The Powerpuff Girls Movie Parent Guide

Hey Arnold! isn’t the only cartoon character to get his own movie this summer (2002). Drawn by Anime animators, the Powerpuff Girls (a blond, a brunette and a red head with huge bug-like eyes and fingerless hands) are making their move from the small screen scene to theaters.

Using sugar and spice and everything nice, Professor Utonium (Tom Kane) makes three little girls as an antidote for the urban decay in his hometown. During the process, a secret chemical is accidentally added and Blossom (Cathy Cavadino), Bubbles (Tara Strong) and Buttercup (Elizabeth Daily) gain extraordinary powers. However it takes a little while to learn how to control these new abilities and put them to good use. In the meantime, their game of schoolyard tag leaves Townsville in shambles, the Professor in jail and the local citizens outraged with the girls.

Alone and afraid, they meet up with Mojo Jojo (Roger L. Jackson), another spurned character with a grossly oversized brain protruding from the top of his head. Playing on their worries, he lies to the threesome and tricks them into building a gigantic structure that will allow him to control the city. But when chemically altered primates start trashing the town at Mojo Jojo’s command, the girls realize their mistake and step in to try to stop the destruction.

At that point, the sugar, spice and everything nice takes a backseat to some bone-jarring aggressive violence as the big-eyed superheroes take on the monkeys. Graphic personal attacks include choking, repeated punching to the face and a tooth knocked from its socket. On a wider scale, a flame-throwing robot, spinning tornado, fast flowing flood and an army of flying, spitting chimps threaten the city and a hapless little dog who frequently ends up in danger’s way.

Despite their current television popularity, the magnified effects of the theatrical experience proved too intense for some young Powerpuff fans and left them cowering during the extended action sequences at the screening I attended. As The Powerpuff Girls Movie packs more punch than giggles, family viewing may be a long shot at best.

About author

Kerry Bennett

Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for over 15 years. As a parent herself, she believes parents play a powerful role in teaching media literacy in their homes.