Reboots are everywhere in today's era. From movies, books, comic books, and even TV shows and animated cartoons. But reboots left a negative taste in people's mouths thanks to Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans GO!" and the "Ben 10" and "Powerpuff Girls" reboots.
Then, in 2015, Disney announced that it would release a reboot of "Ducktales," one of their household names. But many were hesitant to see Donald Duck's family given what Cartoon Network had done. Yet, with the previews and the premiere of the first episode, the rebooted "DuckTales" was met with great appraise.
But there's more to this than just getting good criticism. What is that? It's that, in a world where cartoons are now just time distractions for kids, "DuckTales" is a cartoon that really matters. Let's take a look why:
NOTE: Spoilers for the premiere episode.
It's mature, yet balanced with childish.
The new "DuckTales" cartoon understands that many fans are now adults who grew up watching the original "DuckTales" cartoon from 1987. But rather than just pandering to their new young base, the show understands that both kids and adults will be tuning in.
So there are noticeably darker moments, such as the implication that the reason Donald and Scrooge have a strained relationship is that Donald holds Scrooge responsible for the death of his sister (who also happens to be the mother of Huey, Dewey, and Louie.) This all occurs during the same time as Donald's temper tantrums that somehow ends with him stapled to a wall.
Another moment is when Filntheart actually tries to kill Scrooge, the triplets, Donald, Webby, and Launchpad. So, it doesn't shy from character deaths and doesn't cover them up with 'disappearing'. It's a good blend of themes for the now grown-up old fans and the young new fans.
It actually teaches morals.
A problem with modern primetime TV cartoons is that they don't really care if their audience, aka little kids, and the work they put into them amounts to just loud noises, bright colors and simple characters that might actually rot kids' brains. "DuckTales" doesn't do that. The premiere episode alone tells the lesson of how being rash isn't the way to go if you want to be recognized— through the recklessness of Dewey.
This shows that the new cartoon is a modern take of the old Saturday morning, or rather, Disney Afternoon cartoon, an animated show with memorable characters and plots that actually tell stories while teaching morals. Having a lot of the "Gravity Falls" crew definitely helped as well.
It's everything a reboot should be.
The new "DuckTales" actually respects the original cartoon that it's been inspired by. While "Teen Titans GO!" misrepresented the five teenage superheroes to the point of absurdity, "DuckTales" stays true to the spirit of the original cartoon as well as Carl Barks' comics. In addition, it's smart, creative, clever, and properly reimagines the (admittedly) outdated concepts that the original show has.
With a second season already confirmed, "DuckTales" shows no signs of stopping. And, with Gizmoduck, Darkwing Duck, and even the Three Caballeros due to appear, it will likely go down as one of, if not the best, modern Disney cartoon (Sorry "Gravity Falls," but when your crew revives a classic cartoon, this happens.)
