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Review by Steve Rhodes
1 star out of 4
Is it just me or are you also getting really tired of opportunistic
studios turning their television cartoons into mediocre movies with
no ideas behind them other than stretching out the length? Last week,
Nickelodeon brought us the lifeless HEY ARNOLD! THE MOVIE, and, this
week, the Cartoon Network brings us the almost as lame THE POWERPUFF
GIRLS MOVIE. Kids' movies don't have to be so unimaginative, but
forgoing the need for much of a plot or script is an easy way to quick
profits. Our kids deserve much better, and some studios, Disney in
particular, take great pains to supply quality products.
The story's AWOL plot has the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom (voiced by
Catherine Cavadini), Bubbles (voiced by Tara Charendoff) and Buttercup
(voiced by E.G. Daily), first destroying a city and then saving it.
In a rambunctious game of tag, the girls, who can fly and run like
bullets, tear up streets and knock down buildings. When the cameras
pull back, the town has been reduced to rubble. After the city miraculously
self-repairs, the girls fight and defeat a villain named Mojo Jojo
(voiced by Roger L. Jackson) who threatens the city. That's it for the plot.
While computer drawn animation keeps improving, the bar for the acceptable
level of traditional animation is constantly being lowered. THE POWERPUFF
GIRLS MOVIE has one of the cheapest looks in recent memory. Drawn
with simple rectangles and circles and with sparing use of color,
the movie has something less than a 2D appearance. Although this
might be acceptable on a free television show, you have the right
to expect something better when you're paying close to ten dollars a ticket.
"Wake up and seize the town!" Mojo Jojo tells his cohorts in crime.
You'll be telling yourself that a lot during the movie, at least
the "Wake up!" part. If your kids like the series, they'll probably
like the movie too, but I'll let you in on a money-saving secret.
If you tape three episodes of "The Powerpuff Girls" and show it to
them, they'll enjoy it just as much, and you'll have saved the fifty
bucks that you would have spent on tickets and refreshments.
THE POWERPUFF GIRLS MOVIE runs 1:20. It is rated PG for "non-stop
frenetic animated action" and would be acceptable for all ages.
My son Jeffrey and his friend Nickolas, both 13, thought the movie
was cute and had some funny parts. Jeffrey gave it **, and Nickolas
gave it ** 1/2. Jeffrey's cousins, William and Liana, ages 8 and 5, really liked it.
Copyright © 2002 Steve Rhodes
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out of 4
