The Powerpuff Girls (2024 film)

Rated PG - Parental Guidance Suggested

This article is rated PG, meaning some material may not be suitable for children.

The Powerpuff Girls

Teaser poster

Directed by

Andy Muschietti

Written by

Chris Viscardi
Phil Lord
Christopher Miller

Screenplay by

Jonathan Aibel
Glenn Berger

Based on

The Powerpuff Girls
by Craig McCracken

Produced by

Neal H. Moritz
Craig McCracken

Executive Producer(s)

Phil Lord
Christopher Miller

Starring

James Marsden
Millie Bobby Brown
Kiernan Shipka
Sadie Sink
Hailee Steinfield
Selena Gomez
Jim Carrey
Emma Stone

Narrated by

Tom Kenny

Music by

Michael Giacchino

Cinematography

Christopher Nolan

Edited by

Dean Zimmerman

Production company(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures Animation
Cartoon Network Studios
Original Film

Distributed by

Warner Bros. Pictures

Release date

April 2, 2024 (El Capitan)
April 12, 2024 (United States)

Running time

129 minutes

Country

United States

Language

English

Aspect ratio

2.40:1

Rating

PG

Budget

$80-95 million

The Powerpuff Girls is a 2024 American live-action/computer-animated superhero film based on the Cartoon Network animated series of the same name by Craig McCracken. The film is directed by Andy Muschietti, produced by Neal H. Moritz and Craig McCracken and written by Chris Viscardi and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller based on a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. A remake of the 2002 film The Powerpuff Girls Movie, the film stars James Marsden, Millie Bobby Brown, Kiernan Shipka, Sadie Sink, Hailee Steinfield, Selena Gomez, Jim Carrey and Dylan O'Brien.

All is sunshine and rainbows in Chicago, when a portal springs open and shoots out three small girls, named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Dr. Moody, an evil, villainous scientist, was back in town, threatening to destroy the Powerpuff Girls - the three girls' alias - and keep them away from the public eye indefinitely. With help from Jerry, a local reporter in the city in Illinois, the Powerpuff Girls set out on a heartstopping mission to save Chicago from Dr. Moody's wrath.

A remake to The Powerpuff Girls Movie was originally announced in 2004 following the commercial failure of the latter film. Originally in a bidding war between Viacom and TimeWarner, the first of the latter acquired the shareholding rights to the franchise in July 2004, with development planning to begin in September. However, after negotiations with Paramount Pictures CEO Sherry Lansing, TimeWarner purchased the rights to The Powerpuff Girls in December 2004, though had announced they had indefinitely cancelled the film.

The film was given the green light in 2021, with the idea of it being a blend of live-action and animation, similar to those of The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks. Principal photography commenced in June 2022 in Chicago, Illinois, with additional filming in Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Original Film, the animation was produced at Reel FX Animation Studios and Mikros Image, with DNEG and Moving Picture Company providing visual effects. The film's animation workforce totaled over 140,000 employees across the globe.

The Powerpuff Girls was originally scheduled for release in June 2023, but was pushed to April 2024. Premiering at the El Capitan Theatre on April 2, 2024, the film was theatrically released in the United States on April 12, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, 4DX and Dolby Cinema formats.

Synopsis

All is sunshine and rainbows in Chicago, when a portal springs open and shoots out three small girls, named Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Dr. Moody was back in town, threatening to destroy the Powerpuff Girls - the three girls' alias - and keep them away from the public eye. With help from Jerry, a local reporter in the city in Illinois, the Powerpuff Girls set out on a heartstopping mission to save Chicago from Dr. Moody's wrath.

Plot

In the city of Townsville, the Powerpuff Girls, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, continue to fight crime and protect the city from various villains. In Chicago, they accidentally open the spring portal and fall into the water, leading them to a whole new dimension filled with unexpected adventures and challenges. 10 years later, Jerry, a local reporter in the city of Chicago, was in Chicago when he used the camera to document the strange occurrences in the city, but someone zipped past him and took a photo of a mysterious figure. He saw the picture with three lines of with pink, blue, and green colors.

However, the giant fish balloon attack on the city caused chaos and panic among the citizens. And then the Powerpuff Girls came to the rescue, using their superpowers to defeat the fish balloon and restore peace to the city. In the office, Jerry decided to talk to his coworkers about three interesting little girls who saved the day with their extraordinary abilities. At night, Jerry's wife, Sally, asked him about the events that occurred at work. Jerry showed the picture of the three little girls to Sally, and he had to be careful not to reveal their secret identities.

Meanwhile, the Powerpuff Girls are ready to race each other in Chicago and see the baseball field, and they've decided to play each other after the race is over. Then Bubbles won, and Blossom and Buttercup cheered for her victory, but nobody was there on the baseball field, and they were sad, worried, and alone. However, the Powerpuff Girls decided to fly around the baseball field, but they were charged into electric power lines and electrocuted. They cause an explosion that makes all electricity go out in the entire town, and they decide to run away to avoid the consequences of their actions.

At night, Jerry woke up and heard alarms sound from every corner of the town. He checked the laptop to see what had caused the explosion and showed three little girls flying away from the scene, giggling mischievously. The Next Day, Jerry's wife had to go on vacation without him. Then Jerry had to check the security footage to find out who the three little girls were. On the baseball field, a villainous scientist who is determined to destroy the Powerpuff Girls is Dr. Moody. She has been seen in security footage causing an explosion at the baseball field. Then she decided to called all the governments around the world and demand their surrender.

Then the Powerpuff Girls fly quickly to hide from Dr. Moody and protect the world from her destructive plans. They're hiding in Jerry's house, and Jerry needs to figure out who's interested in the three little girls. He heard a noise coming from the basement. He has the umbrella in his hand, ready to defend himself if necessary. He noticed that the Powerpuff Girls were the ones making the noise. Jerry screams and runs out through the basement, but The Powerpuff Girls follow him. Jerry hid under the table and spoke to himself about who those three little girls were. Then The Powerpuff Girls scare him and stop chasing. Jerry asked them who they were and what they wanted from him.

The Powerpuff Girls need to help Jerry hide from the villains and stay safe. Then Jerry makes The Powerpuff Girls hide in his empty room. But Dr. Moody walked through his house and asked him, Have you seen three little girls in his house? Jerry told her that there were no flying girls at his house. But Dr. Moody, thinking he looks suspicious, decides to search his house further. After they're searching the entire house, Dr. Moody thinks that she's going to check an empty room, but Jerry stops her because he says that there's a giant spider in there. But Dr. Moody doesn't believe him and decides to check the room anyway. Dr. Moody began to walk away, but before she walked away, she saw something dropped on the floor, but it's not water; it's Chemical X. Dr. Moody asked him what he was doing with Chemical X. But he has no idea what Chemical X is or how it ended up on the floor.

Dr. Moody will give him one last chance before he is about to be blasted by her drone, and she will give him five seconds to explain himself. When she counted, she noticed the Powerpuff Girls were standing right behind him. She screamed and fainted from the shock. Jerry and The Powerpuff Girls decided to get out of his house as quickly as possible and drove away from Chicago. Dr. Moody get up and having new plan to capture the Powerpuff Girls and take over the city.

On the road, Jerry and The Powerpuff Girls were talking about introducing themselves. Jerry decided to make the Powerpuff Girls fly away because he didn't want to get himself into trouble. But the Powerpuff Girls begged him to let them stay and help him. Jerry believed them and agreed to let the Powerpuff Girls stay and help him. At the restaurant, they quickly put on their disguises and joined Jerry at the table. And pretended to be normal customers. But the restaurant'spersons being mean to them but their plan did not work as they unknowingly revealed their true identities. But Bubbles decided dancing to them would make everyone dance along, and Jerry, Blossom, and Buttercup decided to join in, creating a fun and memorable night for everyone.

At the hotel, Jerry and The Powerpuff Girls enjoyed a well-deserved rest after their exciting dance performance. The Powerpuff Girls began sleeping on their beds while Jerry lay on the couch, snoring softly. The Next Day, Jerry and The Powerpuff Girls were driving on his truck, but Dr. Moody's robot was chasing after them. The Powerpuff Girls began to use their powers and fight her robot to protect Jerry and themselves. But Dr. Moody decided to throw the small robot into the Powerpuff Girls and cause them to explode. The explosion sent the Powerpuff Girls flying through the air. Jerry walks through the Powerpuff Girls to wake them up and carries them through Sally's house.

Dr. Moody started to get frustrated, and she saw Chemical X dropped on the floor. She has an evil plan to destroy the Powerpuff Girls; she decided to create her airship using Chemical X as the main power source. Jerry explained to Sally what's going on in Chicago. Sally decided to help Jerry with his mission. But the Powerpuff Girls can't do it because they give up on being superheroes, and they've decided to quit being superheroes. But Jerry explained to them that they couldn't quit being superheroes and that they had to do this for the sake of protecting the city and its people.

But the airship appeared to have Dr. Moody riding on it in her flight suit. The Powerpuff Girls began to fight the airship, but Dr. Moody pressed the button to make it release a powerful blast that caused severe damage and chaos in the city and among its people. So The Powerpuff Girls decided to chase around the city. At almost midnight, the Powerpuff Girls flew up through the building, but Dr. Moody found them and blasted into them, destroying their buildings. The Powerpuff Girls fall into the road and can't fly or get up. The airship floating into the road and notice that The Powerpuff Girls lied on the road.

Dr. Moody Evil laughed, and she explained that they couldn't defeat her because she had taken away their powers. She asked them for any last words before she blasted them, but Jerry stopped her and explained that those were his sisters and he wouldn't let anyone harm them. At Jerry's speech, the Powerpuff Girls fly up through electric wires and confront her, ready to reclaim their powers. However, Dr. Moody is ready to blast them with her airship equipped with powerful weapons. The Powerpuff Girls dodge the blasts and quickly strategize their next move. The Powerpuff Girls punch, kick, and slam her airship until it almost crashes. The Powerpuff Girls began to kick her airship out of the sky, determined to bring an end to her villainous reign once and for all.

All people cheering for the Powerpuff Girls and celebrating their heroic actions Jerry decided to make the Powerpuff Girls stay in this city forever. The next day, Jerry and Sally create a new room for the Powerpuff Girls in their own house. They're excited and fly through the ending heart shaped doorway, ready to start their new adventures together.

Characters

Heros

Blossom Utonium, the leader of the Powerpuff Girls, is known for her intelligence and strategic thinking. She possesses the ability to freeze objects with her ice breath and is always ready to come up with a plan to save the day. Alongside her sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup, Blossom fights against villains to protect the city of Townsville from any threats that may arise.
Bubbles Utonium, the middle sister, is known for her bubbly personality and her ability to communicate with animals. She has the power to create sonic blasts with her voice, which she often uses to defeat enemies. Despite her sweet demeanor, Bubbles is a fierce fighter and will do whatever it takes to keep Townsville safe.
Buttercup Utonium, the toughest of the trio, is known for her super strength and aggressive nature. She has a short temper and often relies on brute force to defeat villains. However, beneath her tough exterior, Buttercup is fiercely loyal to her sisters and will always have their backs in times of trouble. Together, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup make an unstoppable team that the citizens of Townsville can always rely on for protection.
Drake von Hardenberg, the reporter of the Townsville Gazette, quits his job, becoming a shrief in Townsville and a father figure to the Powerpuff Girls after Professor Utonium was gone a few years ago. Drake is a compassionate and wise mentor, providing guidance and support to the girls as they navigate their superhero duties and the challenges of growing up. With his guidance, the Powerpuff Girls continue to thrive and protect Townsville with their unique blend of strength, intelligence, and kindness. He helped them to stop Moody.
Milly Hardenberg, Drake's wife, also plays a significant role in the girls' lives, offering them a nurturing and loving presence that complements Drake's mentorship. Together, Drake and Milly create a strong support system for the Powerpuff Girls, ensuring they have both emotional and practical guidance as they face the ever-present threats to their beloved city. Milly and Drake help them stop Moody.
Professor Utonium is the creator of The Powerpuff Girls, and he wants them to go to Earth and protect it from evil.

Neutral:

Commander Johnny, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, orders Dr. Moody to investigate the power outage caused by the Powerpuff Girls.
Air Force Chief of Staff
Army Chief of Staff
Navy Chief of Staff
Secretary of Homeland Security

Villains:

Dr. Moody is a brilliant robotics expert and mad scientist who works with the American government, covets the Powerpuff Girls' abilities, and plans to exploit them for personal gain, leading her to become the Powerpuff Girls' archenemy.
Agent Jo is a government monkey agent who works for Dr. Moody.

Other:

Billy Fernadez is a dim-witted deputy shrieff in Townsville and Drake's closest friend.
Aubriella Nelson, Milly's older sister, dislikes Drake and frequently attempts to encourage Milly to leave him.Groups:

Badnixs, the robotic drones created by Dr. Moody.
The Powerpuff Girls

Locations:

Earth
Mushroom World
Townsville

Items:

Ice Breath refers to the ability of the Powerpuff Girls to exhale freezing gusts of air. This power allows them to freeze objects and enemies, providing them with a tactical advantage in battle. The Ice Breath is one of their most formidable abilities, capable of immobilizing even the strongest opponents.
Sonic Scream refers to the unique superpowers possessed by the Powerpuff Girls. These abilities allow them to freeze objects with their breath and emit powerful sonic waves with their screams.
Electric power refers to an extraordinary ability possessed by one of the Powerpuff Girls. The color electrics are Blossom, the pink electric, Bubbles, the blue electric, and Buttercup, the green electric.
Heart Rings refers specifically to creating portals that are used to travel between different dimensions. These rings are worn by the Powerpuff Girls and allow them to access various worlds and locations.

Attack Moves:

Punch
Kick
Smack
Eyes Laser
Flying

Cast

Main cast

James Marsden as Drake, the reporter Townsville who became a father figure to The Powerpuff Girls and aids them in his quest to stop Moody.
Hailee Steinfeld as Dr. Moody, a brilliant robotics expert and mad scientist who works with the American government, covets Powerpuff Girls' and plans to exploit them for personal gain, leading her to become Powerpuff Girls' archenemy.
Selena Gomez as Sally, Jerry's wife and a key member of the Powerpuff Girls team.
Dylan O'Brien as Tom, Jerry's friend.

Voice cast

Millie Bobby Brown as Blossom Utonium, the self-proclaimed leader of the Powerpuff Girls. Her personality ingredient is "everything nice", her signature color is pink, and she has long red-orange hair with a red bow.
Kiernan Shipka as Bubbles Utonium, the "softest and sweetest" of the three. Her signature color is blue, her personality ingredient is "sugar", and she has blonde hair in pigtails.
Sadie Sink as Buttercup Utonium, who is described as a "tough hotheaded tomboy". Her personality ingredient is "spice", her signature color is green, and she has short black hair in a flip. She loves to get dirty, fights hard and plays rough; she does not plan and is all action.

Production

Development

In 2004, a remake film was announced by Warner Bros. Entertainment Chairman Barry Meyer. More later.

Animation

The live-action/CGI animation has been handled by some of the industry's top talent, including director Genndy Tartakovsky and writer Craig McCracken. The film promises to deliver a fresh take on the beloved characters Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as they navigate the challenges of growing up and facing new foes. Fans can expect to see stunning visuals and action-packed sequences that will keep them on the edge of their seats. The Powerpuff Girls movie is also set to feature an all-star cast, with A-list actors lending their voices to bring the iconic characters to life. From its catchy theme song to its empowering message, this film is sure to capture the hearts of both longtime fans and newcomers alike.

The CGI animation was handled by Dallas-based animation studio Reel FX Animation Studios, with additional CGI work by Mikros Image, with the main work handled in Paris, and additional work handled in Montreal, Canada. 2D animation was used in certain shots, with animation done by Mercury Filmworks and Munich Animation.

Casting

On July 19, 2023, Amanda Leighton was cast as Blossom; James Marsden was cast as Professor Utonium; and Hailee Steinfeld was cast as the new villain, Dr. Moody. This was followed by the casting announcements of Kristen Li and Natalie Palamides. And live action will be starred by James Marsden and Hailee Steinfeld. In the roles of Professor Utonium and Dr. Moody, respectively, Amanda Leighton will portray the iconic character of Blossom. The casting announcements of Kristen Li and Natalie Palamides have also generated excitement among fans of the beloved animated series. With a talented cast in place, fans are eagerly anticipating the release of this live-action adaptation in 2023. It remains to be seen how closely the film will follow the original storyline, but with such a strong cast, it's sure to be a hit with both longtime fans and newcomers alike. As we wait for more updates on this exciting project, one thing is for certain: the Powerpuff Girls are set to make a triumphant return to screens everywhere in just a few short years.

Release

Originally scheduled for release on June 16, 2023, The Powerpuff Girls was shifted back to April 2024 in order to avoid competition with Disney and Pixar. The film's official premiere was held at the El Capitan Theatre on April 2, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures on April 12, 2024 in 2D, 3D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D, 4DX and Dolby Cinema formats. It was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for "rude humor, peril, and thematic elements".

Reception

Box office

Fans eagerly awaited the film’s release, which was set for April 12th, 2024. The movie was highly anticipated due to its star-studded cast and cutting-edge special effects. The film’s plot revolved around a group of astronauts who were sent on a mission to explore a distant planet. However, things quickly went awry when they discovered that the planet was inhabited by hostile alien life forms. The action-packed film kept audiences on the edge of their seats with its thrilling chase scenes and heart-pumping battles. Viewers were treated to a visual feast with the film’s stunning cinematography and breathtaking CGI effects. Overall, the movie was a massive success, grossing over $1 billion at the box office and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Its success spawned several sequels and spin-offs, cementing its place in cinematic history as a true classic.

Critical response

The response to the film was overwhelmingly positive, with praise for its groundbreaking special effects and captivating storytelling. The film became a cultural phenomenon and continues to be celebrated by audiences worldwide. The film's success is a testament to its enduring impact and lasting legacy.