Quack Pack is an animated television series made by The Walt Disney Company, featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The show debuted on September 3, 1996 as part of what would be the Disney Afternoon's final season. Unlike other Disney Afternoon shows, it was aimed at older audience, particularly teenagers. Quack Pack had one season consisting of 39 episodes.
Production
Co-producers Kevin Hopps and Todd Shelton turned to Donald Duck shorts for inspiration for Quack Pack. Shelton noted that in the shorts, Donald mostly interacted with humans, and decided to incorporate humans into the world of Quack Pack. This contrasted with DuckTales, where the world is inhabited by other anthropomorphic animals. Shelton considers Quack Pack as more of an extension of the original Donald Duck shorts than of DuckTales. Because of this, many characters from the DuckTales cartoons and comics, including Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack, do not make appearances in the series, though according to story editor Jymn Magon, who had written for DuckTales, Scrooge was originally part of the premise:
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"Yes, Scrooge is definitely living. He'll be living long after I'm dead. But he wasn't part of the focal cast. However, he WAS actually part of the original premise. He wanted Donald to "grow up," cuz he knew that Donald would inherit the McDuck fortune someday... and would probably lose it all. So the series started off as a "test" to see if Donald could handle the job. On-the-job training, so to speak. I think we had Donald moving from department to department in the McDuck corporation, and he screwed up all the time... but the nephews kept helping Unca Donald out. Yes, that was the ORIGINAL Duck Daze series idea. I recall now. That's what I pitched. Donald was definitely the star... but he took a backseat later in the development.)" |
The show was created to give each of the nephews their own voices and personalities. Huey was the smooth-talker and schemer, Louie was the athlete and oddball, and Dewey was the intellectual and prankster.
The original title of the show was Duck Daze, but was changed to Quack Pack before release. There are still references to "Duck Daze" in the theme song.
After Quack Pack left the Disney Afternoon block, it resurfaced in reruns on the Disney Channel, and later on Toon Disney. It was removed from the channel's line up along with several other classic Disney shows in November 2004.
Plot
The show centers on the adventures of Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, who are portrayed as teenagers in this series for the first and only time. The actual age of the boys is not made certain; but in one episode they asked Donald if they could have a car. If they were of the legal age to drive this would make them at least sixteen years old. Donald works as a cameraman alongside his girlfriend Daisy Duck, who is a reporter. The group travel around the world looking for a big scoop. The three boys are triplets but Huey had once referred to Dewey and Louie as his baby brothers. Huey must have been the first to be born, therefore making him the eldest of the brothers.
Huey, Dewey and Louie have distinct personalities moreso than they have been presented with in earlier productions. They usually resort to extreme and strange measures to avoid getting into trouble with their uncle and to achieve their ambitions. They usually do this by tricking Donald, or whoever else they wish to manipulate. But they usually feel guilty for any of the wrongdoings they had performed which may have upset loved ones, proving that they do possess good morals. Huey, Dewey and Louie share similar passions such as listening to rock music, getting revenge on those who anger them, impressing girls, getting money, pulling pranks, role models whom they look up to and admire, playing games and reading comics. They also share a profound knowledge of cars and mechanics. But there are certain aspects of their personalities that stand out more in each of them.
They speak in conventional voices, versus the "duck"-like voices they possessed in earlier cartoons such as DuckTales and Disney theatrical shorts, and they each have their own distinct personalities (also in contrast to their earlier portrayals). They also participate in typical teenage activities. Ludwig Von Drake also appears in the first episode.
Episodes
- Main article: Quack Pack episode list
Cast
- Pamela Adlon - Dewey Duck
- Tony Anselmo - Donald Duck
- Corey Burton - Ludwig Von Drake
- Elizabeth Daily - Louie Duck
- Jeannie Elias - Huey Duck
- Pat Fraley - Gwumpki
- Roger Rose - Kent Powers
- Kath Soucie - Daisy Duck, Agent X, Nelly The Dragon
- Frank Welker - The Claw, Knuckles
- Jeff Bennett - Dr. Horton Letrek
References
External links
| Quack Pack | ||
|---|---|---|
| Media | Quack Pack (Episode list) | |
| Characters | Huey, Dewey and Louie • Donald Duck • Ludwig Von Drake • Gwumpki • Kent Powers • Daisy Duck • Agent X • Nelly the Dragon • The Claw • Knuckles • Dr. Horton Letrek • Pluto • Gustav Goose • Slag • Ernest Noble • Henry Villanova • Soo Ling • Dr. William Wu | |
| The Disney Afternoon shows | ||
|---|---|---|
| Adventures of the Gummi Bears • DuckTales • Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers • TaleSpin • Darkwing Duck • Goof Troop • Bonkers • Aladdin • Gargoyles • The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show • Timon & Pumbaa • Quack Pack • Mighty Ducks • The Little Mermaid | ||