Powerpuffs (used to) save the day!
Live-action adaptations of beloved animated franchises. Ugh!
As if further evidence of Hollywood's creative vacuum were needed, The CW has ordered a pilot for its previously-announced live-action series, based upon Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls. While trying to create the perfect little girl, Prof. Utonium accidentally added an extra ingredient, Chemical X, to his concoction of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Thus Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup were born. Using their superpowers, they fought crime and protected the people of Townsville.
In The CW's low-energy reboot, the girls have grown into disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting.
Of course, while all three originated from the same chemical reaction, and shared the same skin tone in the cartoons, the actresses playing them are diverse; because they can't not be.* Diversity box, ticked.
reimagining.
toxic masculinityat the heart of civic governance.
Speaking of ticking boxes, The CW has yet to announce which one of the girls will represent the alphabet soup
community; although the role could be handed over to Miss Sara Bellum, I guess. Or that incorrigible lothario, Mayor, a seemingly contradictory blend of man's man and ladies' man; a bull and a stallion, as it were. Casting him as a five-percenter
would not only tick the minorities representation box, but at the same time it would both render him less toxic—as much as you can detoxify a heterosexual white male—and stick it to the patriarchy. Three birds, one stone; it's a no-brainer, so it should be a perfect fit for The CW. Even better, he could become she
. Bonus points!
What made Craig McCracken's original cartoon first stand out was its aesthetic, giving it an almost retro feel. Without that artistic style, I doubt that it would've caught my attention enough to have bothered with it. And I don't really see how that can be replicated with live action. So, what's the point? Other than a desperate need for viewing figures coupled with creative bankruptcy and nostalgia-bait, that is. It appears that there's no once-popular IP that can't be resurrected and shat upon reimagined
for the sake of a quick buck. Also, The CW! (rolleyes)
Clearly, The CW is aiming at a younger audience. But presumably one that's at least familiar with The Powerpuff Girls in the first place. I'm really struggling to understand how anyone who loved the original for what it was is going to find this relevant, since the only things that they have in common are the names of the characters. Then again, some people will will lap up anything based on a particular franchise; good, bad, or indifferent. Others may have had little or no exposure to the cartoon, and come to this with no preconceived ideas. And yet others will watch any moving wallpaper put in front of them. Especially if it features lesbians, a CW speciality. So there is that.
As an aside, I had a company car around the very early '00s, a Mercedes-Benz SLK in Linarite Blue
, that I named Bubbles, after my favourite character. It was my only car that wasn't called Fluffy. I had to give Bubbles up when I changed jobs, left the UK, and reverted to cars that were actually affordable. Worse still, family practicality considerations would later prevail.
I miss Bubbles. (sad)
- What was Michael Jackson's favourite ol' timey musichall song?
- I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles. Hohoho.
[cough] A different Bubbles though!
* No, it's not lost on me that, despite having the same origin and skin tone, they each had different colour hair. That only served to accentuate their characters and differentiate them. Besides, of our two daughters, one's a fair-skinned natural blonde, while the other's an olive-skinned brunette. Admittedly, given my wife's and my racial characteristics, I'd be worried if we had a third who was black or ginger. That would raise some awkward questions. Jus' sayin'.