The Powerpuff Girls Movie-SEE IT NOW!!! (even if you don't have kids...)

Let me begin by stating that I am a 29 year old male (with no children of my own, and therefore should not be such a devoted fan of this cartoon. But I am. The first time I saw Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup on Cartoon Network, I fell in love. With the animation and storytelling, that is. You can imagine my excitement (and my wife's embarrassment) when I saw the first trailer for the movie. I couldn't wait!!!

This past weekend, I borrowed two nieces and a nephew (he didn't bother to ask what we were seeing ahead of time, and tried to talk us into seeing Men in Black II instead, to no avail) and trotted off to the local cineplex, giggly with anticipation. The two girls sang the theme song the entire trip. I don't know all the words yet, but I will soon, I'm sure. Our excitement hit a crescendo when the lights in the theatre went down.

Our first treat was a Dexter's Laboratory short in which Dexter catches the chicken pox from the pecks of evil, contaminated chickens. It was a hoot. (For those of you who don't know, Dexter's Laboratory is another Cartoon Network creation, and a hilarious one at that.) Then came the main course...

The Professor (Utonium for those with no background in Powerpuff mythology) is sick of the mess that the City of Townsville has become, and so decides to create a family for himself. He hopes to raise responsible, loving children who will reverse the downward ethical trend all around him. He starts with Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice. Everything is going well until his lab monkey, Jojo, breaks a bottle of Chemical X into the mix. Instead of the three cute, adorable, sweet little girls he had hoped for, the Professor gets three cute, adorable, sweet little girls with superpowers. He also gets a lab monkey with a giant brain and megalomaniac tendencies, now called Mojo Jojo. You can guess the rest, right? Let the insanity begin.

Look for a lot of multi-layered jokes that you as an adult will laugh at, and animation at the speed of light. The flashing colors almost made me puke at one point; it was intense. And the ending sequence (with thousands of big-brained primates with names like Rocko Socko and Wango Tango all vying for control of the world) will leave you in stitches. Heck, the kids you bring along might even learn a little lesson along the way (don't worry; it doesn't get too preachy). All in all, if you like the cartoon on TV, you will love the movie. And even if you've never seen the cartoon, you will love the movie. It will resurrect the kid in you.