«A quacker of a little "treasure" from Disney.»
While Disney has not been producing much of high quality animated films these days, few will deny that in the late 1980's and mid 1990's, the Mouse House was in its heyday. After a period of turmoil without their former founder, the company had risen to stardom with its 1989 musical, THE LITTLE MERMAID. The success of that film led to other equally acclaimed masterpieces, notably BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which was fortunate enough to win the Oscar for Best Picture. In the period between these two works of art, though, the company released two animated features that were pleasant diversions but didn't ignite ticket sales at the box office. One of them was THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, a non-musical sequel to a mediocre 1970 film (which actually improved on its predecessor in many ways). The other--and even lesser known--production was DUCKTALES: THE MOVIE--TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP.
An unashamedly small, likeable film, DUCKTALES--THE MOVIE did not quack up much box office gold in its theatrical release. Based on Disney's popular animated series of its time, this theatrical feature--as you might expect--plays very much like an extended episode of the series, with slightly beefed up production values. Audiences unfamiliar with the show are most likely to be confused with its unexplained references to terms like "Junior Woodchuck"--a problem not uncommon with other theatrical spin-offs of television shows, e.g. THE CARE BEARS, TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY, etc. The stars of DUCKTALES, which include self-proclaimed "quad-zillionaire" Scrooge McDuck (impeccably voiced by Alan Young) and his mischievous nephews, Hewy, Dewey, and Louie, are household names with many people, but their co-stars--which include bumbling pilot Launchpad McQuack and Webby (Webbigail for you completists)--are only familiar with those who have tuned into an episode or two of the show. This is probably what sealed DUCKTALES--THE MOVIE's box office fate; it caters more to fans of the show rather than a mainstream audience.
That said, DUCKTALES--THE MOVIE is a very pleasant way to spend 74 minutes. The film bounces along at a fast pace and maintains a kinetic sense of energy, particularly the opening and climactic sequences. And there's nothing at all about the film that may be deemed too unsettling or inappropriate for children (what, you expected an R-rated material from Disney?).
The best way to describe the plot is a mixture of INDIANA JONES adventure and Disney's own ALADDIN. The first 20 minutes of the movie, in which the ducks--on a hunt for Collie Baba's treasure--find themselves braving a booby-trap infested hidden pyramid and outrunning scorpions, recall the roller-coaster excitement of the aforementioned Spielberg-Lucas series. Things get slightly slower around the middle when the ducks unleash the contents of a magic lamp containing, yes, a genie. Voiced with zest and humor by Rip Taylor, this Genie may not have the adult appeal of, say, Robin Williams' Genie in ALADDIN, but he manages to extract a giggle from the audience without being too over-the-top. His lively presence--and the nephews' dilemma of trying to keep his identity a secret from their miserly uncle--makes it easier to sit through the middle portion. The final 20 minutes of the film, in which Scrooge and company attempt to recapture their money bin from a compulsively greedy weasel, Dijon (Richard Libertini), only to deal with the Genie's former master, Merlock, a centuries old villainous sorcerer with the commanding voice of Christopher Lloyd, builds to a high-flying (literally) climax that I've rarely seen other Disney films match.
Based on the above description of the plot, it is tempting to dismiss this movie as an inferior imitation of ALADDIN, particularly where the Genie sub-plot is concerned, but since this movie was made long before that film, it instead holds up as an original story. Technically, DUCKTALES isn't exactly on the same level as, say, THE LITTLE MERMAID or other Disney Renaissance features, but then again it was hardly intended to be. The animation, produced by the now defunct Disney Animation Studios in Paris, is appropriately matched and showcases some spectacularly exciting effects, particularly any moment when Merlock morphs into eagles, rats, bears, cockroaches, panthers, etc., and especially at the climax when Scrooge's money bin is transformed into a creepy-looking castle. Simultaneously, though, the artwork is more "simplified" than the usual Disney treatment--not that it is a bad thing for this type of feature, but it's noticeable in places.
More pleasing about the film is its kinetic musical score, composed by David Newman (THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER and ANASTASIA). This is one of the finest ever written for a Disney film, and it's a shame it hasn't been commercially released on CD. It should also be noted that there are no songs in this film (unless you count the DUCKTALES theme over the closing credits)--this gives DUCKTALES the distinction of being one of Disney's "songless" productions (other notable entries including THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, and ATLANTIS--THE LOST EMPIRE).
Although not on par with Disney's better classics, DUCKTALES--THE MOVIE: TREASURE OF THE LOST LAMP is a breezy, fun romp that actually holds up pretty well even after its initial 1990 release. It's too bad that Disney reduced themselves to churning out direct-to-video sequels, none of which matched the excitement or energy of this film or even the heart or human appeal of A GOOFY MOVIE, another inspired by a TV series movie. Compared to most of these other pointless secondary chapters, DUCKTALES--THE MOVIE remains fresh, funny, and enjoyable, especially for youngsters and, yes, fans of Disney-cartoons in general.
[Wednesday, June 20, 2007]
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