Credit: DisneyIt’s official: after three seasons, the reboot of the classic animated cartoon DuckTales has been canceled. But what has Disney said about it, and does the cancelation mean that a new EPCOT experience is getting cut as well? Here’s everything we know.
DuckTales (2017) canceled after three seasons
“The talented creative team, led by Matt Youngberg and Francisco Angones, have delivered exceptional storytelling with uniquely reimagined characters for three seasons of 75 episodes and more than 15 shorts,” a Disney XD spokesperson said in a statement, according to Variety. “While physical production is wrapping, ‘DuckTales’ continues to be available on Disney Channels and Disney+ around the world and fans will get an epic season finale in 2021.”
The show’s Co-Executive Producer, Writer, and Story Editor Frank Angones took to social media to share the news, on behalf of himself and Matt Youngberg. In a joint statement, the two share that they were prepared for Season 3 of DuckTales to be the last.
#DuckTales pic.twitter.com/jPXMFtKppT
— Frank Angones (@FrankAngones) December 3, 2020
First announced in 2015, the DuckTales reboot premiered in 2017 and has become a Disney XD favorite for fans of the original series and new fans alike. Below is the official description for the show, which featured the voice talents of David Tennant, Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, Bobby Moynihan, Kate Micucci, Beck Bennett, Toks Olagundoye, Tony Anselmo, and Paget Brewster, as well as prominent guest stars like Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Scrooge McDuck is back in this reboot of the late-’80s animated series. He gains guardianship of grandnephews Huey, Dewey and Louie when Donald Duck reluctantly takes them to McDuck Manor, the wonder of which enthralls the mischievous triplets. While living with their trillionaire relative, the boys learn long-held family secrets and unleash symbolic artifacts from Scrooge’s past. The threesome’s antics send the family on a number of adventures, which include Webby Vanderquack, the granddaughter of Scrooge’s housekeeper, Mrs. Beakley. The show’s animation style is inspired by the classic comic designs of animator Carl Barks.
What does this mean for the EPCOT DuckTales project?
Around one year ago, Disney announced that an all-new DuckTales experience would be coming to EPCOT: DuckTales World Showcase Adventure. Accessible via the Play Disney Parks Mobile App, this new offering is planned to be an interactive adventure in which Guests can use their smartphones to travel around the World Showcase and solve mysteries.
Here’s the official description via Disney Parks Blog:
Our favorite web-footed family is heading to Epcot!
Disney’s DuckTales World Showcase Adventure invites guests to join Scrooge McDuck, Donald, nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, Launchpad and Webby in search of priceless treasure. Using the Play Disney Parks mobile app, guests take a trip around World Showcase discovering exotic destinations, exciting mysteries, and maybe even a few thieves, villains and supernatural guardians of ancient artifacts. This will be the next iteration of a popular interactive scavenger hunt around World Showcase guests have enjoyed for years as they experience the magic of possibility at Epcot.
For fans of the show, this seemed pretty great! But now that Disney has announced DuckTales has been canceled, it leaves future Walt Disney World Resort Guests wondering: is DuckTales World Showcase Adventure still coming to EPCOT, or has that project been cut?
Given the accessibility of this new offering, the seemingly easy implementation at EPCOT, and what could be a seamless integration into the Play Disney Parks app, we wouldn’t be surprised if DuckTales World Showcase Adventure was still coming soon to EPCOT. After all, Guests were able to enjoy similar Kim Possible and Phineas and Ferb experiences at the theme park for years! But does it make sense for Disney to introduce a theme park experience inspired by a show they have canceled? The cancelation of DuckTales could hint at a grim fate for the new EPCOT experience, but we’ll update our website if Disney announces anything more about this.
Are you sad to see DuckTales come to an end? Let us know in the comments.