Disney rebooted DuckTales in 2017; the revival became Disney XD's top ratings driver

DuckTales, an Emmy-winning series about Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews, aired from 1987 to 1990 and became a touchstone for a generation of viewers. In February 2015 Disney announced it had ordered an all-new version for a 2017 launch on Disney XD worldwide.

The decision was to make a serialized reboot: David Tennant voiced Scrooge, the animation was updated for modern audiences, and the theme song got a new arrangement. Disney XD premiered the show with a one-hour movie, 'Woo-oo!', on August 11-12, 2017, airing it for 24 consecutive hours.

The bet paid off: the premiere event reached 5.4 million total viewers and became Disney XD's #1 original animated telecast in 17 months. The revival ran 75 episodes and more than 15 shorts across three seasons and was Emmy-nominated.

The 24-hour premiere event drew 5.4 million viewers, the network's best original-animation telecast in 17 months; the series ran 75 episodes.

The original series was already a proven, beloved property with a huge nostalgia base.

A 24-hour premiere event turned a single movie into a network-wide moment.

Modern, serialized writing kept adult fans while attracting new kids.

Disney XD needed a flagship animated title, and DuckTales delivered one.

Reimagining a beloved classic can work when you keep its core characters and theme song but update the storytelling for a new generation.

By its finale in March 2021, DuckTales was the #1 ratings driver on Disney XD and had generated over 234 million views on social media and YouTube since launch. The characters continued on Disney+, and the revival proved classic Disney afternoon-animation brands could be relaunched.