Lin-Manuel Miranda to Make DUCK TALES Debut May 11 As Part of Disney Channel's Inaugural Duck Week

Multiple award-winning actor, playwright, composer and lifelong "DuckTales" aficionado Lin-Manuel Miranda makes his debut as Gizmoduck (aka Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera) in a new "DuckTales" episode, premiering FRIDAY, MAY 11 (8:00 p.m., EDT/PDT) on Disney Channel and DisneyNOW, as part of the inaugural "Duck Week."

The Emmy® Award-nominated hit series will now air daily on Disney Channel, beginning TUESDAY, MAY 1 with premieres every Friday in May, and new episodes and shorts debuting throughout the summer across Disney Channel, DisneyNOW and Disney Channel YouTube.

Miranda said, "I'm really excited that a new generation of kids will be growing up with 'DuckTales.' As a huge fan of the original series, I love that I can share this new version with my sons."

Miranda voices Duckburg's preeminent hero who has Latin roots, a reimagining of the character by executive producer Matt Youngberg and co-producer and story editor Francisco Angones. In Miranda's debut episode, "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!," the brilliant young scientist Fenton is recruited by Launchpad who is feeling menaced by tech genius Mark Beaks' newest invention.

Beginning May 1, DisneyNOW will debut the "DuckTales Treasure Hunt LIVE!," an interactive experience on-air and in the DisneyNOW app. To play, DisneyNOW visitors select a team based on a "DuckTales" character - Team Huey led by Isaak Presley ("Stuck in the Middle"), Team Dewey led by Sofia Wylie ("Andi Mack"), Team LOUIE led by Issac Ryan Brown ("Raven's Home") and Team Webby led by Ariana Greenblatt ("Stuck in the Middle"). A secret treasure will be revealed in daily episodes of "DuckTales" (8:00 p.m., EDT/PDT) which can then be found in DisneyNOW to earn points for the team. Every Friday in May, Disney Channel will highlight the leading team. On May 25, the winning team will be announced with an on-air shout out by their Team Captain and receive an exclusive in-app surprise.

Disney's ANIMAL KINGDOM will continue the storytelling by inviting families to search for some of the same treasures at "Donald's Dino-Bash!" at DinoLand U.S.A., beginning May 25. Guests will also have the opportunity to meet Launchpad McQuack and Scrooge McDuck at "Donald's Dino-Bash!" at DinoLand U.S.A.

Disney Channel's first-ever "Duck Week" takes flight on SUNDAY, MAY 6 with a duck-blur of activities throughout the week, including partnerships with ESPN, Disney Studios, Disney Parks and Resorts, and Disney|ABC Television; a "DuckTales" product line at Disney store and shopDisney.com; Augmented Reality-branded experience for kids and a special Snapchat lens allowing fans to jump into a virtual Money Bin with "DuckTales" characters, all in collaboration with Unity Technologies; a PSA celebrating diverse families as part of Disney|ABC Television's annual Foster Care Awareness campaign with FosterMore; new shorts featuring Webby and interstitials featuring baby ducks in reimagined scenes from favorite Disney Channel shows including "Andi Quack," "Raven's Pond" and "Duck in the Middle."

Other extensions of the series set to begin this summer include: an array of book titles from Disney Press including "DuckTales: Solving Mysteries and Rewriting History!"; comic books and graphic novels from IDW Publishing; and a brand new toy line from PhatMojo including action figures, plush and collectibles exclusively at Target. On June 5, Disney Studios will release "DuckTales: Destination Adventure!," an episode compilation DVD with two bonus classic "DuckTales" episodes released for the first time ever on DVD.

The voice cast is David Tennant ("Doctor Who") as Scrooge McDuck, Danny Pudi ("Community") as Huey, Ben Schwartz ("Parks and Recreation") as Dewey, Bobby Moynihan ("Saturday Night Live") as Louie, Kate Micucci ("Garfunkel and Oates") as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett ("Saturday Night Live") as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye ("Castle") as Mrs. Beakley and Disney Legend Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck.

"DuckTales" is executive-produced by Annie Award-nominee Matt Youngberg ("Ben 10: Omniverse"), with Francisco Angones (Disney XD's Emmy Award-nominated "Wander Over Yonder") serving as co-producer and story editor, and Sean Jimenez (Disney's Annie Award-winning "Gravity Falls") as art director. The series is a production of Disney Television Animation and carries a TV-Y7 parental guideline.

About Disney Channel

Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family-inclusive television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series, movies and short-form. Currently available on basic cable and satellite in over 91 million U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on Disney Channels around the world, Disney Channel is part of Disney|ABC Television. Disney Channel-branded content spans television, online, mobile, VOD platforms and the DisneyNOW app. There are 47 Disney Channels available in 33 languages worldwide.

Photo credit: Disney Channel /Lorenzo Bevilaqua