DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) Reviews

• Nostalgic Feelings to the Series Override Flaws.

  GuyCC2000-11-12

  I recently watched the "DuckTales" movie again, because it was a slow evening, and I still have fond memories of the series since its inception in '86. I think that's why I watched the movie all the way through. Don't get me wrong, the first (and only) Disney Movietoon isn't bad as far as films go. There were just a few things that didn't sit well with me, namely the animation. It was a step beyond television animation and a step below feature film animation. The result was better use of shading and lighting, but wasn't nearly as fluid as say, "Aladdin", "Beauty and the Beast" or any of Disney's other films during the early '90's. The soundtrack didn't really detract or enhance the film, but the show's theme provided a snappy, upbeat tune to end the film with. The story itself wasn't bad, but some of the 30-minute shows seemed to have more interesting plots and faster pacing. That, and the "wacky Genie" schtick was done much better two years down the road with Robin Williams in "Aladdin". What really pulled this film through was the voice cast from the series, as they know their characters, and that's apparent. The film wisely kept its cast exclusively to the show's main characters, the genie, and the main villain and sidekick, but I got the feeling they should have all been given more to do. As I said before, it's not a bad film, and I don't know if this film will ever be re-issued by Disney, but the main strength of this film lies in how much you like Scrooge McDuck and company. The television show was the best of any of Disney's non-feature animation, and for that reason, it kept me through the film until final credits.

• First Duck-Tale cinema adventure

  Johnny B1998-10-27

  Okay, it is true that the graphics of this movie are not as good as those of the 1990s Disney classics, but still, despite that it is a nice movie. The beginning, I mean the treasure hunt is typical of earlier Ducktale cartoons - adventures in some ancient land. The rest is a modernised adaptation of the story of Aladdin. It is quite gripping for kids, and adults are bound to like it too. The best thing about it, I think, is that the adventure starts away from home but it ends up at Duckberg. Fantasy plays a large role as with all Disney cartoons. Enjoyable.

• A semi-spoiler about a great movie based on a Disney TV series.

  rockndaparadise2004-08-29

  "Duck Tales: The Movie" is a great movie. I've always loved it. It's basically a 74-minute episode of "Duck Tales" with some classic Disney magic mixed in. If you haven't seen the movie, I recommend you do; I find it to be suitable for kids and adults equally. If you haven't watched the movie before, then (as Strong Bad would say) I recommend the faint of heart and the faint of butt to stop reading this review, for it might spoil the magic for those who want to be surprised. The movie starts with Scrooge McDuck and his nephews along with Launchpad and Webby out in Egypt looking for the treasure of Collie Baba, a famous thieve. When they find it, they find out that their guide, Dijon, turned out to be the little sidekick of an evil sorcerer named Merlock who steals the treasure from Scrooge leaving him empty-handed. Little did Scrooge know, Webby managed to keep from the treasure a lamp, which she had mistaken for a teapot. While polishing it, she and Huey, Dewey and Louie unveiled the genie of the lamp that they become friends with, as well as his new masters. The four kids each got three wishes; Webby makes all these crazy wishes, which causes one of the boys to waste one of their wishes to wish them back. After the kids use up all their wishes, Scrooge finds out about the genie and becomes his new master. What the family didn't know much about was that the genie's meanest master was still out looking for him. Even though, it has been centuries, he's still out there looking for him due to his wish for immortality. The genie accidentally stumbles onto Dijon, who becomes his new master and wishes to take over Scrooge's money bin. Unluckily for Dijon, Scrooge knew exactly how to trigger all the alarms in his bin, so he planned to invade it with the kids. However, Merlock manages to sneak in too, and he beats Scrooge to the lamp and wishes for his money bin to transform into a sky fortress. Scrooge manages to steal the lamp back and makes his last two wishes. This was just a very well made movie. Rip Taylor did an unbelievable job as the voice of the genie. The same thing goes for Christopher Lloyd as Merlock. This film is highly recommended by me for Duck Tales fans and even Duck Tales haters! If there was a special edition DVD of this movie, I'd get it!

• A fun movie based on the cartoon.

  OllieSuave-0072013-12-22

  This is a fun movie based on the Disney cartoon Ducktales, a story about Scrooge McDuck and the gang out to search for a magic lamp, with an evil wizard out to get his hands on it as well. I remember watching Ducktales on the Disney Afternoon after I got home from elementary school, and it was one of my favorite cartoon shows. It was great seeing classic Disney characters like Huey, Duey and Louie star in a more modern show to keep up with the times, but still maintaining that special Disney charm. It's equally awesome to see the show making it to the big screen with this movie, and it brought along the show's elements: colorful animation, upbeat music, fun and daring characters and exciting adventures. It's a little on the short side, with a running time of only 74 min. So, the movie may seemed rushed through at times. Other than that, if you love Ducktales, you would love this movie - great fun for the entire family. Grade B+

• Harmless fun!

  Monika-52000-03-22

  I still remember seeing this at the theater with my grandparents and two younger siblings in 1990. I liked the story of the McDucks trying to find the treasure, and I really liked the genie. I think that this is a great film for the kids to watch. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy it too!