La Bande à Picsou, le film : Le Trésor de la lampe perdue

I recently watched the "DuckTales" movie again, because it was a slow evening, and I still have fond memories of the series since its inception in '86.

I think that's why I watched the movie all the way through.

Don't get me wrong, the first (and only) Disney Movietoon isn't bad as far as films go. There were just a few things that didn't sit well with me, namely the animation. It was a step beyond television animation and a step below feature film animation. The result was better use of shading and lighting, but wasn't nearly as fluid as say, "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" or any of Disney's other films during the early '90's. The soundtrack didn't really detract or enhance the film, but the show's theme provided a snappy, upbeat tune to end the film with.

The story itself wasn't bad, but some of the 30-minute shows seemed to have more interesting plots and faster pacing. That, and the "wacky Genie" schtick was done much better two years down the road with Robin Williams in "Aladdin". What really pulled this film through was the voice cast from the series, as they know their characters, and that's apparent. The film wisely kept its cast exclusively to the show's main characters, the genie, and the main villain and sidekick, but I got the feeling they should have all been given more to do.

As I said before, it's not a bad film, and I don't know if this film will ever be re-issued by Disney, but the main strength of this film lies in how much you like Scrooge McDuck and company. The television show was the best of any of Disney's non-feature animation, and for that reason, it kept me through the film until final credits.

I know I used to watch Duck Tales as a child because I found myself humming along absentmindedly to the theme music but I cannot remember much more than that. This was not a problem though as I only watched it to act as a bit of a trip down memory lane for me. The plot is OK for this sort of thing and allows plenty of silly antics as well as just doing enough for the duration to actually give the film somewhere to go towards the end to create a certain amount of actual drive for the antics. This is not to say it is a great affair because it isn't, but under tens should enjoy it enough to distract them for just over an hour.

The animation is colourful and, even if it is uninspiring it still does the job and never feels cheap or rushed out. The voice work is pretty good but I, like many others I think, found the voices of Huey and crew to be rather annoying even if one must give Taylor his dues for doing several voices. Young does a simple job on Scrooge, Taylor is fun as the genie and Libertini is quite fun as the comic relief. Lloyd is a nice addition for adults and he has a great presence thanks to his distinctive voice work but he has little to do and, to be honest, the voice work doesn't really stand out that much.

Overall this is OK fare for under tens but I must admit that it is unlikely to draw any audience other than that. Those seeking childhood memories may enjoy it and be glad to find that it is quite well made even if it is unspectacular but it is not worth watching if you have not experienced it before now. Tape it off TV and you'll find it useful enough to keep young children happy but I doubt many adults find it useful in any ways other than a babysitter.

This was DuckTales at its peak. Animated by Disney's tv animation departments around the world, this film draws inspiration from the more mature indiana jones movies in the 80s and makes it suitable for kids of all ages.

Okay, it is true that the graphics of this movie are not as good as those of the 1990s Disney classics, but still, despite that it is a nice movie. The beginning, I mean the treasure hunt is typical of earlier Ducktale cartoons - adventures in some ancient land. The rest is a modernised adaptation of the story of Aladdin. It is quite gripping for kids, and adults are bound to like it too. The best thing about it, I think, is that the adventure starts away from home but it ends up at Duckberg. Fantasy plays a large role as with all Disney cartoons. Enjoyable.

In this tale, which is roughly based on Ali Baba lore, we find Scrooge McDuck and his nephews on the trail of a magic lamp. Also on the trail is Merlock the Magician (voiced by Christopher Lloyd of 'Back to the Future'.) The film has a slight resemblance to the likes of Indiana Jones and Disney's own later film series of 'Aladdin' and 'Aladdin and the King of Thieves'. Based primarily on the television series of the same name, 'DuckTales' and created by the brand new (at the time) Disney Toon Studios and released theatrically in 1990, this is a timeless film that children and adults will both enjoy. The only downfall for those who love this film is that the only DVD release (so far) has been through the Disney Movie Club. So delightful, I gave it 10/10!