The Powerpuff Girls – Relaunched and recast
This week saw the first look at the upcoming reboot of The Powerpuff Girls, revealed at a Cartoon Network Enterprises industry trade show event as being set to launch in 2016. The announcement was accompanied by the first promotional images of the show’s reimagining.
The Powerpuff Girls (IMAGE: Cartoon Network)
While not boasting as wildly disparate a design style as last year’s one-off CG outing Dance Pantsed, based on these images some revisions appear to have been made to the colour palette and line style.
The series’ original creator Craig McCracken is not involved in this reboot, with Emmy-winner Nick Jennings sharing Executive Producer duties with Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! creator Bob Boyle. Amongst the returning talents are Tom Kenny and, reportedly, Roger L. Jackson, reprising their roles as the Townsville Mayor and the villainous Mojo Jojo respectively.
I don’t remember ordering a stab in the heart today https://t.co/wmomYvtCDG
— tara strong (@tarastrong) June 8, 2015
Owie! Rt in the kisser ! Hurts 😥Xxeg https://t.co/nq9xQQOvUs — RealEGDaily (@RealEGDaily) June 8, 2015
A bone of contention amongst some fans however has been the inscrutable decision to replace the voice talents behind the original Powerpuff Girls themselves. Back in March veteran performer Tara Strong (voice of the original Bubbles) revealed in a Twitter exchange that the main cast had been replaced, further elaborating this week that she and her two co-stars Cathy Cavadini (Blossom) and E.G. Daily (Buttercup) had not even been approached.
I have NO ILL FEELINGS 4 the actresses in the new #ppg, We were just beyond hurt we were NEVER asked..every role I breathe life into I love
— tara strong (@tarastrong) June 9, 2015
It’s a decision that seems at odds with retaining the voices of the supporting cast, cited by Cavadini as a “creative choice” that supporters of the original show have voiced some bafflement and displeasure at with the official announcement.
Endeavoring to fill the plucky trio’s shoes and win the crowd over for the 2016 reboot are Natalie Palamides (Buttercup), Kristen Li (Bubbles) and Amanda Leighton (Blossom) introduced by Cartoon Network via a series of Vine videos last night.
The new cast (IMAGE: Cartoon Network)
The retooled series will be accompanied by what looks to be a fairly broad array of licensed merchandise, helmed by Spin Master Ltd. (for toys and playsets), Disguise Inc (costumes and accessories) and Penguin Young Readers Group (tie-in literature).
What do you think of the new direction? Get in touch over Twitter or in the comments below to let us know!
You can read more about the original Powerpuff Girls series in our Retro Ranting: The Powerpuff Girls feature.