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In theaters, a Dexter's Laboratory short entitled Chicken Scratch was shown prior to the film, which later aired as part of the series' fourth season. The film made its TV debut on Cartoon Network on May 23, 2003.
Professor Utonium creates a mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice in the hope of producing the perfect little girl to improve Townsville, a fictional city plagued by crime. He is shoved by his laboratory assistant, the destructive chimpanzee Jojo, causing him to accidentally break a flask of a mysterious substance called Chemical X, which spills into the mixture and explodes in Jojo's face. The experiment is successful, producing three little girls whom the Professor names Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. He discovers that the girls also have superpowers from the added Chemical X. Despite the girls' recklessness with their powers, they all immediately grow to love each other as a family.
During their first day of school, the girls learn about the game tag and begin to play among themselves, which quickly grows destructive once they use their powers. The girls take their game downtown, accidentally causing massive damage to the city until the Professor calms them down. The next day, the girls are treated as outcasts by the citizens of Townville due to the destruction they have caused, and the Professor is arrested for creating the girls. Realizing that using their powers again will only anger the townspeople more, the girls try to make their way home from school on foot. They become lost in an alleyway and are ambushed by the Gangreen Gang, only to be rescued by Jojo, whose brain has been mutated by the Chemical X explosion, giving him superintelligence.
Planning control of the city, Jojo gains the girls' sympathy by saying he is also hated for his powers. Jojo convinces the girls to help him build a laboratory and Chemical X-empowered machine over a volcano in the middle of town, which he claims will gain them the city's affections. Jojo rewards the girls with a trip to the local zoo, where he secretly implants small transportation devices on all the primates there. That night, Jojo transports the primates into his volcano lab and uses his new machine to inject them with Chemical X, turning them into evil mutant primates like himself. The next morning, after the Professor is released from prison, the girls show him all the "good" they have done, only to discover the city is being attacked by the primates. Jojo, renaming himself Mojo Jojo, publicly announces the girls as his assistants, turning everyone—including the troubled Professor—against them. Dejected, the girls exile themselves to an asteroid in outer space.
Mojo Jojo announces his intentions to rule the planet but becomes frustrated when his minions begin concocting their own plans to terrorize the people of Townsville. Overhearing the turmoil from space, the girls return to Earth and rescue the citizens, realizing they can use their powers to fight the primates. With his army defeated, Mojo injects himself with Chemical X and grows into a giant monster, overpowering the girls after an intense battle. Rejecting his offer to join him against the people who have shunned them, the girls push him off a decrepit skyscraper as the Professor arrives with a newly developed antidote for Chemical X to help the girls. Mojo lands on the antidote, which shrinks him down to his original size, battered and defeated.
The girls consider using Antidote X to erase their powers, thinking they would be accepted as ordinary girls. The people of Townsville protest, apologizing for misjudging the girls and thanking them for their heroic deeds. At the mayor's insistence, the girls agree to use their powers to defend Townsville with the Professor's blessing, thus becoming the city's beloved crime-fighting superhero team: the Powerpuff Girls.
Voice cast
Cathy Cavadini as Blossom, the intelligent and dutiful leader of the Powerpuff Girls
Tara Strong as Bubbles, the sweet and cheerful member of the Powerpuff Girls
During production, The Hollywood Reporter reported that voice actresses Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong and E.G. Daily had gone on strike, protesting that they weren't being paid enough to star in a feature. The studio publicly mulled replacing them with new actresses, not just for the movie, but for the rest of the series too. Eventually, a deal was reached and the trio returned to voice thePowerpuffGirls again.
The behind-the-scenes feature on the DVD reveals an extended version of Mojo Jojo's rant on the monkeys for plotting against him.
The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for non-stop frantic animated action.
Critical reception
Reviews of the film were mixed to positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a rating of 63% from selected critics with an average reviewer score of 6.14/10 and a slightly better rating of 69% from top critics on the site with an average reviewer score of 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads: "It plays like an extended episode, but The Powerpuff Girls Movie is still lots of fun." On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 65 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews." On IMDb, it gained a 6.5/10 rating based on 7,874 votes.
Bob Longino of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave the movie perhaps the highest praise of all, saying "The intricate drawings emanate 1950s futuristic pizazz like a David Hockney scenescape. The inspired script is both sinfully cynical and aw-shucks sweet." He also called it "one of the few American creations that is both gleeful pop culture and exquisite high art."
However, it was also criticized by some for its violence, which many felt was too extreme and highly inappropriate for a family-oriented film. The most negative review was from the show "Ebert and Roeper." Roger Ebert said the film was upsetting to watch after the 9/11 attacks, and Richard Roeper called it a freaky and annoying little film. Controversy surrounded the movie, mainly that the movie was released the first summer after the September 11th attacks and people said the buildings being destroyed reminded them of the attacks. Although this is only an animated feature, the buildings the girls destroyed could set a bad example.
Despite the decent reviews, however, the film flopped at the box office due to poor marketing and publicity, and facing rough competition with Spider-Man, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Lilo & Stitch, Stuart Little 2, Men in Black II, which was released on the same day, and other films. And the fact that the show lost much of its popularity. It was released straight-to-VHS and DVD in some countries. Shortly after its poor commercial performance, a Samurai Jack movie that had been in development was canceled. The Powerpuff Girls Movie grossed only $11.4 million domestically and $5 million internationally, grossing $16.4 million worldwide.
Home video media
The film was released on Region 1 DVD and VHS on November 5, 2002, in America. The DVD included extras such as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, commentaries, and more. Despite being filmed in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the DVD and VHS are in fullscreen only, just like the original television show. The Region 2 DVD release presents the film in its original widescreen aspect ratio but omits the audio commentary and deleted scenes bonus features.
Production on this movie began in October 2001 and ended in May 2002.
During the PPG argument, the first channel shown in this movie was CTN News. It might stand for Car(C)toon(T) Network(N) and a parody of CNN News and the CTW (from Sesame Street (until Season 32)) sign. It was later seen again as Buttercup flew upward and left the Talking Dog in front of the building.
During the part where all three girls lose their self-esteem from watching the news, Master Shake, Meatwad and Frylock from Aqua Teen Hunger Force make a cameo in one of the TV screens.
Fuzzy Lumpkins makes a cameo appearance at the beginning, robbing the grocery store. And at the end, he is seen in jail with Mojo Jojo and The Gangreen Gang. Also, he does not speak whatsoever.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie is the first theatrical film to be based on a Cartoon Network show.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie is also the first movie to be produced by Cartoon Network and Moving Pictures.
The drawing Bubbles drew of herself, her sisters and the Professor and the wanted poster of the four are pieces of fan art used in it. They were winners of a drawing contest Cartoon Network held.
At the end of this movie, during the newly introduced 2002-2005 animated episode outro, the Narrator doesn't say the "once again" part of "The day is saved" narration because the movie explains how the girls were first created, The Narrator says "for the very first time" instead.
The British virtual band Gorillaz makes a cameo in a newspaper.
Townsville gets the most destruction in the movie, more than any other time in the series.
Bubbles was the only Powerpuff Girl glaring at the camera.
According to a deleted scene on the movie DVD, the timeline of the movie was supposed to be two weeks, with the time-span of the girls helping Jojo build the volcano-top lair taking place over four nights, instead of one.
This movie seems to contradict the flashback scenes in "Mr. Mojo's Rising", but the beginning of the movie could possibly reflect how much Jojo was being ignored and forgotten, given that we never see him.
Professor Utonium didn't wear his overcoat the first day.
It is unknown why the powers Mojo gained when the Powerpuff Girls were created weren't drained away by the Antidote X.
Bubbles beats up Snake and Grubber at the end of this movie in the exact same way Blossom beats them up in the episode "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey".
Dexter made a cameo on a car when Blossom said that the people are safe.
This is the only time The Gangreen Gang went to jail.
As the Powerpuff logo zooms out, the word "Movie" doesn't appear on the bottom.
The Narrator only narrates at the beginning and end of the movie.
Despite being a major box office bomb during original theatrical release, the film was soon rushed to home video and has managed to gain a cult following ever since among Powerpuff Girls fans.
Buttercup saying the phrase "Get your hands off him, you darn dirty ape!" is a reference to the 1968 film Planet of the Apes.
In theaters, a Dexter's Laboratory short entitled "Chicken Scratch" was shown prior to the film, which later aired as an episode of that series' fourth season.
If The film had been more successful, other Cartoon Network movies would have been made.
Errors
During the scene when the girls were on the asteroid, at the part when they were doing the "See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil" pose, Blossom (who did "speak no evil") and Buttercup (who did "hear no evil") were sitting in the wrong positions. such that the order became "See No Evil (as done by Bubbles), Speak No Evil, Hear No Evil". The order (from left to right) should be Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom.
The Professor tucks in Bubbles and gives her Octi (her octopus doll). As the Professor cleans up, Octi is clearly seen on the den floor.
When building Jojo's machine, Blossom takes a bottle of Chemical X from Professor's laboratory. When she puts the bottle in the machine she flips it upside-down but the words Chemical X are still right side up.
During the "tag" game in the City of Townsville, the subway exit sign above where Blossom comes out reads "Subway West". When Bubbles brakes to a stop just before Blossom tags her, it changes to "West Subway". Then after Bubbles flies off (and just before the Professor drives up), it becomes "Subway West" again.
The Baboom-Bot activates its cannon while Blossom and Bubbles are seated on each of the machine's hands. But in the machine's interior shot, the monitor shows Blossom and Bubbles as standing - together - on the street.
The crater that Buttercup makes during the tag scene moves from under her to behind her before the street is moved.
During the movie's climax, when Mojo has the girls' gripped in his hand as he climbs the skyscraper, they switch from his right hand to his left and back again between shots.
Season 1:Monkey See, Doggie Do • Mommy Fearest • Insect Inside • Powerpuff Bluff • Octi Evil • Geshundfight • Buttercrush • Fuzzy Logic • Boogie Frights • Abracadaver • Telephonies • Tough Love • Major Competition • Mr. Mojo's Rising • Paste Makes Waste • Ice Sore • Bubblevicious • The Bare Facts • Cat Man Do • Impeach Fuzz • Just Another Manic Mojo • Mime for a Change • The Rowdyruff Boys • Uh Oh Dynamo Season 2:Stuck Up, Up and Away • Schoolhouse Rocked • Collect Her • Supper Villain • Birthday Bash • Too Pooped to Puff • Beat Your Greens • Down n' Dirty • Dream Scheme • You Snooze You Lose • Slave the Day • Los Dos Mojos • A Very Special Blossom • Daylight Savings • Mo Job • Pet Feud • Imaginary Fiend • Cootie Gras • The Powerpuff Girls Best Rainy Day Adventure Ever • Just Desserts • Twisted Sister • Cover Up • Speed Demon • Mojo Jonesin • Something's a Ms. • Slumbering with the Enemy Season 3:Fallen Arches • The Mane Event • Town and Out • Child Fearing • Criss Cross Crisis • Bubblevision • Bought and Scold • Gettin' Twiggy With It • Cop Out • Three Girls and a Monster • Monkey See, Doggy Two • Jewel of the Aisle • Super Zeroes • Candy Is Dandy • Catastrophe • Hot Air Buffoon • Ploys R' Us • The Headsucker's Moxy • Equal Fights • Powerprof. • Moral Decay • Meet the Beat Alls • Helter Shelter • Power Lunch Season 4:Film Flam • All Chalked Up • Get Back Jojo • Him Diddle Riddle • Super Friends • Members Only • Nano of the North • Stray Bullet • Forced Kin • Knock It Off Season 5:Keen on Keane • Not So Awesome Blossom • Power-Noia • Monstra-City • Shut the Pup Up • Toast of the Town • Divide and Conquer • Burglar Alarmed • Shotgun Wedding • Save Mojo • Substitute Creature • The Boys Are Back in Town • See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey • Pee Pee G's • Boy Toys • Seed No Evil • The City of Clipsville • Lying Around the House • Bubble Boy • A Documentary • Girls Gone Mild • Curses • Bang for Your Buck • Silent Treatment • Sweet 'n' Sour Season 6:Prime Mates • Coupe D'Etat • Makes Zen to Me • Say Uncle • Reeking Havoc • Live & Let Dynamo • Mo' Linguish • Oops, I Did It Again • A Made Up Story • Little Miss Interprets • Night Mayor • Custody Battle • The City of Nutsville • Aspirations • That's Not My Baby • Simian Says • Sun Scream • The City of Frownsville • West in Pieces • Crazy Mixed Up Puffs • Mizzen in Action • Roughing It Up • What's the Big Idea? • Nuthin' Special • Neighbor Hood • I See a Funny Cartoon in Your Future • Octi-Gone Reboot:
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