The Powerpuff Girls’ live-action series can prove a success if it follows The Umbrella Academy‘s formula. The CW announced the development of the live-action Powerpuff Girls show in early 2021, written to portray the iconic superheroines as disillusioned young women. The original Hanna-Barbera (later Cartoon Network) series created by animator Craig McCracken followed Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup, three kindergarten-aged girls with superpowers, as they save the city of Townsville from monsters and criminals. The CW series will explore the girls’ lives in their 20s, so a few major changes are underway.
Since its announcement, the Powerpuff Girls series has hit some major roadblocks. The network initially rejected the pilot episode for being “too campy,” the script was leaked (and received an overwhelming amount of negative reviews), then the show lost Blossom actress Chloe Bennet due to scheduling conflicts. The main cast now comprises only Dove Cameron as Bubbles and Yana Perrault as Buttercup, with the actress playing Blossom still unknown. Of course, there is another potential issue with the show: reimagining a kids’ cartoon as a live-action show with the characters all grown up can fall victim to worn-out tropes. Live-action adaptations or cartoons or comics tend to gravitate toward the dark teenage drama genre, with shows like Fate: The Winx Saga or Riverdale exemplifying it best. The Powerpuff Girls can be a disaster if it stays confined to this trend.
One way the Powerpuff Girls show can avoid such a disaster is by following the Umbrella Academy formula, where the dysfunctional Hargreeves family is the center of the show’s focus, not their superpowers. The Umbrella Academy is based on Gerard Way’s graphic novel series and it follows a group of superhuman characters, who were are all adopted as children by Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) for special training to save the world. They reunite following Reginald’s death, but having to work together puts each of them in great psychological distress, as they are very distinct people who chose separate paths over the last years. This is precisely the type of scenario that would work for the Powerpuff Girls live-action series, as the girls reunite after a long time, and their differences are bound to interfere with whichever their current mission is.
The Umbrella Academy (which is returning for season 3 in mid-2022) offers a fresh perspective on comic-based live-action series, as the superheroes battling the villains is not the primary focus of the story. The Hargreeves children are complex characters, with backstories and relationships that sometimes end up overtaking the plot. The original Powerpuff Girls cartoon is similarly filled with complex characters with distinctive personalities, regardless of prominence or screen time. Moreover, every villain has the opportunity to redeem themselves: this is not a black-and-white good vs. evil show. It’s absolutely crucial that the CW show stays true to the cartoon and further develops the characters, especially the girls who are at least two decades older – and will therefore have backstories worth exploring.
Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup’s relationships will be rich grounds for exploration, considering the time the sisters had spent apart. The show’s producers should steer clear from oversimplifying themes like friendship, heroism, or loyalty. Dove Cameron gave a promising update on the new pilot, as the producers said they’re “very, very, very pleased” with the show so far. It will be interesting to see which direction they go with character development as well as the overall plot. In any case, The Umbrella Academy stands as a great model for the live-action Powerpuff Girls show focusing on a trio of disillusioned young women who used to be child superheroines.
