The Powerpuff Girls Movie; Cartoon Network's Box Office Mistake

[@SteveReviews]

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[@firedragon7456]

I think the reason for it's failure was because of the unnecessary violence and destruction. Cause the film came out a year after 9/11 and that event was still fresh in everybody's mind.

[@chickennuggets9792]

Hey Steve!Big fan! I have a big wish... how about u review ”Dinosaurs” from 2000, its controvelrsal,sad and has special moments, and since you reviewed dinosaur movies before, i tought it would be good to review.

[@karolinakuc4783]

@@chickennuggets9792 Since you are a dino fan then I recommend you Dinosauria series by Dead Sound. It's a documentary series that depicts dinosaurs in realistic way with their emotions and communication skills and social behaviours

[@thereptiledurppy6703]

hey Steve, will you do a review on Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal? It's a great series, and its 2nd season is already almost over.

[@dudotolivier6363]

@@chickennuggets9792 Yep ! A favorite of mine ! It's even one of the two first movies, even the very first that I watch in my life durings my childhood years ! And the one who influenced me and likely give me so love and passion into dinosaurs and prehistoric life ! But, honestly, I don't think it deserved at all even for one single second the term of controversial ! Sure, this movie have a big, big, and long story developement (one decade at least), had many rewritten scenario from a ultra mature, tragic and highly sad and fatal atmosphere to a more and generic family film. But even here, there any thing at all of bad and negative to say about it and his final released version ! For a Disney film, family film, and 2000 film, for the time, this movie (even if he was destined at the base at his released as a "little disney" film) was a fucking, crazy event and cinematographic piece ! The overall scenario and the cast of characters are maybe pretty generic and predictible in their role into the plot and the plot itself, the rest do all the highlights of the movie ! The soundtrack, the musics, the visuals/graphisme and landscapes, the ambiance, the cinematography, but also the GCI/3D who even stand up today and was already really good to watch at the time ! And the characters, despite being not humans, are well integrated into the live-action/real life landscape setting, and are extremely expressive with enjoyable facial expressions ! And that was 19 years BEFORE the Lion King Remake who is how we know this latter one is (not bad, just okay, it's already that, but could have been better with one or even two additional elements, mainly more facial expressions). Disney Dinosaurs have highly facial expressions characters despite being and depicted as ultra realistic animals, like in the Jungle Book Remake of 2016 (and this is one think I never undesrtand that they didn't do the same thing for the Lion King Remake despite the two Remake have 3 years only between them). And for a family film, a Disney film and a film who want to have a pretty basic plot story and characters (the hero, the love interest, the comic relief etc...)... dam ! noneless he went with many good and assumed desicions and parties ! Because, especially we people who have seen the movie and who grow up and watch again it, we can really see how serious he is ! For a Disney film, there many onscreen death, clearly visible injuries, hard moment, attack scenes, horrors sequences, etc... really many thing that show us how serious and hard the world in which the protagonnist are is dangerous, where the single error can be fatal, and ... well, like in real life nature ! We have a movie very realistic in final ! (and for a Disney film, there any musical moment were the characters sings in front of us, a rare note for a movie of his time). Also, most of the species on screen are also mainly ones who are lesser known or populars (like, second place category ones), and outside some like Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus or Velociraptor (who btw is really well made, being like in real life even if he still haven't feathers, in term of shape and size), most of the species seen in this movie are quite less used in popular audivisual media. There any T-rex, Triceratops or Stegosaurus, and it's truly a good element that the movie don't fall into the error to repose and use overused popular species. So, it's maybe because he was unconventional with his inside elements at the time that some people, even today, unfairly said negatives critics about him ! And that the moie is overall a little forget by the public in general. Being only known by everybody who like and love dinosaurs. And thankfully, on this side, the movie is a big and strong stone/piece well anchored into the Dinosaurs domain category in our cultural popular culture ! And the movie have left and give many things and marks ! Not only remaining in the minds of many, numerous even today (being highly famous and remembered with Jurassic Park's franchise, The land Before time movies, the Good Dinosaurs etc...). But many things in our regular dinosaurs knowledge and we love strongly wee given by this movie ! It's thank to this movie that most of the characters dinosaur species received a second popularity wave (Iguanodon, Styracosaurus, Ankylosaurus were quite forgeted after their respective discoveries and not very shown during the 80-90's and the Dinosaurs Renaissance era); It's this movie who give to us and intoduced to the public the terrific Carnotaurus ! This latter being completely unknown to the public before that (was used only before by Crichton in The Lost World novel). And, true fun fact, it's because of the use of this specie in the Disney film that the producers of Jurassic park 3, who was released one years after Dinosaurs of Disney, that they replace the Carnotaurus of the film (who was initially thought to appeared into the third film) by the Ceratosaurus during the "poop sequence". So, in final, Disney Dinosaurs is truly a beautiful film and even a underestimated masterpiece golden nugget movie, that I recommend to everyone to watch ! There everything of a family and adventure film : action, suspense, fun/comedic joke, enjoyable moment, serious scene, horrific and terrific moments, sadness, hope, and courage element.

[@kristofgriffin384]

I personally really liked this movie. While it isn't perfect, it feels like a complete origin story for the girls, while also working as a standalone movie. Sure, it can drag in a lot of places, but there's a lot of heart, effort, action and fun moments in it that makes me appreciate the original series even more and hate the reboot even more. It's not my favorite Cartoon Network movie (The honor goes to "Ed, Edd and Eddy: The Big Picture Show"), but it's definitely up there as one of my favorites.

[@tiarneethorpe8848]

I was so young when this came out i was just hyped for the film lol not old enough to care about substance it all fell apart after the movie tho

[@joseguadalupemartineztorre9702]

Should've kept the beginning creation of PPG, time skip into them being like 5th graders that are glitching. The Prof. made Chemical X2 and X3 where X2 stabilizes the girls at the cost of their powers turning them human with designs of the people and X3 that Prof. made to destroy the RowdyRuff Boys when they beat the girls the first time and to neutralize Mojo.

[@unripetheberrby6283]

Yeah really agree!

[@unripetheberrby6283]

@@joseguadalupemartineztorre9702 The timeskip and "glitching" idea is interesting but, why just destroy who they are, or everything, by the end?...

[@jonnocotton48]

EEnE ftw!

[@LumpyTouch]

lol I forgot how awesomely violent Powerpuff Girls was

[@ihatevendingmachines2966]

I forgot how awesomely violent you were mi amor~ 💖💖💖

[@pennysanchez7656]

I forgot how disturbing HIM was.

[@Happy_CoolFace]

​@@ihatevendingmachines2966Bro what

[@Ghosy01]

MERCY IS FOR THE WEAK!

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

There is an episode where Mojo Jojo kidnapped Professor Utonium and drained the PPG's superpowers to make himself just as stronger as them, only to be revealed that Mojo is the one who created the Powerpuff Girls from a freak accident. So he muttered "It was me" in shock as the Girls fled with Professor in victory. The opening scene from the movie explained the plot twist even further.

[@ExoticIsaac5839]

Don't forget that Mojo Jojo is also one of professor Utonium's failed experiments.

[@mrcreepypastaigotapastatop4461]

Professor Utonium trying to make a monkey different from others in the zoo. I wonder how Professor got the monkey, was there a backstory or flashback before Mojo Jojo became superintelligent?

[@SwiftNimblefoot]

Yeah, that is my problem, we already knew their origin story from the show, this movie was needless expanding all that and making Mojo into a tragic figure.

[@SwiftNimblefoot]

@@mrcreepypastaigotapastatop4461 He only became superintelligent because of the chemical X, was not before.

[@mrcreepypastaigotapastatop4461]

@@SwiftNimblefoot oh yeah he did became intelligent when he absorbed chemical X

[@TheChildofAuraReborn]

The movie has a special place in my heart. For my 8th birthday, my dad asked his friend who owned a movie theater if he could rent out one of the theaters to watch the PowerPuff Girls movie, since I loved watching the show so much. Getting to go to a theater with a sign that said "Happy Birthday!" with my name, and seeing a full-blown movie for one of my favorite cartoons at the time, will always stick with me, even if the movie didn't do so well.

[@boomerangmonkey8263]

Awwwwww! :D

[@TheRealRustyIsHere]

Awwww, that's sweet of your dad.

[@zierragacha5089]

That's amazing

[@anupaghose5447]

I got secondhand bliss just from reading this! I was also turning 8 that year and The PPG was my absolute fave!

[@hiattgrey9161]

You must've had an awesome day.

[@ethanahern]

You can’t forget about the time the movie released in, it came out nearly a year after 9/11 occurred, and back then there were complaints and articles saying how an action movie for kids that has this amount of destruction, shouldn’t have released just yet due to being partially sensitive to some people.

[@msk-qp6fn]

Ooooh so that is probably why the ppg movie did not do as well as many thought it would.

[@RYMAN1321]

That’s odd considering the film “Sum of all Fears” which was about nuclear weapons was released in May of 2002 and did fairly well despite also coming out less than a year after 9/11. Granted it was supposed to originally release in late 2001, but was believed to have been delayed due to the attacks

[@manuelgrothe608]

Think about how cold it is, that Warner Bros with Cartoon Network abandoned their fans in our own flesh and blood because of low ratings or bad writing to every animated kids action shows

[@Loner098]

It seems that 9/11 really did affect almost every single TV show and animated movies back in the day.

[@misterzygarde6431]

The film was definitely a case of poor advertisement. Should’ve been advertised more outside CN. It’s a shame it didn’t do well since it would’ve been cool if we got a Samurai Jack film or even later CN shows

[@tylerfish2701]

Well, that's Warner Brothers for you since they barley promote their animated films at all and this was before the drama that's going on with them today. I mean, look at what happened with The Iron Giant.

[@butterflylatte3079]

Yeah, I remember going to see this in theaters as a kid, and I never saw ANY commercials on any channel other than Cartoon Network. And most of them were either late at night, or early in the morning. I DO remember seeing some print ads in Disney Adventure or Nick Magazine (including a Got Milk? one) but that was about it.

[@Reapermaskhybrid]

@@butterflylatte3079 Yeah, to think we could've gotten a Dexter's Lab movie in theaters.

[@misterjersey5460]

Same thing with Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm, kinda.

[@misterzygarde6431]

@@misterjersey5460 I did hear about how they last minute put the film in theaters rather than Direct To Video as intended.

[@xgaming2427]

I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion but I really like how Mojo Jojo was turned from this comical villain to a more serious villain it gave his backstory more depth.

[@lulub517]

They did the same thing with the Kim Possible movies: So the Drama and A Sitch in time. Drakken like Mojo was always played off as incompetent and foolish until the movies came along and showed us that both of these comedic villains can actually really use manipulation to their fullest. The same goes with Shego. Her personality made her seem like she really couldn’t be bothered to try and take over the world even thought she was deemed as powerful. A sitch in time definitely gave us a whole different scenario, making her extremely powerful, tyrannical and an actual massive threat. I love villains that have both the “comedic relief” side and the absolute tyrannical nutcase side. Like Syndrome from the incredibles comes to mind with that too.

[@manuelgrothe608]

Think about how cold it is, that Warner Bros with Cartoon Network abandoned their fans in our own flesh and blood because of low ratings or bad writing to every animated kids action shows

[@foursidekm]

This is an unpopular opinion? I thought it was awesome. Him is usually the kind of character you would use in more serious stories so I think it's awesome they used mojo for an origin movie

[@babyz5491]

I really thought his obey me speech in the movie was amazing. It was lowkey chilling. It was when I was a child and lowkey still is

[@sonicmiku3009]

The boys not telling people that they like the Powerpuff girls is very true from my perspective. I have an older brother and when we were little my brother wasn't allowed to go see it despite being a huge fan of it, because according to parents back in the day, "the show only applied to little girls." Which is funny because you wouldn't believe how many female fans there are in the transformers fan base.

[@sangheiliwarrior86]

I never understood that last bit about transformers fans, nor did I see it when I was a kid except for one video of TFA Optimus and ... Megatron? I think? Kissing each other.

[@beyondviolet]

Ah yes, gender roles. Gotta love it when adults try to force children into a box regardless of what they want. But anyway, I’ve noticed that there are a lot of female fans that enjoy shows where the target audience is males, but for some reason the reverse isn’t really true. Sometimes it is, but it’s far more rare.

[@thephantomoftheparadise5666]

I'm probably that one guy that had no problem saying I liked The PowerPuff Girls when I was a kid.

[@Malicious_Spectrum]

@@beyondviolet That’s actually one of the reasons the og Teen Titans was canceled, I think.

[@beyondviolet]

@@Malicious_Spectrum why, because girls liked it too? I don’t understand

[@mechajay3358]

This movie is an amazing. It's sad it didn't do so well at the Box-office. It certainly would've encouraged CN to make more films from the TV shows.

[@ZillMob]

I forgot how much I truly love this movie

[@robotx9285]

This film has some great moments, but it definitely needed better Pacing

[@tylerfish2701]

@@robotx9285 Definitely.

[@spraklesroses2579]

I remember when I use to watch it more than once (good old days)

[@Da.Liar-Pig]

Well good movies is sometimes a box office failure Like how disney's 1940s pinocchio and fantasia both had a box office failure due to the starting of world war II

[@Tiffthehuman]

It wasn't "boring", it was just not for most kids with their little brains and even smaller attention spans. It was too serious and dark, but I LOVED that about it. I guess I was a different kind of kid.

[@RYMAN1321]

That’s the thing, I believe Craig himself has since said he made it too dark and serious. Looking back, yeah I can understand why as it definitely felt more serious than the show.

[@kaylakay1241]

Maybe I just like more angsty media but that was why I liked the movie alot

[@DrWolfenstein234]

Same I loved darker teen titans episodes, courage the cowardly dog and the PPG series / movie

[@Ryder-a-Blaze]

I’m glad I wasn’t one of those people who thought this show would be girly and lame and instead watched and enjoyed it

[@user-en4eo1cc4t]

Beating monsters to a pulp and destroying everything while at it? how is that even girly?

[@lordfarquaad2319]

@@user-en4eo1cc4t He is talking about literally children

[@Imperials3nate]

Funny enough, that's exactly how Steve came across the series.

[@spectre9340]

PPG showed blood in their opening when Samurai Jack couldn't 🤣 I still can't fathom that

[@Sparx632]

When I was young and used to watch this show that sort of thing didn’t even slightly occur to me, it’s so weird how people can’t just let people enjoy what they want to enjoy.

[@NickoPlayz2018]

16:18 There was actually a deleted scene where not only the Professor was taken home earlier but he's also occasionally seen in the house talking to an officer who was suspicious while the girls build Mojo's lab

[@CrimsonNineTail]

Just about to say, we even get dialogue from MOJO as he builds his hideout with the girls.

[@alisonmcgregor2002]

omg yes!!! i feel like this scene should’ve been left in the movie

[@russell9153]

One of my favorite movies growing up. Still has a special place in my heart.

[@hhgff778]

1:01 the way she ripped one monster's horn and used it as a spear on the other one is some shit straight out of Doom: Eternal lmao.

[@bearmation93]

As a kid I always wondered why Cartoon Network shows weren't getting too many theatrical films based on them while every other Nickelodoen show was getting one (i.e Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Wild Thornberrys, Spongebob, and Avatar: The Last Airbender). This is probably why.

[@goGothitaLOL]

To summarize why, it all comes down to 3 reasons: 1) The audience being questionable to the general audience and casuals, arguably the equivlant to bronies before bronies even existed 2) The competitions, specifically Lilo & Sitch and more importanly Men In Black II 3) The poor-marketing, from what i heard (i was only 1 at the time) you could only see Ads of it only on Cartoon Network (which on the day it released, they were airing The Iron Giant and only The Iron Giant); no Nickelodeon, not Toon Disney, not Discovery Kids, not even the Saturday Morning blocks (4Kids, FoxBox, ABC Kids, hell maybe not even WB Kids itself ironically enough). Also didn't help that throughout the 90s and 2000s every WB animated film but Space Jam, Pokemon: The First Movie, The Polar Express, and Happy Feet underperformed if not flopped, almost as if WB's theatrical animation marketing almost never not sucked ass in the 90s and 2000s.

[@galaxa88]

This movie actually introduced me to the Powerpuff Girls, so it holds a special place in my heart despite its flaws

[@msk-qp6fn]

To me in my chilhood heart it is flawless. Except when it scared me I guess.

[@manuelgrothe608]

Think about how cold it is, that Warner Bros with Cartoon Network abandoned their fans in our own flesh and blood because of low ratings or bad writing to every animated kids action shows

[@theodoro3188]

I think what would make the PPG Movie a hit was if it was released around the spring or fall, that's when movies get a better chance to release Also, it plays like an extended episode, so maybe a continuation or maybe a new villain would make it more interesting. . . Say, the return of the RRBs

[@Umbraarro9426]

Yeah

[@RYMAN1321]

Agreed For example, the Wild Thornberry’s Movie and MLP 2017 movie were released in the winter and fall respectively and both did quite well

[@Gaaraloverr1]

As a young girl who saw the movie in theaters, I loved the beginning but lost interest about halfway through. I agree that the ending felt incredibly rushed, but I actually think McCracken hit the nail on the head with the "it was too dark" analysis. Yeah, the series had gloomy episodes, but those episodes weren't what made the Powerpuff Girls what they were. Most episodes were 11 minutes of adorable girls fighting crime and persevering with love, with only a few serving as dark reminders of how messed up things could get. That's much different than an hour and a half movie of monochrome scenery, malicious characters, and depressed protagonists. Had the Professor been there to help cheer up the girls and encourage them on, and to give young viewers a break from all the seriousness, I have no doubt the film would have been better received.

[@rhondahoward8025]

The townspeople were also WAY too mean. That woman calling Bubbles an animal? Yeah, it makes these people not worth saving in the first place.

[@yunidai16]

Yeah, but you know, the plot needed him to be shafted for reasons.

[@mesousagaby740]

I wouldn't want to say it "flopped", it underperformed. Anyways, this is one of my favourite movies of all time, one of the best SUPERHERO movies of all time and I hate that all it's known is how it underperformed. No other CN movie has even come CLOSE to this masterpiece (Which isn't saying a lot, although I also liked Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, the Steven Universe movie, Teen Titans Go To the Movies and the EEnE's Big Picture Show, too).

[@musicaladventure5]

It really is one of the best. The action sequences are just the best thing!

[@53ra]

The animation is EXQUISITE too.

[@PhazonOmega]

It has Acha Cha-Cha, which already makes it notable.

[@musicaladventure5]

@Rokenrol Bro 2019 It kind of depends on what one would exactly mean by saying something "flopped."

[@rossbob4215]

I agree! I also want to add that Codename Kids Next Door “Number 0 Special “ to that list!

[@spaceamundo9655]

I've watched this movie with the director's commentary track from the DVD, and one thing about it is that it was made with love, and respect for both the audience and the concept of the TV show. Ultimately it was Cartoon Network and Warner who made it flop, thinking it was rival for other blockbuster films like Men in Black 2. It wasn't budgeted like a Disney film either, but the crew did great with the resources they had (the 3D chrome ball destroying Townsville still looks pretty good), and they excelled the visual language of the Powerpuff Girls with this film. I love it because of all that effort, and I hold Craig McCracken in high regard for delivering such a kick-ass, yet endearing origin story. And btw, in the commentary track he mentions that several scenes were cut. Most of them are still yet to be seen, so I hope one day there will be a director's cut of the PPG Movie.

[@hispanichuitzilin979]

I remember seeing the movie at the drive inn when I was younger and the band No Secrets singing "That's what girls do" for the soundtrack

[@ohemdoublegee]

My mom and I still quote this movie with the part "I'm boiling mad"

[@silverfrogo5857]

This movie right here. Was a big part of my childhood. Idc about box office or anything like that. The show and the movie itself is a special place for all of us. I do remember some eps has questionable moments even dark scenes. Powerpuff Girls can be for both boys and girl, not to mention whenever Powerpuff girls is brought up I will remember the movie, merch, and the show it self. Samurai Jack would've been sick for it's own movie. But Powerpuff girls took the spot back then. Overall Powerpuff Girls is my childhood show along with Ben 10

[@pkkingcrimsonrequiem1332]

According to Craig, the executives on the show (presumably both Mike Lazzo and Linda Simensky) did get notes from BS&P but never passed them on to the production crew so there was literally no one to tell the crew what they could or couldn't do.

[@lordkaijux5262]

So basically just a lack of communication?

[@yanrokbowl28]

@@lordkaijux5262 A replica of the film itself. So yes.

[@skootergirl22]

90s PPG was the reason why I became a artist, when I was around maybe 8 or 10 i started with drawing the girls and some OCs before I knew about the term "original characters" I'm a 90's child but a 2000's teen

[@KindredKeepsake]

I LOVED this movie as a kid, and I still do as an adult. The art style and animation were both incredibly stepped-up!

[@roo1014]

*Genndy Tartakovsky's PRIMAL* is right up your alley as a "self-certified dino nerd." What Lola Bunny did for furries, this show does for dino lovers! 🦖🦕

[@Alienpubes]

First season especially. Not a fan overall of season 2 😞

[@roo1014]

@@Alienpubes Why?

[@TheBatIsRad6435]

I’m surprised he hadn’t reviewed that yet

[@Alienpubes]

@@roo1014 where the first season every episode was its own episode and it was more animal violence, 2nd season is more story driven and more thematic material beyond mere survival.

[@roo1014]

@@Alienpubes I don't see how that makes it worse

[@intheflatfield2954]

I saw nothing wrong with the PPG movie. It was incredible when I saw it as a elementary school kid. Still find it amazing as an origin story. And I really enjoyed Samurai Jack's final season, I just wished it was a little more episodes to widen the story a little, but I liked how Jack finally defeated Aku, the familiar faces of the old show, and Jack's bittersweet romance with Ashi.

[@manuelgrothe608]

Think about how cold it is, that Warner Bros with Cartoon Network abandoned their fans in our own flesh and blood because of low ratings or bad writing to every animated kids action shows

[@tayloredwards4968]

I'm not going to lie I really did enjoy this movie. 💙💚💝

[@alicebthegachaweirdo8378]

Me too

[@zhouhuanyue]

💙💚💝

[@redstreak9430]

I actually liked the movie. Sure it didn’t line up 1 to 1 with the episode that touched on the origin, but it was nice to see another POV of the show that went into more detail about Mojo’s relationship with the girls. I think that not only the main male demographic was scared to see it, but the paranoia about how violence in media affected kids (no thanks to the events of 9/11) proved to be detrimental to the movie and the series as a whole (which explains why the post movie seasons toned down the violence in favor of comedy/slapstick). And yeah, it’s a shame that Samurai Jack suffered the most because of it (although I just thought Season 5 was okay but it definitely would have benefited from more episodes to work with)

[@jeremy1860]

This show will go down in history as one of the undisputed classics of Cartoon Network's glory days. Right up there with the likes of Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo 😊

[@RYMAN1321]

It was great yes, but I like many felt it got stale around the time of this film. Especially when Craig left

[@Jass.Marttz]

This film is an underrated masterpiece, it certainly deserved much more.

[@yanrokbowl28]

Not so much anymore. It gets a lot of praise.

[@sbkMulletMan]

You were much more opened-minded than I was at that age. When the pilot premiered on the Cartoon-Cartoon batch, I was unfortunately still in my "eew, that's a GIRLY cartoon!" phase, and it wasn't until after high school when I finally grew out of it and realized how amazing the show is and how stupid I was for dismissing it. I especially got over my gender prudishness when I became a fan of...HIM!

[@Panthersclaw]

This was one of the earliest films that I remember seeing as a kid. My parents brought me and my siblings to see it at a drive in theater and we were watching it in the bed of his truck, wrapped in blankets and eating sandwiches, soda and popcorn we brought from home. I remember that they showed the chicken pox short of Dexter's Laboratory right before the movie.

[@RockySamson]

A truly underrated masterpiece of cartoon cinema.

[@PrismOpal64]

Little kid me loved this movie with all my heart. Anything pertaining to the Powerpuff Girls back in the day was a big hit for me. It's a shame we didn't have much money back then for me to have any of the merch from back then. Regardless of what critics say, I wholeheartedly still love this movie.

[@grapeshot]

I remember my favorite Powerpuff Girls episode. Bubblvicious HARDCORE!!!

[@Twinklethefox9022]

I had the vchs bundle of that and birthday bash

[@ladynoname3621]

Same!!! Another one of my favorites is when the Powerpuff girls went up against the Rowdyruff boys, and Princess

[@MisterJang0]

I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the PPG TV show was popular with mostly boys while the merchandise was popular with mostly girls. Knowing that, I think this movie was doomed to fail, because boys wouldn't want to watch a movie about characters that appeal to girls on a surface level. It's like if someone made an action movie starring Hello Kitty.

[@N7gamer1337]

At my middle school library, we’d get comics that were based on Cartoon Network shows. One comic I really liked was one about the Powerpuff girls. I wanted to read it the next day after school but a girl took it. I was actually looking behind over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of the pages (yes I know that was very weird af.) My sister saw the whole fiasco and told the girl “hey I think my brother wants to read that comic” my friends were also there and they all laughed at the fact I liked Powerpuff Girls. Point is, you weren’t alone when you felt embarrassed for liking the Powerpuff girls 😖

[@yusukeelric]

The show was hyper violent, fast paced in jokes and some hidden dirty ones. And they were suprised the main demographic wasn't 6 years old girls? Im pretty sure Craig knew, but CN had NO IDEA what the show was really about. Considering how things are going today. They still don't get it. Instead of playing with the style of the original show , wich made it original, they constantly tried to turn it into "little girl cartoon 230" getting not only more and more tame, but also trying to put more sugar ,spice and everything nice in it. Thing is. If PPG was just Girl show 230 , it would have been popular in the time. But it would be forgotten nowadays. when it comes to the movie. It's the beginning of the end of OG ppg. not only is overall WAY tamer than the show. it contradicts a lot of the elements already stablished by the show. Now it's not as mediocre as the Dexter movie. But its definitely Not even close to the Ed Edd and Eddy movie. The show didn't really need an origin tale. The origin tale was also shorter, just Mojo ruining an experiment , himself, and accidentally creating his own nemesis. That's all it needed to be.

[@Mankey619]

They could’ve made a epic series finale type for the PPG movie. I’d imagine they’d made HIM as the main villain and turned Townsville into a hellish landscape. I know they did that in the series but we could imagine it to foreshadow that event to come.

[@icecreamhero2375]

17:04 Antidote X didn't come out of nowhere. It was in episodes of the show before the movie came out. Remember Slumbering with the Enemy.

[@fullmetalgamer6062]

It was also in Mojob.

[@cedialive2759]

It technically feels like Antidote X came out of nowhere because the movie is supposed to be a prequel to the original series.

[@icecreamhero2375]

@@cedialive2759 But it was made after the og episode. The people who watch the movie are probably fans of the show.

[@alexismyers6053]

I always remember how the professor was naming them and but a bit of thought into Blossom and Bubbles but only chose Buttercup because “that also starts with a B!” Lol her face said it all too

[@StareachValcin]

I honestly believe that the powerpuff girls movie was both a good movie and a good way to expand upon the origin story about the powerpuff girls.

[@bjstarshine1757]

I've been a Powerpuff Girls fan since I was a little, and this 🎥 was one of my favorite movies from the 2000s. Awesome review!

[@10Gpixels]

I always viewed the movie as the perfect pitch episode for the show. It shows the basics of what the show is, gave context for villains that appeared in the show itself, and follows a standard story that anyone regardless of knowledge about the Powerpuff Girls can follow. It's not peak Powerpuff Girls content, but it certainly helped me warm up to it as a kid.

[@snapclub8751]

I was 6 years old when I went to the cinemas to watch The PowerPuff Girls Movie and I actually enjoyed it.

[@bradythepokemaniac3675]

I think The Powerpuff Girls movie would have worked better as a straight to video release from the start so that way it would preform a lot better in home video sales

[@janecklyn]

I LOVED this movie as a kid. Ik even the creator came to dislike the movie for the darker tone but that's what made it special to me.

[@rhondahoward8025]

Your story idea was actually used (in a sense) in a fanfiction by MadnessJones called "Friendship is Many a Splendored Thing". The only difference is that it was the Rowdyruff Boys who were breaking down from their expired ingredients instead of the Powerpuff Girls, but the Professor did mention that this could happen to the girls as well if he didn't find a cure. _"When I made you girls 9 years ago, adding Chemical X had been an accident. I kept it around because it was a newly constructed formula and no one yet knew the full extent of its uses and hazards. Blossom...Brick's Chemical X isn't just leaving his body, it's losing its potency and being flushed because his body no longer recognizes it."_ _"So?" Blossom asked uncomprehendingly._ _"So it means that Chemical X expires," The professor told her, "I didn't know that before. No one knew. Chemical X has only existed for a couple decades. What I'm worried about is...if we can't find a cure for the Rowdyruff Boys...Blossom, this could happen to you and your sisters. You have pure Chemical X inside you, so it will take longer, but eventually your systems could wear out and you could become sick in the same way the Rowdyruff Boys are sick. I'm just worried...what if we can't...?"_ m.fanfiction.net/s/12932348/7/Friendship-Is-a-Many-Splendored-Thing

[@spectre9340]

The PPG movie was one of the very first movies I ever saw in cinemas with my family. It holds a special place in my heart

[@cartooncritique6625]

10:39 Well, from what I remember of the show the people of Townsville weren't exactly the brightest bushels of the crop.

[@superhenrybrother7359]

Wish they make sequel how powerpuff girls meet HIM or where the chemical x comes from

[@darkninjafirefox]

I remember my dad ordering the DVD from Netflix so I could watch it one weekend because PPG was one of my favorite shows. I loved the movie and still think about it whenever I see apes at the zoo

[@williampulfer-melville8536]

Oh yes back when Netflix was just a DVD rental website and now it's a streaming service

[@RYMAN1321]

@@williampulfer-melville8536 And now they confirmed their DVD service will cease by this coming September:(

[@eyesofthefox]

I saw this at the theater twice. I wanted to own it on physical media, but could never find the widescreen format version.

[@WakoDoodle]

imagine a movie based on the episode where the girls time travelled into the future where him rules. But this is their own timeline where it's about to happen. We see him band the villians together to beat the powerpuff girls and just as they won, him turns on EVERYONE. Now the villians need to escape him, convince the powerpuff girls to come back and have an epic ending where the powerpuff girl, all the villians and the people of townsville fight back Him and his minions. We will also see somw closure as mojo apologises to the professor and is welcomed home, princess gets to be a powerpuff hirl briefly, the ameoba and gangreen gang are useful and make friends and fuzzy gets to shoot people off his property. Then we end with the day is saved by.... everyone!

[@TheBlazicans]

Fun Fact: The leader of the Gangrene Gang (Ace) was briefly a member of the band Gorillaz, this is canon in both "universes".

[@pedrord19]

This movie is outstanding and very amazing !!! One of my all time favorite animated movies !! 💗

[@galladesamurai2380]

I remember watching this on DVD and loved the whole tag sequence and the monkeys destroying the city, those scenes were hilarious to me as a kid

[@anupaghose5447]

The actual problem with the reception was that this came out less than a year after 9/11 so it was “too soon” for a city to be destroyed in a movie, Lilo and Stitch came out the same year and they reanimated a whole sequence to prevent on screen city destruction Even with 9/11 being a few months ago and an NYC resident, I was the MOST excited for this movie as a kid and the trailers looked amazing! I didn’t really connect Townsville to NYC I didn’t have cable growing up and I still got a TON of ads on my network TV channels, especially during KidsWB Posters and Merch were everywhere too at the time The problem was also the merchandise for this show being so obviously girly which I loved but Craig McCracken never liked because it was meant for everyone, so it made male fans less likely to wanna go get a ticket to see the movie But nonetheless this movie was and still is amazing in my book, I don’t mind the pacing because the show also had a lot of slow paced long sequences (Mojo buying eggs comes to mind) and there’s always a great payoff to them A prequel was the best route to take since the show wasn’t ending and Mojo’s origin was not really fleshed out in the show, he just gets abandoned by the Professor and suddenly has a lair on a volcano and is a super villain This plot is a lot like the interesting concept of Man of Steel (and only the concept) where the world initially doesn’t accept the alien super powered heroes who cause collateral damage until said heroes save them from an apocalyptic threat, at which point they realize that the collateral damage becomes a small price to pay for safety and begin worshiping the heroes

[@gentlemankaiju1997]

When I heard it was a origin story when I was little I was really hoping for the origin of HIM. Like we know nothing about that demon, it would of been sweet if it was the girls that accidentally created or sealed him away temporarily.

[@kenyaholloway-reliford8213]

I could make the argument that this movie did a good job raising the emotional stakes for the girls themselves. Although I love PPG, I will say that the most of the episodes that were trying to go for a more emotional angle (with the exception of Speed Demon and Knock It Off) tended to be hit or miss. Take all three of the episodes where each one of the girls goes through a "villain arc" for example (A Very Special Blossom, Bubblevicious, and Moral Decay), as they're often considered some of the series worst episodes. So it's refreshing to it done right in the movie, where the girls go through difficult time and ultimate earn their respect in the end.

[@perteks7639]

Well I'm waiting for your take on last season of samurai jack. I actually liked it that it ended story overall though romantic plot was super rushed, you can clearly see cut scenes in first episodes and from what I think they just didnt had enough screen time to make what they wanted with it. (And damn sad that Jack went so fast into his default kimono he looked sick!)

[@WobblesandBean]

It was AWFUL. Why'd they have to force a romance? Why'd they have to pull a time paradox and poof his girlfriend out of existence, but not renege on the death of Aku as it would clearly have done? It makes no sense, and was a bad idea.

[@kaylakay1241]

@@WobblesandBeangenndy seems bad at writing romance in general which is sad

[@Artemis231997]

Even though I was only five years old when this movie came out, I did notice that after the movie was released there was a lot of dropping quality with other older Cartoon Network shows around that time as well. Like for example Dexter’s laboratory and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. For Dexter‘s laboratory in the fifth and final season the animation had changed and the storylines were just boring and slow slow-paced and they had also gotten rid of the Dial M for Monkey segments, to which I had enjoyed seeing. However, when the final season did come around the only two episodes that I did enjoy were the mom and dad and the Mandark origin stories. Also, even though I didn’t notice it until I recently started re-watching The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy there’s a lot of toilet humor in later seasons and it gets old pretty quickly. But there were many great gems that did come out around that same time like Codename: Kids Next Door, ¡Mucha Lucha!, Hi hi Puffy Ami Yumi, and The Life and Times of Juniper Lee.

[@manofwisdom000]

Dexter's Lab never had a 5th season. But you're right, it declined in quality when it was revived in 2001 for two more seasons (a 3rd season later followed by a 4th season) until being cancelled again in 2003. Also, never liked the mom/dad and Mandark origin storytelling as they contradict the original first two seasons.

[@inaciosthirdstudio]

I think I did a PowerPuff Girls cartoon like this but much shorter and the town doesn’t protest against the girls. And instead spread praise for the girls to become heroes.

[@BrontoSmilodon1]

I think another problem with the marketing for the movie was the song choice in nearly every commercial was "Thats What Girls Do". I personally think it's not that bad of a song but paired with Powerpuff Girls probably made the distancing all the more worse. Also doesn't help the fact that the full song has lyrics for girls in their teens as appose to Kindergarden age kids.

[@WolfmanArt]

If anything, it should have been a grand finale

[@TheAweDude1]

One thing: about all the stupid things the Professor does, he is clearly out of his element. His first thought after naming them is to buy them birthday presents. He knows science, but he doesn't understand how people work. Basically, he has a high INT, but a low WIS.

[@yanrokbowl28]

Enthusiasm without precaution can cause problems.

[@elmono6299]

As a person who grew up watching the Powerpuff Girls as a kid, I seriously forgot this movie even existed.

[@icecreamhero2375]

I love the movie and prefer the movie art style. I will admit it is a little weird the Professor didn't warn them about using their powers at school. Technically not a plot hole because people sometimes make bad decisions.

[@musicaladventure5]

i mean, he's a guy who forgets things easily and this is his first experience with super powered children made in a lab. it's pretty accurate to his character. XD

[@fullmetalgamer6062]

Maybe he would've talked about it with Ms. Keane if the girls didn't play their aggressive game of tag. He did tell her he was new to parenting and wanted to talk to her about it.

[@yanrokbowl28]

@@musicaladventure5 That just makes the series's characterizations of them look worse, because it shows that the characters didn't learn from these mistakes.

[@musicaladventure5]

@@yanrokbowl28 not really. it's really natural and realistic for people to repeat their mistakes a couple of times. Think about all the times you've done that? I've done that, I've watched my parents do that. It usually takes a few try's to learn from a mistake.

[@yanrokbowl28]

@@musicaladventure5 That's only excusable with accidents, not with what is a serious problem. .Just because it's natural, doesn't mean it's right or forgivable. Otherwise there is a serious problem.

[@BrontoSmilodon1]

Well since Mojo has his own lab maybe Utonium probably made the antidote there wilst the girls were fighting Mega Mojo.

[@RariettyC]

This was the first Powerpuff Girls thing I ever watched as a kid because I didn't have access to Cartoon Network, and it totally gave the impression that the movie was meant to be watched before the show, to the point where I was shocked to eventually find out that the movie came so late in the show's release. Still, I really enjoyed it and kept rewatching it, and it honestly hooked me into the entire concept of the show as a skeptical outsider, so I think it succeeded on that front.

[@stephaniecourteoreille5972]

Honestly, If I ever have the time (or in reality, not -time- *_motivation_* ) to get off my arse and pick something up, i'll start by watching the PPG's film and then the tv show

[@serenitythesiren5031]

I know you usually only do animation, but I really think you'd like A Series of Unfortunate Events. I mean the series, not the movie (maybe you could do a comparison of them?) It's on Netflix, and has three seasons, and is also based off a book series.

[@jaydenmale9645]

Omg i absolutley loved that show. I would love to see a review

[@omarsalem1219]

I love that show also don't be too hard on the movie it was good too

[@serenitythesiren5031]

@@omarsalem1219 haven't seen it, but I do plan to.

[@Umbraarro9426]

@@jaydenmale9645 Same

[@RYMAN1321]

@@omarsalem1219 Loved Jim Carrey as Olaf And I loved the dark humor

[@TheDramaNut]

I remember watching this movie every night on VHS to fall asleep to. I personally really liked the movie and its serious themes, despite me not fully understanding them. This movie still has a special place in my heart.

[@gaminglulunightmare6092]

Honestly that movie was one of my favorite movies as a child. I watched it over and over again I had a DVD of it! I didnt know it flopped and hearing this actually surpised me to me it was a perfect movie.

[@Kurtsg10]

The big reason why the movie flopped was that it was up against Men in Black II, Spider-Man, and Lilo & Stitch, plus it was a theatrical version of a tv series (which rarely tends to work as audiences are primed to "wait for it to come out on dvd-streaming or television rather than pay premium prices to see it on the big screen).

[@albertoenriquezjr8815]

Yes the same thing with seed of chucky that the movie flopped because it had a battle with the incredibles 1, polar express and the spongebob squarepants movie 1 that's why.

[@xxshinanaevangelianxx]

2 reviews from Steve Reviews within a month?! My day got better! 😁😄

[@GhostToaster525]

I dont understand, that movie was so good. I enjoyed giving the characters a more serious tone, it made it feel like something special that cartoon network has yet to recreate

[@Etherman7]

Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust have the unfortunate problem of making amazing characters and worlds, and then stalling out on where to go with them. It's sad how many of their shows end up taken by worse creative teams and run into the ground or canceled.

[@yunidai16]

In Season 3, they showed how much they had loved character derailment just for kicks. "Moral Decay" is a prime example.

[@RYMAN1321]

@@yunidai16 Maybe, but most agree the show really hit seasonal rot when Craig left.

[@ripleyandweeds1288]

"Why? Who gives a shit about the girls in their early days?" Bro, EVERY super hero-type story is founded on the origins story. That's like getting into Batman and asking "who gives a shit about his parents being killed?" or complaining that you have to see Peter Parker get used to his new powers and how he becomes Spiderman. Because in a lot of superhero stories you need to explain WHY the city or town they're defending puts up with all the property damage, why would a city consider Superman a good asset to have when every other week he destroys half of it fighting some supervillain? And the PPG movie does a great job of showing that progression from Townsville hating the girls to them deciding "yeah maybe we should keep them around." Even simple things like the PPG would warrant some nice little exploration of where they got to where they were. Yeah they did it a bit late, but it should be appreciated they did it at all and it did give the show some nice depth. Adventure Time is actually a show where there _didn't_ need to be a backstory, early AT was perfectly fine when it explained its setting as "lmao its just a random wacky cartoon bullshit." and it getting a backstory was just a neat little bonus and a bridge to them getting darker. Also 'Town and Out' wasn't a very good way of bringing up the whole "Why would cities tolerate superheroes like the girls" because it did it in an overly cynical ""realistic"" way that broke canon. (seriously 'Speed Demon' established the girls could NEVER stop being heroes in Townsville or else fucknuts like Him would take over, and yet they move to some other town and plan on staying there??) Yeah the plot isn't perfect, but I will die on the hill that as a show about superheroes that it having an origins story is something fans of the show _would_ 'give a shit about'.

[@ProctorTheKrow]

It's crazy to me how they pretty much did straight up fatalities on some of the villains back then

[@littlemisstfc]

The scene where Mojo Dojo’s troops try claim world domination is comedy gold aksksjsjs.

[@keona5560]

I was OBSESSED with this movie as a kid. Even rewatched it a bunch as a teen😂

[@hob_channel]

Even though I didn't really like the movie, I have to say that it helped me finally decide who my favorite villain in the whole cartoon is (I couldn't decide between Mojo Jojo and HIM). Mojo was the perfect villain. His motivation, actions, charisma, and the fact that he is so deeply involved with the girls and really wanted to help them (at least I think so, because he could have destroyed them at the end of the film, but did not want to), were amazing. I also like his redesign. He really began to look sinister.

[@pjduker05]

I was a teenager when this show came out. And all of my friends my age enjoyed the Power Puff Girls. In America we didn't feel ashamed of enjoying the show. It was embraced as "cool" if you liked it.

[@tamararambo3079]

I watched it on cable pay-per-view back around middle school; I really had a blast. Now looking back and you mention it, what if Professor did create an antidote X in case if change his mind. If the Powderpuff Girls saw that, I guess they would question their powers. I do like you've finding different idea.

[@user-ti2ph6qb1y]

Strangely, i really adored the movie. i had no idea it had such a bad turn out

[@wingedhand2525]

I remember Cartoon Network advertised this movie to death and I got sick of seeing and hearing about it. Then a year later they aired it for an entire weekend non-stop. That made me dislike it even more. I look back and see this movie with disdain. It was just overly hyped and ended up being painfully average.

[@InfiniteSkiegh]

I actually love this movie. watched it every single time it came on, on cartoon network.

[@ScratStitch]

I personally think this is one of Steve's worst videos. The points he makes are terrible and I couldn't even watch the whole thing.

[@misdrievousdemise3815]

You know Steve, I was thinking of a PPG theatrical movie idea myself. For me, it would focus on the abilities of Chemical X a bit, since the show never really expounded what was in the chemical. I would also use a threat larger than anything the girls have ever faced. A threat so large that even HIM would be intimidated. A mysterious figure of malicious intentions comes to Townsville and steals some Chemical X from the professor. Then some super powered warriors show up in Townsville, being touted as as guardians and protectors. It turns out that they were actually normal people under the influence of the stolen Chemical X. However, when the more and more people get Chemical X until basically the entire city gets powers from it, chaos ensues because they find they can do what they want and that the Powerpuff Girls are evenly matched out with them. The girls then work with the Professor to create a massive antidote large enough to cleanse the entire town and restore order. They fly across the globe to find the ingredients the Professor needs. Unbeknownst to them however, the mysterious figure supplying everyone in Townsville with Chemical X is actually using them to attract a massive godlike alien monster (the threat I was taking about greater than HIM) that consumes Chemical X. The alien, attracted by Chemical X's scent, is being used by the mysterious figure to bring Townsville to its knees, and if they defy him they risk getting consumed by the monster. And what makes the oncoming alien monster terrible is that, unlike HIM, he has his own gravitational pull, so all matter gets drawn to him as he approaches. Along the way back to Townsville with the final ingredient, the mysterious figure intercepts them and drains the Chemical X from them before disappearing off again. ...Your molecule failing idea that you came up with could be used here, in that extended periods of time without Chemical X could cause their molecules to became unstable. Using the final ingredient tho, Blossom figures out that it contains a some radiating energy, so they create a mixture out of it and use the newfound energy and power to stabilize and get back home. When the girls return back to Townsville, the mysterious figure has taken over Townsville, and is using the Chemical X'd people as his lackeys. The Professor has finished his Antidote in time, and they work together to keep the city's folk at bay while spraying them back to normal with Antidote X in one dynamic action scene. Finally, they confront the mysterious guy and before they stop him for good, the massive alien monster finally arrives to purge everyone and and his gravitational pull begins to pull Townsville apart. In one great climatic finish, the girls eventually beat the alien monster; but because they've been gone for so long without Chemical X, they begin to get unstable once more and faint by the Professor. Much later, they wake up; having been revived by the Professor. The Professor tells them that it wasn't the Chemical X that made them survive, it was their willpower and new power they had found earlier... something like that. Well, that's my idea I guess ^^ But I still love the official movie.

[@MrJohnffrey87]

I wanted to see it in the theater when it came out, I was 14 years old, but I was so embarrassed because it was seen as "a girl's show", and I certainly didn't discuss it with my classmates, I would've gotten bullied, and my siblings made fun of me for liking it.

[@stephaniecourteoreille5972]

You should nag your siblings for having *interests*

[@KrisKrisKrissy]

As someone who was the exact target demographic when the movie came out, I did see it in theaters, and I had a really bad time. I disagree that the tone wasn't an issue. It definitely was. The art style was already more sharp and muted, and the storyline was just really depressing. I liked PPG because it was fun, but there was no fun in the movie. It actually soured me on PPG for a long time.

[@aestheticswim3397]

Box office failure? This movie was precious to all of us

[@yanrokbowl28]

Not according to 2002's premiere, it wasn't. It's tragic, I know.

[@aestheticswim3397]

@@yanrokbowl28 that’s mainly because animators flicks never did as well as they did today, Today it’s now a death sentence to release a big block buster next to an animated film it’s asking to get ratioed

[@yanrokbowl28]

@@aestheticswim3397 This could be taken as a lesson not to put all your eggs in one basket.

[@dracocrusher]

Not sure why people keep shitting on the Samurai Jack finale, the only way things could end is if Jack just fights Aku and wins... which is fine, but it'd be unsatisfying and wouldn't leave much of a story. More importantly, all the damage Aku did would have stuck, which is fine, but keeping Jack in the future after that wouldn't have quite felt right, either. So why not just introduce someone who has similar abilities that could pose a threat to Jack and have a full redemption arc, right? I'd get it if people were angry about the plot being resolved with a previously unknown element, but I don't really hear anyone complain about that specifically, and it makes perfect sense within the show. Also, the scene of Aku sending Jack away just for him to re-appear and finish the job is just fantastic, it's super satisfying to watch while also being a genuinely good gag. The one thing everyone seems to point to is just the 'Asahi disappears out of nowhere' thing, but considering how goofy this setting can be, it's not that odd to think that paradoxes would be resolved with Back to the Future rules just to wrap up the loose ends, even though it would have been nice if she just got to stay with Jack and have her own happy ending as well.

[@dudotolivier6363]

Should do a review on "Kirikou" by Michel Ocelot and one about "The Thief and the Cobbler" (1993) movie too. But also Genndy Tartakovsky "Primal" (2019-2022) and Disney "Dinosaurs" (2001) !

[@AlexMartinez-gv7hy]

Worst father goes to Chicken Little's dad, worst dad I've seen

[@brianlevine871]

I didn't see the movie in theaters since I lost interest in the show before the movie's announcement. Once I watched the film several years afterward, I found it to be pretty decent. I admired how they expanded the origin story and seeing the girls adjusting to using their powers for fighting crime. The animation and music were also well done, showing how it was meant for the big screen.

[@RYMAN1321]

That’s part of the reason why it bombed. The show’s popularity was beginning to wane, and the decline fully hit when Craig left

[@channelwarrior861]

Another reason this movie flopped at the box office was because it released the same day as Men In Black 2. I mean why would you want to see movie about little bug eyed girls when you can just see Will Smith fighting aliens.

[@kawrght]

I hate to say this, but this movie could have been easily fixed if the girls were the clones of the professors dead daughter. Or dying. Depends how dark they want to go. It would have fixed the story and tone mostly. Could give the professor a lot of character build as well. Would give the movie what its missing most as well, a bad guy aim as the prof deals with the mental damage of everything. That's what's wrong with the movie. Its a "powerpuff girls prequel" not a "professor prequel"