DUCKS PART DEUX – TELEVISION:
THIS KIDS show is made for quacking up.
It’s a good thing, then, that Disney hired two “Saturday Night Live” stars to voice characters for its reboot of “DuckTales,” premiering Saturday.
A follow-up to the cartoon that ran from 1987 to 1990, “DuckTales” continues the adventures of Donald Duck, his triplet nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie and their wealthy spelunking great-uncle, Scrooge McDuck.
“SNL” alum Bobby Moynihan provides the voice for dollarcentric Louie, the youngest of the three brothers. “(Louie) just wants Scrooge’s money,” Moynihan (inset right) tells the Daily News. “He’s a little schemer. He’s just a scammer and often says he’s not part of the family but he obviously steps up when he has to.”
Moynihan, 40, adds that the look of the reboot was heavily influenced by the Disney duck comics created by the late cartoonist Carl Barks, dating back to the 1930s.
“They modeled all the art after all the old comic strips,” the actor/comedian says. “It’s just a genius way of doing it, and it honors the source material and doesn’t pander to children. It’s for kids, but they know adults are watching too.”
Moynihan and current “SNL” cast member Beck Bennett — who voices Launchpad McQuack, the haphazard, accidentprone chauffeur for Scrooge McDuck — were both fans of the original “DuckTales” cartoon, and jumped at the chance to be a part of the reboot.
“The show has those same themes of family and friendship as the classic, and it’s just so funny and exciting,” Bennett, 32, tells The News.
“Launchpad is a lethal force of destruction,” adds Bennett (inset left). “He creates adventures by crashing into things and he saves the day by crashing too.”
“DuckTales” premiered at midnight Saturday with an hour-long TV movie that will repeat for 24 hours. The series picks up again on Sept. 23 with two new episodes.