I ended up binge watching most of season one of PPG in the last three days so right now I have Powerpuff On the brain folks. ^^;
Also some more attempts at animation.
Dance Pantsed
Directed by: David P. Smith Art Director: Kevin Dart Written and Storyboarded by: Chris Mitchell, David P. Smith, Will Mata Story by: Dave Tennant, David P. Smith
In 2013, Cartoon Network announced that they were working on a new Powerpuff Girls special, and it aired in 2014. It brought back all the major characters and their voices, they got Ringo Starr to voice a character, and it has a brand new CGI art style. What it doesn’t have is Craig McCracken, who, as mentioned before, left Cartoon Network and never came back. The commercial for this special did stress that while there are a lot of changes, they didn’t dare touch the formula. Admittedly, that could just be referring to how the Powerpuff Girls are still made of sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X.
Townsville is being visited by three special celebrities: mathematician Fibonacci Sequins, opera singer Wendy Baggs, and the Calcutta Stink Badger. All three of them are kidnapped by Mojo Jojo piloting a robotic terror, and the Powerpuff Girls help out with their special Plan Broccolini, where Bubbles uses her ice breath to freeze it, Buttercup rapidly punching it into pieces, and Blossom eye lasering it into a gummy bear. This plan is so good that it seems to be the only plan they do, which becomes a problem when Bubbles gets too addicted to Dance Pants Revolution to fight crime or open pickle jars. They get rid of it, only for Mojo Jojo to secretly give Bubbles a gift she can’t resist: a sequel named Dance Pants R-Evil-lution 2, a revolution so evil that it turns her into a celebrity-stealing robot, and it slowly turns the other girls into them, too. The people of Townsville have to figure out how to turn them back. Also, the Professor’s past as a dancer, The Mayor and Miss Bellum’s falling out, and the answer to why Mojo even wants a mathematican, singer, and a badger in the first place will all be revealed in this special that is totally not a pilot.
This episode follows in the footsteps of Rule in that it’s more focused on being a fast paced comedy, throwing many jokes at the wall and hoping they stick. With Rule, a lot of them did stick, and there were a lot of good in-jokes and easter eggs for the fans. I can’t say the same for this special, as, with a few exceptions, a lot of the jokes just fall flat. A lot of this is just how weird the characters act throughout this special, with the Mayor just yelling at Miss Bellum for a benefit of a subplot that goes nowhere, we learn the Professor was a dancer, which is only for the benefit of this plot, and when the Powerpuff Girls aren’t being controlled by evil dance video games, they throw tantrums and act like brats. It all ends with a lousy payoff that makes no sense, too. I can’t deny that it is a very good looking special with great backgrounds, great animation, and not-so-great everything else. I think this line from my full review of this says it all: “I should say this special won an Emmy because of its art, and I can’t say it was undeserved. I should also say it certainly deserved its lack of Emmy for anything else.” (2/5)
Octi-Gone
Storyboarded & Written by: Mucci Fassett Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Randy Myers
Professor Utonium is having a big, fancy party, with many guests, his girls in fancy dresses, and food from the discount catering service. Bubbles is getting ready, too, only to find a ripped Octi leg under her bed. She is determined to find what monster did this to poor Octi, and, for some reason, she decides not to tell the Professor about it. Could it be Buttercup, Blossom, Ms. Keane, The Mayor, or any of the other potential culprits laughing it up at the party? Eventually, the phone rings, and Mojo Jojo claims to have Octi and puts him up for ransom for 1,000 gallons of Chemical X! However, things are not what they seem, as the Professor has his own explanation of what happened!
This was another episode I managed to miss as a kid, though, to be honest, despite its use of pretty dresses, it is surprisingly forgettable. They try to build up some sort of murder mystery with flashbacks, and they even do some of the cliches associated with that plot. “I’m going to turn off these lights”, anyone could get the idea from there. The build up felt like it was for nothing in the end, like a not as good version of Little Miss Interprets. Mojo Jojo’s part is just kind of there, as if they just threw him in to spice up the episode a little bit, and while it is funny to see him flub what he thinks Octi looks like, it doesn’t save the episode for me. Sorry, I didn’t like it outside of a few decent jokes. (2/5)
The Powerpuff Girls Rule!
Written and Storyboarded by: Craig McCracken Art Direction: Sue Mondt Animation Direction: Robert Alvarez, Eric Pringle Directed by: Craig McCracken
There are many reasons to believe we don’t live in a just world, but miracles can still happen, and one of them is that, against all of the odds, the original Powerpuff Girls series managed to get a special written, storyboarded, and directed by the series’ creator. Really, this is the grand finale for the series as imagined by Craig McCracken, and, as far as anyone can tell, this will be the last Powerpuff anything with him involved as he has moved on to newer projects at different studios.
Mojo Jojo really wants to rule the world, but the Powerpuff Girls remind him again and again that it will never happen no matter how much he tries. The Key To The World has arrived in Townsville, and anyone who gets it is able to take over the world. But first, they got to find it before the villains do, which is not easy as the villains are already tearing the city apart to find it. This episode has it all: a big wacky race, the girls having to fight each other for the key, and Mojo Jojo singing Tears For Fears. It all ends with a shocking twist that will change Townsville for at least 5 minutes.
Sure, the episode starts with an internet meme reference that most people will not get nowadays. Sure, the quick pace of the episode can get annoying at times, though I’d say the quick pace fits the kind of humor this episode was going for very well. Sure, the special simply does not live up to anyone hoping this was going to be the most action-packed episode ever and/or Deja View. This special ends up being the antithesis of The Movie; instead of a long movie that’s dark, gritty, and doesn’t spend a lot of time on comedy, we got a short, quick-paced comedy that doesn’t take itself very seriously. A lot of the jokes landed for me, and there’s a lot of easter eggs for long time fans to notice. Having done this experiment has only made me appreciate this episode more than I ever had before, and it’s a good ending for the entire series even if it is a bit silly. (4/5)
I See A Funny Cartoon In Your Future
Storyboarded & Written by: Chris Savino Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Chris Savino
Townsville’s got a new villainous duo: Madame Argentina, a psychic with a short stature, and Fred, a goose. This fortune-teller ends up being a fortune-taker, scamming people by getting Fred to pick-pocket them and get $10 for fooling people into believing she can see their dead relatives! Her latest victim is the Mayor, and she managed to steal the key to the city. Who can stop this small medium at large? A flying squirrel and his moose assistant? No, those three flying girls! With their combined wit, disguises, and superpowers, they have to defeat this Ms. Crook-o with her knowledge of cold reading, her assistant’s ability to pick-pocket, and her knowledge of people who can sell voo-doo dolls. Can the girls defeat them? Can the Mayor get the key to the city back? Can they fit as many psychic puns in this episode as Meet The Beat-Alls had Beatles references? Find out in this exciting chapter, called Tarots of Terror, or, I See A Funny Cartoon In Your Future!
I’ll admit that it’s been a long time since I’ve seen an episode of Rocky & Bullwinkle, but from what I remember, this episode does a very good tribute to it. It nails down everything, from the silly plots that aren’t taken too seriously, to the fake cliffhanger in the middle of the episode, complete with the two titles for the second part. Madame Argentina is even voiced by the late June Foray, and anything that reminds me of Natasha is a plus in my eyes. The only thing missing is any fractured fairytales, and, for some reason, I’m not too bothered by that. One’s mileage may vary, especially if they don’t know the source material, but I loved this one. (5/5)
West In Pieces
Storyboarded & Written by: Chris Reccardi Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Randy Myers, Robert Alvarez
This half hour epic is an alternate universe episode, taking place in the small town of Townsville. It was a relatively peaceful little town in the Old West, until the criminal known as Mojo The Kid rides on his trusty donkey Burrito and barges into the First Bank Ever and robs it banana guns a-blazing. Because the poor city can’t shoot him with an actual gun on children’s television, nothing can stop this outlaw ape from robbing the Second Bank Ever when it’s high noon. Thankfully, that strange inventor from the edge of town, the Professor, has accidentally made The Steamypuff Girls, three special little girls made of sassafras, arsenic, and everything old fashioned, with an accidental dose of the chemical known as coal! When the clock strikes at noon, Mojo and his banana gun and the Steamypuffs and their giant steam engines and gadgetry end up in a showdown.
This episode won a Primetime Emmy for its backgrounds, and I can admit that this episode’s look is top notch. It really gives that western feel that they were going for, and there’s quite a few hidden jokes in those backgrounds that are pretty clever. As for the rest of this episode, it’s alright. I can’t deny the creativity of fitting the concept of the whole show into a western setting, using steam power instead of superpowers. It also has its own gathering of townspeople with a decent use of slapstick. However, while the episode has style, the substance doesn’t really amount to much as it’s just a normal battle with a Mojo Jojo that doesn’t even use his brains. The lackluster scenes with the Mayor equivalent aren’t helping, though it does lead to a cool equivalent to another set of villains. Much like the corral, it’s okay. …it’s a western joke. (3/5)
Mo’ Linguish
Written by: Amy Keating Rogers Storyboard by: Mike Kim Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Randy Myers
In a courtroom where Mojo Jojo is the defendant and nobody really cares as the plantiff, the defendant, who happens to be Mojo Jojo, is sentenced for a kind of community service that is not necessarily picking up garbage, which Mojo Jojo, who is the defendant of this court case, assumed it would be, as it is a normal use of the phrase “community service”. Instead, Mojo Jojo becomes an English instructor at Townsville Community College, an instructional facility where adults get to take classes in various subjects, and Mojo Jojo, the ape with the ability to talk and one who uses that ability in a very distinct way, has a very strict lesson plan that shapes his student’s vocabulary and grammar to a dialect similar to his own, which involves a lot of overly descriptive talking that takes up an immense amount of time.
This Mo Linguish, as this 12 minute long animation names itself after, ends up getting people interested in the teachings of Professor Mojo Jojo, the ape whose job it is to teach and his student’s job to learn, and this linguish spreads throughout the City of Townsville, the setting of this 12 minute long animation that is named Mo Linguish. This even affects The Mayor of Townsville, the leader of the city that isn’t too bright in the noggin but at least is able to learn this new way of speaking English, who ends up confusing The Powerpuff Girls, the main superheroes of Townsville, with his overly long descriptions of criminal activity.
As they fly out into the sky, using their inexplicable abilities to defy the laws of physics, they notice that traffic and bank robberies have been slowed down by the overuse of words in Townsville’s new vernacular, that is, the everyday language spoke by people as opposed to literary language. Seeing as these extended speaking periods are causing time-related issues, as time is a limited resource for everyone, the Powerpuff Girls, the kindergarteners that beat up smart criminal apes, green gangsters, and clowns that may or may not deserve it, have to re-teach Townsville the beauty of short language, which includes yes or no answers and other brief statements.
tl;dr: Mojo teaches his way of English to Townsville, this causes problems, and the Powerpuff Girls have to reverse this somehow.
This feels like a great idea for an episode: Mojo Jojo becoming an English instructor and teaching Townsville to speak like he does, leading to mundane and even criminal activity done in the talking style of Mojo Jojo. Unfortunately, the execution of this plot is only funny for a few minutes and gets old really fast. The overly long sentences just take way too much time out of the episode to the point where very few plot points really happen in this episode. Once the Powerpuff Girls figure out what’s going on, they only have two minutes to solve it. There are some funny lines here and there, especially from Mojo Jojo, who, to the detriment of this episode, proves that he is the sole master of talking in overly long sentences in this show, but this episode didn’t do much for me.
tl;dr: Outside of a few moments, I just couldn’t get into this one. (2/5)
Night Mayor
Storyboarded & Written by: Chris Reccardi Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Randy Myers
The Mayor is having recurring nightmares that keep him up at night, and he decides to run to the Utonium household for him and his girls to solve it, as he can’t quite remember why it was a nightmare to begin with. With the help of the Professor’s Nocturnitron, as the Powerpuff Girls can’t invade the Mayor’s dreams because they can only do that in a state of eternal slumber, yeah, that’s it, the Powerpuff Girls are able to enter the Mayor’s nightmare and find out what’s causing it.
This episode is very trippy in the beginning, and it certainly gives that dream-like atmosphere I wanted to see in Power-Noia. It’s interesting to see how the Mayor sees himself in his idealized dream: loved by all the ladies, wanting to be the hero himself, and just wanting a bunch of pickles all the time. It does kind of get less interesting near the end, but it’s still a good watch. (4/5)
A Made Up Story
Storyboarded & Written by: Chris Reccardi Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: John McIntyre, Randy Myers
In this half-hour epic, a new villain has entered Townsville: Mask Scara, voiced by the late Phyllis Diller. After we hear her origin story, we see her vandalizing all of Townsville’s posters, billboards, and, eventually, all of the people with her permanent signature “trashy look” make-up. She doesn’t discriminate: the people of Townsville, the regular villains of Townsville, and even Him is not safe from an unwanted makeover by the flying fashionista. Even Buttercup and Bubbles eventually become victims of this horrible look. While the Professor is sure that his science will fix this, the Powerpuff Girls will try to defeat this before the trashy look will have to be in forever.
This is another example of a half-hour episode that relies a lot on filler, though this one takes it to the extreme in a different way than, say, Superfriends and its overly long and boring scenes. Here, they throw everything at the wall, hoping that one of the jokes will stick, and a lot of them have nothing to do with the main plot. Some of them are pretty funny, like Blossom hitting Buttercup with a fire hose, not with the water that comes out of it, and the Professor’s computer virus that makes people cluck and itch. Some of them feel like a total waste of time, like the Narrator and The Mayor’s Abbott and Costello routine, and the really long “is it (totally random person that has nothing to do with anything)? No!” scenes. All of this combined leads to a rather unique episode in the series, but one that’s merely okay in the end. (3/5)
Film Flam
Storyboard by: Charlie Bean Art Direction by: Don Shank Directed by: John McIntyre, Craig McCracken
A bigshot Hollywood director, Bernie Bernstein, wants to make a Powerpuff Girls movie with the Powerpuff Girls playing themselves. Using his negotiating abilities, along with a little guilt trip, Wein, er, Bernstein gets the Professor to sign off on it, and the Powerpuff Girls dream of stardom. After seeing his girls get yelled at by the director on Townsville Tonight, he decides to go investigate and finds out that Bernstein’s reason for filming the movie in a real bank with its real money is more than just for realism. Can the Professor reveal the sham before it’s too late?
Part of the problem of a lot of these half-hour episodes is that there tends to be filler that doesn’t really add anything but length to the episode. This episode is one of the worst examples of that. There is little actual substance in this episode; most of it is just boring dialogue with little actual humor. There’s some good Professor scenes in this, the scene where the Powerpuff Girls argue about their lines is funny, and there’s a lot of neat references to the idea of a Powerpuff Girls movie, which would happen a year later, but other than that, I found this episode boring. (2/5)
City of Clipsville
Storyboarded & Written by: Chris Reccardi Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: John McIntyre
Not even the Powerpuff Girls can resist having a clipshow of everyone’s favorite moments, with the Powerpuff Girls pulling out a bunch of memoirs from their past as the framing device. This episode includes the time Buttercup couldn’t fight crime without her blanklet, to the time Mojo Jojo turned them into dogs, to the time Mojo Jojo tried his scheme again without turning them into dogs, and even to the time when they were accidentally turned into babies! After a few real episodes, we get these short what-ifs, including a rather infamous one where the Girls decide to give up crime-fighting and become ditzy teenagers.
The episode is at its best when it’s doing these rapid-fire moments of episodes that probably shouldn’t exist, like the baby episode, the Powerpuff Girls losing their powers, and the The Mayor getting a giant pickle. I kind of wish the whole episode was like that; maybe even include some rejected ideas for episodes. The one part with the teenaged Powerpuff Girls lasts way too long, but I think they knew what they were doing with that one. The Miss Bellum scene is absolutely fantastic, too. Easily among the best episodes of the later seasons. (5/5)
Impeach Fuzz
Storyboard by: John McIntyre, Chris Savino Art Direction: Craig Kellman Directed by: John McIntyre, Craig McCracken
This episode does answer the question on how the Mayor managed to stay being the Mayor despite his ineptitude besides Miss Bellum picking up all the pieces: nobody ever challenged him before, and it only takes one “shut up” from Fuzzy Lumpkins for Townsville to vote the Mayor out. I’m sure there’s some political commentary here. Pretty much every Southern stereotype is here: daisy dukes, jug bands, and it even ends with some wrasslin’. It’s a way better episode than Fuzzy’s debut, it’s one of the best Mayor-centered episodes, and it’s refreshing to see someone else beat up the villain this time. (4/5)
Divide and Conquer
Storyboarded & Written by: Paul McEvoy Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: John McIntyre
The Ameoba Boys have managed to commit an actual crime: stealing an orange that just happened to fall off of a fruit vendor’s stand after a truck passed by it. While trying to divide up that orange, they get the idea to multiply. Using the amoeba’s way of being able to asexually reproduce, they multiply into an entire army of brothers. Using their combined might, they manage to steal all of the oranges in Townsville! This Amoeba Army manages to intentionally cause everyone in Townsville to get sick from scurvy. Meanwhile, Buttercup has been waiting for a crime to happen, because she’s stuck with math lessons that she thinks is boring! Much to her chagrin, this crime must be fought with the power of math!
This episode’s alright. It does seem incomplete with Buttercup not having to learn a thing throughout any of this, but it’s nice that this episode doesn’t go through all the clichés of the obvious educational episode. Not as good as Beat Your Greens, though. Really, the highlight is watching the Amoeba Boys act so silly in the beginning. (3/5)
Monstra-City
Storyboarded & Written by: Carey Yost, Lauren Faust Art Direction: Paul Stec Directed by: Randy Myers
(It’s a brand new season, we got that same movie art style from the last few episodes, we got shinier title cards that slightly zoom in, and Craig McCracken is merely just an executive producer rather than a director. It’s not usually a good thing to not have the series creator involved anymore, but let’s see if it really shows.)
A chicken monster shows up in Townsville, apparently a he despite laying an egg, and he’s not here to destroy the place. He just wants to move into Townsville after getting kicked out of Monster Island, and he’s not alone, as Winthrop Real Estate and Commercial Development has bought the place and evicted all the monsters. The Mayor decides to invite them all into Townsville. Blossom tries to make Townsville a big giant melting pot, where man and monster can unite as one. After a while, this experiment seems to go nowhere good, and the monsters and people have to find a different thing to agree on.
There’s an obvious message about tolerance, diversity, and immigration here; not just with the Townsville people nearly saying “we don’t like your kind around here”, but Blossom even outright quotes the famous “give us your tired, your poor” poem in this episode. On one hand, the status quo dictates that the monsters, the clear stand-in for the discriminated minority, have to be annoyances that have to be sent back home. On the other hand, the funny montage of the people and monsters trying to deal with each other does show this isn’t a good analogy anyway, and the episode appears to be aware of that. Funny montage, confusing messaging, and a rather abrupt ending. (3/5)
