The Powerpuff Girls

Even though this blog is entitled 'film', film is a broad word and it covers the entire art form of filmmaking. In this case, I will be including TV and cartoons in this blog as well.  I want to start it off by talking about something very near and dear to me that isn't Pokemon.  THE POWERPUFF GIRLS!  Created by Craig McCracken (who has the most awesome last name ever), they were originally to be called the Whup ass Girls, I assume that was deemed inappropriate by Cartoon Network Executives.  The main characters are: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls), The Professor (their creator/father figure), The Mayor, Ms. Bellum, and their colorful assortment of villains.  Their arch-enemy is the evil genius monkey Mojojojo, whose only goal is to destroy the Powerpuff Girls!  The Powerpuff Girls fight crime in the City of Townsville saving the world before bedtime.

Some may look down on this show as a kids show because it features three little girls as the protagonists and has cutesy animation.  That's what it is on the surface.  It swaps between being cutesy and being hardcore.  The Powerpuff Girls are 5 and thus are still growing up, learning to share, eat vegetables, etc.  Frankly this show is a wild card and that's what makes it so charming.  It's also one of the first cartoons to be self-aware and make 4th wall jokes.  It doesn't go out of its way to do that, in fact, that's what the Narrator is for.  The Narrator is the invisible voice in the sky that introduces and ends each episode.  He is the one that often makes 4th wall jokes making the cartoon very self-aware.  As proof of the cartoon being aware of its self-awareness, there was an episode in which the narrator was kidnapped by Mojojojo, and he told the Powerpuff Girls what to do.  It was very funny and well done.

Now I want to talk about my personal favorite episode called 'Speed Demons'.  It's an episode in which the Powerpuff Girls travel forward through time to an apocalyptic Townsville.  The premise is that they were going on a vacation for the weekend to get a break from fighting crime.  Buttercup decides that they should race home after school.  They do, and they move so fast that they break the time barrier.  The time barrier is a term I'm using loosely, it originated in old Flash comics.  It was explained that The Flash could move so fast that he could travel forward in time, breaking the time barrier so to speak.  In the apocalyptic Townsville, they find that their house and the Mayor's office are just about the only things left standing.  In their ruined house they find an old senile Professor attempting to recreate the Powerpuff Girls.  At the Mayor's office, they find Ms. Bellum clutching the mayor's had and sash, implying that he died in whatever befell Townsville.  The Powerpuff Girls then go to their ruined school where their teacher, Ms. Keane is standing there.  From her they find out that they're 50 years in the future.  Upon learning this, their most sinister, and kind of hilarious villain emerges.  HIM.

Him is on the left and the Pokemon Scizor is on the right.  I put Scizor there because I think they look similar (the claws?).  Him reveals that when the Powerpuff Girls left for the weekend, he took over.  The Powerpuff Girls beat the crap out of him and he transforms into his super freaky demon form.  The Powerpuff Girls scream and fly off into space.  They fly back down to Earth at a supersonic speed breaking the time barrier, returning them to Townsville.  The episode concludes with the girls reuniting with the professor and they don't go on their vacation after all.  This episode is my favorite because of the surreal creepy nature to it.  I saw this episode when I was like 9 and was interested in that topic ever sense.  It inspired me to read books like 1984, Brave New World, and Farenhiet 451 when I was older.
I might as well sign off in respect to the awesome narrator.
So once again the day is saved, thanks to The Powerpuff Girls!