The CW’s live-action adaptation of *The Powerpuff Girls* faced significant backlash after the release of its trailer, leading to the show’s cancellation in early 2023. Featuring Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault as the titular characters, the series aimed to portray the girls in adulthood, dealing with personal and city challenges. However, viewers criticized the trailer for its clichéd dialogue and poor special effects, prompting a nearly unanimous sentiment of disappointment among fans and the original series creator, Craig McCracken.
Throughout our formative years, certain animated series leave a lasting impression, and for many, The Powerpuff Girls stands out as a quintessential favorite. This vibrant show, known for its distinctive artistic style, introduced us to three spirited heroines: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, all brought to life by the genius of Professor Utonium. Their mission? To safeguard Townsville from an array of menacing creatures and villains.
With its unique blend of humor and creativity, the original series ran until 2005 and later saw a reboot from 2016 to 2019. While live-action adaptations have become increasingly common, the thought of a live-action version of The Powerpuff Girls was previously unfathomable. However, the CW network decided to take the plunge…
The Unveiling of a Troubling Trailer
In 2021, the CW announced the cast for their live-action rendition of The Powerpuff Girls, featuring Chloe Bennet as Blossom, Dove Cameron as Bubbles, and Yana Perrault as Buttercup. Shortly after, a leaked script surfaced, and the overwhelmingly negative feedback compelled the studio to reshoot the entire pilot episode. Not long after, Chloe Bennet exited the project, necessitating a recast. Faced with mounting challenges, CW ultimately decided to cancel the series in early 2023.
Until this week, fans were left without any teasers or trailers, with only a few images of the cast circulating. The release of the trailer for the first (and only) episode left many relieved, as it seems we narrowly avoided a disaster.
In this adaptation, the beloved Powerpuff Girls have transitioned into young adulthood. As they continue to protect Townsville, a fateful encounter leads to the accidental death of Mojo, who has been reimagined as a man rather than a monkey. This incident prompts the trio to flee. Blossom isolates herself, Bubbles capitalizes on her former fame by selling selfies in Hollywood, while Buttercup pursues a career as a firefighter. Seven years later, they return to Townsville to visit their father, Professor Utonium (played by Donald Faison), and confront Jojo, Mojo’s son, who has taken up the mantle of the city’s mayor and seems intent on revenge.
After enduring three minutes of this trailer, it’s safe to say that there isn’t much redeeming about it. With an abundance of clichés, absurd dialogue, and superheroes hurling ludicrous insults, the humor falls flat. Furthermore, the special effects appear outdated and uninspired.
The CW was not pleased with the leak and attempted to remove all posts showcasing the trailer. However, the damage was done, and many viewers had already witnessed this debacle.
‘A Greater Disappointment Than Anticipated’
Those who took the time to view the trailer shared a nearly unanimous conclusion: the outcome is nothing short of disastrous.
- ‘Someone was paid to write this script and is allowed to walk without being pelted with tomatoes.’ — Christina Tasty (who shared snippets of the script)
- ‘My God, it was worse than everyone thought.’ — Kevin Apollo
- ‘I’m just going to pretend it’s a YouTube sketch.’ — LUPASAN
- ‘Thank God this nonsense was canceled.’ — Olya
While some reactions have been more tempered, the overall sentiment is that the cancellation of the series is a welcome relief. The world of The Powerpuff Girls is unique, and fans have consistently voiced their discontent over recent adaptations. Craig McCracken, the original series creator, expressed his disapproval of the live-action project, stating, ‘They are no longer the Powerpuff Girls, just three adult super-girls. It’s an entirely different show.’
In a related note, Pedro Pascal recently shared insights regarding the filming of season 2 of The Last of Us on HBO, highlighting a significant change that impacted the shoot and reflecting on his collaboration with Bella Ramsey.