The Powerpuff Girls Movie is unique and sweet, but takes a dive after the first half an hour. With an incredibly short running length of 73 minutes, there just aren’t enough magical moments and expansive ideas in the film. There is some unique animation and heartfelt moments with the little Powerpuff team, but most of the time, things just don’t work. I can’t imagine that little girls would like this kind of movie, either. What kind of two year old wants to watch buildings blow up, an evil monkey named Mojo JoJo take over the world, and kids making fun of others at school? If this is some kind of normal activity in today’s society, something has gone desperately wrong. I am all for women superheroes, and not men, to give girls something to watch; but The Powerpuff Girls Movie doesn’t know where to draw the line between violence and fun.

     The film acts like a prequel to the show. It shows us how the Powerpuff Girls were created, how a monkey named JoJo became the evil villain Mojo JoJo, and how the city of Townsville came to be. The first scene shows a man simply referred to as “the Proffessor” mixing sugar, spice, everything nice, and the impenetrable “Chemical X” to make the Powerpuff Girls. Sure enough, a day after the ingredients are mixed, there are three little perfect girls sitting on his lab counter, each exhibiting a different color. One is named Bubbles, the other Blossom, and the last Buttercup. These girls have super-powers, and have the ability to save the world. When the Professor sees his magnificent creation he is elated with joy. The next day, he takes the Powerpuff Girls to school, where everyone loves them. They engage in a game of tag that goes wrong. When trying to tag each other they fly through buildings, and create twenty-five million dollars worth of damage. Their father is sent to prison, and they are outcasts. They meet a monkey named Mojo JoJo, who claims he is just like them, but then takes advantage of their superpowers and tricks them into destroying the world.

     The animation is definitely one of a kind. The simplistic, yet well drawn frames are of beautiful style; and are easy for the cartoonists to draw well. They are a perfect way to draw the Powerpuff Girls because the interesting curvature of the lines helps makes the figures of the girls very smooth, and perfect for the action shots. I also like how each girl has their own designated color, which leaves little audience members an easy way to keep track of each of the Powerpuff members. I also like how the backgrounds are drawn. They are also simplistic, so the ongoing action that the Powepuff Girls perform is the center of attention. This is not always good, however, because the contantly moving cartoon comic violence becomes innerving after a while. This animation matches up wonderfully with the voices of the characters, and I must complement the voice talents of Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, E.G. Daily (also the voice of Tommy Pickles on “Rugrats”), and Roger L. Jackson.

     The Powerpuff Girls Movie is a fine time for little girls and fans of the show, but it will be hard to buy into for others. In a short 73 minute running length, it doesn’t accomplish much, but offers just the right amount of sugar and spice to make the mixture nice. Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup are able to make a good enough movie to recommend, but not by much. I would’ve liked the feature to be more like the TV series, and focus on the Powerpuff Girls fighting crimes rather than explaining how they came to be. Either way, everything scene is in someway delightful, and the animation industry should be praised for that.

-Danny, Bucket Reviews