Iconic animated series from the late 90s and early 2000s, 26 episodes of “Powerpuff Girls” are coming to Netflix.
It was a flagship series on the American channel Cartoon Network and a few years later, in France, on France 3: Les Super Nanas. The adventures of Bulle, Belle and Rebelle have rocked an entire generation of viewers. Good news for those nostalgic for their childhood: the first two seasons are available now on Netflix.
Enough to immerse yourself in the beginnings of this supercharged series, with atypical animation, which told how three little girls, created in a laboratory, become superheroes for the city of Townsville and fight against the awful Mojo Jojo, a monkey looks amazing.
At the start of the 2000s, the success of Powerpuff Girls was such that a film adapted from the cartoon was released in cinemas. Years later, their impact on popular culture is still as strong as ever.
No one has forgotten this infernal trio to the point of even encouraging the CW channel to develop a live action adaptation – in real shots. But is it really possible to adapt a series like Powerpuff Girls with real actors? Nothing is less sure.
Production was launched, three adult actresses were cast – Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron and Yana Perrault – and the first episode was filmed. Problem: first photos of the heroines in costume leaked onto the Internet and there was tragedy.
Photos from the set of the abandoned series:
The mockery multiplied on the Web and in May 2021, the CW announced that it was abandoning development of the series. Thus, the pilot episode will not see any continuation and the actresses only have to return their costumes.
A few days after the cancellation, CW president Mark Pedowitz gave some explanations: “In tone, it was a little too kitsch. It wasn’t as grounded in reality as it should have been. But once again, you learn by doing. And in this specific case, it was better for us to step back and get back to work.”
Two years later, in May 2023, the information is official : there will be no Powerpuff Girls series. For those disappointed, it is always possible to fall back on the cult cartoon.
Powerpuff Girls is available on Netflix.