DuckTales Video Game Remastered &
List of Surviving Voice Actors

DuckTalesRemasteredMummy

The famous DuckTales NES game is being remastered! The internet is going crazy. I'm shocked but pleasantly surprised.


Here are some links:

Woo-hoo! DuckTales is back (Capcom official announcement)

Why did they actually do this? (Capcom forum answer)

Game play sneak preview from PAX 2013 (YouTube)


Here are my first impressions.

This looks awesome.

It looks like love and care was put into the game.

It looks like they didn't muck with the play control (one of the best things about the original game).

They got the DuckTales series surviving cast members to do the voices.

They understand the original soundtrack of the game was an important aspect and are doing remixes.

They leverage Disney's 2D animation artists for the character sprites.

Unfortunately, they don't leverage the same talent for the game backgrounds and environments which are now 3D elements. I don't think the 3D elements quite fit and also look a little primitive. The classic drawings look so much better. (My conspiratorial side says they are building in obsolescence so another remake has to be made. Traditional 2D animation with real cel assets will never go obsolete; those 3D assets already look dated.)

Playstation, Xbox, and Wii U. No mention of desktops or mobile.


There seems to be confusion about which actors can reprise their role since it has been 25 years since DuckTales. (I mentioned some of these people in my 25th Anniversary Retrospective.) Here is a quick run down.


Alan Young (Scrooge McDuck) - alive, age 93 (Update: deceased in 2016 at age 96)

June Foray (Magica de Spell, Ma Beagle) - alive, age 95

Terry McGovern (Launchpad McQuack, Babyface Beagle) - alive, age 70

Russi Taylor (Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby Vanderquack) - alive, age 68

Chuck McCann (Burger Beagle, Bouncer Beagle, Duckworth) - alive, age 78

Frank Welker (Big Time Beagle, Baggy Beagle, Bubba Duck) - alive, age 67

Tony Anselmo (Donald Duck) - alive, age 53

Peter Cullen (Admiral Grimitz, Bankjob Beagle) - alive, age 71

Brian Cummings (Doofus Drake) - alive, age 65

Miriam Flynn (Gandra Dee) - alive, age 61

Rob Paulsen (Gladstone Gander) - alive, age 57

Corey Burton (Ludwig Von Drake) - alive, age 57

Richard Libertini (Dijon) - alive, age 79


Hal Smith (Flintheart Glomgold, Gyro Gearloose) - deceased 1994 at age 77

Joan Gerber (Mrs. Beakley, Glittering Goldie) - deceased 2011 at age 76

Hamilton Camp (Fenton Crackshell/GizmoDuck) deceased 2005 at age 70

Kathleen Freeman (Mrs. Crackshell) - deceased 2001 at age 82



Last quick thought: if they get the game out before Sept 18, 2013, they technically still make the 25th Anniversary (just barely).

Want more DuckTales? Please check out my DuckTales 25th Anniversary Retrospective. And incidentally, I am scheduled to give a short talk on video game evolution at CODAME in August in San Francisco. I wasn't planning on doing DuckTales due to time constraints, but it should still be fun. Come on by if you are in the area. 


Update: Sept 3, 2013

I did a Let's Play Style Commentary for DuckTales Remastered.

Update: May 29, 2016 Alan Young died

Update: April 2017: DuckTales 2017 news updates 


Copyright © PlayControl Software / Eric Wing