2 by Capcom, DuckTales: The Quest for Gold by Incredible Technologies and Sierra On-Line, DuckTales: Scrooge's Loot by Disney Interactive, and DuckTales Remastered by WayForward Technologies.

DuckTales was successful enough that The Walt Disney Company sought to emulate its premise of placing familiar Disney characters in new situations. The resulting series, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Goof Troop, and Quack Pack made up the majority of the successful syndicated television block, The Disney Afternoon.

DuckTales was also spun-off into a series titled Darkwing Duck. This series was originally conceptualized as Double-O Duck starring the pilot from the DuckTales series, Launchpad McQuack. A backdoor pilot of Double-O Duck was released as part of the DuckTales series. Before airing, the series was changed from a James Bond spoof to a Batman spoof starring a new character named Darkwing Duck, and Launchpad McQuack was reduced to the role of a sidekick.

In 2017, DuckTales was rebooted into a series of the same name. The DuckTales reboot ran for three seasons from 2017 to 2021.