Rewatching DuckTales! Time for the fog to roll in over the moors (or something) for episode 26, “The Curse of Castle McDuck.”
Here’s what happens: Scrooge, the nephews, and Webby are headed back to Scotland to visit the house Scrooge was born in. The locals react with fear upon hearing the McDuck name. Scrooge’s old house is adjacent to the ruins of old Castle McDuck, which alleged to be haunted by a ghostly hound.
Scrooge and the kids explore the castle, encountering the hound and a mysterious hooded figure. Scrooge investigates to find a group of druids living in the castle. Turns out the Scots drove the druids out of their homes, so the druids drove the McDucks off their land. He concocts a Scooby Doo style plan to trap the hound.
Webby is separated from the others via a hidden door in the castle. Scrooge and the nephews search for in the woods surrounding the castle, where they are chased by the hound. They learn the ghost hound is no ghost, but a bunch of dogs bred to act all mean and ghostly. That night, the Scooby Doo traps work, and our heroes catch both the dog and the druids.
The druids argue that the McDucks are the ones who built the castle on sacred druid land. Rather than fight over the land, Scrooge and druids work out a deal with the druids to turn the castle into a tourist attraction and share the profits. (So much for “sacred land.”)
Humbug: We get some history for Scrooge. He raised by farmers in a simple cabin. His family left Scotland to come to Duckburg when he was only 6, in search of more opportunities.
Junior Woodchucks: Back in the episode “Hotel Strangeduck,” Huey, Dewey and Louie debated whether ghosts were real, but this time all three of them are more than willing to accept the possible existence of the supernatural.
Maid and maiden: Webby’s superpower continues to be her ability to befriend animals that otherwise might be dangerous. She earns more adventuring cred by surviving a night in the woods on her own.
Foul fowls: The druids certainly look menacing in their spooky robes, but they’re more misunderstood than villainous, simply wanting the ancestral home back.
Reference row: Most definitely a takeoff of the Sherlock Holmes classic, “The Hound of Baskervilles.”
Thoughts upon this viewing: Not much in the way of story, but the animation more than makes up for it with a ton of cool visuals and sharp animation throughout.
Next: Not so civil.
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