When the family tries to convince him to wish away the sitcom world, he refuses. No one gets hurt or captured or lost here. That one especially makes Della react more than anyone else. She knows why Donald is doing this, even if she doesn’t think it’s right.
I love this so much because the “trapped in a sitcom” premise could have been enough for this episode. The dark twist with the audience coming to attack them especially would have been fun and carried it all the way through. Huey could have been the focus and it would be a solid entry in his learning to fly by the seat of his pants instead of focusing on the guidebook.
Instead the show wisely uses it to explore Donald. It reminds us how much humanity this character has and wisely uses Don Cheadle to convey it. Not to say you can’t take Donald seriously with his regular voice but come on, it’s Don Cheadle. Bringing in Goofy was another great device; it lets Donald speak not only with someone his age but a father.
While many will focus on the delightful references to Max (and the fact he took Roxanne to a dance?!?!?!?!?!?) the more important thing here is that these are two characters who can relate to each other. They both get into wacky hijinks but at their core they both care deeply for their kids and family.
Donald wants to be normal. Of course he does, that would be really appealing after the incredibly hard life he’s lead. Goofy however reminds him that every family has their own normal. You don’t have to conform to what society (or sitcoms) thinks of as normal. As long as you’re happy and have people who love you? That’s what matters most. It’s a powerful mission statement for the series that has consistently supported the idea that there’s no one definition of a family. This is just adding to that and it’s beautiful. DuckTales supports all kinds of families; even the weird ones and that final shot of the photo Donald wished for cemented it. The whole family in a giant brawl for their lives. Not typical but it’s normal for them and that’s what matters.
