MovieChat Forums > DuckTales (2017) Discussion > Eclipsed

Eclipsed

posted 6 years ago by MAGolding (1236)
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How realistic were the eclipses in "The Shadow War!" (August 18, 2018) episode of Duck Tales (2017)?

In these images from the episode the sky, when seen, looks reddish, implying that the action happens near sunset and/or dawn. And I am not certain how plausible it would be for either a solar or a lunar eclipse to be visible when the sky is that color.

http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/The_Shadow_War!

Maybe something else causes the sky to have that color, such as Magica's magic, or some coincidental natural phenomenon.

Looking at images from the episode here:

http://clipsg.com/video/do-you-believe-in-magica-ducktales-2017-epi_sg_tZz7RLvF_Jk.html

and here:

http://clipsg.com/video/ducktales-clip-lena39-s-origin_sg_8AcoiPzx2g0.html

The Duckburg eclipse looks like a total solar eclipse. And the flashback to the Vesuvius eclipse looks like a total solar eclipse, but it may have to be some other type of eclipse.

The date of "Woo-oo!" (August 12, 2017) is sometime in a year that is about 2017 - maybe about 2015-2019, "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" (August 11, 2018) is said to be "six months later", and "The Shadow War!" (August 18, 2018) seems to be about three days after "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!". Therefore "The Shadow War!" should happen no later than January to July of the year after the year of "Woo-oo!", and possibly as early as June to December of the same year as "Woo-oo!". The year of "The Shadow War!" might be about 2015-2020.

The Spear of Selene incident and the hatching of Huey, Dewey, and Louie should have been about the "ten years" mentioned before "Woo-oo!" and so about 2004-2010. I believe that in "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!" (August 4, 2018) a paper with the birth date of Huey, Dewey, and Louie is seen, with the year 20__, the last two digits hidden by a thumb. So theoretically the boys could have hatched any time between 2000 and 2099, and the first season of Duck Tales (2017-) could happen anytime between about 2009 to about 2111.

In "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!" (July 21, 2018) Webby reads to Lena from The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck that Scrooge was born in 1867, thus making Scrooge between 148 and 153 in the first season if it happens in 2015 to 2020, or 142 to 244 in the first season if it happens in 2009 to 2111. But for now I will ignore the possibility that Duck Tales (2017) might happen decades in the future.

The battle between Scrooge and Magica de Spell on Mount Vesuvius during an eclipse should have been about "fifteen years" before "The Shadow War!", and so about 2000-2006.

The only solar eclipses visible at Mount Vesuvius during this period would be the partial solar eclipse of May 31, 2003 and the partial solar eclipse of October 3, 2005.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_21st_century

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solar_eclipses_in_the_20th_century

Going by the possibility that "The Shadow War!" could theoretically happen anytime between 2009 and 2111, the fight on Mount Vesuvius could theoretically happen as early as about 1993.

Partial solar eclipses were visible in Italy October 12, 1996 and August 11, 1999.

The only total solar eclipse visible in any parts of the USA during 2015-2020 seems to be the August 21, 2017 one, so if "The Shadow War" happens then "Woo-oo" would happen about February 2017. According to the map of the path of totality the coastal city of Duckburg should be in Oregon or in South Carolina. Going by the possibility that "The Shadow War!" could theoretically happen anytime between 2009 and 2111, an annular and partial solar eclipse was visible in parts of the USA on May 20, 2012, the eclipse of November 3, 2013 caused some darkening in Eastern North America, and there was a partial solar eclipse in North America on October 23, 2014.

There were seven total Lunar eclipses during 2000-2006, and each of them would be visible from almost every place that was on the night side of Earth when they happened. Those total Lunar eclipses were on January 21 and July 16, 2000, January 9, 2001, May 16 and September 9, 2003, and May 4 and October 28, 2004.

There were and will be five total Lunar eclipses during 2015-2020, and each of them would be visible from almost every place that was on the night side of Earth when they happen. These total Lunar eclipses were on April 4 and September 28, 2015, January 31 and July 27, 2018, and will be on January 29, 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_21st-century_lunar_eclipses

As said above, theoretically the eclipse on Mount Vesuvius could happen between 1993 and 2097, and the eclipse at Duckburg between 2009 and 2111, but total lunar eclipses are a bit too common to list here.

Of course, in a universe where anthropomorphic ducks, birds, dogs, and other animals take the place of humans, it is possible that the dates of eclipses are different.

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

When writing my first post I forgot that in "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!" which was apparently the fourth episode produced in the first season out of 25, and the 9th episode broadcast, on December 2, 2017, the trip to Mount Neverrest is made during the Christmas season, and thus sometime about December.

Thus the first episode "Woo-oo!" and the second to last episode "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", which happen about 6 months apart, have a restricted range of possible dates. "Woo-oo!" and all the episodes before "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!" must happen in the second half of the first year, while "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" and probably all episodes happening after "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!" and before "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" should happen sometime during the first half of the next year after the one "Woo-oo!" and "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest!" happen in.

Episodes in the first year could happen as early as July of that year, and episodes in the second year could happen as late as June of that year. But it would be impossible for the episodes to be spread out from July in the first year to June in the second year.

Since "Woo-oo!" and "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" are said to happen six months apart, if "Woo-oo!" happens X months before New Years Eve in the first year, "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" must happen (six months minus X months) after New Year's Day in the second year. And if "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" happens Y months after New Years day in the second year, "Woo-oo!" must happen (six months minus Y months) before New Year's Eve in the first year.

Thus it seems unlikely that "The Shadow War!" could happen anytime after June in the second year.

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

So in broadcast order the episodes seem to be:

1) "Woo-oo!", 2) "Daytrip of Doom!", 3) "The Great Dime Chase!", 4) "The Beagle Birthday Massacre!", 5) "Terror of the Terra-firmians!", 6) "The House of the Lucky Gander!", 7) "The infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!", 8) "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!", 9) "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest", 10) "The Spear of Selene!", 11) "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!", 12) "The Missing Links of Moorshire!", 13) "McMystery at McDuck Manor!", 14) "Jaw$!", 15) "The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains!", 16) "Day of the Only Child!", 17) "From the Confidential Case Files of Agent 22!", 18) Who is Gizmoduck?!", 19) "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!", 20) "Sky Pirates...In the Sky!", 21) The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", 22) "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", 23) "The Shadow War!".

If the episodes happen at regular intervals, and if "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest" happens sometime between December 18 and December 31, "Woo-oo!" should happen about 8/22, or 0.3636, of 6 months before that, or about 2.1818 months, and thus abut the middle of October, while "The Shadow War" should happen about 14/22, or 0.6363, times 6 months, after "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest", and thus roughly about 3.8 months later, and about the middle of April in the next year.

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

If the episodes happen in production order they would be:

101-2) "Woo-oo!", 103) "Daytrip of Doom!", 104) "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest", 105) "The Great Dime Chase!", 106) "The Beagle Birthday Massacre!", 107 "The House of the Lucky Gander!", 108) "The infernal Internship of Mark Beaks!", 109) "The Living Mummies of Toth-Ra!", 110) "Terror of the Terra-firmians!", 111) "McMystery at McDuck Manor!", 112) "The Spear of Selene!", 113) "The Missing Links of Moorshire!", 114) "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!", 115) "Day of the Only Child!", 116)"Jaw$!", 117)"The Golden Lagoon of White Agony Plains!", 118) "From the Confidential Case Files of Agent 22!", 119) "Sky Pirates...In the Sky!", 120) "The Other Bin of Scrooge McDuck!", 121) "Who is Gizmoduck?!", 122) "The Secret(s) of Castle McDuck!", 123) "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!", 124-125) "The Shadow War!".

If the episodes are evenly spaced and "The Impossible Summit of Mount Neverrest" happens sometime in the period of December 18 to 31, "Woo-oo!" about 2/22, or 0.090909, of 6 months before, should happen about 0.54 months earlier and about early December, and "The Shadow War!", about 20/22, or 0.909, of 6 months later, should happen about 5.4545 months later, or about early June of the next year.

So "The Shadow War!" might happen about the middle of April to early June, and thus the eclipse in that episode should be a total solar eclipse visible in some part of the USA between April and June in some year between 2009 to 2111 and apparently about 15 years after a total solar eclipse visible at Mount Vesuvius in Italy sometime between about 1993 and 2097. I don't know if there is any pair of eclipses in the period 1993 to 2111 that fit those requirements.

Of course, maybe eclipses happen at different dates in the fictional universe of Duck Tales (2017).

PS I can't help wonder if it is just a coincidence or if the writers planned it so that there would be indications that "The Shadow War!" could happen in April, May, or June?

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

In my thread: "How Old are Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Duck Tales (2017)?" I deduce that the boys hatched sometime in the period of April 15 to April 22, that the first season of Duck Tales (2017) happens between about October of one year to about April or May of the next year, and that Huey, Dewey, and Louie should be about nine years and six months old in "Woo-oo!" and about ten years and a few weeks old in "The Shadow War!".

If, as deduced in my first post above, Huey, Dewey, and Louie were born in a year between 2000 and 2099, and if they were aged nine years and six months to ten years and ten years and a few weeks old in the first season of Duck Tales (2017) as deduced in "How Old are Huey, Dewey, and Louie in Duck Tales (2017)?", the first season of Duck Tales (2017) should happen sometime between 2009 to 2010 and 2108 to 2109.

I just re watched the first part of "The Shadow War!" and looked carefully at the orb in the sky as the eclipse progressed. The orb seemed to be mottled and spotted, unlike the blindingly bright Sun, but like the Moon with craters and dark maria. And in one scene there seemed to be a circle on the orb with lines coming out of that circle, like a crater with rays, such as Tycho, for example. So it looks like the object being eclipsed is the Moon, being covered by the Earth's shadow.

And the plot synopsis of "The Shadow War!" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuckTales_(2017_TV_series) says that Magica is "empowered by a lunar eclipse".

But when the orb is fully covered it turns black like an eclipsed Sun instead of reddish like the eclipsed Moon usually does, and there seems to be a very thin ring of light around the edge of the orb and a few spikes of light pointing out from the black orb.

These aspects seem more like a solar eclipse, making me wonder how much the animators knew about eclipses.

to be continued

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

Continued

If I was in charge of Duck Tales (2017) the strange appearance of the Moon during the eclipse would be due to mass activity - commercial, industrial, scientific, or military - by Earth people or aliens on the Moon for some plot important purpose.

Searching for solar eclipses that might be the right ones, I found that there was no solar eclipse visible in the USA during the entire period of 2000 to 2111 that was 15 years after a total or even annular solar eclipse visible from Mount Vesuvius. In fact there were no total or even annular solar eclipses visible from Mount Vesuvius during the period from 1995 to 2195, the central paths of the nearest eclipses missed Mount Vesuvius by hundreds of miles, leaving only partial solar eclipses visible at Mount Vesuvius, which don't fit the images in "The Shadow War!".

Thus I suppose that the eclipse in the flashback to Mount Vesuvius was also a lunar eclipse, and the strange details in that flashback could also due to massive activity on the Moon 15 years before "The Shadow War!". They would be if I was in charge of the show.

So if the two eclipses are eclipses of the Moon, it is possible that an eclipse of the Moon visible from Mount Vesuvius might be found sometime in the period of about 1995 to 2195 that is fifteen years before an eclipse of the Moon visible during April or May sometime in the period of about 2010 to 2108 that happens about sunset as seen from Duckburg, which should be somewhere on the coasts of the United States.

[–] MAGolding (1236) 6 years ago

08-26-2018.

I just watched the 2nd half of "The Shadow War!" again today, and one of the boys asked Magica what the "lunar eclipse" had to do with her plan, so it was definitely a lunar eclipse.