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The Movie: Watching "Talespin" and "Darkwing Duck" again after all these years certainly brings back childhood memories. I've said it so many times before that I'd be rich if I had a dime for everytime I said it, but they simply don't make kids shows like this anymore. Each episode doesn't look as if it was edited in a blender for the benefit of the shortest attention spans (for example, the first episode of "Talespin" is a 4-parter, something that wouldn't likely be done on an animated show these days.) Talespin" and "Darkwing Duck" offer old-fashioned adventures that offer involving, imaginative stories and great characters. "Talespin", which boasts one of the catchiest theme songs ever for an animated series, takes characters from Disney's classic "Jungle Book" and sticks them into a new situation. Baloo (Ed Gilbert) is now the pilot-for-hire for a struggling courier company headed up by Rebecca (Sally Struthers), who has a young daughter named Molly. In the pilot, Baloo runs across an orphan named Kit Cloudkicker (RJ Williams) and both adopts him and takes him on as his co-pilot. Each episode would have Baloo, Kit (and occasionally Rebecca and Molly) on a new adventure, often facing attacks from air pirates like Don Karnage snd other assorted baddies. Understandably, the animation now looks rather dated, but "Talespin" still holds up quite well, otherwise - the stories remain a great deal of fun. It started shortly after "Talespin" went on the air, but "Darkwing Duck" certainly still falls into the group of beloved Disney cartoons produced by the studio during the mid-80's to the early '90's (see also: "Duck Tales" and "Rescue Rangers".) The series focused on Darkwing Duck (Jim Cummings), a masked avenger that keeps the streets of Canard City safe. In other words, the show was a cute "Batman"-style series for kids who were too young for "Batman". In the 2-part pilot, Darkwing finds himself with a pair of assistants: pilot Launchpad McQuack (carried over from "Duck Tales" and once again voiced by Terence McGovern) and orphan Gosalyn (Christine Cavanaugh). Each week, Darkwing leaps into action (with his catchphrase, "Let's get dangerous!") against different villians. Unlike most superheroes, Darkwing sometimes let his ego get the best of him. However, he still manages to piece together the clues and get things together in time to solve the mystery. The series didn't hold up for me quite as well as "Talespin" did - and neither reach the heights of "Duck Tales" - but the series was still a lot of fun to watch again after all of the years. As with the other Disney animated shows of the time, it provides memorable characters, generally involving plots and fun dialogue. Darkwing Duck - Vol. 1 1st Season 1991 syndicated 1- 1 8 Sep 91 Darkly Dawns the Duck (1) 1- 2 8 Sep 91 Darkly Dawns the Duck (2) 1- 3 9 Sep 91 Beauty and the Beet 1- 4 10 Sep 91 Getting Antsy 1- 5 11 Sep 91 Night of the Living Spud 1- 6 12 Sep 91 Apes of Wrath 1- 7 13 Sep 91 Dirty Money 1- 8 16 Sep 91 Duck Blind 1- 9 17 Sep 91 Comic Book Capers 1-10 18 Sep 91 Water Way to Go 1-11 19 Sep 91 Paraducks 1-12 20 Sep 91 Easy Come, Easy Grows 1-13 23 Sep 91 A Revolution in Home Appliances 1-14 24 Sep 91 Trading Faces 1-15 25 Sep 91 Hush, Hush Sweet Charlatan 1-16 26 Sep 91 Can't Bayou Love 1-17 27 Sep 91 Bearskin Thug 1-18 30 Sep 91 You Sweat Yout Life 1-19 1 Oct 91 Days of Blunder 1-20 2 Oct 91 Just Us Justice Ducks (1) 1-21 3 Oct 91 Just Us Justice Ducks (2) 1-22 4 Oct 91 Double Darkwings 1-23 7 Oct 91 Aduckyphobia 1-24 8 Oct 91 When Aliens Collide 1-25 9 Oct 91 Jurassic Jumble 1-26 10 Oct 91 Cleanliness Is Next to Badliness 1-27 11 Oct 91 Smarter Than a Speeding Bullet Both sets are sold separately. Talespin: Vol. 1 Pilot 1990 0- 1 7 Sep 90 Plunder and Lightning (2 hrs) 1st Season 1990 1- 1 10 Sep 90 From Here to Machinery 1- 2 11 Sep 90 It Came from Beneath the Sea Duck 1- 3 12 Sep 90 Time Waits for No Bear 1- 4 13 Sep 90 Mommy for a Day 1- 5 14 Sep 90 I Only Have Ice for You 1- 6 17 Sep 90 Molly Coddled 1- 7 18 Sep 90 Polly Wants a Treasure 1- 8 19 Sep 90 Vowel Play 1- 9 20 Sep 90 The Idol Rich 1-10 21 Sep 90 Stormy Weather 1-11 24 Sep 90 Bearly Alive 1-12 25 Sep 90 Her Chance to Dream 1-13 26 Sep 90 All's Whale That Ends Whale 1-14 27 Sep 90 The Golden Sprocket of Friendship 1-15 28 Sep 90 For a Fuel Dollars More 1-16 1 Oct 90 A Bad Reflection on You (1) 1-17 2 Oct 90 A Bad Reflection on You (2) 1-18 3 Oct 90 On a Wing and a Bear 1-19 4 Oct 90 A Star Is Torn 1-20 5 Oct 90 A Touch of Glass 1-21 8 Oct 90 The Bigger They Are the Louder They Oink 1-22 9 Oct 90 A Spy in the Ointment 1-23 15 Oct 90 The Balooest of the Blue Bloods The DVD VIDEO: "Talespin" and "Darkwing Duck" are presented by Disney in their original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratios. Both shows do show some wear at times, although these instances are not too distracting. Flaws include some slight specks, marks and minor dirt on the elements used. While these concerns are present on both releases, they're seen a bit more often on "Talespin". Colors look bright and well-saturated on both titles, with no smearing or other issues. No pixelation and no edge enhancement were seen, but some slight shimmering was occasionally spotted. SOUND: Both shows offer a clear, crisp stereo soundtrack. EXTRAS: Neither set offers any extras. Final Thoughts: Standout animated shows from Disney, fans of "Darkwing Duck" and "Talespin" (and there are plenty) should be thrilled that both shows are finally on DVD. Additionally, both shows are recommended for families who've never had a chance to see either series. |