© 2026 ABC News

But she survived, though she suffered a disability after an accident, where she was forced to amputate her own leg. She's an empowering figure to say the least, bold and brave, but the three boys don't immediately take to their mom when she returns after more than a decade.

\"We really wanted to present a mom figure and female action hero that was like a lot of the moms we knew,\" Angones said. \"The moms of our kids.\"

The producing duo added that most moms on kids shows are seen from the reassuring perspective, but this was a way to show it's really hard to be a mom, but a rewarding job nonetheless.

For this reason, they incorporated all the challenges and needs to adapt to any situation that all moms know so well. Again, they wanted her to be fearless and real, but loving and really three-dimensional.

\"But also making her this cool, interesting fun character,\" Angones said. \"We didn't want her to be this saintly figure from beyond.\"

Youngberg added that you see the boys' personalities in her, where they often get into mischief because they are so fearless. It's this common characteristic that also eventually lets the boys embrace her and realize Della really is their mom.

\"They are natural extensions of her,\" he said. \"Her spirit is very much alive in her sons.\"

'Nothing Can Stop Della Duck'

\"PHOTO:
Disney Channel
PHOTO: Della, center, is seen with Scrooge, Louie, Dewy and Huey.
>

While Della is an inspiration to her famous children, she's also one to millions of children with disabilities.

When coming up with her backstory, it was important for the \"Duck Tales\" showrunners that the injury doesn't define her, but that she defines it. They also wanted to be accurate and sensitive, which is why they worked extensively with the Amputee Coalition.

\"We try very hard, even though it's a world of ducks, to be an accurate representation of the world around us,\" Youngberg said. \"The natural choice was, let's do it the right way.\"

\"We're talking about Della as an adaptive individual, she's gonna beat every odd, she's gonna take charge of her decisions,\" Angones added. \"She made the choice to amputate her leg [on the moon] and it proved, nothing would stop her.\"

What they really wanted to avoid was, \"Oh Della is the amputee hero.\"

View this post on Instagram

Looking sharp Huey, Dewey, and Louie! Catch a new premire of #DuckTales tomorrow at 9:30a on @DisneyChannel!

A post shared by DuckTales (@ducktalestv) on Jun 22, 2018 at 9:00am PDT

\"No, she's a person who has a prosthetic and she's dealing with her limb loss but she's dealing with a lot of other things,\" Angones explained.

Recently, Youngberg was invited to host an animation workshop at the summer camp that the coalition puts on for children with disabilities and counselors. During that workshop, they also screened an episode that starred Della.

\"It was life changing for me actually, they personified Della Duck and her can-do attitude,\" Youngberg said of the kids he met. \"Multiple times I heard them say, 'It's great to be able to see someone like me on screen.'\"

He added that what he kept hearing over and over again was, \"like me.\"

ABC News is part of parent company Disney.

","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/GMA/Culture/empowered-ducktales-character-inspires-young-girls-children-disabilities/story?id=64950380","legacySlug":"/culture/story/empowered-ducktales-character-inspires-young-girls-children-disabilities-64950380","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"08:36","publishDate":"08-14-2019","updatedTime":"21:40","updatedDate":"08-19-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"Della, center, is seen with Scrooge, Louie, Dewy and Huey.","credit":"Disney Channel","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/della-duck-01-as-ht-190813_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"8/14/2019 08:36:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":64950380,"headline":"All about inspiring Della Duck","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_ducktales_della_190813","description":"What to know about Della Duck -- mom, adventurer, amputee and much more.","duration":"1:11","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/08/190812_gma_digital_ducktales_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132306053","132266872","132055565"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 23, 2026","headline":"Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","section":"News","slug":"/video/132306053","id":"132306053","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Trump orders Navy to 'shoot and kill' any boat laying mines in Strait of Hormuz","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260423_gma_scott_ceasefire3_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 22, 2026","headline":"Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","section":"News","slug":"/video/132266872","id":"132266872","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Fallout after Fed nominee grilled on Capitol Hill","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260422_gma_schulze_fed3_713_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"All about inspiring Della Duck","description":"What to know about Della Duck -- mom, adventurer, amputee and much more.","duration":"1:11","uploadDate":"08-14-2019","publication":"08-14-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/08/190812_gma_digital_ducktales_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/08/190812_gma_digital_ducktales_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/empowered-ducktales-character-inspires-young-girls-children-disabilities-64950380"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132281378","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132283010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132273278","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132231169","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132206748","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132200241","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:culture:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"culture","title":"All about inspiring Della Duck","pubTime":"04:36","pubDate":"08-14-2019","modTime":"17:40","modDate":"08-19-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":64950380,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"Elisa Tang","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"All about inspiring Della Duck","mediaAssetTitle":"rothman_ducktales_della_190813","videoId":64950380,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/culture/story/empowered-ducktales-character-inspires-young-girls-children-disabilities-64950380"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/64950380","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/64950380","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};