Michael Culligan
So much could have gone so wrong with this - and so much ended up going so right.Fans of Powerpuff Girls (and there are still a good chunk today, even though the show stopped almost eight years ago) should know what to expect from this outing. Newcomers may feel a little cold before seeing the film, feeling that, as they don't know the Powerpuff Universe, they won't get what's going on.It manages to satisfy both groups. The majority of animated television movie adaptations don't work either because they fail to take advantage of the movie possibilities and just exist as a feature-length episode (Hey Arnold, for instance), or strive too hard to do something different and end up being unrecognizable. This film does both, and handles it with extreme care. Something about it being a prequel to the show, no doubt...The show's visual style, simplistic and heavily styled 2D animation, is faithfully replicated here, although it is more layered and a little more detailed (CGI in a few places, that blends in very well), making for an experience that, even on DVD, would never get confused with an episode of the television show.But enough about that. More about the movie. In The City Of Townsville, a crime-ridden place, Professor Utonium decides to make a perfect little girl from sugar, spice, and everything nice (he's a single adult, you see). But a little accident involving a powerful chemical happens, and he gets three girls instead: the brave and brass Blossom, the bright and bubbly Bubbles, and the bold and brick-tough Buttercup. Their first day of school doesn't go so well when a game of Tag demolishes have the city, leading them to be branded as bug- eyed freaks (One of a few occasions that shows that, as already seen in the show, most of the Townsville citizens are beyond stupid). When they stumble upon Mojo Jojo, a mutated chimpanzee also affected by a recent accident, and he rallies them to help the town and make it a better place so that they will be accepted (at least, that's what he tells them), the movie truly takes off.Despite looking simple compared to the Disney animated films, the animation has a charm all of it's own. Filled with little details that are bound to make you chuckle, smile and even laugh on a few occasions, it exists in a unique animated film bubble, no other quite like it that way.The movie is a superhero origin movie, although it does some interesting things with the formula, making it not as easy to notice as some other superhero origin films. The characters remain engaging and unique. The girls themselves evoke Keane paintings in their designs, and they resemble real children very clearly. They're often hyper and sometimes dangerously impulsive, yet they do learn, and have good instincts. And their contrasting personalities make for some witty kid dialog, ensuring only an asleep viewer would get the three mixed up, even apart from some visual distinctions. Professor manages to express a worried father character, even though he is briefly shelved during the movie's middle. Following that old maximum that the villain is more interesting then the hero, Mojo Jojo easily stands high on the world's list of animated villains. Although he is mostly serious in the movie as opposed to the the mix of serious and comedic in the show, he still amuses with his funnily repetitive dialog. It was wise, therefore, to make him the movie's only villain (although Fuzzy Lumpkins and The Gangreen Gang do make cameos), for not even Him would upstage Mojo.I don't think I've quite captured how downright fun the movie is. It's a lot of fun. It's style (both visual and script) does a good chunk of it, although credit must go to the voice actors (top-notch, particularly Roger L. Jackson as Mojo), musical score (courtesy of James L. Venable, who also composed the series' score - criminally, no soundtrack for this movie was ever released), and, of course, Craig McCracken, Powerpuff creator, who directed.It juxtaposes both it's humor and drama well. The movie's climax is notably gripping, and a plethora of monkey-related jokes resulting from Mojo's evil plan are bound to have adults begging for more.Granted, the movie's not perfect. The game of Tag, while wildly imaginative, does go on a bit too long, as does a particularly touching almost-silent scene in space. Apart from the five main players, the show's other characters get rather minor roles (Mayor and Ms. Bellum only appears five times, and Ms. Keane four - not to mention a lot of the show's villains neglected), which might disappoint the fans a little. And although I found it fun, it's sense of humor and style isn't go to appeal to everyone.In the end, The Powerpuff Girls Movie makes for an incredibly entertaining 74 minutes. Not an animated masterpiece, no, but an incredibly entertaining movie - and in a non-clichéd way.
MartinHafer
I'll admit it. I am an adult and I LIKE the Powerpuff Girls. It's a cute show and if my kids want to see it, I'll usually stick around and watch it, too. However, I was very worried about going to see this movie, as MOST TV cartoons translate terribly to the big screen. After seeing this movie, I found that my original thoughts were pretty much on target. The main problem is this--a 15 to 30 minute cartoon is fine, but stretching it and making it something it ISN'T is a very bad idea. If some Hollywood idiot ever thought about doing an Itchy and Scratchy movie, it would be the same--the momentum just CAN'T be maintained. My advice? Watch the Cartoon Network or buy one of their tapes made up of TV episodes.PS--even my kids didn't like this movie!
