Like many kids who grew up in the 80s, DuckTales is something I am a massive fan of. I enjoyed the TV show, and the video game and had a bunch of merch too! When DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp was announced, I was very excited to go and see it at the theatre. 30 years later and this is a movie I still enjoy and a movie that I feel holds up very well.
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The Movie Review
The plot of the movie is kind of like Aladdin’s. Scrooge, the boys, Webby and Launchpad go to the Middle East in search of treasure. However, instead of the riches that they thought they would get, they end up finding a magic lamp. Well, Scrooge does not know it is a magic lamp so he lets Webby keep it.
While on this treasure-hunting mission, they have a guide called, Dijon. Dijon is actually working for a sorcerer called Merlock (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) who knows all about the lamp and has a dark history with it! When Merlock finds out that the lamp is gone, he and Dijon head to Duckberg to try and steal it.
It does not take long for Webby to realize that this is a magic lamp. A genie pops out (voiced by Rip Taylor which is hilarious) and he grants not just Webby, but Huey, Dewy, and Louie three wishes each. As you would expect from kids, they make some pretty dumb, but fun wishes!
Ducktales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp Trailer
They decide to keep this to themselves and tell Scrooge that the genie is actually a friend of theirs called Gene so that he can fit it. The genie tells them that Merlock is a magical shapeshifter with a magic amulet that grants him infinite wishes if he has the lamp. He has used the map in the past for terrible things like the destruction of Atlantis!
Merlock and Dijon eventually show up in Duckberg and try to steal the lamp back! It ends up pretty badly for Scrooge and the kids as they have to try and figure out how to get the lamp back and save the day! It is a whole lot of fun and if you are or were a fan of the TV show, I do not see you being disappointed with this.
In many ways, I feel that DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp succeeds because it feels like an extended episode of the TV show. It has a much better quality of animation to it and the sound is great too. I love the extended version of the classic DuckTales theme that plays over the credits.
I was kind of shocked to read that this was a bit of a box-office dud! The show and franchise were huge in the late 80s and early 90s so I wonder why it failed to get an audience. I have watched this many times over the years and I loved getting my son to watch it. It holds up very well and is a bit of a hidden gem. While people will fondly talk about the TV show, the movie very rarely gets brought up. Now, if they only made a movie for the awesome DuckTales reboot they did a few years back! That would have been great!
