In Cartoon Network’s first, and technically only, theatrical release, the Powerpuff Girls origin story is told in great detail. We get to learn how they got their names, how everyone reacted to their superpowers, how they met that certain monkey, and, ultimately, how they ended up being the heroes of their hometown of Townsville. Of course, there’s a lot more details here.
I am one of the very few people on this Earth that watched this when it was in theaters. Maybe people were too put off with going to a movie called “The Powerpuff Girls” if they didn’t know who they were. Maybe 2D animation looked cheap to moviegoers used to Pixar films. Maybe it was all the city destruction in a movie released not too long after 9/11. Maybe people just weren’t ready for a surprisingly dark movie about three superpowered kindergarteners beating up monkeys. I thought it was great, but I was already a Powerpuff Girls fan, so I might be biased on that one. It’s a pretty obvious must watch, though I would recommend getting into the series first. This isn’t to say I think this movie doesn’t hold up as someone’s first experience with the Powerpuff Girls; I just think familiarity enhances this movie a lot. (5/5)
I decide to leave out anything too much of a spoiler here. If you have a cable or satellite subscription in the US, you can watch this movie on Cartoon Network’s website. It’s even in HD and in its original aspect ratio. This is as close to perfect as it gets; outside of the original theatrical release and this, it was never released in HD. Not even digitally.
The Powerpuff Girls Movie came out on July 3rd, 2002. Happy anniversary!
