Ducktales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp

When I was a kid, my favorite Saturday morning cartoons were “Inspector Gadget”, “The Raccoons” and “Ducktales” in that order. The movie perfectly captures the spirit of the TV show while at the same time taking it to new levels. “Ducktales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp” has lost a little appeal over the years but it still remains an important part of my childhood. The music plays a big part in value of the story. The movie also has elements relating to “Raiders of the Lost Ark”; a film that itself was inspired by the Scrooge McDuck comics of the 50’s. “Ducktales: The Movie” also shares story similarities with “Aladdin”, a tale that Disney was preparing to adapt around the time that “Ducktales” was released. Another reason why I like this show is that it preserves for future kids the TV show that was so much fun for me to watch at their age.

The story is obviously influenced by the tale of “Aladdin”. A magic lamp is being acquired by an evil man but it ends up in the hands of a kid, or in this case kids. The climax has the villain obtain the lamp and cause havoc until the lamp is reacquired and they all live happily ever after. Because “Ducktales the Movie” came out before Disney’s “Aladdin”, the original tale works pretty well as a mold for this adventure. There is an episode of Ducktales concerning a magic lamp but this story is much better and worthy of feature length. The “Ducktales” universe is taken to a new level mostly because of the music in this film. It is more like a feature length film score than the music you would hear on the TV show and therefore the film feels the same and yet different as the TV show. David Newman (who would later be nominated for an Oscar for his work on “Anastasia”) is able to create a score very reminiscent of “Indiana Jones”, especially for the opening 20 minutes of the film. Despite this reference, the sequence fits right alongside the television adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his family. The film begins in a very fun way. Even the title of the film is in the font and color of Indiana Jones. The opening shot has little sound and then suddenly Launchpad’s plane surprises us all. With the second shot of Scrooge yelling in fear, we smile as we realize that the fun has begun already. Scrooge in the TV show sometimes becomes an Indiana Jones type hero and the movie shows this more so than most episodes of “Ducktales”. Because “Raiders of the Lost Ark” took inspiration from the Scrooge McDuck comics of the 50’s, “Treasure of the Lost Lamp” says thank you in many ways. I like the name Mount Baddood and its cinematic reveal. It is the same kind of joke as on “Finding Nemo” with “Mount Wannahockaloogie”. The fact that the filmmakers had our heroes dig up that whole pyramid shows a brave but wonderful sense of humor. Sure it is impossible and breaks the fourth wall in that we know that we are watching a cartoon but that makes it probably the funniest gag in the whole film because of the impossibility of it. The treasure of Collie Baba is set up as different from anything else valuable Scrooge has attempted to find. He has been searching for it for 40 years and we have that scene after the river ride where he is obviously emotional depressed after loosing his prize. In the end, Scrooge must choose between riches and that which is most valuable. It is a common theme in the TV show and it is a great message for kids.

I like the first view and scene in Duckberg. It contrasts musically and visually the opening desert scenes. This is another element borrowed from “Indiana Jones” in that our heroes are safe after their initial adventure. We feel at home and at peace once we see what we are used to in the TV show. The fact that the Genie has read all those encyclopedias shows that the storywriters are smart because it isn’t meant to be just another joke. It creates freedom from having the Genie learn about the 20th Century every 5 seconds in the film. Due to this gag, he is already somewhat familiar with the present time and that allows the story to move forward. The storywriters were also smart in creating a scene that spells out the rules for making wishes (the “Aladdin” team did the same thing). First of all three wishes for everyone allows for a better story. It is established that you must hold the lamp to make a wish and that also makes things exciting. Other smart plot points are eliminating the possibility for wishing for more wishes and performing “miracles”. To make Merlock a powerful villain at the end, his talisman allows him unlimited wishes. The scene where that is introduced is a great example of exposition. I think it is very well written, especially so kids can understand what is going on. In the TV show, Scrooge has lost his fortune before but because we are watching a movie this time, it must be more dramatic. This is the moment when Scrooge understands more than ever before what matters more than riches. The music again provides the drama needed. I like the setup for “Operation Lift the Lamp”. Scrooge indicates how impenetrable his former bin is. He then suddenly realizes that the money bin may be Dijon’s but that doesn’t mean he can’t get back in and steal the lamp. The music once again does so much in helping the emotion of the scene go from hopeless to quite hopeful. From an animation standpoint, the transformation of Scrooge’s money bin to Merlock’s fortress and its subsequent rise into the air is quite impressive considering that this film was not part of the Disney animation canon. Timing of the ending is perfect so as to end the film in the most satisfying way possible. Everything is resolved and some animated shows end with that. Others end in a fun way or with a laugh but this movie does all three and in spades. Scrooge goes to dive into his money and we wonder as to why the movie hasn’t ended. Then as Scrooge chases Dijon, we recognize the music and get excited. I love how we hear the hilarious line: “Somebody stop those pants” and immediately after that, we hear “Life is like a hurricane…” The film could have ended by fading to black with the Ducktales theme song starting up as the credits appear. Instead, we start to hear the music and lyrics even before Scrooge disappears around the building and it adds so much to the humor of the final scene. It also makes the theme music even more fun. The treasure chest that comes out of Dijon pants is very funny too.

Alan Young will always be the actor who best portrayed Scrooge McDuck in my opinion. Christopher Lloyd has played villains before and after this film to great effect and his performance as Merlock was great. June Forey, a veteran voice actress, has a cameo so that is nice. If this film ever shows up on DVD, I will buy it because of its sentimental value. The musical score in the film did well in supporting the story and the film has references to other beloved films and tales. “Ducktales the Movie” preserve the TV show and that is why I still like it as an adult.

4 Stars