Review: DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (DMC #87)
“DuckTales! Woo-oo!” Last night we took a trip to Duckburg while watching the 87th film of the Disnerd Movie Challenge—DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. Go ahead and skip right to the review if you watched with us. If you haven’t, you can find our synopsis below.
Synopsis
Scrooge McDuck travels to the Middle East aboard a plane flown by his inept pilot, Launchpad McQuack. Joining Scrooge are his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, as well as his niece, Webbigail “Webby” Vanderquack. The group is searching for a treasure chest which Scrooge believes contains the lost treasure of the thief Collie Baba, a treasure which Scrooge has been after for forty years. After a rough landing, the group locates the chest, but Scrooge is disappointed when the only items inside are old robes. Louie finds an ancient treasure map in the pocket of one of the robes and Scrooge decides to use it. Meanwhile, Dijon, a thief who had been watching the group, reports this information back to the sorcerer Merlock. Merlock, who has the power to shapeshift into various animals thanks to the power of a talisman, desires a specific treasure of Collie Baba’s and orders Dijon to act as Scrooge’s guide to the treasure. Scrooge and the rest of the group find a pyramid buried in sand, which they excavate. They explore the pyramid and encounter several booby traps which they successfully bypass. They eventually discover the lost treasure. As everyone else celebrates and plays around in the treasure, Dijon spots the single treasure Merlock wants—a magic lamp! After packing up the treasure, Merlock arrives and he and Dijon steal the treasure while trapping Scrooge and the group in the room along with monstrous scorpions. Outside the pyramid, however, Merlock discovers the lamp is missing. Scrooge and his friends are able to escape the pyramid. With no treasure to bring back except for the lamp, which Webby had taken, the group returns home to Duckburg.
Several days later, Scrooge is still agitated at having lost the treasure. He declines attending the Archeological Society ball, believing he can’t show his face there without the treasure. Webby attempts to clean the lamp in order to use it as a teapot which causes a magical genie to appear out of the lamp. Happy to be released, the Genie excitedly marvels at the modern appliances around Scrooge’s mansion. The kids remind him that he owes each of them three wishes each. Webby makes her first wish by asking for a baby elephant, but the elephant is spooked by Scrooge’s maid, Mrs. Beakley, and starts rampaging through the mansion. Huey uses his first wish to undo Webby’s wish before Scrooge can find out. To trick Scrooge, Genie pretends to be a friend of the children named Gene. Later, the kids are outside playing where it’s revealed they’ve used more of their wishes. Huey wishes for the world’s biggest ice cream sundae which spoils the children’s dinner and causes them to be late coming home. Alhough Scrooge plans to discipline them, Genie grants one of the boys’ wishes to make Scrooge forget to discipline the kids, much to the surprise of Mrs. Beakley and Duckworth, the butler. Genie is frightened that night by the sight of an owl. When asked about it, Genie tells the children about his meanest master—Merlock. He reveals that Merlock’s talisman, apart from allowing the sorcerer to shapeshift, allows him to be granted unlimited wishes. Genie says Collie Baba stole the lamp from Merlock and hid it with his treasure, and Merlock has been looking for the lamp for centuries. Louie suggests they wish for the talisman but Genie says it’s the only wish he can’t grant.
The next day, Merlock and Dijon arrive at the mansion in an attempt to steal the lamp. Merlock transforms into a rat so he can sneak inside. However, he is confronted by Mrs. Beakley who attacks him in an effort to get rid of the “rat.” Webby invites Genie to a tea party in her room with all of her stuffed animals. Genie makes a comment about the “lifeless” animals, prompting Webby to use her final wish to bring all the stuffed toys to life. The ensuring chaos forces the children to give up their secret to Scrooge, and Louie uses his last wish to undo Webby’s wish. Upon learning Genie’s true identity, Scrooge’s greed gets the better of him. He wishes for the treasure of Collie Baba and forces the Genie back into the lamp so that Scrooge can bring him and the treasure to the ball. When the children protest, Scrooge claims that a genie is merely “a thing” to be used. He departs for the ball while Merlock and Dijon follow. At the ball, Scrooge begins to give his speech when Genie interrupts him, having spotted Merlock at the event. The two briefly manage to escape, and during this time Genie laments to Scrooge about his life and how he wishes he could just be a normal boy. For a moment, Scrooge appears to feel bad for Genie, but he tells Genie to get back in the lamp. They attempt to return to Scrooge’s mansion so he can hide the lamp in his vault. While hiding from Dijon, Scrooge accidentally falls into a cart and knocks over several objects. He picks up a gravy boat by mistake instead of the lamp, leaving the lamp for Dijon to pick up. Merlock continues to chase Scrooge while Dijon frees Genie from the lamp. Genie convinces Dijon to keep the lamp for himself instead of returning it to Merlock.
Scrooge arrives home only to discover that Dijon has made a wish to take over Scrooge’s fortune. He realizes he left the lamp behind and Dijon has Scrooge arrested for trespassing. Scrooge laments his situation while in prison, though Duckworth, Mrs. Beakley, and the children bail him out of jail. They plan to set things right by breaking into the mansion and stealing the lamp back. Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby infiltrate the security system protecting Scrooge’s “Money Bin” and allow Scrooge to get inside. He finds Dijon and Genie and attempts to sneak the lamp from Dijon’s pocket, but Merlock, who followed the group inside while disguised as a cockroach, reveals himself and snatches the lamp from Scrooge. Now in possession of the lamp, Merlock places his talisman on the lamp and uses his first wish to turn Dijon into a pig as punishment for his disloyalty. He uses additional wishes to turn Scrooge’s Money Bin into his old home—a massive fortress, which Merlock then wishes to fly back to its original location. When Scrooge threatens him, Merlock wishes Scrooge “out of [his] house” and a reluctant Genie causes Scrooge to be thrown to the edge of the fortress where he desperately hangs on. The nephews manage to fire a slingshot pellet at Merlock and knock the lamp out of his hands. They throw the lamp to Scrooge, but it causes him to fall. Merlock transforms into a griffin and flies after Scrooge and the lamp. In the struggle, Scrooge knocks the talisman out of Merlock’s hand and forces the sorcerer to return to normal in mid-air and fall to his death. With the lamp back in his hands, Scrooge uses a wish to save everyone and return his mansion to its normal state. Everything returns to normal, much to everyone’s relief. Deciding he’s had enough of wishes, Scrooge threatens to make sure no one can find the lamp again. He wishes for the Genie to become a real boy. With the lamp’s power gone, the lamp disintegrates. While the children go play with Genie, Scrooge sees Dijon, who had been returned to his original form, filling his pants with some of Scrooge’s money. Scrooge angrily chases after the thief through Duckburg as Dijon flees.
Thoughts Before Watching
Kevin: I know for sure that I have seen some of the DuckTales TV show. And I know I’ve seen this movie before, but it has been a long time. At the moment of jotting these thoughts down, there’s actually very little I can remember of it, so I’m interested to see how familiar it is once we begin watching. I do remember that theme song, though, even if only some words here and there. I’ve generally enjoyed cartoons based on Disney’s classic cartoon characters, so I’m anticipating I might like this one.
Megan: I, on the other hand, know nearly every word of the theme song. “DuckTales! Woo-oo!” Oh man, my siblings and I loved watching this movie (and the TV show) as kids. From what I remember, it has some fun humor, a few quotable lines, and a cast of familiar characters. I don’t think it’ll pass the Bechdel test, but we’ll find out. I’m looking forward to seeing this one again.
Thoughts After Watching
Still fun, if a little predictable
Megan: This movie is still fun to watch! Since I hadn’t seen this movie since I was a kid watching it on VHS, I wasn’t sure if it would hold up. Sure, there are things I notice about it now as an adult that maybe aren’t so great (more on that in a sec), but on the whole, this is still a fun Indiana Jones-style adventure complete with Disney cartoon humor and familiar characters. Honestly, the characters really sell it for me. There’s something so perfectly comical about the old curmudgeon Scrooge and his rambunctious nephews and niece going on an adventure with a kooky pilot like Launchpad. It’s what made the original TV show so great (and worthy of a recent reboot), and it’s what makes this movie so fun and funny even after all these years. The story itself is fun, too, with all the adventure of an Indiana Jones movie. Sure, it’s a little predictable—we know the heroes are going to defeat the bad guys in the end and the genie (much like Aladdin’s Genie) will get his wish to be a “real boy” (like Pinocchio)—but that’s partly because the story structure is so solid. The plot moves along at a good, familiar pace, and we’re totally sucked into the story with these characters. Also, seeing as I’ve seen this film several times over, it may also feel predictable to me because this is very far from my first viewing. Still, in this instance, I don’t mind a little familiarity and predictability in the plot.
Kevin: The Indiana Jones comparison is fair. In fact, while I can’t confirm it, I’m willing to bet the creators of this film used the Indiana Jones franchise as an inspiration. A slight downside is that the comparisons to said franchise have apparently been viewed by other reviewers as a detriment to the overall quality of this film, but personally I don’t see it as an issue. The tropes found in this film are not the sole property of the Indiana Jones franchise, which had its own inspirations including the James Bond franchise. DuckTales the Movie manages to stand entirely on its own merits as an individual film. If anything, I think this film has more comparisons with Aladdin for the obvious similarities Megan mentioned as well as others. In fact, one could possibly argue that Aladdin borrowed this film’s plot. With all of this said, the film certainly has some predictability. One of my first takeaways after we watched this was how it could be compared to A Goofy Movie (which we’ll be reviewing later on), even if only by the slimmest of comparisons. For example, both films are spin-offs of cartoon series that came before it, and both are based on classic Disney cartoon characters. Both films also feature plots that really don’t have any surprises you couldn’t otherwise figure out yourself. I do slightly wonder if this predictability is the result of making movies about classic Disney characters which have traditionally been used for slapstick comedy. I mean, Donald Duck is as classic of a Disney cartoon character as they come, and while he may not actually be in this movie, it’s difficult to imagine his relatives being in any real danger. However, like Megan, this does not take me out of the film in any way. It’s a very basic yet well done story with compelling characters and enough drama to keep you invested. Admittedly, these aren’t the kinds of things you might expect in a movie starring characters originally designed to be entirely goofy. This just goes to show that Disney knows how to create engaging stories with all of their characters.
A genie is still a “person”
Kevin: While the children use Genie’s powers for their own desires, it’s important to note that they at least see Genie as a person. They actively him include him in their fun and are shown to care about him. Scrooge, however, is a different story. It’s not really a surprise that Scrooge eventually turns on “Gene” and decides to use the genie for personal gain (again, going back to the predictability of this film). Scrooge is established as a miser in the various comic books and television shows he appears in. Of course, his name is the most obvious clue to his character. Like the TV series, the film makes it very clear that Scrooge’s primary motivation in life is money and the pursuit of it. With this desire seems to come a shortsighted belief that anything that helps him attain his goals is a tool to be used. We see this in the film when Scrooge claims that Genie “isn’t a person. A genie is a thing.” In this moment, Scrooge is at the peak of his greed. He acts as if Genie is not a sentient being with feelings and thoughts of his own in spite of the clear evidence proving otherwise. This is another comparison the film has with Aladdin, and I think this film presents a question to the audience about the morality of using other peoples’ abilities for personal gain, though the question isn’t hard on the nose. Now, I think that Scrooge is merely making excuses here; I don’t think he truly feels Genie is merely a thing to be used. Genie doesn’t see it, but we as the audience do see Scrooge show some sympathy for Genie’s feelings, even if the moment is brief. It’s Scrooge’s greed and desire for the treasure that take over his thinking and empathy, and he uses his earlier claim to suppress his humane side. His avarice eventually gets the better of him when Dijon and later Merlock get their hands on the lamp. Even though the villains could have probably gotten the lamp in other scenarios, Scrooge is shown as the one who messes up. Perhaps he would not have done so had his greed not won out. In doing this, the film takes the stance that Genie is a being worthy of as many rights as anyone else despite his powers, and that not realizing this has potentially dangerous outcomes. Scrooge learns this lesson the hard way and we see his character arc complete when he uses his last wish to turn Genie into a real boy and free him of his burden.
Differences in animation
Kevin: This isn’t to say that the animation drops in quality or anything, but something that caught my attention is the fact that the animation style changes during the film. At the beginning, the style looks far more similar to The Little Mermaid, in that it is very smooth and the line art is crisp. Even shading and highlights are used in these earlier scenes, which just heightens the comparison to the Disney Renaissance films. The movie appears to go back and forth between this style and the loose, sketchy style that defined Disney’s films during the Bronze Age. Again, this isn’t a bad thing at all, but it’s a small thing I noticed as the movie progressed. I briefly mentioned in our review of The Little Mermaid that DuckTales the Movie was one of the last films to use traditional hand-painted drawings in their animation while simultaneously employing the new CAPS method. I wonder if the earliest scenes of this movie were done digitally using CAPS while the rest of the film used the old style of animation, leading to the noticeable changes in style.
Passing the Bechdel Test with the slimmest of margins
Megan: So my prediction wasn’t entirely right—this film actually does pass the Bechdel test, but only with the shortest of conversations:
MRS. BEAKLEY: Here’s the polish, Webbigail.
WEBBY: Thanks, Granny.
That’s it. That’s the only conversation between two named female characters in the entire film. And it’s only those two lines. Webby’s next line is actually directed to the boys, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Every other conversation in the film that involves one of the named female characters is either a conversation between a female character and a male character, or it is a conversation about a male character. Still, by Bechdel test rules, this film does pass the test, even with the tiniest of conversations.
Still a little sexist
Megan: Given the slim Bechdel test pass, it’s no surprise that this film still relies on some sexist tropes and perspectives. For one thing, all the female characters fall into some pretty stereotypical roles. Mrs. Beakley, Webby’s grandmother, is Scrooge’s maid who is easily sent into hysterics upon seeing a baby elephant in the mansion. Mrs. Featherby is Scrooge’s secretary, but the only work we see her do is bring Scrooge his lunch and an invitation, no other clerical work. Both these women’s careers exist quite literally to serve their rich male boss, and they get very little respect for it. Scrooge angrily tells Mrs. Featherby to sell his lunch after he decides he’s too upset to get any more work done. Then, when he arrives home and is greeted by a frantic Mrs. Beakley, he’s ready to dismiss her concerns without really hearing them (though he does come to believe her upon seeing one of his chairs apparently moving on its own).
Kevin: Also, was Mrs. Featherby even seen after that initial meeting? From what I understand, she has more appearances in the TV show, but I don’t remember seeing her past that one scene in the movie (please comment below if I’m wrong). I think it’s also worth mentioning that Mrs. Beakley is shown fainting not only once, but twice during the film’s climax around the time Merlock takes control of Scrooge’s mansion. Fainting isn’t in actuality a bad thing, but I think when coupled with what Megan said above, it depicts Mrs. Beakley as a very outdated, stereotypical female character who faints when under some kind of pressure or faced with impending catastrophe. It’s meant to look funny to the audience, but the filmmakers could have just as easily left this out altogether. Or, even better, they could have had Mrs. Beakley be an active participant in the final showdown against Merlock.
Megan: Webby, at least, has things slightly better. She gets to join Scrooge and the boys when they go looking for the treasure of Collie Baba, she has an important role to play in the mission to break back into Scrooge’s vault toward the end of the movie, and if it weren’t for Webby, no one would have discovered the lamp held a genie in the first place. However, even Webby has been created as a stereotypical girly-girl who loves pink, dolls, and tea parties. Also, while Webby appears to be about the same age as the nephews in terms of height and overall size, she acts very much like the youngest in the group, frequently using a more babyish voice than the boys, and often making childish decisions that get the kids into trouble. Case in point: Webby’s wishes have the biggest consequences. The boys get away with wishing for a park full of giant toys and gizmos, but Webby’s wishes for a baby elephant and toys brought to life lead to utter chaos. Each time, one of the boys has to burn a wish to clean up Webby’s mess. I’m all for kid characters making dumb wishes that have unintended consequences, but why are Webby’s wishes the only ones that lead to chaos? Why is it that the boys get to enjoy the fun of their wishes with seemingly no or very mild consequences? The only wish the boys make that seems to have any consequences is the giant ice cream sundae that ruins their appetite for dinner, but the consequences are easily averted when one of the boys wishes for Scrooge not to scold them when they return home late. Sure, Webby does make a third wish off-screen that we don’t get to see, so presumably she got to enjoy that wish, but Webby gets to enjoy one third of her wishes consequence-free while the boys get to enjoy two thirds or all three wishes without facing any ill effects. The only downside for the boys is the wishes they have to burn to undo Webby’s wishes.
And a little racist
Megan: The film’s cast of characters might all be anthropomorphized animals, but even so, some racist stereotypes and assumptions sneak their way in. The ducks of Duckburg are drawn and colored with white feathers and assumed to be white in ethnicity. Scrooge himself is Scottish (though he only has an accent in this film, the TV show has made Scrooge’s Scottish heritage clear) and his nephews appear to be American. The Arab characters are all drawn as some sort of brown dog. Whether different nationalities are represented as ducks or dogs isn’t the part that bothers me, though. What I find uncomfortable is that the only named Arab character we follow throughout the film, Dijon, is made into a dim-witted, comic-relief villain who’s always trying to steal something from the “white” characters. Had the comic-relief villain been yet another duck, it wouldn’t have given me pause, but when the only Arab character is both a fool and a thief it strikes me as problematic—and this was a pre-9/11 movie. I much prefer the makeover Dijon received in the newer DuckTales series. He was instead renamed to the more Arabic-sounding “D’jinn,” redrawn to look more like a jackal (much more appropriate for the Middle Eastern setting), and given a more competent and heroic role. It’s nice to see Disney making some progress as our cultural mindset evolves.
