Back in 1998 Cartoon Network debuted an interesting new show. The premise involved three, evil fighting, chemically created young girls. In every episode Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles would defend their town and deal with their own issues of growing up. The show lasted until 2005 and even transitioned in to a highly acclaimed feature movie.
The Powerpuff Girls were loved by many audiences and took risks that many other "children's" programming wouldn't dare to. Fighting gender stereotypes were at the backbone of every episode as the girls would constantly prove their worth and prevail against stronger, more traditionally masculine characters. The villains of the program fought gender stereotypes as well. One of the recurring villains, HIM was essentially a cross-dressing devil who expressed himself in female clothes. The Rowdyruff Boys acted as a parallel, masculine version of The Powerpuff Girls who constantly ridiculed and belittled the heros, but always ending up powerless in comparison.
The artwork and animation of the show used pastel colors and flashy, short animation. At times the animation seemed almost choppy, but it always seemed to fit within the action packed, comic-like world The Powerpuff Girls lived in. The girls themselves looked young, and fresh. They sported their signature large, baby eyes that could change in a seconds notice if it was time to seek justice. Cartoon Network recently announced a reboot scheduled for the show. They plan to bring The Powerpuff Girls back to television in 2016. Along with this announcement the network also shared a shot of the new animation style for the girls. It features harder lines that add a realm of darkness to the girls persona. I personally am not a fan of this new style and feel like this art style fits in more with the world of the Cartoon Network show Samurai Jack, rather than the bubbly land of The Powerpuff Girls.
Below are the original artwork and new artwork. What do you think? Should they have just kept the original art style or is it a much needed upgrade?
Until next time,
Alex Cammy
No comments :
Post a Comment