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Carl Barks

Writer · Died August 25, 2000, aged 99 · Merrill, Oregon, USA

American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his comics about Donald Duck and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck. He worked anonymously until late in his career; fans dubbed him The Duck Man and The Good Duck Artist. In 1987, Barks was one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. Barks worked for the Disney Studio and Western Publishing where he created Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck (1947),Gladstone Gander (1948), the Beagle Boys (1951), The Junior Woodchucks (1951), Gyro Gearloose (1952), Cornelius Coot (1952), Flintheart Glomgold (1956), John D. Rockerduck (1961) and Magica De Spell (1961). Cartoonist Will Eisner called him "the Hans Christian Andersen of comic books." -Wikipedia Entry

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
March 27, 1901
Died
August 25, 2000 (aged 99)
From
Merrill, Oregon, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 39% in 30 days

What are Carl Barks' films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Animation9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Family3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile
: browse their Family movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
43%
Self
20%
Ideas
10%
Survival
9%
Power
6%
Morality
6%
Society
6%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTechnology2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

Heightened: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their heightened movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 0 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 8

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 10 · Charged 0 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 3

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 11

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 3

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 12 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
10
Joyful
7
Manic
3
Tense
3
Warm
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet4
  • Ambiguous3
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Carl Barks' films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Disney+ (14).

Subscription and free streaming for Carl Barks' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

46 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Retour à la case mémoire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Characters

  • Walt Disney e l'Italia - Una storia d'amore (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Actor

  • Everybody Loves Mickey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Animation

  • DuckTales: The Movie - Treasure of the Lost Lamp(1990)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • DuckTales(1987)

    Show 7 episodes · Story · Teleplay

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • The Plastics Inventor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Donald Duck and the Gorilla (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Trombone Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    Story

  • Home Defense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • The Old Army Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • Private Pluto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • Donald's Tire Trouble(1943)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • The Spirit of '43 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Story

  • Bellboy Donald (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Sky Trooper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • The Vanishing Private (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald's Gold Mine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • The Army Mascot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald Gets Drafted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Donald's Snow Fight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • The Village Smithy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Story

  • Bambi(1942)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Chef Donald(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Old MacDonald Duck(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Truant Officer Donald (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Story

  • Early to Bed(1941)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Golden Eggs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Story

  • Timber (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Writer

  • Fire Chief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Writer

  • Window Cleaners (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • Donald's Vacation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • Bone Trouble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    Story

  • Mr. Duck Steps Out(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Donald's Dog Laundry(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Penguin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Story

  • Sea Scouts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Story

  • Beach Picnic(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Cousin Gus(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Hockey Champ(1939)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Lucky Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Story

  • Donald's Golf Game(1938)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Good Scouts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Story

  • Donald's Nephews(1938)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Donald's Better Self (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Story

  • Self Control (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    Story

  • Donald's Ostrich (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    Story

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles from 1937 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Bambi (1942)

$267M worldwide

Highest rated

Bambi (1942)

Midcredits 89th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 45: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting43 of 45: 43 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74thOther crew1 of 45: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s12 · crew1940s28 · crew1980s1 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s1 · acting2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Carl Barks' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 74th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 71st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

71stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th7

Shape of the crowd

None of their 14 titles divides audiences: 14 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser14

Most loved · writer

Bambi (1942)

Midcredits 89th · 76% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Carl Barks work with?

People who share at least 2 of Carl Barks' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Walt Disney shares the most, 12.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

  • Walt Disney12 titles    See all 12 shared titles with Walt Disney