Word: powerpuff
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Dates: during 2001-2001
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...Pony) or repurpose sitcom characters (The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang). Today cartoons have undergone a renaissance, as kids' channels such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have given their animators the freedom of auteurs. Smarter and more idiosyncratic, these animators have created shows like Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls that have become not just hits but cultural icons. "It harkens back to the old days at Warner Bros., when guys were creating Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, and they had free rein," says Powerpuff creator Craig McCracken. There's still plenty of toy-driven junk, particularly...
Even good TV animation today is about doing more with less: less movement, less texture, less detail, as in the minimalist Powerpuff Girls, with its static figures "flying" against a pulsing background. If Samurai Jack (Cartoon Network, debuts Aug. 10, 7 p.m. E.T., then Mondays, 8 p.m. E.T.) looks like no other cartoon on TV, that's because it's maximalist with a capital MAX. Richly textured backgrounds, constant visual surprises, a thrilling music score--this 'toon gives you your cable bill's worth...
...always--kicking and thinking and winking at both the old notion of femininity and the aging precepts of feminism. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (in her fifth season on the WB) saves her classmates from Evil, when she's not cracking a book or a joke. The Cartoon Network's Powerpuff Girls, "the most elite kindergarten crime-fighting force ever assembled," protect Townsville with their magical powers. Max, the bionic babe on Fox's Dark Angel, occasionally lets a mere man help her save the world, after which she suavely extracts herself from his adoration. "What's the plan?" asks...
...attributes were once the prerogative of heroic males: a gravity, a radiating inner ache; a past and a quest. She's lonely on top, flirting with potential mates but searching for a mother. In this sense she is a big sullen sister to Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, the Powerpuff Girls. They too are the spawn of a biological experiment. (They also levitate, like the Tiger women.) And though the show is perky, and its pace frenetic, the Girls carry the burden of others' expectation. When things go wrong, the Townsville adults chant, "Your fault! Your fault!" There is a poignancy...
...McCracken, the show's creator. "The juxtaposition of their being really cute and really strong seemed more interesting than if they had been muscley guys. People are starting to accept that girls are cool, and girlie things are cool." Schamus, who has daughters ages 4 and 8, thinks the Powerpuff Girls offer positive action role models: "My daughters are provided with more tools to gain confidence in the mastery of their own lives...