The House of the Lucky Gander! is the sixth episode of Season 1 of DuckTales 2017. It was scheduled to premiere on October 21, 2017, but was switched with the previous week's episode, resulting in an air on October 14, 2017 on Disney XD in the USA. However, it did air on its originally announced date in Canada.
Synopsis[]
Donald competes with his cousin, Gladstone Gander, to impress Louie at a mysterious resort in Macaw, while Scrooge tries to lure the kids away from the resort’s endless distractions.
Plot[]
The Duck family travels to the eastern city of Macaw to see the fabled Golden Cricket and visit Donald's cousin Gladstone Gander, the world's luckiest duck in the world. While Scrooge McDuck is keen on seeing the gold cricket, the kids are excited to visit Gladstone; Scrooge and Donald, however, are not. Donald had been jealous of his luck ever since he and Gladstone were young, while Scrooge dislikes Gladstone for his constant dependence on supernatural luck. The group finds Gladstone is residing at the House of Fortune, a massive hotel/casino. While Scrooge and the others visit the casino, Launchpad stays behind to attend to personal matters. On his end, after making a sloppy but safe landing in the water, Launchpad leaves to meet with Ziyi.
Inside the casino, Gladstone welcomes his family, impressing the kids much to Donald's dismay. When Gladstone asks them to stay for a bit, Scrooge decides to leave with Huey, Dewey, and Webby but Louie and a reluctant Donald decide to spend time with Gladstone. Gladstone uses his luck to earn winnings as Louie becomes more and more fascinated by Gladstone's ability. As Louie enjoys the prizes Gladstone earns, Donald gets the short end of the stick with his bad luck, becoming increasingly downtrodden over how Louie admires Gladstone as the favorite uncle. Meanwhile, Scrooge's group is greeted by Toad Liu Hai , the casino's owner. Liu Hai encourages the group to stay and enjoy the casino; Scrooge declines at first, but ends up spending time there when the kids get enticed by the casino's luxuries which includes a jade tiger which Dewey nicknames Dewey Jr. Scrooge continues to search for the exit, but somehow they keep moving in circles.
Eventually, Scrooge gives in and agrees to check into the casino. Liu Hai leads them to the front desk to reserve a room, but it turns out that Scrooge tricked him to leading the group to the exit, which Scrooge says is always in the same place as Check-in at any hotel. Before they can leave, Donald gets fed up with the praise Gladstone receives from Louie and decides to leave the casino with them. Gladstone tries to stop him, and it is revealed that Gladstone has been mystically imprisoned by Liu Hai. He never said anything before because Liu Hai would find out, prompting him to reveal his true nature: he is an ancient spirit of chance and fortune and the entire casino is an illusion, a trap to lure the greedy and lucky.
Gladstone admits that because of his luck, Liu Hai imprisoned him to feed on his fortune and grow stronger. He called Scrooge and Donald to rescue him in the first place and was hoping to use Donald’s own bad luck to break his lucky streak and free himself. Liu Hai then proposes that Scrooge take Gladstone's place, as the richest duck in the world is more valuable than someone who just happens to be lucky. Instead, Scrooge challenges Liu Hai to a game for their freedom, which an intrigued Liu Hai accepts; however, Gladstone is chosen as Liu Hai's champion with Donald to represent the Duck family, and the game is a race to the finish line with the stakes being the loser’s fate as a permanent resident. Gladstone is able to avoid the race's obstacles by literally strolling through the path, while Donald continuously faces the fire (literal and metaphorical) of the traps and painfully strays behind. When Donald is about to give up, Louie encourages him to keep going; motivated by their support and remembering his tenacity, Donald is able to make it ahead and crosses before Gladstone (who ironically was distracted by a twenty-dollar bill in front of him on the floor).
Although Donald won, which means Gladstone is doomed, Scrooge convinces Liu Hai to take Donald as his prisoner instead of Gladstone, claiming that his victory against the luckiest duck in the world technically makes him the luckiest duck in the world now. Liu Hai teleports the group back outside the building entrance, leaving Donald shackled and at the mercy of Liu Hai. Horrified at Donald’s grim fate, Louie is furious that Scrooge just gave him up and Gladstone asks him what they should do now. However, Scrooge counts a few seconds and Donald comes flying back out, with Liu Hai emerging severely malnourished by Donald's bad luck. With Liu Hai’s strength completely depleted, his casino disintegrates and disappears heavenward with him along with it. The kids congratulate Donald, and the group heads back to Launchpad. Gladstone has an epiphany about his luck and almost decides to turn himself around; at that moment, a woman offering a large golden boat coasts to him for twenty dollars, so Gladstone resumes his luck-based lifestyle.
Launchpad returns from his visit in full samurai armor, pierced with arrows, an eyepatch and carrying a panda cub. When asked by Dewey what happened Launchpad shrugs it off as being "tourist stuff". And before they leave for the temple, Launchpad whispers in the air "Goodbye, Ziyi, wherever you are".
At a temple, the Duck family finds the Golden Cricket, although it turns out to be an ordinary cricket that happens to be gold-colored. The family gets bored and tired, while a dissatisfied Scrooge agrees they can leave.
Cast[]
- David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck
- Danny Pudi as Huey Duck
- Ben Schwartz as Dewey Duck
- Bobby Moynihan as Louie Duck
- Kate Micucci as Webbigail Vanderquack
- Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack, Aquarioon Announcer
- Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck
- Paul F. Tompkins as Gladstone Gander
- B.D. Wong as Toad Liu Hai
- Eric Bauza as Tailor, Dealer, Announcer
- Jennifer Hale as Heiress, Padisco Dealer, Wheel Attendant
Allusions[]
- The scene where Toad Liu Hai reveals itself, where the entire casino folds in, and everyone and every object transforms into a pack of cards is reference scene to Alice in Wonderland.
- The House of Lucky Fortune is an Asian-style luxury resort with a staff of anthropomorphic amphibians.
- The House of Lucky Fortune strongly resembles the way Hell is depicted in that The Twilight Zone.
Trivia[]
- Main Cast Absences: Mrs. Beakley
- This episode was originally scheduled for October 21, 2017, but was switched with The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!
- Also when Disney XD released a promo for the episode, it was still called The Infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!
- However it was swapped for The Infernal Internship Of Mark Beaks! when it was aired on Disney XD Canada
- This was the first episode, in Season 1, not be located in Duckburg.
- This episode was originally scheduled to premiere on October 21, 2017, but it was moved up to October 14.
- Macaw is the show's counterpart to the real-life Macau.
- This is the first episode to show a different sentient species other than birds, pigs and dogs, in this case anthropomorphic frogs.
Goofs/errors[]
- Donald is briefly seen in his normal uniform by Scrooge near the end of the episode, when he should be wearing the simple tux.
- When Gladstone's ball and chain appears, the chain links are of a different style than in the rest of the episode.
- Donald is also wearing his sailor suit instead of the tuxedo shirt he bought earlier. He doesn't revert to his sailor suit until Liu Hai reveals his true self.
- Louie's hair appears like Dewey's hair in one scene.
- When the 3:15 show for Aquarioon was cancelled, Huey can be heard shouting "NO!!!", but the Disney+ closed captioning state that it was Dewey who had shouted it.
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