I'm starting #DuckTales #RewriteHistory. Everyday, I'll post about a couple episodes (in the right order) with some hidden, never revealed trivia from the making of the episode. If we get the order fixed on @disneyplus before I finish, I'll reveal some TOP SECRET S3 info!
1) WOO-OO!
Originally, this episode had a c-story that followed Donald on increasingly bizarre physical challenges to get that accounting job. It ended with him trying to ring a gold bell on top of a rock wall, which was eaten by the dragon Pixiu. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In the early days, we were still trying to figure out the right mix of adventure, jokes, drama, and physical comedy while balancing a MASSIVE CAST, so this story was cut for time and also because it tipped off the big reveal of Donald's real job.
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Also cut for time: the reveal that Webby's best friend in the mansion was a spider in the vents she named Morocco Pete, after one of Scrooge's old adventuring buddies. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
2. ESCAPE TO/FROM ATLANTIS!
Pt. 2 of the series premiere event. The cold open was originally supposed to introduce Gyro and Fenton working on the sub, although Fenton was just referred to as "Intern". #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The idea was to have Fenton in the background of every Gyro scene until we revealed his actual name at the very end of "Beware the BUDDY System!" write before he turns into Gizmoduck. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Again, we were already setting up a lot, and it felt like we were shortchanging both Gyro and Fenton by not giving them their own introductions. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We also DRASTICALLY cut down the c-runner of Webby and Louie creating an elaborate lie to trick Beakley on the phone. They initially pretended to be members of "Subina's" entire family as they created a nonsensical dense family mythology for them. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The irony of that last sentence is not lost on me, the writer of a nonsensical dense family history. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
On a personal note, I sweated it on this two parter like crazy. It was the biggest writing undertaking I had attempted up to that point. It had to set up A TON and still feel funny and still feel new and still feel like DuckTales. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
There's a phrase I wrote on @theironwrist's whiteboard at the start of this: "DUCKTALES MUST BE GREAT." It became a mantra on our show: DuckTales as a property deserved the very best we had to offer, and we've given it our all every day since. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
3. DAYTRIP OF DOOM!
This was an important episode for us to establish what life was like now both in Duckburg. They had a big adventure, now everyone is feeling each other out and adjusting to a new status quo.
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It was also an opportunity to explore Webby's character and set her apart from other excitable adventure characters we knew she'd be compared to (particularly Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls).
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Webby was influenced by Rachel Weisz's character in "Brothers Bloom," a shut-in who's been locked away in a mansion where she cultivated tons of odd, specific skills, but has little real world experience and sees the most normal things as an adventure. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
That helped define some key Webby traits: excitable and incredibly competent when it comes specifically to adventure, but she can also be a little shy, anxious, and socially awkward. This episode became about exploring that. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was another episode where we were trying to figure out how much story we could cram into an episode and a whole storyline was cut. Here it was "Scrooge vs. the Forgotten Plumber". #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
After Donald ruined his bathroom, Scrooge went on a quest in a forgotten wing of the massive mansion searching for a long forgotten, almost mythical, second master bathroom. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In his quest, he encountered a grizzled plumber he had hired long ago to fix that second bathroom and has been lost searching for it ever since. The plumber set elaborate traps to get revenge on Scrooge. Basically, Scrooge's everyday is an adventure.
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You can still see the remnants of this story in the finished episode, such as Scrooge going off to take a private bath, running from walls of water, and enjoying a hard earned soak while ignoring Donald.
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4. THE IMPOSSIBLE SUMMIT OF MT. NEVERREST!
A prime example of our "No Minecart Chase" rule. If you've seen an adventure trope before, find an angle to make it new or weird. Like an unconquerable mountain that is secret covered in teleporting portals. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was always meant to be our fourth episode; we wanted each of the first five episodes to highlight one of the kids. We also felt it was important to have another globetrotting soon to establish that it would be a major part of the show.
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But the network needed more "wintery content" for its Christmastime programming, so they asked us to air this episode 10th instead of fourth because there is snow in it. That meant we ended up with a lot of Duckburg eps not featuring Scrooge in a row.
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BUT this change resulted in a very happy accident. To make the episode even more Christmasy, we threw in a joke about Santa and Scrooge having some unspoken, long-standing beef. That evolved into a recurring throughline that we explore in Season 3! #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
5. THE GREAT DIME CHASE!
This one established a LOT for Louie, including his love of Pep and Ottoman Empire, and his relationship with Scrooge that became the basis for Season 2.

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It's also where we discovered the INSANE chemistry between Dewey and Webby as they started on their secret investigation together. And it really mapped out the various areas of the Bin and forced us to figure out geography (The Vault, Lab,Garage, etc.) #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It was also an important moment in the writing, as it's the first episode to NOT feature all of the kids. We figured Huey had just had a big story on Neverrest, so he could sit this one out. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This became crucial because it allowed us the flexibility to focus stories without having to cram every character into every episode. There was originally a scene of Huey in the mansion at the end yelling "Where is everyone?!", that was thankfully cut. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This episode also gave our version of Gyro the big introduction he wouldn't have in the pilot. We started with his early Barks iteration, where he had a bit of an ego about how great an inventor he was and frustrated no one understood his inventions. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In the original series, Gyro never really had an invention that didn't somehow misfire and threaten everyone. We pulled a bunch of failed inventions (pulled from the original DuckTales and the Disney Toontown Game), and teased a big one for the future. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was also the birth of what the writers would call a "Classic DuckTales List Gag". #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
But Gyro still loves his machine very much. The phrase "They're not all evil, some are just wildly misunderstood," is a key why Gyro is the way he is that we'll explore more in S3. (Image from @americanninjax) #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also, given what we know of the Buzzards now, sure seems like this story where they try to shut down all the crazies at the Bin is important, huh? #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
6. THE BEAGLE BIRTHDAY BREAKOUT!
The big introduction of Magica's "niece" Lena. With our series' focus on familial relationships, we wanted to explore what it's like to be related to one of Scrooge's greatest nemeses too.
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A lot of people think Lena was based on Minima DeSpell from the comics, but she's actually based on Magica's shadow from the OG DuckTales ep "Magica's Shadow War". #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I always felt the story of a shadow who was given life to do Magica's bidding only to try to gain free will and try to free herself was really interesting and potentially tragic. It also gave the show a chance to talk about abusive family relationships. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also, the idea of the Beagle Boys having several splinter theme gangs like in the movie "The Warriors" was part of our original pitch. One day I will find and post @Bob_Snow's somewhat nsfw list of possible Beagle Names. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
7. THE HOUSE OF THE LUCKY GANDER! The introduction of everyone’s favorite jerk Gladstone Gander. Our first foray into extended duck family lore was also @TheOneCMag's first script. He became our expert/stickler as to the rules of Gladstone’s luck. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Traditionally, Gladstone CANNOT put in any work or his luck will be nullified. For example, there was a lengthy argument as to whether the act of opening his wallet for cash was too much effort for Gladstone. Hence, “Hey, $20!”
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This also served as an out for the end of the episode when we were racking our brains to try to figure out how Gladstone could EVER lose a race to Donald. Something luckier had to happen #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We had no second choice for Gladstone after @PFTompkins. It’s tricky casting a character like this. They have to be completely frustrating while still having something charming or relateable in their voice so that you still root for them. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
For example, we considered @bibbymoynihan for both Louie and Launchpad. But we realized we NEEDED Bobby as Louie because his performance allowed him to be schemey and morally questionable while still being sincere and likeable. As seen in this ep. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also, I mean, @becbenit IS Launchpad, sooo… #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was also the most lines Donald had to date. There were a lot of growing pains and experimentation trying to square Barks’ more verbose and nuanced portrayal of Donald from the comics with his traditionally quacky voice. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We’ve since found ways to use Donald that allow for his personality to shine through and still achieve the nuance the character deserves. Our goal is to do for Donald what A Goofy Movie did for Goofy. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’m not gonna lie, it can be tricky, but we love the character so much and wanted to deepen more than he ever had been before. He deserves the effort from all involved to make him Duckburg’s best (if most frustrated) dad. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Originally, Gladstone tried to distract Donald with the buffet by singing “Oh Donny Boy, the shrimp the shrimp are caallling!” We recorded it but had to cut for legal reasons. It haunts me every day. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
8. THE INFERNAL INTERNSHIP OF MARK BEAKS! First off, let me finally say that YES, OF COURSE we originally wanted to call him “Mark Zuckerbird”! We were asked to change it for legal reasons. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We figured every era of Scrooge deserved its own type of billionaire rival that reflected the times. Rockerduck in the 20s/30s, Glomgold in the 90s. So we needed an insufferable tech bro. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In another happy accident, Beaks turned out to be the PERFECT foil for Fenton/Gizmoduck down the line. More on that later. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
One of the goals of this episode was to signal out how the brothers interacted with each other and their new personalities. Type-A Huey and freewheeling Dewey seemed like natural foils. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Dewey’s briefcase runner was based on @theironwrist’s actual brother, who carried a briefcase around for a year as a kid because he thought it made him seem interesting. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The first draft of this episode featured one of our most famous cut plotlines: Daisy Duck as Glomgold’s assistant. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Originally, Daisy was going to be Donald’s ex who was sick and tired of only being known as “Donald Duck’s girlfriend,” so she went to business school and became a career woman. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Glomgold of course hired Daisy because if Scrooge had a Donald Duck in his organization, he needed someone equivalent. Anything Scrooge can do, Glomgold wants to do better. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In the original version of this ep, Donald dropped off the boys at the Billionaire’s Club only to see Daisy working a fancy job for Glomgold. Unemployed Donald is embarrassed, so he decides to compete against the boys for the internship too. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
As the boys competed, Donald got into all kinds of physical hi-jinx at Waddle, ended up in his undershirt stuck in the vents trying to escape during a hostage situation. He essentially became John McClane from "Die Hard". #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This is why Falcon Graves has heavy Alan Rickman vibes. Also because @LadieFantastic loves Alan Rickman. The episode ended with a rooftop showdown between Donald and Graves. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This storyline was cut for a couple of reasons. First, it was obviously too big for this episode. I think this was the last episode we tried to shove a C-story into. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
More importantly, we were running into the problem that all the most important events in our show seemed to have happened in the past. Donald and Daisy being estranged felt very similar to Donald and Scrooge being estranged. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We wanted to give Daisy a proper introduction as her own person, independent of Donald, and see them meet for the first time. Which is happening in Season 3! #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
8. THE LIVING MUMMIES OF TOTH-RA! Our crack at a classic DuckTales pyramid adventure. The Minecart Rule Twist: None of these “mummies” are dead, they just worship a weird mummy king. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The family’s adventure outfits are an extended nod to the opening of “DuckTales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp”, down to the bow Webby stuck on her pith helmet. Same with the crazy rockslide booby trap. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was the first episode where EVERYONE used their distinct personalities to solve an adventure. Webby obsesses over prophecy, Louie cons, Huey analyzes, Dewey distracts/dances, Scrooge “inspires”, Launchpad…is Launchpad. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Louie’s bit where he’s trying to con Toth-Ra into letting him be his publicist was actually pulled from our initial Show Bible from development. A “Bible” is a document that lays out everything you need to know: character bios, themes, arcs, etc. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Every character bio in our Show Bible involved a list of stats, including likes, dislikes, greatest fears, prized possessions, and “How They Would Defeat a Mummy”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
One of my favorite recording memories was @katemicucci devolving into a giggle fit after being unable to pronounce “Toth-Ra”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
When we travel to another country/culture, we always try to cast actors from that country. Bassem Youssef ( @byoussef), who played Sabaf, is a brilliant political comedian, often referred to as the “Jon Stewart of Egypt”. This was his first animated gig. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
You can always tell how hungry the writers were based on the prominence of food in any given episode, often as a solution to all problems. BURRITOS! #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In the script, @madisonbateman specified that the food truck at the end was named “THE BEST BURRITO TRUCK IN EGYPT!” Not sure why that was cut. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
9. TERROR OF THE TERRA-FIRMIANS! This riff on an old Barks story had already been epically adapted in the original DuckTales episode “Earth Quack”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Instead of trying to top that in terms of scale, we decided to go smaller and more intimate to explore why Huey clings to facts and his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook: to deal with his fear of the unknown. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
But the original storyline IS retold in Webby’s journal renderings of what she assumes is the Terries and the Firmies backstories. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The ending was also influenced by the Joe Dante classic “Explorers!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
My note upon first reading the scene where Launchpad’s trying to figure out if Dewey is a Mole Monster: “THIS. IS. PERFECT.” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
A joke that @TheOneCMag just came up with on his own in the first draft instantly became a very sweet cornerstone of Launchpad’s character: he believes Dewey is his best friend. But is he really? We’ll find out in Season 3. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also, @TheOneCMag is a HUGE Simpsons fan, and it shows in this scene. He loves DuckTales so much, but I once asked him if he would quit his steady job for even a chance to write a freelance “Simpsons”: “Oh, absolutely.” Didn’t even stop to think. Jerk. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
There was an interesting balancing act here between Lena and Webby. The audience knew Lena was a spy, but we still wanted them to like her and their “friendship” together and sympathize even before you find out she’s a prisoner. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I think a lot of that comes threw when Lena playfully promises to avenge Webby’s death and Webby says, “Awww, that’s sweet.” These two get each other. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Interesting side note: at this point, we had not yet cast Magica. Her lines were temped in as a whispery, scratchy ghost-like voice until we could find someone and play to her strengths. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Once we cast Catherine Tate, we knew how delightfully unhinged her performance would be. But we had to justify why she had initially spoken so little early on. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This led us to determine that as the Lunar Eclipse neared, Magica’s powers grew. She gained new abilities each time out: limited speech in this episode, the ability to rant and rave in "JAW$!", and ultimately the ability to possess Lena in “Other Bin”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
9. McMYSTERY AT McDUCK MANOR! This was the episode where we discovered that “Bottle Episodes” for animation are a STRAIGHT UP LIE. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
If you don’t know, a “Bottle Episode” is an episode of live-action television that takes place all in one location. It’s meant to be easy on production because you don’t have multiple locations to switch to. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We were coming off some design and staging heavy episodes, so we figured a locked room mystery a la “Clue” would be a nice break. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
What we came to realize is that an episode can either be easy for the writing team or the board team or the design team. Easy for one means hard for the other two. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
An easier story for writing means not having to be judicious with locations, characters, props, action etc. You can just have fun and do anything. This is obviously tough on boards and design. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Easier for boards means heavy pre-thought for writers to make action simple. And to keep the energy up for 22 minutes, the writers might throw extra props & characters, and if boards aren't judicious about their shot count, that's a design heavy ep. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Easier for design (as we thought this would be) means not a lot of new props, bgs, and new characters, so the writers work extra hard to limit these, and the board team has to think VERY judiciously about every new shot and angle of a room designed. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
For this supposedly “easier” episode, we had to write an engaging extended mystery with no time jumps and a limited cast, boards had to figure out how to make it dynamic, and design had to figure out EVERY INCH of that main hall. Not so easy. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I love the scene where Ma and Glomgold call out Mark Beaks, like “Seriously? This is what we’re calling a ‘Scrooge Villain’ these days?” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also a good opportunity to reinforce each villains overarching goals and firmly establish Ma’s goal beyond petty theft: to reclaim Duckburg from Scrooge. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The “Duckworth as Ghost” twist came from a reaction I had to a previous round of development. An earlier artist had done an updated “Family Portrait” for the show. Stodgy Butler, dowdy maid, four equally excitable kids, and a crackpot inventor. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
To us, it felt…soft. Safer and more predictable than even the original series or Barks comics. Scrooge is the world’s greatest adventurer, but he’d surrounded himself with soft, squishy tropes. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I was reminded of an ep of the og series (“Metal Attraction”?) where a “Family Portrait” consisted of Scrooge, the kids, a caveman, a dinosaur, a maid, & Gizmoduck for some reason. That vibe was super engaging to me. I wanted to know about THAT family. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
So we looked at that old development art and said “She’s a spy, he’s a ghost, he’s a mad scientist, etc….” Basically, coming up with a group of allies Scrooge would have made over a century of adventure. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I was so delighted when the show started and people started complaining “Where’s Duckworth?” They had no idea he was actually in the opening credits. We also hinted at him on Webby’s board in the pilot. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
10. THE MISSING LINKS OF MOORSHIRE! The network asked us to do a sports-themed episode. We thought kids would be excited by golf. So much so that we had a character constantly talk about how much he hated golf. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
During the board pitch, the “Glomgold Coin Toss” scene caused one crewmember to start laughing so hard he had to excuse himself from the room. It was a very proud moment for all involved. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The magic pairing of Huey and Launchpad is something we haven’t done enough since. We tried to remedy that in another sports episode coming up in Season 3! #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I loved telling a story about the “wise old mentor” being in the wrong. Scrooge will always see himself as vital, but he’s got to learn when to step back. Here and in Neverrest, it’s important that Scrooge is learning and evolving as much as the kids. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Cut for time: like two more full scenes featuring individual golf holes. @americanninjax very wisely condensed them into that rad montage in the middle of the ep. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I remain incredibly tickled that @tarastrong and @AndreaLibman agreed to play the kelpies to really drive this ridiculous joke home. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’d like to add that I have SO much respect for @Fyre_flye and her work, and even more respect for the fact that she didn’t place a severed pony head in my bed after this episode aired. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Lauren and @CrackMcCraigen gave me my first job in animation on "Wander Over Yonder". The story structure we use to break episodes on this show is a modified version of the one they came up with for that one. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Lauren says she developed “Friendship is Magic” by giving the characters the same personalities as when she played with her ponies as a kid. Craig always said he makes shows by “making the best versions of the shows we thought we remembered as kids.” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Both these pieces of advice proved invaluable in developing DuckTales and trying to recapture both the excitement I used to have playing DuckTales as a kid and updating the show while keeping the core feeling of it intact. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The last joke of the episode proved INSANELY controversial in the Writers Room, with many claiming Launchpad choking on golfballs because he thought they were eggs was TOO dumb, even for him. This became the cutoff line for LP jokes. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
For the record, Launchpad eating golfballs: too far. Launchpad convincing himself that he’s been a Molemonster this whole time only to be easily dissuaded by Beakley telling him he wasn’t? Perfection. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
11. THE SPEAR OF SELENE! The continuation of the search for Dewey and Webby’s search for info on Della hinges on a question that we’ll be asking of various people over the series: “What if my hero is a bad person?” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The answer, of course, is always more nuanced than that, as we’ll see with Scrooge and Della and a bunch of other characters throughout the series. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The Minecart Rule in full effect: What if a booby-trapped temple had way too many ancient treasures when I’m just looking for a specific one? That mirrors Dewey’s refusal to accept any answer but the one that he’s looking for. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Ithaquack, of course, is a reference to the original series episode “Home Sweet Homer”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Originally, the island was a little more populated and featured a reappearance by the shifty salesman who sold Launchpad all that gear on Neverrest. Here he sold a map to the Temple of Heroes to Dewey and Webby. An unnecessary step, so it was cut. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
As per our casting policy, we went out to Greek actors to play the gods: Michael Chikilis as @theironwrist’s favorite petty villain Zeus, @NiaVardalos, whose bubbly nature helped us find a take on Selene, who was originally way more regal and staid... #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
And of course, THE LION OF LINDOS, THE HERO OF HELIOPOLIS, the mighty STORKULES, played to perfection by Chris Diamantopolous. It delighted us to no end that they guy who plays Mickey was going to play Donald’s best friend. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I love big blustery noble dumdums with egos (I wonder why…). Chris had the amazing idea to pattern his performance off the old Mighty Hercules cartoon he used to watch in syndication as a kid, a weird, almost mid-atlantic thing. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Storkules is allowed to be as full of himself as he is and still be likeable as a character because he thinks everyone has the capability to be as great as he is. Especially Donald. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’d never worked with Chris prior to this, but he left such a mark and is so stinking versatile that it makes total sense that he’d be perfect for ANOTHER blustery hero I’ll talk about later. Like Keith Ferguson, I want to work with Chris forever. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was another one where we spelled out every challenge and ended up having to montage it for time. Full scenes had been dedicated to the chariot race and the sculpting contest. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We loved the idea of meeting people who knew Donald and Della back when they were young, and how that would have an impact on Donald. It’s the first time that we see how Della’s disappearance impacted Donald, and why he needs to keep these kids safe. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
12. DAY OF THE ONLY CHILD! The initial goal of this episode was to highlight each of the boys as kids. We’d seen them in so many fantastical situations in a huge ensemble, we wanted to give each of them a chance to shine on their own. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It also tests each of their personal issues as we’d explore them throughout the series: Huey’s adherence to rules/order despite the risk, Louie’s desire for wealth at any cost, and Dewey’s search for approval and recognition. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Originally, the setup was WAY more complicated. It involved Gyro creating a portal to alternate dimensions where each boy had grown up an only child. Instead of trying to pull off three simultaneous “It’s A Wonderful Life”s, we went simpler instead. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Huey’s story allowed us to focus in on the actual Junior Woodchucks, which we’ll see more in S3. It also helped establish Bouncer as the sweetest of the Beagle Boys. I always had the notion that Bouncer would reform and become Scrooge’s personal chef. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
What can be said about Doofus Drake?

That’s it. That’s the tweet.
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Doofus’ character was roughly based on the Twilight Zone episode "It's A Good Life" , where an omnipotent boy becomes a monster because no one can tell him no. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
“Dewey Dew-nite!” is based off of something I used to do as a kid. I used to deliver fake late night talk show monologues to an imaginary audience and hold for applause. It was…unsettling to watch. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
But in a world where the point was to highlight each of the kid’s strengths, we knew one thing for certain: @rejectedjokes was going to nail this bit. Dewey Dew-Nite returns next season on location with a big name guest star. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
13. BEWARE THE B.U.D.D.Y. SYSTEM! In Season 1, pretty much all of the writers got to volunteer for the episodes they wanted to write. I called dibs on this one because it premiered what I knew would be one of our biggest characters. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’m speaking, of course, of Manny, the Headless Manhorse. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Manny became one of my favorite characters because he’s the opposite of most of our characters. The kids feel like they’re ordinary and wish for more spectacular lives. Manny thinks he’s a supernatural freak but he just wants to be a regular guy. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
One of our early ideas was the McDuck Nemesis Reformation Program, where Scrooge’s (numerous) defeated foes can apply for support and counseling and a job with McDuck Enterprises. This was how Manny was able to get a job as Gyro’s intern. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
If you want to learn more about Manny, I suggest you talk to @HeadlssManHorse. Some good backstory there. Pretty sure everything he tweets is canon, too. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
No, but really, Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera will always be one of my proudest contributions to Duckburg. When I grew up, the only Latino superhero I had was Vibe, who, at the time, was solely notable for having breakdance powers. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’d like to point out, still no Latino superheroes in the MCU. Maybe after fixing our Season 1 air order, @disneyplus can greenlight a White Tiger series. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We wrote a letter to @Lin_Manuel to pitch him our stated goal: making our Gizmoduck a Hispanic hero who was entirely informed by his heritage without being solely defined by it. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
He’s so many things, and one of those things is Latino. We’ll talk more about that later. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Because Gizmoduck was a popular known character, this was a unique opportunity. Fenton wasn’t just a token Latino character. He was the MAIN SUPERHERO of Duckburg. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Fenton’s “IT. COULD. WORK!” was based on Gene Wilder from Young Frankenstein, which Lin understood right away because Lin’s the best. Also improvised my favorite line: “Go, you bumblebee-like savant, go!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The Darkwing opener was entirely boarded and designed by my buddy @BenBalistreri, who I worked with on Wander, and I knew would jump at the chance to do this and cram it with love and easter eggs. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Fact: The Ratcatcher was not in the script. Ben threw in that design for free. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The idea that Launchpad would be a fan of Darkwing from his childhood was influenced by his first appearance in the og Darkwing pilot, where he introduces himself as Darkwing’s biggest fan. And, let’s face it, also based on me. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
And yes, of course we knew what we were going to do with Jim Starling in Season 2 right off the bat. We like our plants here in Duckburg. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This episode is where the idea that Dewey is Launchpad’s best friend really paid off. I love this pairing because it forces Dewey to be the reasonable one sometimes, but they feed off their ridiculous kid energy. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Launchpad’s drivers license lists his birthday as 9/18/1987 (the day that the original DuckTales premiered). Also, his signature matches the signature you get from the Launchpad Walk-Around character in the Disney parks. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Cut for time: a scene where Fenton analyzes Launchpad’s skills in a VR simulator. He somehow manages to set the lab on fire. It was too long and too similar to a Simpsons joke with Homer in a Nuclear Plant Simulator. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I teared up three times writing the first draft: “I am the terror…”, Launchpad saying “ Let’s Get Dangerous,” and Fenton saying “Blathering Blatherskite!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Again, we were playing with the idea of Fenton being an unnamed background character, which would make him announcing his name on the phone a big reveal. Of course, casting Lin as a seemingly random extra probably would have tipped it off. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
An executive raised concern early on in the outline process that having Gizmoduck AND Darkwing show up this early in the run. After all, Gizmoduck didn’t appear in DuckTales until late in the run. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Our response: we want to get everything in there because if we hadn’t got a second season, we didn’t want to have regrets about not getting to play with these things we love. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
14. THE GOLDEN LAGOON OF WHITE AGONY PLAINS! The debut of our version of Glitterin’ Goldie O’Gilt. Because our show emphasizes Scrooge as an adventurer, we made Goldie a bit of a swindler who was the only person sharper than him. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We wanted the relationship between Scrooge and Goldie to have the energy of an old screwball energy, like Carey Grant and Katherine Hepburn or pretty much any Billy Wilder movie. It really comes across in their tango. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
“You loved gold more than you loved me.” “And that’s why you loved me.” I mean, OOF, I love that. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Sometimes when we record, we’ll play an actor in with lines we’ve recorded from someone else. When many of our actors heard David for the first time, they’d literally miss a beat and say “Oh my God, it’s Scrooge McDuck!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
For this record, David missed a beat and said “Oh my God, it’s C.J. Cregg!” Honestly, if you’re going to do a screwball adventure romantic comedy, you should be so lucky as to have David Tennant and @AllisonBJanney. I don’t know how we pulled it off. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Odd coincidence: our version of Goldie was influenced by the character The Jackal in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels," while Allison Janney famously IS The Jackal. #WestWing #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was one of the hardest ones to get approved by the network in S1. This being a “kid’s channel,” they sometimes get antsy whenever kids don’t feature prominently in the story. Even more so when they’re sidelined for two “senior citizens”. #DuckTales #rewritehistory
Our response, of course, was that these aren’t two “senior citizens,” they’re THE MOST DARING ADVENTURERS THIS CENTURY HAS EVER SEEN. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
At one point it was suggested that we periodically cut back to the mansion to show the boys “wondering about” what Scrooge and Goldie were doing in the Klondike. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This is actually one of our rare episodes that just focuses on an A-Story. See also “The Beagle Birthday Breakout!” and “What Ever Happened to Della Duck?!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It was Sean Jimenez’s idea to set the episode in an area not unlike the famed Rainbow Caves in China. He did such beautiful design work on this episode that he made it his end credits card. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This isn’t really trivia, but I LOVE paralleling the dance at the gala with the pick axe fight at the end. I’m a sucker for ideas/dialogue in Act 1 coming back in Act 3. This whole bit feels so lovely and cinematic to me. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Obviously, we pulled a lot of elements from Don Rosa comics on this one, including the mammoth and the notion of a dispute over a claim at White Agony Plains leading to romance. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The Goldie/Scrooge/Glomgold triangle was somewhat inspired by the og DuckTales episode “Ducky Mountain High” and a LOT inspired by Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In an episode visually inspired by Barks paintings of Klondike Scrooge, I wish I could remember who decided to have Glomgold’s flashbacks mirror Lichtensteins. Glomgold’s very existence is, like most Pop Art, riffing on a pre-existing theme. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
15. FROM THE CONFIDENTIAL CASEFILES OF AGENT 22! Some BIG backstory for Beakley here, introducing that thread from all the way back in Episode 3 “Daytrip of Doom!” and introducing SHUSH and F.O.W.L., who obviously play huge roles in Season 3. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’ve often said this ep is the promise of the premise of our approach to heritage: the “Secret Formula” as Gummi Berry Juice from Gummi Bears, Spy Orgs from Darkwing, and classic character Ludwig Von Drake, mashed together in a new, unique adventure. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We typically don’t start off with “How would we incorporate THIS character?” but rather look at the needs of the story and say “Is there some interesting way we can incorporate something from Disney heritage while still being true to the character. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
When you start a series, you typically have a meeting with Legal to clear the names of the characters to make sure you’re legally allowed to use those names, or, in the case of pre-existing IP, making sure you’re allowed to use them. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
For example, you can’t just throw a character named “Harry Potter” in your show without getting very much sued. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
When we had that meeting for DuckTales, we really got away with something. We asked them to clear every character from the original series, as well as all American, European, and South American duck comics. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Then, not knowing if they’d go for it, we asked them to clear every character from Darkwing Duck. And TaleSpin. And Gummi Bears. And… #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
They shockingly approved it. To this day I’m not sure that they knew what a gift they were giving us. Long story short, I will never complain about our legal clearances team. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I’m pretty proud to say that by the end of Season 3, I’m pretty sure we hit everything that I consider to be “Peak Disney Afternoon”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
My favorite bit of fan service that I didn’t notice until it aired: @domlewismx snuck a bit of “Gummi Bears” into the score during the backstory of the “Ancients of Castle Dunwin”. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Inside writers scoop: Von Drake is RIDULOUSLY fun to write. My kids were listening to a lot of old Sherman Brothers albums at the time and Von Drake’s patter got under my skin. He’s SO fun and specific. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
That’s key I think: a character with enough facets that they can still be surprising, but specific enough that a savvy writer will instinctively know how they’ll react in any situation. Surprising but satisfying. See also Glomgold, Darkwing Duck. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was a surprisingly tricky story to break. We wanted to do a Webby/Scrooge bonding episode as we had done with the other boys. But they had all been on so many adventures at this point. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It also felt reductive to Webby to have Scrooge say, “What?! A little girl is a great adventurer?” Because of course she is. She’s Beakley’s granddaughter, right? #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
But we hit on something when we realized how much Webby knew about and idolized Scrooge, but how little he knew about this girl as a person, despite her having lived in his house for years. But he wasn’t really talking to anyone post-Della. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Remember how I said “bottle episode” cartoons are a lie? That doesn’t mean that we can’t find tricks to make epic stories manageable. This episode takes place in the same locations at two points in time, so we could cut down on background design. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
They still had to be redressed and differentiated, though. And the director and board team had to go above and beyond to make the two different time periods clear. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Luckily, this was @TannerTrue’s solo-directorial debut, and he nailed that tricky balancing act. He also boarded that awesome, brutal Beakley/Heron fight. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Bummed we lost a joke in translation: the binary code scrawled in the cave wall in the present was meant to read “Revenge for Number 4!” The robot that Scrooge let go in the 60s had been camped out waiting for a chance to avenge his fallen brother. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
One of the joys/challenges of working for @theironwrist is that he’s SUCH a prolific action-comedy director and he’ll never let you get away with a trope he’s already done. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Robots, superheroes, spies, aliens. Dude's done it all and DOES NOT like repeating himself. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Poor @TheOneCMag kept volunteering for episodes that Youngberg would have specific opinions about. See also “Who is Gizmoduck?!” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The upside of this is that it challenged us not to do the same old James Bond and Mission Impossible riffs on this episode. Hence, Scrooge and 22 became Steed and Mrs. Peel, and we also got to lean on “The Prisoner”. Long live the Troub-bubble. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
I LOVE working with April Winchell. She was my personal favorite to write for on Wander Over Yonder, a show full of VERY fun characters to write. You’ll be seeing a lot more unhinged Bond-villain Heron is Season 3. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
When we brought April back for her second appearance as Heron, she did not recognize her own voice in this ep: “Huh. I didn’t know I could do a Dench.” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
David Tennant does a jaunty, rogueish sway back and forth whenever he records young, cocky Scrooge. It’s delightful. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The “22” in Agent 22 references her alias’ initials. “B” is the second letter in the alphabet, hence “Bentina Beakley” is Agent 22. That said, we still don't know if her number is based on her real name or “Beakley” is an alias tied to her number. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
16. JAW$! This episode was originally titled “The Beast from Beneath the Bin!”, but I think we wanted to try this title first as an elaborate, unspoken game of chicken with our legal department. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was the first episode where Magica actually spoke, and also where @LadieFantastic became our go-to Magica writer. Basically, if it rants or raves, she’s on it. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Even though her introductory monologue was cut for time, I think it helped us tremendously in the process of figuring out who Magica was as a character: the insanely petty mixed with the horrifically sadistic. Here’s the original draft of it. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
From the beginning of the season, we really wanted to do a “monster loose in the vault” seafaring adventure. This idea forced us to really wrap our heads around the scale of the vault. Was it big enough to sail the houseboat in? #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We discussed the idea of the Bin having mystical properties that opened a portal to an additional sea of treasure, but that proved too confusing. Having the money shark start small and gain mass helped give us some latitude to play with scale. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The “Hail Dewdonia” bit was another opportunity for the boys to goof off together like brothers instead of being in conflict with each other. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also cut for time: a straight up Launchpad as Quint monologue, presented here. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also cut for time (or logic?): after our heroes come home from a beanstalk adventure in the Cold Open, an angry giant’s fist started shaking at our heroes down out of the clouds. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
When discussing how Tiffany would move on land once she broke free of the bin, there was a lot of talk about referencing the monster from the beginning of Princess Mononoke. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It also led to one of our more infamous room bits: Male Shark Lady Legs. @Bob_Snow pitched a male shark but with feminized legs in heels. He then proceeded to sketch about fifty variations on the same theme. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
My favorite featured Mail Shark Lady Legs, a female shark postal worker. I really gotta post some of these Bob images. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was a huge turning point in Lena and Webby’s relationship; it’s the last time that Lena is fully on Magica’s side, and we really needed to sell that turn, as well as her personal stakes. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
After she slips into Magica-ranting, calling Webby a sentimental fool, Lena immediately assumes that Webby hates her. She’s so used to fighting she can’t fathom the idea that Webby would still save her. She’s never had a loving relationship before. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
That selfless act turns Lena just enough to let us throw in another big reveal: she’s not just Magica’s agent, she’s Magica’s prisoner. And this is her only chance at freedom. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The Grimoire du Merlock is of course a reference to Merlock, the magician villain of DuckTales The Movie. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The Roxanne Featherly storyline also gave us a chance to explore how Scrooge is perceived by the public. It’s the first hint that not everybody in town may love the chaos Scrooge’s adventuring rains down upon Duckburg. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Originally, Roxanne was also going to interview others to attempt to smear Scrooge’s name, including Ma Beagle. In retaliation, Scrooge brought on Gyro to make him seem benevolent. But of course Gyro only made McDuck Enterprises come off as more evil. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
One of my favorite cut jokes ever: Gyro is introduced as “Kid Inventor Gyro Gearloose”. Roxanne: “You’re clearly a fully grown man. Why would they call you a ‘Kid Inventor’?” Gyro hides a genetically modified robot baby behind his back. “No reason.” #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
17. SKY PIRATES…IN THE SKY! Our big Don Karnage episode! We took heavy inspiration from the original TaleSpin pilot where Don Karnage had a big musical number about himself and ran with it. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
This was actually before we’d hired the amazing Dom Lewis as our composer, but we knew we needed instantly catchy, hummable earworms to board to, so we turned to my old pal @andybeanmusic. If you want a song to get stuck in your head, turn to Andy. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Don Karnage was another one of those characters that we were itching to get our hands on. Again, I love a blustery egomaniac…to no one’s surprise. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
In keeping with our casting ethos, we were so lucky to get to work with @jaimecamil as Don Karnage. “Evil Rogelio De La Vega” is as close to a perfect character description as they come. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
It also made all the sense in the world that Karnage would become Dewey’s archnemesis. Two showboating adventurers with a flair for the dramatic. But as we’ll learn in Season 3, there’s one person Karnage hates more than Dewey. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We had two big conceits going into this one that got cut. The first, from episode writer @madisonbateman, was that the pirates were actually a failed theatre troupe first, and they fell into crime to try to bankroll their productions. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The other idea I had was connected to that: perhaps “Don Karnage” was a title, like “The Dread Pirate Roberts” in Princess Bride. Whenever an understudy mutinies against the current Karnage, they would become the new Captain Karnage. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The logic being that the events of TaleSpin had occurred in our show’s past, so each generation got a different Don Karnage. It was a cool conceit, but ultimately nothing came of it. Would still love to try it some day. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
The writers worked really hard to justify Dewey’s disappearance in the first act. And by “worked really hard,” I mean “painstakingly analyzed the first act of Home Alone”. That movie actually had a big influence on Dewey’s narrative in this one. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
All the musical numbers in this proved INCREDIBLY difficult to execute, because most of them involved CG vehicles as well. @theironwrist isn’t a fan of doing musical numbers in episodes, and the process of executing this one may point to why. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
Also he hates fun. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
There was a heated debate in the Writers Room about Karnage’s disguise in this episode. Originally, Karnage was going to dress up as a little old lady lost in the jungle for some reason. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
We bailed on that for a couple of reasons: we’d seen that joke before, and “haha it’s a man in a dress!” is a dated concept that we didn’t want to further it more. Also, someone came up with the name “Tom Karnage” and it stuck. #DuckTales #RewriteHistory
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