PowerPuff Girls are Back! (Yay kinda?)

Remember the PowerPuff Girls? If I remember correctly, it was a spectacular cartoon that was super girl-power oriented and amazing! Well, the PowerPuff Girls was rebooted by Cartoon Network and a couple episodes were released and I was a bit apprehensive when it came to watching them.

I figured this reboot would end up like the Teen Titans one, basically like every other show on Cartoon Network that makes fart jokes. The other problem with the Teen Titans reboot is also the fact that they really lost what the Teen Titans were really about, fighting crime and saving the city against whatever aggressor.

However I was actually pleasantly surprised with the PowerPuff Girls reboot. The animators attempted to preserve as much of the essence of the original PowerPuff Girls as possible, and yes the voice actors are different and the show does contain one too many fart jokes, the essence of the original PowerPuff Girls is still present (at least I'm my opinion and by present I mean I still feel the aesthetic and core values of the original in the reboot)

Anyways! Possibly the greatest thing to come from this reboot is the PowerPuff Yourself! It’s super fun and delightfully nostalgic!

https://www.powerpuffyourself.com

What's with the reboot obsession?

If you're a Cartoon Network geek like me, then I'm sure that you've heard about the new Powerpuff Girls reboot.  Being a huge Powerpuff Girls fan myself, you would think that I would be excited about this.  I grew up with the show, I've idolized those girls, and I've been told that I can do a mean Bubbles impression.  However, I find myself not feeling the hype for the new girls, and my reasoning is all behind the scenes.  Craig McCraken, CREATOR of the Powerpuff Girls will be having nothing to do with the project, and that certainly shows when you look at some of the previews.  While the animation looks smooth, and well budgeted, the art style is what turns me off.  One of the things that made the Powerpuff Girls what it was was the unique art directions it went in.  Everything was drawn with nice thick lines, and very sharp edges.  It gave Townsville a personality, and it made every character very distinct looking from the next.  This reboot decided to go in the complete opposite direction, and made the lines thin, and round.... Just like every other show on Cartoon Network today.  The personality is gone, and I find it very hard to tell all of these characters apart, because they look like they can be on Steven Universe, or Clarence.
Maybe I'm just a ppg purist, but I feel like the reboot could be well done if it looked more inspired, and less like every cartoon I see today.
If you want to see the trailer, watch below.  I don't mind the trailer too much, and the animation is pretty well done.  Try to ignore the stupid song, though!

Powerpuff Girls Reboot

Hi there!

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