#bob boyle

Mid-2000s cartoon crossover fanart 🐰🐶

I'm sure just about all of you reading this are familiar with The Powerpuff Girls.

Created by animation GOAT Craig McCracken, the series focused on a kindergarten-aged trio of superhero sisters—Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup—who were created by Professor Utonium using "sugar, spice, and everything nice," plus accidental dose of Chemical X.

Together fight crime in the city of Townsville, balancing superhero duties with living normal childhoods.

The series premiered on November 18th, 1998 on Cartoon Network, being one of the channel's earliest original series, and it immediately became a massive success!

Receiving acclaim from critics and audiences alike and become a ratings powerhouse.

The show would have a pretty solid run from its premiere in 1998 to March 25th, 2005, with six seasons and a total of 136 episodes.

And during that time, the show would become a multimedia million dollar franchise!

It accumulated 12 video games, a comic book run by DC Comics that ran from 2000 to 2006, a feature-length theatrical film....that didn't do too well, and a SHIT-TON of merchandising.

Plus the girls themselves were regularly featured on promotion for Cartoon Network as a whole.

The series officially wrapped up production in June of 2004, with the reason being simply put, the crew felt that the show had ran on for long enough.

And while Cartoon Network were down for doing a seventh season, they ultimately respected the crew's decision.

There was also the fact that Craig himself had left the show back in 2002 after production on Season 4 and the movie wrapped up in order to start working on his next series: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.

Even after the series ended, it has maintain its status as one of Cartoon Network's all-time greats.

And with the exception of crossover video games, brief cameos in other Cartoon Network shows, an anime adaptation, and two hour-long anniversary specials, the show was pretty much just allowed to rest peacefully.

However, that all changed on June 14, 2014, just 5 months after the special Dance Pantsed, Cartoon Network would announce that they would be working on an all-new reboot of the series.

This left a lot of people surprised, since the original series already had a solid run.

So it seemed strange as to why they would be bringing the show back for a reboot.

Well the answer is actually quite simple.

I don't think I need to give an introduction to Teen Titans GO!

But one important thing to be aware of was the fact that the series was an absolute powerhouse in the ratings when it premiered.

Being among the channel's highest rated shows.

It became the channel's second most viewed show during 2014, just shortly falling behind Adventure Time.

And in the following year of 2015, it took that title.

And since then, it's become the channel's biggest show and would dominate it, for better and for worse.

Though mostly of the latter....

But because of TTG's success, it gave Cartoon Network the idea of doing the same thing, but with one of their own original shows.

Though why they did it for a show that had a successful run and received praise all around....

As opposed to a show that didn't do well during its run and wasn't all too well-received.

Well, the reason for that will be saved for the end of this retrospective.

Almost a year after the announced at their 2015 upfront on February 19th of that year, Cartoon Network would reveal the two people who would be serving as the reboot's showrunners.

Those being Nick Jennings and Bob Boyle.

Upon this announcement, this got a lot of people scratching their heads.

Largely because of their track record.

Nick is largely known for being a longtime artist and art director, haven served those roles on many notable cartoons.

Rocko's Modern Life, Hey Arnold!, The Angry Beavers, CatDog, and SpongeBob SquarePants.

He even had those roles on some of Cartoon Network's very own shows like Camp Lazlo, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, the aforementioned Adventure Time, and Regular Show.

So he already had a good relationship with the network.

But still, putting him as one of the main showrunners seemed very odd.

Given how he had little to no prior experience in a position like that.

He only had it once.

And that was for.....Tak and the Power of Juju.

Widely considered to be one of the worst entries in the Nicktoons line-up and was a critical and ratings failure, only lasting for one season with 50 episodes....

Yeah not exactly a good track record.

Bob however had a much better track record that justified him being a showrunner.

He's best known as the creator of Wow! Wow! Wuzzby! and Yin Yang Yo!

But he's also served as a producer and writer on various notable shows.

Including The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and Clarence.

However, as Cartoon Network were revealing the people who would be helping out on the show, a lot of people realized that it wasn't really consisting of people who worked on the original.

With the most infamous exemption being the creator himself: Craig McCracken.

As everyone asked, why wasn't he coming back?

Well that was because during that time, he was under contract at Disney, still working on his third show: Wander Over Yonder.

So he couldn't help out until the series had wrapped up production.

And even when it did, which was shortly before the reboot came out, he never did join the crew.

As for why, that’s also gonna be saved for the end of this retrospective.

But anyway, the reboot was slanted for a premiere in the spring of 2016.

And over the course of the next year, we would start getting glimpse of the reboot, particularly with the look of the characters

And these caused people to start putting some faith in the series.

Since in contrast to TTG, the art-style wasn’t too different from the original.

But anyway, the reboot would officially premiere yesterday 10 years ago, on April 4th, 2016.

And I don’t think anyone could’ve foreseen just how much of a disaster this series would be.

This was TORN APART by just about everyone.

Critics hated it.

Audiences hated it.

And you better believe the fans hated it!

The series became the topic of various controversies due to its content.

And these weren’t just restricted to social media like most controversies involving cartoons and the content within them.

This actually ended up on NEWS ARTICLES!

And it wasn’t any better when it came to the ratings.

While it did start off very strong, by the fall of 2016, the ratings would see a major plummet.

It was pretty obvious that Cartoon Network had a shitshow on its hands!

And they knew it.

Because after season 1, the show was not given the best treatment for its next two seasons.

Which I’m certain most of you reading this didn’t even know the reboot had three seasons.

That was largely because for those next two seasons, Cartoon Network did NO promotions!

No commercials, no previews, not even any announcements on their social media accounts!

They were trying to pretend that this show didn't exist anymore!

So in honor of the reboot's 10th anniversary, I wanna go over what made the series bad overall.

Since I haven't really seen too many people actually talk that in-depth about the reboot.

Probably because once again, most people didn't even know that the series ran for three seasons.

The only person I can think of who has actually done that is the YouTuber Shadow Streak.

From 2016 to 2021, he's reviewed EVERY episode of the reboot.

Along with doing top 5 best and worst episodes list for each season, and reviewing other content related to the reboot such as the comics.

So if you want a more in-depth look of the series, I suggest checking him out.

But without further ado, let's begin!

The Premise, Tone and Execution:

The premise of the reboot isn’t all too different from the original series.

But are some notable changes.

Particularly, the reboot puts more of a focus on the girl’s everyday lives rather than their action-packed adventures.

Now while like many, I definitely prefer the balance that the original series brought, given how important it was to its identity, I’m not against the heavier focus on slice of life.

Hell, I’m a sucker for slice of life.

Not to mention one of the best episodes of the original series was a slice of life episode.

This could work as long as the execution is done well.

It wasn’t done well.

The stories of the reboot are either pretty generic or actually fairly interesting but executed in a way that's either boring, lazy or just straight up stupid.

Episodes that are actually good do exist, but they are very few and far between.

The writing for this series is utterly baffling as well.

It's a mixture between being too boring and too stupid.

And it’ll leave you dumbfounded most of the time.

Not helping is the utter lack of consistent world-building and continuity.

The rules of this world either constantly change or are not explained all that well.

If at all!

And as a result of this, it's virtually impossible to find your truly grounded in it.

Perhaps the best example of this is the new school setting: Midway Elementary School.

I’m sure just about all of didn’t even know that the school even had a name because I don’t recall them ever mentioning it out loud.

And I’ve seen every episode of the series!

Even in its debut episode, the school is not given a name.

And despite being an elementary school, the way the students look says otherwise.

While some do look like elementary schoolers, others look like middle or even high schoolers!

Is this school just full of grade repeaters?

Then there’s the continuity.

This becomes a huge problem when talking about the backstories of some of these characters, which we’ll talk about later.

But for now.

This continuity varies in various ways.

From consistent characterization to actual lore and history.

In the case of the former, aspects of the characters’……character flip-flop at will.

Like some episodes will show and flat out say that Buttercup can't lead for shit, while others will show that she's actually capable of leading.

Or one episode will emphasize how Bubbles loves to brush her teeth, but then another will have her just straight up hate it.

Yeah, simple shit like that.

As for the latter, that's gonna be more for later.

But for this section, the reboot has thrown in some direct references to the original series.

Leading to the implications that this is a continuation of the original.

However, due to the execution of.....literally everything, that couldn't be the case.

And a huge reason for that is because of the continuity of the characters.

And lastly, with the stronger focus on slice of life, the show also has a stronger focus on comedy.

The original had a perfect balance between action and comedy.

And in the case of the latter, it was done very well.

It was a perfect blend of clever parody, witty dialogue, and high-energy slapstick.

And like many of its commentaries, it also had tons sophisticated adult humor that went over children's heads.

I mean, need we be reminded of this gem of a line?

This helped contributed to the multi-generational appeal of the series, being able to be enjoyed by all ages.

Which was very much intentional on the crew's part.

The reboot's humor is nowhere near as clever or witty as the original.

It’s prominently reliant on lowbrow humor, poorly executed physical comedy, pop culture references, random XD funny moments, and everyone’s favorite: meme humor!

If you thought the amount of actual good episodes in the series were low, it’s even worse with the amount of jokes that are actually funny. This makes the show an utter slog to get through.

Not only that, but the humor has also made the reboot show its age.

And not in a good way.

While the original was produced during the late 1990s going into the mid 2000s, it’s pretty timeless.

And you can definitely see it taking place in the modern day.

The reboot is very much of the 2010s.

And unlike other pieces of media that are of their times like Rocket Power, The Goofy Movies or even Cartoon Network’s very own We Bare Bears, they’re done in a charming and endearing way that makes you nostalgic for those times.

The Powerpuff Girls reboot makes you glad that the 2010s are over.

The show is notorious for its forced meme humor.

Just about all of the meme humor was already well outdated when it was done.

This Bubbles No Me Gusta face lives in infamy and is one of the first things people will think about whenever the reboot is talked about.

And while it is admittedly kinda funny for just how surreal it looks, it does perfectly showcase the reboot’s problem with comedy.

Though funnily enough, this isn’t even the worst example of the forced meme humor.

This is.

If this isn’t proof that this reboot was predominantly made by a bunch or out of touch, middle-aged white people, then I don’t know what will.

The Art-Style and Animation:

The original Powerpuff Girls featured a very distinct art-style, characterized by thick, bold outlines, flat colors, and strong, simple geometric shapes. It blended retro modernist design with bright, high-contrast colors and stylized animation influences for a "cute in a sharp world" look. 

Speaking of those influences, those includes the cartoons of UPA, Hanna-Barbera, Jay Ward and even 60s anime like Astro Boy.

The art-style of the reboot is much more rounder and bouncy, with thinner and cleaner line work and a lack of shape edges, being more reminiscent to shows like Steven Universe.

And while it isn't bad per say, it does feel pretty generic and lacks the edge and flair of the original.

What also doesn't help are the looks of.....literally everyone who isn't a character from the original.

They clash HEAVILY with the looks of the OG characters.

They don't even look like they come from the same show!

Very few of these characters I could actually see working in the style of the original without a major overhaul to their looks.

And some of them are just straight up really bad.

Just look at Erika the Red.

Seriously, what the hell is this design.

What also doesn't help is the animation.

While it's not necessarily bad, it's considerably more stiffer and less dynamic when compared to the original.

And this really comes to detriment of the action scenes.

Or lack thereof.

As I've said before, the series doesn't really focus much on action anymore.

Despite that being integral to the identity of the original.

And for the ones that the reboot does have.

My God....

They're genuinely pathetic.

The action scenes in the original were fast, intense and brutal.

They realized showcased just how powerful the characters were.

Plus when they got hurt, you really felt like they were getting hurt.

And remember, in the early seasons, they actually featured BLOOD!

But here, they're slower, not really intense and nowhere near as brutal.

I can understand that they couldn't really be able to showcase the same brutality as the original.

But even then, I still think I could've still made the fights feel like they have actual impact and weight.

However, the reboot heavily relies on what's known as Battle of the Still Frames.

It's when a fight scene mostly consists of zooming, scrolling or sometimes even stationary frames

It's a trope that originate with anime, but it has become more popular in western animation shows to hide more violent or complex fight scenes.

Now this trope has been used to good effect before.

For example: Danny Phantom and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

Both those shows use this trope frequently in their fight scenes.

But there, it's for stylization, in order to make it feel a comic book come to life.

And even then, you can still feel a sense of impact and weight with them.

But in The Powerpuff Girls reboot, it's clearly done in order to not really done any actual fight scenes.

Since being intense or brutal isn't really on their table.

Plus it probably wasn't in the budget.

And I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

#Mira-Marathon | Danny Phantom

Animation Series Name: Danny Phantom | Season 2 | (2005); Production studios: Nickelodeon Animation Series, Billionfold; Director by: Butch Hartmanz, Wincat Alcala, Gary Conrad, Julie Hashiguchi, Kevin Petrilak, Ken Bruce, Richard Bowman, Sean Dempsey, Daniel de la Vega; Screenwriters: Brian Hogan, Sib Ventress, Marty Isenberg, Bob Boyle, Mark Banker, Mark Drop, Amy Keating Rogers, Kevin Sullivan, David Silverman, Stephen Sustarsic, Ellen Lichtwardt Goodchild, Steve Marmel, George Goodchild, Scott D. Peterson, Butch Hartman, Matt Wayne; Starring: David Kaufman, Grey Griffin, Rickey D'Shon Collins, Rob Paulsen, Kath Soucie; Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action; Running Time: One series – 22 minutes | All series – 7 hours 20 minutes;

The second season of Danny Phantom continues the emotional and exciting adventures of the main character. It is packed with action, humor and exploration of more complex themes. Character development and raised stakes add depth to the story. While there are slight flaws in some episodes, overall this season is a great addition to the first and will appeal to fans of the series.

My rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here’s my note before I’ll get started….

(DON’T YOU EVER COPY FROM MINE OR MY FRIEND’S WORK, CHARACTERS, AND STUFF IF ONE OF YOU ARE IMPOSTERS WHO HAD HABITS OF PLAGIARISM! I WILL BLOCK YOU FROM MY BLOG IF I SEE YOUR POST WITH MINE OR MY FRIEND’S ORIGINAL WORK BEING EDITED ALL OVER! I’LL EVEN SHARE IT ONTO MY BLOG SO IF EVERYONE WILL SEE THAT YOU TRYING TO COPY MINE OR MY FRIEND’S THINGS FOR NO GOOD REASON WHATSOEVER! That will be all….I mean it.)

AT - Wubbzy and Widget’s Speedsters A/W Clothes

🇵🇷Me: I’m back for this month’s art trade that wasn’t for my P-pal @murumokirby360 Instead, it’s for our G-pal @rafacaz4lisam2k4 like you’ve seen I did his first request back in November.

Link Here ⬅️ AT - Sammir Meeting Bryan360’s OCs

🇵🇷Me: Normally I would’ve stop there; especially this month of Christmas art gifts I’m going through. At least I’m trying to be honest, but nevertheless I managed of getting it done. Hoping just this once before I can focus on making art gifts among other things. Anyways, hope that he likes when asking to draw Wubbzy and Widget while wearing the Speedster’s A/W clothes. Just in time for the snow showers before Christmas to arrived. Wonder if they’ll be keeping those as well?

Wubbzy and Widget - Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! (2006 - 2010) © Bob Boyle

Spot and Riya’s A/W clothes created by my P-pal; @murumokirby360