WEEK 4: DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE AND DUCKTALES TODAY

March 01, 2020

WEEK 4: DONALD DUCK, UNCLE SCROOGE AND DUCKTALES TODAY

Comparing the Duck Family from 1950s to 2017

Growing up, I remember watching the Walt Disney shows and movies with the Disney cast like Mickey, Donald and Goofy but recently I was reintroduced to Donald and his nephews in a new light.

How I saw Donald Duck and his family:

Twice Upon a Mickey (2004)

Donald Duck Stuck On Christmas (1999)

How I see them now:

Ducktales Reboot (2017)

There's a stark difference to my perception of these characters that I had when I was 7 versus 20 sum years later. The nephews became more complex with a more mature preteen nature compared to the mischievous childlike way they would act in previous versions. I think the way Ducktales has evolved today is due to the maturity of their audience. Their audience grew up just like in our discussion in class of the 18-year-old comic writers coming back from war.

1950s Donald Duck Comics vs 2017 Ducktales Comics

Now that I've talked about the animated Duck family, the comics show a similar evolution. This probably occurs due to the evolution of comics. The 1950s Donald Duck comics were very word heavy and focused on serious topics like atomic bombs. The comic "Donal Duck's Atom Bomb" took me off guard when I read it. My first thought was, why such an adult topic and referencing foreign spies? Is this for kids? Then I put my mindset in the time period, there was World War 2, the Cold War and the atomic bombs. If I were in the 50s, how would I deal with everything happening around me or how would I understand what has happened with atom bombs? This comic had the classic Disney comedy with our beloved characters which allowed for the serious explanation of the atom bomb effects have a less serious impact when it happens to the people in the story.

Artistic Differences

One change I found in terms of the artist style in these comics is the development of the three nephews. In "Donald Duck's Atom Bomb", the boys would finish each other's sentences. When reading their lines it was kind of hard to act out in my brain. I would stop. After each. Person's bubble. It would break my immersion. I remember in the animated films they would do the same thing sometimes and I never realized how annoying it was. Now in the new reboot, they don't have the triplets finish each other's sentences THAT often. They had more distinct personalities and character design which means no more same shirt and hat.

Another difference is the design of the characters and the use of panels. In "The Gilded Man" the panels are very in the box with almost the same 6-8 number of panels. In DuckTales 2017, they give breathing space between panels and provide a wider view of the world. For instance, in the DuckTales "The Hedge Enigma!" they literally draw outside of the box. Some of the characters overlap the gutters or the panels overlap each other.