The Powerpuff Girls Movie

The Powerpuff Girls Movie is a 2002 American animated superhero comedy film based on the Cartoon Network animated television series of the same name. Directed by series' creator Craig McCracken at his feature-length directorial debut from a screenplay written by himself, Charlie Bean, Lauren Faust, Paul Rudish and Don Shank, the film stars the regular television cast of Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, E. G. Daily, Roger L. Jackson, Tom Kane, Tom Kenny, and Jennifer Hale. Serving as a prequel to the series, the film tells the origin story of how the Powerpuff Girls were created and how they came to be the defenders of Townsville. James L. Venable, who composed the score for the series, composed the film's score.

The Powerpuff Girls Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCraig McCracken
Produced byDonna Castricone
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onThe Powerpuff Girls
by Craig McCracken
Starring
Music byJames L. Venable[1]
Edited byRob Desales
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • July 3, 2002 (2002-07-03) (United States)
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million
Box office$16.4 million[2]

Produced by Cartoon Network Studios as its first and only theatrical film, The Powerpuff Girls Movie was theatrically released on July 3, 2002 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews but was a box office bomb, only grossing $16 million against a budget of $11 million.

Plot

In the crime and injustice-riddled city of Townsville, Professor Utonium creates a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice in the hopes of producing the "perfect little girl" to improve Townsville. However, he gets shoved by his laboratory assistant, the destructive chimpanzee Jojo, which causes him to accidentally break and spill a flask of Chemical X onto the concoction. The experiment is successful, producing three little girls whom the Professor names Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. He also discovers that the girls have gained superpowers from the added Chemical X. Despite the girls' recklessness with their powers, they all immediately grow to love each other as a family.

On their first day of school, the girls learn about the game of tag and begin to play it among themselves, which quickly grows destructive once they use their powers. The girls take their game downtown, where they accidentally cause massive damage to the city until the Professor calms them down. The next day, the girls are treated as outcasts by the citizens of Townsville as a result of the destruction they have caused and the Professor is arrested for creating the girls. Believing that using their powers again will only anger the townspeople more, the girls try to make their way home from school on foot, but they become lost in an alleyway and are attacked by the Gangreen Gang. They are rescued by Jojo, whose brain has been mutated by the Chemical X explosion, giving him superintelligence.

Planning control of the city and revenge on the Professor for replacing him with the girls, Jojo gains the girls' sympathy by convincing them that he is also hated for his powers; he tricks the girls into helping him build a laboratory and machine powered by Chemical X, which he claims will earn them the affections of the city. Afterwards, Jojo rewards the girls with a trip to the local zoo, where he secretly implants small transportation devices on all the primates there, to which that night Jojo brings the primates to his lab and uses his new machine to inject them with Chemical X, which turns them into evil mutants like himself. The next morning, after the Professor is released from prison, the girls show him all the "good" they have done, only to discover that the city is under attack by the primates. Jojo, renaming himself as Mojo Jojo, publicly announces the girls as his assistants, which damages their reputation further and makes the distraught Professor lose faith in them. Dejected, the girls exile themselves to an asteroid in outer space.

Mojo Jojo announces his intention to rule the planet, but becomes frustrated when his minions disobey him and concoct their own plans to terrorize Townsville. Overhearing the turmoil from space, the girls return to Earth and rescue the citizens, realizing they can use their powers to fight the primates. After his army is defeated, Mojo Jojo injects himself with Chemical X and grows into a giant monster, overpowering the girls in an intense battle. Rejecting Mojo Jojo's offer of an alliance to take over the world, the girls push him off a decrepit skyscraper as soon as the Professor arrives with an antidote for Chemical X to help the girls. Mojo Jojo lands on the Antidote X, which shrinks him down to his original size, battered and defeated.

The girls consider using the Antidote X to erase their powers, thinking they would be accepted as normal girls, but the people of Townsville protest against this and apologize for misjudging them, thanking them for their heroic deeds. At the request of Townsville's Mayor, the girls agree to use their powers to defend Townsville with the Professor's permission, becoming the city's beloved crime-fighting superhero team "the Powerpuff Girls".

Voice cast
Main article: List of The Powerpuff Girls characters

Production

When developing the film, series' creator and director Craig McCracken did not want it to appeal exclusively to girls as the merchandise made it out to be (with jewelry and necklaces being sold with the characters plastered over it) and wanted to make an action-comedy film that felt closer to his conception of the Powerpuff Girls. When deciding what the final plot would be, the crew had "one that was purely an action show, and then one that was more of a subtle character piece"; Cartoon Network liked both of them, so the result is an hybrid.[3] McCracken said that there was no real difference when directing a film in comparison to a standard TV episode:

When we make the TV show, we look at them as mini films. The show is really condensed, it always keeps moving and it's got an energy level to it because of the time limitation, so my first concern was, are we going to lose that pacing going into a long form? But as it turned out, the movie still moves at the same pace that the show does. It still has that distinctive feeling to it.[4]

The Powerpuff Girls' TV series was also known for its audience being highly composed by "underground" adults; the movie's intend was in part to appeal to that demographic, and - according to Cartoon Network executives - "spark sales of DVDs and home videos, pack in crowds overseas and set kids scrambling to buy cartoon-themed merchandise", while also calling the attention of more girls and teens.[5] During production, McCracken was encouraged by Cartoon Network to make an edgier movie; he recalled via Tumblr:

When we started the film I was encouraged by CN to make the movie for “25 year old guys.” So we upped the seriousness and action and down played the funny. By the time we finished there was a regime change at CN and the new heads of the Network were upset we didn’t make a poppy, colourful kids movie... This was when they first had the idea that they wanted to try producing animation for older audiences, Samurai Jack was a part of this thinking as well. We were sort of the guinea pigs for what would later evolve into Adult Swim.[6]

The film's animation was provided by Rough Draft Korea, with additional animation done at Mercury Filmworks and Munich Animation Film. It also went on to have some minor edits in pacing for the final cut, but "nothing so disastrous that it affected the final film", in McCracken's words. It was also noted that the promotion was rather limited when compared to that of other animated feature films that premiered around the same year, such as Hey Arnold!: The Movie. However, the creator said that Warner Bros. was putting $20 million into promoting the film.[3] Some of the production process was also documented for subsequent home releases of the product. According to McCracken, 49 half-hour episodes of the TV series had been made up to that point, but they went on hiatus to focus on the making of the movie.[3] The crew was also against including pop songs or any musical numbers that could interfere "in the body of the story", in order to respect audience expectations.[3] However, the final credits are accompanied by a punk-rock version of the TV show's ending theme by Bis, Black Francis' "Pray for the Girls" and a song by the pop group No Secrets, titled "That's What Girls Do".[7]

Release

The Powerpuff Girls Movie was released in theaters on July 3, 2002, before making its television debut on Cartoon Network on May 23, 2003.[8] In theaters, the film was accompanied with a Dexter's Laboratory short titled "Chicken Scratch", which later aired as part of the series' fourth season. In other countries such as Latin America, The Mansion Cat, an animated short starring Tom and Jerry, accompanied the film instead.

Home media

The film was released on Region 1 VHS and DVD on November 5, 2002. The DVD included extras such as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage and audio commentaries. Despite being filmed in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the DVD and VHS are in fullscreen only, much akin to that of the original series.[9] The Region 2 DVD release presents the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio, but omits the audio commentary, the bonus features and is also in the PAL format. As of 2021, the film has yet to be released on Blu-ray and Digital.[10]

Reception

Critical response
Series' creator Craig McCraken said that due to the film's production, he did not plan on making any more theatrical films following The Powerpuff Girls Movie.

As of October 2020, on Rotten Tomatoes, the film had an approval rating of 63% based on 103 reviews, with an average rating of 6.14/10. The site's critics consensus read: "It plays like an extended episode, but The Powerpuff Girls Movie is still lots of fun."[11] As of October 2020, on Metacritic, the film had a weighted average score of 65 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[13]

Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution praised the film, writing: "The intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizazz like a David Hockney scenescape. The inspired script is both sinfully cynical and aw-shucks sweet". He also called it "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art." Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film four stars out of a possible five, saying that the film "may be a treat for the fans of the show, but its non-stop excitement and sense of humor is going to win over just about anyone".[14] Virginia Heffernan of The Tuscaloosa News said that "the movie is cute [...] but its violent, snickering style is pure Americana", and that it evokes the "outlandish classic" look of McCracken's inspirations.[15] Ben Nuckols wrote for The Albany Herald that the protagonist's big eyes were the "only remarkable thing", which he considered "a shame, because the girls are delightful and the movie is skillfully made".[16] New Sunday Times praised the animation - particularly the sequence were the Powerpuff Girls play tag - and said that "there's a lot to like about this movie"; overall, it called it a "a good first movie".[17]

Jerry Beck wrote for Animation World Network that the film was "good looking [...] but suffered from story problems",[18] whereas Christene Meyers, from Billings Gazette, thought that the story could have been told in a few minutes.[19] Mariano Kairuz, from the Argentine newspaper Página/12, wrote in the film's release year: «It's one of the happily bizarre cartoon movies to hit theaters in quite some time. One might even wonder how Cartoon Network and Warner authorized the multi-million dollar budget for something that looks and feels somewhat uncommercial».[20] In 2019, Paste magazine ranked it 72nd on its list of the 100 best superhero movies of all time.[21]

The film also received some mild criticism for its violence, which many felt was too extreme for a family-oriented film, especially in the wake of the 9/11 attacks the previous year.[22] As such, Roger Ebert gave the film a negative review, criticizing the film's overuse of violence and destruction and saying the film was upsetting to watch after the 9/11 attacks. His partner Richard Roeper also gave the film a negative review, calling it a "freaky and annoying little film".

«The kids didn’t come—a lot of boys who were fans of it didn’t want to tell people they were fans of it and didn’t buy tickets. There’s a safety of watching Powerpuff at home if you’re a guy»

Craig McCracken to The Grid Toronto in 2013.[23]

McCracken himself has come out with his own thoughts on the movie. In the documentary The Powerpuff Girls: Who, What Where, How, Why... Who Cares?, he said: "In hindsight, maybe I wish it was a little sillier, a little more lighter, a little more... not so heavy the whole time." In 2016, he stated up on Tumblr that due to the film's production, he has no further interest in making more theatrical feature-length films after The Powerpuff Girls Movie.[6]

Box office

The Powerpuff Girls Movie earned $1.5 million over its opening Fourth of July weekend, ranking seventh place at the North American box office. The film soon grossed $11.4 million domestically and $5 million overseas for a worldwide total of $16.4 million, making it fail commercially considering its $11 million budget.[24] Screen Rant lists it as one of the 25 lowest-grossing superhero movies at the global box office.[25]

See also

References
  1. "Detail view of Movies Page". afi.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  2. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) – Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  3. P, Ken (July 2, 2002). "Interview with Craig McCracken". IGN. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  4. J. Paul Peszko (July 3, 2002). "Powerpuff Girls: From Small Screen to Big Screen". Animation World Network. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  5. "'POWERPUFF GIRLS,' 'HEY, ARNOLD!' SQUARING OFF AT THE MOVIE THEATERS". Orlando Sentinel. Cox News Service. June 25, 2002. Retrieved November 4, 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. "PPG Movie, Serious VS Funny". April 24, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) - Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  8. "Carton Network airs 'Powerpuff Girls Movie'". Herald-Mail.com. May 23, 2003. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013.
  9. "DVD Verdict Review – The Powerpuff Girls Movie". DVD Verdict. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  10. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
  11. "The Powerpuff Girls – The Movie". www.rottentomatoes.com. June 22, 2002. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  12. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  13. "Find CinemaScore" (Type "powerpuff" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
  14. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie Movie Review", Common Sense Media at CommonSenseMedia.org
  15. Hefferan, Virginia (July 2, 2002). "Silver Screen Superheroes". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  16. Nuckols, Ben (July 2, 2002). "Row! Power Puff Bursts Onto Screen". The Albany Herald: 9. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  17. "Zap! Ka-Pow! It's The Powerpuff Girls!". New Sunday Times: 35. August 11, 2002. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  18. Beck, Jerry (January 23, 2003). "The Year in Animated Features". Animation World Network. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  19. Meyers, Christene (July 11, 2002). "'Powerpuff' goofy, fast-paced fun". Billings Gazette. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  20. Kairuz, Mariano (July 2, 2002). "Las tres mosqueteras" [The three musketeers]. Página/12 (in Spanish). Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  21. Michael Burgin, Dom Sinacola, Jim Vorel, Scott Wold and Paste staff (March 10, 2019). "The 100 Best Superhero Movies of All Time". Paste. Retrieved August 11, 2020.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  22. "Violence overpowers 'Powerpuff Girls'". seattlepi.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  23. Ostroff, Joshua (October 23, 2013). "Lauren Faust and Craig McCracken: Power couple". The Grid TO. Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  24. "The Powerpuff Girls Movie (2002) – Box Office Mojo". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
  25. McGranaghan, Mike (June 22, 2018). "25 Lowest-Grossing Superhero Movies Ever Made". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
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