UPDATE: In addition to dropping this trailer, Disney XD has even approved DuckTales Season 2 for production, which should be an indication of how confident they are in this series being a success. Here’s what Marc Buhaj, Senior VP, Programming and General Manager at Disney XD had to say:

“Fans around the world are eager and we’re looking forward to introducing viewers to the all-new DuckTales. This early season two order is a testament to the quality work the creative team and the cast are delivering.”

ORIGINAL STORY:

If you’re like me, you spent a good portion of your childhood indulging in the adventures of one Scrooge McDuck and his great-nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. DuckTales was a healthy mix of Indiana Jones and some good old-fashioned Disney magic, and surprisingly enough, it’s a formula that holds up well when revisiting. Along with the likes of Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, and TailSpin, it went on to shape a whole generation of animation lovers.

So, when we found out that DuckTales would be brought back to the small screen after all these years, we did not take the idea lightly. Simply put, the writers and animators had a lot to live up to, and they wouldn’t be able to get away with simply throwing on the DuckTales label. After all these months of waiting, we finally have out first trailer for the show.

Check it out below:

Okay, so right off the bat, my personal reaction is mixed.

First, let’s discuss the animation. Now, I by no means thought they’d make the show even slightly resemble the original — that would be silly. The animation world has changed drastically since the early ‘90s, and kids these days have different tastes than we did. I’m actually a fan of the art style, but my biggest gripe may actually be with the YouTube encoding, as it has a lot of jagged edges in the lines that makes it look awkward. So with that considered, it’s difficult to gauge whether or not I approve of its overall look just yet.

Now, let’s look to the voice cast and characters.

The series stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck; Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as the voices of Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively; Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack; Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack and Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley. It’s a solid cast overall, but it was a bit distracting to hear the sounds of grown men come out of Huey, Dewey, and Louie (I suppose it has shades of Dipper from Gravity Falls in it). More than anything, it was a bit grating to hear them yell, but hopefully after the first episode or so, either I’ll adjust, or the actors will ease into their roles. Regardless, I do love the dry personalities they seem to be giving the nephews, which is a bit of a departure from how they were in the original show. David Tennant does a solid job at Scrooge McDuck, though it’ll take a while to unhear the Scrooge I grew up watching. That said, I’m digging the emotional journey they seem destined to take Scrooge on, which will start out with him feeling washed up, is one I look forward to seeing.

Sadly, one of the bigger down points of this was the music. In the trailer, it felt overbearing and a bit flat. In attempting to modernize the sound of the original, it ended up feeling sort of generic and lifeless. 

Luckily, the show does seem like it’s going to do its best to capture the spirit of adventure and comedy that made the original so well. Were they able to capture it? Sort of. I get the impression that they’ll be in for some real adventures, but it almost seems like the adventures will be of a lighter nature than the original show. In short, I worry it won’t have as much of an impact in the finished product. Over the years, I’ve gotten used to good shows being butchered by bad trailers (Better Call Saul, anyone?), so we’re by no means discouraged by this “meh” first look. We’ll save our judgment for the real show.

What did you think of this first look trailer? Let us know your thoughts down below!

DuckTales hits Disney XD in Summer 2017.

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SOURCE: Disney XD