Ducktales, Volume 2
Racecars, lasers, airplanes–it’s all in the second volume of Ducktales.
Tags: Disney Afternoon Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Tracy Erickson on Jan 25th, 2007
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It really doesn’t get any better than Ducktales. Disney’s action-packed animated series is a widely-remembered favorite of young adults who can vividly recite its jazzy theme song. Ducktales represents the best of Disney animation: well-rendered, great characters, and interesting stories. Despite the rather plain options and a lack of bonus content, Ducktales, Vol. 2 is a decent compilation that suffices as an opportunity to revisit this classic cartoon series.
Ducktales, Vol. 2 continues to chronicle the adventures of Scrooge McDuck in the animated series of the same name. Like an animated twist on Spielberg and Lucas’ Indiana Jones, Ducktales features harrowing adventures in search of valuable relics and hidden treasures. Scrooge is accompanied on his escapades by nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie—among others—who help McDuck contend with hilariously-styled villains such as Flintheart Glomgold and the Beagle Boys. Ducktales, Vol. 2 builds off of the twenty-four episodes included in the first volume with nineteen additional episodes and the five-part pilot. Everything is included in three discs, eight episodes apiece.
Options are few in Ducktales, Vol. 2. French audio can be swapped for the default English voice work; additionally, you can toggle English subtitles if you’re hard of hearing or just like reading. Beyond these two paltry audio settings, the compilation offers no customization of the presentation or the audio. All twenty-four episodes retain their original resolution, full screen without any options for improved quality; moreover, you’re stuck with mono sound. Amazingly enough, Ducktales, Vol. 2 is still largely enjoyable without audio-visual enhancements or customization settings; in fact, it holds up better than many other television series compiled from the late 1980s.
Considering the lack of options, it shouldn’t be surprising that Ducktales, Vol. 2 comes with no extra features. Unlike most other television series that make their way to DVD, this animated compilation comes without any bonus content. Purchasing the set means you’ll have to be content with the base twenty-four episodes that are provided since there’s nothing more to be had in the package. With the series primed for a return early next month on the Disney Channel, it may be hard to justify purchasing the set when you can easily tune your television to catch an episode.
Ducktales, Vol. 2 is a worthwhile purchase to fulfill one of two basic desires: a fan’s wish to watch any of these episodes at will or a parent’s need to entertain their children with a good animated series. Beyond this, there are likely to be few individuals who will find this compilation exciting. The distinct lack of bonus materials and an options deficit fail to bring the series up to date. Even so, Ducktales, Vol. 2 chronicles one of Disney’s best animated series and money spent on the set cannot be considered wasted.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
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+ Twenty-four episodes of the series + Includes five-part pilot episode |
6.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- No optimization for DVD - No bonus features |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Keep your expectations low—Ducktales, Vol. 2 doesn’t pack in any extra content and it fails to provide any audio-visual options. Get past these shortcomings and you’ll enjoy the opportunity to watch the rare five-part pilot and nineteen episodes of this classic cartoon series. | |
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Tags: Disney Afternoon
Posted by Tracy Erickson on Jan 25th, 2007 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
