"DARKWING DUCK: VOLUME 1 & TALESPIN: VOLUME 1"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
Several months ago, the Walt Disney Company began releasing their cartoon television series on DVD. Some of the earliest ones to be released in complete seasons were “Duck Tales” and “Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.” These were regular television series that were used to fill the hours of programming for the then-new Disney Channel as well as Saturday morning and weekday afternoon television.
For these multi-episode shows, the company didn’t use their state-side feature animation studios. After all, those folks were busy reinventing the animated film with hits like “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Instead, these cartoons from the 80s and 90s were produced by the television animation divisions.
The fact that the shows were cranked out faster than any feature film (in excess of 20 episodes per show per year as opposed to a 70-minute cartoon over three years of development) showed in their quality. The color palette wasn’t as rich. The animation wasn’t as crisp. The actual cell drawings had a relatively cheap look to them. (They weren’t as bad as the crappy animation from some of the Hanna-Barbara “classics” my kids watch on Boomerang, but they were still pretty lame.)
After the release of the 80s shows, Disney has dipped into the shows of the 90s. The two that are getting their inaugural DVD run include “Darkwing Duck” and “TaleSpin.” The shows of this era get special note because in addition to having a child fan base, they also were watched to a large degree by college students. Maybe it was raw escapism. Maybe it was because cable was readily available in many dorms of that era (which wasn’t the case ten years before).
Overall, the appeal to a slightly older audience may be helping these two shows. But while “Darkwing Duck” had a stronger college fan base, but “TaleSpin” seems to be a stronger show in the long run.
The complete first seasons of both shows are now available in 3-disc sets. They include all the regular season episodes as well as the pilots of both series. It’s a two-parter for “Darkwing Duck” and a four-parter for “TaleSpin.” In both cases, the characters are set up (although the “Darkwing” mythology changes things around periodically), and they also include more than twenty regular-season episodes.
“Darkwing Duck” follows the misadventures of a web-footed crime fighter who envisions himself the Batman of ducks. He doesn’t have any overt powers. Heck, he can’t even fly, and I thought all ducks could do that. But he does have spirit, and he is tenacious as ever. Along with his sidekick, an adopted daughter named Gosalyn (as well as “Duck Tales” alum Launchpad McQuack), he fights crime in his fair city.
“Darkwing Duck” is a fun, lighthearted spoof of the genre. The episodes are still clearly made for kids, but they have some decent humor in them that adults can laugh at as well. I particularly like the fact that this is a brand new character so I’m not feeling the studio has changed anything from my childhood.
“TaleSpin,” however, uses a whole stock of Disney characters. Most of them seem to come from “The Jungle Book,” with the great bear Baloo in the pilot’s seat. Instead of living in the jungles of India, however, Baloo works in a pre-WWII shipping company. A young bear named Kit Cloudkicker (with a name a bit too reminiscent of Luke Skywalker for my tastes) joins Baloo as navigator.
Many of the audience favorites from “The Jungle Book” also populate “TaleSpin.” King Louie runs a local watering hole. Shere Khan the tiger is corporate bigwig often at odds with Baloo and Kit. There are also pirates who cause problems for the shipping line and serve as bad guys.
In general, I did like “TaleSpin” quite a bit, especially for its ability to mold older characters into an interesting new situation. The plots tend to be a little more complex than that of “Darkwing Duck” or the other Disney Channel shows. The animation noticeably degrades from the pilot to the rest of the series, but the episodes are generally enjoyable.
“Darkwing Duck” and “TaleSpin” were staples of Disney television in the 90s. Better than “Duck Tales” or “Chip ‘N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers,” they can bring you back to your youth – or maybe just your college days.
Specifications: Dolby Digital Stereo Sound. Full frame (1.33:1). French language track. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
