The special thing.
I saw the thing. I saw the thing five times.
Okay, that's misleading. I sat down and actually watched the thing two of those five times all the way through. The other three times it was playing in the background while I bustled about doing other things.
I really like the thing. After multiple viewings, I daresay I... love? The thing?
And referring to it as “The thing” is sending the wrong message. I really, genuinely, truly enjoyed it. I made my tea this morning, sat next to my sleeping SO, booted up the telly, and strapped in to see what they could do. And frankly, I think they did a really, really great job.
I've been noting various things all day as they come to me, so now, presented in no particular order, are some thoughts about The Powerpuff Girls Special: Dance Pantsed. 99% of these thoughts were jotted down prior to actually talking to any fellow fans about it (rest assured that busterella and I spammed the shit out of each other today), so I'm sorry if you've heard some of this stuff ad nauseum from other internet folks!
+ The voice acting was SO GREAT. There was so much energy in their delivery and it was clear the actors were having a lot of fun in the booth! I was surprised at how easily they slipped into the characters; the only one that stood out to me as being a little off his game was Tom Kenny's Narrator. The timbre of his voice felt different and not quite as “up” as in the original. It hardly detracted, though. (The SO felt differently about the voices; he thought Tom Kane was spot-on and Tom Kenny and Roger L. Jackson struggled with getting the character back.) I do think their delivery-particularly in the beginning, and particularly with the girls-was a little rushed. I feel like that may be the fault of the script, since they were cramming so many jokes into 22 minutes and also seemed really determined to HIT ALL THOSE JOKES, that just resulted in a lot of characters feeling like they were on speed for the first four minutes of the show. (But more on the script later!) Oh, the GIRLS. The girls! Tara Strong was the obvious star; I don't know how much of it has to do with her keeping much busier in the voice acting world than the other ladies, but she really nailed Bubbles' delivery, her timing, her character, etc. Gold stars all around. E.G. Daily had the right attitude but didn't seem to slip into Buttercup's voice as easily-busterella did note that she sounded more like Fusionfall!Buttercup, so I expect it comes down to having spent so long away from the character. Cathy Cavadini had SO MUCH ENERGY, WOW. It's a shame the special didn't give her much opportunity to showcase her acting (I've stated before that I think Ms. Cavadini is the strongest when it comes to acting and character nuance), but it's such a joy to hear Blossom's voice and spirit still there. Ugh, God, I love these women ♥
+ The comedy in the show felt very much in Dave Smith's style, and I admit I am referring specifically to the his work in BRDAE. So much of the comedy was sister-oriented, and fuck, guys, you know I eat that shit up. The bickering, the back and forth, the snarking! BRDAE is my favorite ep, and I was really struck by how much the stuff between the girls themselves in this special felt like it was totally in the spirit of BRDAE. Great fucking work.
+ Every time I hit a snag (which at this point... I've kinda forgotten most of them, tbh), like the big Dance Off, I stopped and asked myself, “Would this play out in the 2D version?” And the answer was almost always YES. In fact, I'm hard pressed to recall anything that I strongly feel would not work in the series' original run.
+ Full disclosure, when I watched the first preview released a week or so ago, I had a little trouble distinguishing the characters from the sets. I also had difficulty “keeping up” with everything in frame; it moved so fast! So I actually came away from the preview a little more cautious in my optimism. Well, the four minute mark made all the difference, because after that four minute mark, it felt fucking golden. The full special itself was also helped by the fact that I was watching it on a much larger screen and could appreciate the visuals more. Still love Kevin Dart's work; his lighting is fucking incredible. INCREDIBLE. (Personal high point for me was when Prof U was in his lab going through his “Dance Memories” (dedicated to MYSELF, God Prof U you're so precious) seriously check out the lighting in that shot it is like peering into GOD'S SOUL.)
+ Bubbles admittedly stole the show, but Buttercup got all the best lines. Easily. (“*fake cries* SO POWERFUL,” God Buttercup you amazing little bitch you ♥)
+ Oh! Blossom did strike me as a little immature in retrospect, but her character was not a 100% hardass in the original run, so her acting a little more like a five-year-old (the tantrum and the... well, for lack of a better word, overall shouty-ness) was not a huge hang up for me. She was still adorable and precious and her wonderful vulnerable self (HER FACE WHEN SHE FAILED THE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME, UGH MY HEART).
+ “I guess a real girl's gotta do this!” “Hm, then maybe I should've gone!” Okay I lied, Bubbles had some really fucking fantastic lines and that was easily her best.
+ Speaking of! Isn't it totally in Bubbles' character to be so on point with what is trendy and hip? Her selecting the game and the ease with which she mastered it is just SO HER. She's so much more socially adept than her sisters and quick to adapt and I know that's such a little thing and I'm reading too much into it, but shut up just let me have this okay?
+ While we're on the topic of the characters, something I have always loved about the characters on this show (and especially with regard to the girls and the Professor) is how big their range is in canon-one second they're funny, the next they're dramatic, then they're little badasses, then they're heartbreakingly vulnerable... I mean, one of the biggest strengths of the show is how broad they were willing to paint these characters; they were so flexible and I'm sure that was largely dictated by what the production needed the characters to do in order to make a story or a joke work, but the unintended (and great) effect of that was that the characters wound up feeling incredibly real and relatable despite literally being 2 dimensional. So even the more outlandish funny moments in this special never really felt out of place.
- Finally a negative! Okay to be perfectly honest on my first watch I was not crazy about the big dance off (with Prof U, the Mayor, and Ms. Bellum), but I tend to hate. Dance offs. Or random dancing of any kind, and at least this one was motivated by the plot. (For other things that were ruined for me with stupid random dancing, please see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Despicable Me, some other animated movie, probably a Dreamworks one, Jesus fuck why do kids looooove stupid random dance parties so fucking much they put one in everything it drives me fucking crazy) So, taking into consideration my bias against excessive nonsensical dancing and the fact that this stopped being an issue for me after my second viewing, it's only barely a negative. Also, damn, the Professor's got some moves. Why the fuck did he decide to go into the sprinkler for the big finale after he opened-opened-with fucking air flares? (I think they were air flares; I'd have to go back and check.) But seriously, nobody in their right fucking mind would do that in a proper dance off. (WATCH ME TAKE MY CARTOONS TOO SERIOUSLY. WATCH ME.)
+ Random dance thoughts: I think my bias against random dancing has lessened somewhat after spending so much time on the West coast. Like. Anybody who's aware of the West coast dance scene knows what I mean. (You can't throw a stone without hitting someone who's either in the scene or knows someone in the scene; it's that prevalent.) Also, just to tie it back to the special, the west coast influence has always permeated the show itself (practically everything about it indicates Townsville, USA is actually Los Angeles, CA, from the weather to the city to the traffic to the grocery stores to the mid-century modern architecture, and that's not even the tip of the iceberg, I could go on and on) and it was no different with the dancing; all the moves were very much West coast moves. (yssa, can you back me up here? :D)
+ It also randomly occurs to me that another thing I love about The Powerpuff Girls is how rich its text is. There's a lot of shows that do the pop culture reference thing, but The Powerpuff Girls (the earlier seasons in particular) has always felt like it actively rewards viewers who are pop culture sponges taken to 11-meaning viewers who are familiar with more than, say, the near-ubiquitous Star Wars reference. Hence “Meet the Beat-Alls,” hence the Lebowski shout-outs in “Something's A Ms.,” hence the tokusatsu tribute that is “Uh Oh D.Y.N.A.M.O.,” hence the Monty Python references scattered throughout the entire fucking series, etc., etc.
+ Oh my God I thought I would cringe as soon as the security guard at the zoo announced he was a krumping champion but I actually wound up laughing my ass off. I LOVED THAT JUXTAPOSITION, THIS SPOTTY GINGER IN A SECURITY GUARD'S UNIFORM KRUMPING, IT WAS COMEDIC GOLD. (Juxtaposing two elements that you wouldn't think would go together is kinda this show's forte, as well as THE ENTIRE REASON WHY IT EXISTS AND IS SO GREAT.)
+ I know a lot of people aren't into how frenetically paced it was but honestly it the energy level just felt like the 10th anniversary special amped up, and it evened out right after that four-minute mark so I never once felt like it wasn't echoing the spirit of the show. (When “The Powerpuff Girls Rule!” came out I recall McCracken saying that was how he had always wanted the show to be, and at that time people were definitely bitching about that special and how ~craaaaazy~ it was, sooo. Basically no one is happy, ever.)
+ More character talk! I really liked how they handled the Professor here for most of the ep. He was his same playful, adorkable self (oh my God when he goes to fetch his wallet! I am extremely prejudiced against using the word “moe” in any situation but fuck if I can't say that scene made me so fucking moe for the Prof, GOD THAT MAN). I do think his character kinda strayed a little into that weird territory of seasons 5 and 6 where he was almost completely useless most of the time, instead of being a mover and shaker in his own right and managing to hold his own even with the three extremely charismatic super-powered balls of adorable amazingness that were his daughters... but only a little. Oh Professor, never change.
+ That said, character animation! I think the CG models looked fantastic, but Prof U definitely had the most trouble expressing-his face animation tended to look a little off and awkward on his tube-shaped head. On the flip side, it worked superbly with the girls and Mojo. Actually, Mojo probably looked the best. I could watch that CG monkey laugh maniacally all day; that was some really great animation there.
+ Overall (by now you've probably realized this is is no particular order here, just roll with me) I thought the episode was as strong as one of the really good eps from the series' original run without being fantastic. It gets brownie points for making a challenging art style work IN CG NO LESS, as well as being light years ahead narrative-wise when compared to the majority of seasons 5 and 6. (I am never going to purge the shitstorm that was “Aspirations” and “West in Pieces” from my brain. NEVER. And that is a miserable, terrible thing.)
- There was a super weird and awkward cut from Buttercup to the Professor when they were at the table and she didn't want to eat her broccolini. Like. What was going on there? I'm no editor, but damned if that wasn't a clunky ass cut.
+ “Yeah, this is a lot of fun.” BUTTERCUP I LOVE YOU.
+/- I thought the show's composition was lovely looking, but not its strong point. There were a lot of angles that I felt were kinda boring (Professor U crying on the ground comes to mind), though never actively terrible. However, I can't hold that against the special. It's at a pretty significant disadvantage, taking into consideration that McCracken has FUCKING EXEMPLARY COMPOSITION.
+ I dare you to watch what happens at 3:45 and tell me that Bubbles isn't being the cutest damn fucking thing you ever fucking saw, fuck she's so adorable FUCK
- I felt a distinct lack of the sfx that were used to such great (and comedically excessive) effect in the original. Don't get me wrong, I still heard quite a few in the special, but in the original run the sfx were usually a big part of the comedic beats-big meaning that I would have a very distinct memory of them even after the show was over-and I couldn't call any to mind after viewing the special. Maybe that aspect of the sound design is something McCracken had a particular gift for.
+ The CG was used to great effect in any OTS/POV shots (e.g., Professor retrieving his wallet, Buttercup flying home, Professor driving (and parallel parking, omg) his car) and wider shots (e.g., Buttercup shooting through the Earth's core all the way to China). I'm not convinced those shots would've played as well or as smoothly in 2D, so those camera choices there were really smart moves.
- I was disappointed that we didn't get to see a really good CG action shot, as that's one of my favorite aspects of the Randy Cunningham opening that Kevin Dart did, but even in the original show the really outstanding episodes generally were either solely action-oriented or solely comedic, rarely both (with the exception of “Three Girls and a Monster”). So that's a small beef.
+/- Jesus fucking Christ this is getting long.
+ I found a lot of the “written” jokes super entertaining, on par with their best “written” episodes (BRDAE, “Him Diddle Riddle” (both suspiciously done by Dave Smith as well, hmm), “Powerprof”), and those that could've been clunkers were sold by the girls' outstanding acting, as always.
+ Fibonacci Sequins watering his garden has to be one of the best visual puns I've seen in a long time.
+ MS. BELLUM'S DIAMOND-CHIPPING ABS
+/- Speaking of jokes! I thought the visual gags on the whole were not as strong as the written jokes, but there are still some really great ones. Personal faves included Mojo continually popping out around the girls' home to laugh maniacally and wax evil poetic, Bellum's face covered by a convenient streetlight (this gag never gets old for me), Blossom going wall-eyed oh God what a great and hilarious visual more please
- “Phat beats for your fat heads” is the one written joke that really, really does not work for me.
+ I really enjoyed Mojo's hilarious enthusiasm for his (not-so?) evil scheme. It was well-acted and funny, and played for great comedic effect. Something I think the fandom is too fond of doing (and I am not exempting myself from this) is turning Mojo into this serious-face, tortured villain, which, yes! He does have the potential to be that! But I feel like that portrayal is much more common in fandom, and we rarely seem to recognize/take advantage of the fact that he is also an incredibly hilarious comic villain, easily the best one in the show. (Oh, fandom. You and your missed opportunities.)
- Aww, I really missed the girls' pink room.
- Also yes, not sure what was up with Bubbles getting the ice powers. At first I thought maybe it was a goof, but then she did it multiple times, so it was clearly a deliberate creative choice. The only reason I can think of is they wanted to keep the tradition of Blossom delivering the final blow, and everybody who's written a superhero scene involving ice powers knows that short of stabbing/impaling someone, ice powers do not deliver the finishing blow. (And freezing someone/something doesn't count, because it's usually a setup for that person to melt later and return for DRAMA!CAKES.) At the same time a lot of people are getting their panties in a twist over it-like, not just Well wtf, that's weird and dumb, but like This has ruined everything forever how fucking dare they HOW DARE THEY WHINGE WHINGE WHINGE. As a diehard PpG fan, I see where it's coming from, but as an adult... maybe... fucking... grow up? And find a way to move on? Somehow? With your life? Perhaps?
+/- I hope that doesn't bite me in the ass later
+/- Also never have I felt more blessed to NOT HAVE A TUMBLR
+/- Because stepping into that tag right now is like descending to the 7th layer of Hell via the shit-caked plumbing and you can bet your fucking ass I'm not going anywhere near that toilet for another couple of weeks
+ Finally, if that scene of Buttercup putting onion goggles on the Professor followed by them both saying “Protection!” is paying homage to the infamous condom joke from “Mommy Fearest,” then Dave Smith is a fucking genius of comedic subtlety and he deserves every God damn dollar I can afford to throw at him.
Well! Those are my long-winded thoughts! (Some of them. Did I ever actually talk about the script? Fuck, whatever.) What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? I must know.
(Also it seems people are totes up for a PpG chat come Super Bowl Sunday, so I'll start looking into setting it up! You guys rock.)
Originally posted at http://essbeejay.dreamwidth.org/111052.html.
Okay, that's misleading. I sat down and actually watched the thing two of those five times all the way through. The other three times it was playing in the background while I bustled about doing other things.
I really like the thing. After multiple viewings, I daresay I... love? The thing?
And referring to it as “The thing” is sending the wrong message. I really, genuinely, truly enjoyed it. I made my tea this morning, sat next to my sleeping SO, booted up the telly, and strapped in to see what they could do. And frankly, I think they did a really, really great job.
I've been noting various things all day as they come to me, so now, presented in no particular order, are some thoughts about The Powerpuff Girls Special: Dance Pantsed. 99% of these thoughts were jotted down prior to actually talking to any fellow fans about it (rest assured that busterella and I spammed the shit out of each other today), so I'm sorry if you've heard some of this stuff ad nauseum from other internet folks!
+ The voice acting was SO GREAT. There was so much energy in their delivery and it was clear the actors were having a lot of fun in the booth! I was surprised at how easily they slipped into the characters; the only one that stood out to me as being a little off his game was Tom Kenny's Narrator. The timbre of his voice felt different and not quite as “up” as in the original. It hardly detracted, though. (The SO felt differently about the voices; he thought Tom Kane was spot-on and Tom Kenny and Roger L. Jackson struggled with getting the character back.) I do think their delivery-particularly in the beginning, and particularly with the girls-was a little rushed. I feel like that may be the fault of the script, since they were cramming so many jokes into 22 minutes and also seemed really determined to HIT ALL THOSE JOKES, that just resulted in a lot of characters feeling like they were on speed for the first four minutes of the show. (But more on the script later!) Oh, the GIRLS. The girls! Tara Strong was the obvious star; I don't know how much of it has to do with her keeping much busier in the voice acting world than the other ladies, but she really nailed Bubbles' delivery, her timing, her character, etc. Gold stars all around. E.G. Daily had the right attitude but didn't seem to slip into Buttercup's voice as easily-busterella did note that she sounded more like Fusionfall!Buttercup, so I expect it comes down to having spent so long away from the character. Cathy Cavadini had SO MUCH ENERGY, WOW. It's a shame the special didn't give her much opportunity to showcase her acting (I've stated before that I think Ms. Cavadini is the strongest when it comes to acting and character nuance), but it's such a joy to hear Blossom's voice and spirit still there. Ugh, God, I love these women ♥
+ The comedy in the show felt very much in Dave Smith's style, and I admit I am referring specifically to the his work in BRDAE. So much of the comedy was sister-oriented, and fuck, guys, you know I eat that shit up. The bickering, the back and forth, the snarking! BRDAE is my favorite ep, and I was really struck by how much the stuff between the girls themselves in this special felt like it was totally in the spirit of BRDAE. Great fucking work.
+ Every time I hit a snag (which at this point... I've kinda forgotten most of them, tbh), like the big Dance Off, I stopped and asked myself, “Would this play out in the 2D version?” And the answer was almost always YES. In fact, I'm hard pressed to recall anything that I strongly feel would not work in the series' original run.
+ Full disclosure, when I watched the first preview released a week or so ago, I had a little trouble distinguishing the characters from the sets. I also had difficulty “keeping up” with everything in frame; it moved so fast! So I actually came away from the preview a little more cautious in my optimism. Well, the four minute mark made all the difference, because after that four minute mark, it felt fucking golden. The full special itself was also helped by the fact that I was watching it on a much larger screen and could appreciate the visuals more. Still love Kevin Dart's work; his lighting is fucking incredible. INCREDIBLE. (Personal high point for me was when Prof U was in his lab going through his “Dance Memories” (dedicated to MYSELF, God Prof U you're so precious) seriously check out the lighting in that shot it is like peering into GOD'S SOUL.)
+ Bubbles admittedly stole the show, but Buttercup got all the best lines. Easily. (“*fake cries* SO POWERFUL,” God Buttercup you amazing little bitch you ♥)
+ Oh! Blossom did strike me as a little immature in retrospect, but her character was not a 100% hardass in the original run, so her acting a little more like a five-year-old (the tantrum and the... well, for lack of a better word, overall shouty-ness) was not a huge hang up for me. She was still adorable and precious and her wonderful vulnerable self (HER FACE WHEN SHE FAILED THE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME, UGH MY HEART).
+ “I guess a real girl's gotta do this!” “Hm, then maybe I should've gone!” Okay I lied, Bubbles had some really fucking fantastic lines and that was easily her best.
+ Speaking of! Isn't it totally in Bubbles' character to be so on point with what is trendy and hip? Her selecting the game and the ease with which she mastered it is just SO HER. She's so much more socially adept than her sisters and quick to adapt and I know that's such a little thing and I'm reading too much into it, but shut up just let me have this okay?
+ While we're on the topic of the characters, something I have always loved about the characters on this show (and especially with regard to the girls and the Professor) is how big their range is in canon-one second they're funny, the next they're dramatic, then they're little badasses, then they're heartbreakingly vulnerable... I mean, one of the biggest strengths of the show is how broad they were willing to paint these characters; they were so flexible and I'm sure that was largely dictated by what the production needed the characters to do in order to make a story or a joke work, but the unintended (and great) effect of that was that the characters wound up feeling incredibly real and relatable despite literally being 2 dimensional. So even the more outlandish funny moments in this special never really felt out of place.
- Finally a negative! Okay to be perfectly honest on my first watch I was not crazy about the big dance off (with Prof U, the Mayor, and Ms. Bellum), but I tend to hate. Dance offs. Or random dancing of any kind, and at least this one was motivated by the plot. (For other things that were ruined for me with stupid random dancing, please see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, Despicable Me, some other animated movie, probably a Dreamworks one, Jesus fuck why do kids looooove stupid random dance parties so fucking much they put one in everything it drives me fucking crazy) So, taking into consideration my bias against excessive nonsensical dancing and the fact that this stopped being an issue for me after my second viewing, it's only barely a negative. Also, damn, the Professor's got some moves. Why the fuck did he decide to go into the sprinkler for the big finale after he opened-opened-with fucking air flares? (I think they were air flares; I'd have to go back and check.) But seriously, nobody in their right fucking mind would do that in a proper dance off. (WATCH ME TAKE MY CARTOONS TOO SERIOUSLY. WATCH ME.)
+ Random dance thoughts: I think my bias against random dancing has lessened somewhat after spending so much time on the West coast. Like. Anybody who's aware of the West coast dance scene knows what I mean. (You can't throw a stone without hitting someone who's either in the scene or knows someone in the scene; it's that prevalent.) Also, just to tie it back to the special, the west coast influence has always permeated the show itself (practically everything about it indicates Townsville, USA is actually Los Angeles, CA, from the weather to the city to the traffic to the grocery stores to the mid-century modern architecture, and that's not even the tip of the iceberg, I could go on and on) and it was no different with the dancing; all the moves were very much West coast moves. (yssa, can you back me up here? :D)
+ It also randomly occurs to me that another thing I love about The Powerpuff Girls is how rich its text is. There's a lot of shows that do the pop culture reference thing, but The Powerpuff Girls (the earlier seasons in particular) has always felt like it actively rewards viewers who are pop culture sponges taken to 11-meaning viewers who are familiar with more than, say, the near-ubiquitous Star Wars reference. Hence “Meet the Beat-Alls,” hence the Lebowski shout-outs in “Something's A Ms.,” hence the tokusatsu tribute that is “Uh Oh D.Y.N.A.M.O.,” hence the Monty Python references scattered throughout the entire fucking series, etc., etc.
+ Oh my God I thought I would cringe as soon as the security guard at the zoo announced he was a krumping champion but I actually wound up laughing my ass off. I LOVED THAT JUXTAPOSITION, THIS SPOTTY GINGER IN A SECURITY GUARD'S UNIFORM KRUMPING, IT WAS COMEDIC GOLD. (Juxtaposing two elements that you wouldn't think would go together is kinda this show's forte, as well as THE ENTIRE REASON WHY IT EXISTS AND IS SO GREAT.)
+ I know a lot of people aren't into how frenetically paced it was but honestly it the energy level just felt like the 10th anniversary special amped up, and it evened out right after that four-minute mark so I never once felt like it wasn't echoing the spirit of the show. (When “The Powerpuff Girls Rule!” came out I recall McCracken saying that was how he had always wanted the show to be, and at that time people were definitely bitching about that special and how ~craaaaazy~ it was, sooo. Basically no one is happy, ever.)
+ More character talk! I really liked how they handled the Professor here for most of the ep. He was his same playful, adorkable self (oh my God when he goes to fetch his wallet! I am extremely prejudiced against using the word “moe” in any situation but fuck if I can't say that scene made me so fucking moe for the Prof, GOD THAT MAN). I do think his character kinda strayed a little into that weird territory of seasons 5 and 6 where he was almost completely useless most of the time, instead of being a mover and shaker in his own right and managing to hold his own even with the three extremely charismatic super-powered balls of adorable amazingness that were his daughters... but only a little. Oh Professor, never change.
+ That said, character animation! I think the CG models looked fantastic, but Prof U definitely had the most trouble expressing-his face animation tended to look a little off and awkward on his tube-shaped head. On the flip side, it worked superbly with the girls and Mojo. Actually, Mojo probably looked the best. I could watch that CG monkey laugh maniacally all day; that was some really great animation there.
+ Overall (by now you've probably realized this is is no particular order here, just roll with me) I thought the episode was as strong as one of the really good eps from the series' original run without being fantastic. It gets brownie points for making a challenging art style work IN CG NO LESS, as well as being light years ahead narrative-wise when compared to the majority of seasons 5 and 6. (I am never going to purge the shitstorm that was “Aspirations” and “West in Pieces” from my brain. NEVER. And that is a miserable, terrible thing.)
- There was a super weird and awkward cut from Buttercup to the Professor when they were at the table and she didn't want to eat her broccolini. Like. What was going on there? I'm no editor, but damned if that wasn't a clunky ass cut.
+ “Yeah, this is a lot of fun.” BUTTERCUP I LOVE YOU.
+/- I thought the show's composition was lovely looking, but not its strong point. There were a lot of angles that I felt were kinda boring (Professor U crying on the ground comes to mind), though never actively terrible. However, I can't hold that against the special. It's at a pretty significant disadvantage, taking into consideration that McCracken has FUCKING EXEMPLARY COMPOSITION.
+ I dare you to watch what happens at 3:45 and tell me that Bubbles isn't being the cutest damn fucking thing you ever fucking saw, fuck she's so adorable FUCK
- I felt a distinct lack of the sfx that were used to such great (and comedically excessive) effect in the original. Don't get me wrong, I still heard quite a few in the special, but in the original run the sfx were usually a big part of the comedic beats-big meaning that I would have a very distinct memory of them even after the show was over-and I couldn't call any to mind after viewing the special. Maybe that aspect of the sound design is something McCracken had a particular gift for.
+ The CG was used to great effect in any OTS/POV shots (e.g., Professor retrieving his wallet, Buttercup flying home, Professor driving (and parallel parking, omg) his car) and wider shots (e.g., Buttercup shooting through the Earth's core all the way to China). I'm not convinced those shots would've played as well or as smoothly in 2D, so those camera choices there were really smart moves.
- I was disappointed that we didn't get to see a really good CG action shot, as that's one of my favorite aspects of the Randy Cunningham opening that Kevin Dart did, but even in the original show the really outstanding episodes generally were either solely action-oriented or solely comedic, rarely both (with the exception of “Three Girls and a Monster”). So that's a small beef.
+/- Jesus fucking Christ this is getting long.
+ I found a lot of the “written” jokes super entertaining, on par with their best “written” episodes (BRDAE, “Him Diddle Riddle” (both suspiciously done by Dave Smith as well, hmm), “Powerprof”), and those that could've been clunkers were sold by the girls' outstanding acting, as always.
+ Fibonacci Sequins watering his garden has to be one of the best visual puns I've seen in a long time.
+ MS. BELLUM'S DIAMOND-CHIPPING ABS
+/- Speaking of jokes! I thought the visual gags on the whole were not as strong as the written jokes, but there are still some really great ones. Personal faves included Mojo continually popping out around the girls' home to laugh maniacally and wax evil poetic, Bellum's face covered by a convenient streetlight (this gag never gets old for me), Blossom going wall-eyed oh God what a great and hilarious visual more please
- “Phat beats for your fat heads” is the one written joke that really, really does not work for me.
+ I really enjoyed Mojo's hilarious enthusiasm for his (not-so?) evil scheme. It was well-acted and funny, and played for great comedic effect. Something I think the fandom is too fond of doing (and I am not exempting myself from this) is turning Mojo into this serious-face, tortured villain, which, yes! He does have the potential to be that! But I feel like that portrayal is much more common in fandom, and we rarely seem to recognize/take advantage of the fact that he is also an incredibly hilarious comic villain, easily the best one in the show. (Oh, fandom. You and your missed opportunities.)
- Aww, I really missed the girls' pink room.
- Also yes, not sure what was up with Bubbles getting the ice powers. At first I thought maybe it was a goof, but then she did it multiple times, so it was clearly a deliberate creative choice. The only reason I can think of is they wanted to keep the tradition of Blossom delivering the final blow, and everybody who's written a superhero scene involving ice powers knows that short of stabbing/impaling someone, ice powers do not deliver the finishing blow. (And freezing someone/something doesn't count, because it's usually a setup for that person to melt later and return for DRAMA!CAKES.) At the same time a lot of people are getting their panties in a twist over it-like, not just Well wtf, that's weird and dumb, but like This has ruined everything forever how fucking dare they HOW DARE THEY WHINGE WHINGE WHINGE. As a diehard PpG fan, I see where it's coming from, but as an adult... maybe... fucking... grow up? And find a way to move on? Somehow? With your life? Perhaps?
+/- I hope that doesn't bite me in the ass later
+/- Also never have I felt more blessed to NOT HAVE A TUMBLR
+/- Because stepping into that tag right now is like descending to the 7th layer of Hell via the shit-caked plumbing and you can bet your fucking ass I'm not going anywhere near that toilet for another couple of weeks
+ Finally, if that scene of Buttercup putting onion goggles on the Professor followed by them both saying “Protection!” is paying homage to the infamous condom joke from “Mommy Fearest,” then Dave Smith is a fucking genius of comedic subtlety and he deserves every God damn dollar I can afford to throw at him.
Well! Those are my long-winded thoughts! (Some of them. Did I ever actually talk about the script? Fuck, whatever.) What did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? I must know.
(Also it seems people are totes up for a PpG chat come Super Bowl Sunday, so I'll start looking into setting it up! You guys rock.)
Originally posted at http://essbeejay.dreamwidth.org/111052.html.