The Trickening is the tenth episode of Season 3 of DuckTales 2017. Written by Christian Magalhaes in addition to the rest of the usual DT17 writers' room, it was directed by Matthew Humphreys. It features Huey Duck, Dewey Duck, Louie Duck, Webby Vanderquack, Donald Duck, Della Duck, Launchpad McQuack, Scrooge McDuck, Bentina Beakley, and, in their 2017 Continuum debuts, Witch Hazel, the Wereduck of Hazel House, Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and the Blob. Balor and Gizmoduck are mentioned, being represented in the form of costumes, as is Mrs Clopax. John D. Rockerduck is indirectly mentioned. Timmy Jenkins makes a cameo in the final scene, disguised as a mummy but recognisable by his build and wireframe glasses.
Plot[]
It's Halloween in Duckburg, and the kids, out trick-or-treating, decide to enter the fabled Hazel House, an allegedly haunted house with a fabled treasure trove of candy, only to find that the legends are terrifyingly true - in a sense. Meanwhile, Donald and Della expect to spend a boring night at Launchpad's house - but soon discover that, thanks to Launchpad's belief that Halloween is a curse brought upon the world by an "ancient parchment" that he found as a child, the night is anything but. Will Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby make it out of Hazel House alive? And, with Launchpad on the loose, will the monsters?
References[]
- Hazel House and its fabled trove of candy is a well-known legend in Duckburg.
- The Rockerduck Estates section of Duckburg hosts a Halloween Candy-Corn relay, while the Silverbeak area features a "Haunted Hayride Spooktacular".
- During his childhood in Glasgow, Scrooge McDuck always managed to get the most candy while trick-or-treating, a tradition which he attempts to continue each year.
- Launchpad believes that Halloween is a curse exacted upon the world by the words of an "ancient parchment" (in reality, an ordinary candy wrapper) that he discovered in Hazel House as a child. Because of this, he spends every October 31st hiding in a bunker, frightening off the "Hungries" (trick-or-treaters) with a saw and hockey mask.
- Witch Hazel and her group of monsters annually spend Halloween capturing trick-or-treaters to get their candy, through the use of elaborate costumes and props (as they feel that their natural appearances are no longer frightening to modern-day children).
- The monsters of Hazel House, if not offered candy, will attempt to eat children.
- Scrooge McDuck temporarily turns McDuck Manor into a 24-hour trick-or-treating location, for which he charges admission.
Continuity[]
The “Corridor of Doors” of Hazel House.
- The Duck kids, and, later, the monsters, run through a “corridor of doors” where each door hides a different monstrous being, each of them itching to get out — including a wide shot featuring several doors shaking and bulging. This is an obvious visual reference to the well-known Corridor of Doors of The Haunted Mansion (1969).
- Webby disguises herself as, and is very invested in the backstory of, the demon Balor. Violet Sabrewing previously disguised herself as the demon Rakshassah to similar reactions from Webby in Friendship Hates Magic (2017).
- Donald Duck and Della Duck's matching disguises as an angel and a demon make them resemble Donald's personal guardian angel and devil as seen in the early cartoon Donald's Better Self (1938).
- One of the types of equipment used in the Hazel House scheme is a fog machine with the brand name Mist Opportunity. A machine of the same brand was used by Black Arts Beagle in McMystery at McDuck McManor (2018).
Behind the scenes[]
The 10th episode of Season 3 of DuckTales 2017, The Trickening was released on October the 5th, 2020.
Foreshadowing the reveal, portraits of the monsters' real selves are scattered in the backgrounds of the Hazel House prior to their taking off their disguise, including Witch Hazel in the entrance hall and Nosferatu in the Corridor of Doors.