Release Date:
Friday, January 21, 2000
Air Date:
Wednesdays, 8 P.M. EST
TV Network:
UPN
Sure, it was fun watching Cartoon Network in its early dayssome of those old Scooby-Doo mysteries really hold up. But along about your mid-20s, you started to hunger for something more substantial. Or at least something new.
Four years ago, animator Genndy Tartakovsky gave the fledgling channel its first much needed dose of subversive attitude with Dexters Laboratory. Tartakovskys partner, Craig McCracken, now takes the lead with The Powerpuff Girls, and its the best cartoon youre not watching.
All right, maybe we shouldnt spend so much time enjoying the crimefighting antics of three sassy preschoolers. We cant help it. Theres the look of the show, for one thing: Take new-jack Japanese anime and warp it in the southern California sun. The result is a wild, squashy-stretchy tooniverse that just doesnt look like anything else on television.
And then theres that all-important attitude. McCracken cops to growing up on the campy live-action Batman series in the 60s, and tries to give Powerpuff Girls the same kind of timed-release appeal. For every grrrl-power kiddie cartoon gag, there are a dozen one-liners tossed off in squeaky tot voices. In next weeks episode, Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles face down a spoiled little rich girl who wants to buy her way into their superhero clique. The brand-name in-jokes and mile-a-minute banter are worthy of a good Seinfeld episode. So suck it up and deal with the funny looks: This is tyke TV worth watching.
Four years ago, animator Genndy Tartakovsky gave the fledgling channel its first much needed dose of subversive attitude with Dexters Laboratory. Tartakovskys partner, Craig McCracken, now takes the lead with The Powerpuff Girls, and its the best cartoon youre not watching.
All right, maybe we shouldnt spend so much time enjoying the crimefighting antics of three sassy preschoolers. We cant help it. Theres the look of the show, for one thing: Take new-jack Japanese anime and warp it in the southern California sun. The result is a wild, squashy-stretchy tooniverse that just doesnt look like anything else on television.
And then theres that all-important attitude. McCracken cops to growing up on the campy live-action Batman series in the 60s, and tries to give Powerpuff Girls the same kind of timed-release appeal. For every grrrl-power kiddie cartoon gag, there are a dozen one-liners tossed off in squeaky tot voices. In next weeks episode, Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles face down a spoiled little rich girl who wants to buy her way into their superhero clique. The brand-name in-jokes and mile-a-minute banter are worthy of a good Seinfeld episode. So suck it up and deal with the funny looks: This is tyke TV worth watching.