The latest Powerpuff Girls DVD release is here! The Powerpuff Girls: The Last Donnycorn is a collection of episodes from the first two seasons from the rebooted Powerpuff Girls series from Cartoon Network. Is this DVD worth a buy? Let’s find out.
The Powerpuff Girls: The Lost Donnycorn DVD receives its name from to the new friend of the Powerpuff Girls, Donny the Wannabecorn and the “30-minute special” surrounding the character. More on that special later. The DVD includes 12 episodes. These episodes are:
- The Last Donnycorn (30 min. special)
- Odd Bubbles Out
- People Pleaser
- The Wrinklegruff Girls
- Presidential Punchout
- Claw Dad
- Once Upon a Townsville (Emmy Award nominated episode)
- Blue Ribbon Blues
- Electric Buttercup
- Rainy Day
- The Big Sleep
- 15 Minutes of Fame
Now back to “The Last Donnycorn” 30 min. episode. The episode is actually 22 minutes in length. Not exactly 30 minutes as advertised unless you include the commercials when it aired on Cartoon Network, which I’m pretty sure they did. The rest of the episodes are around 11 minutes each. This is the part that is kind of a let down.
Back when the original Powerpuff Girls series debuted in 98 I was pretty familiar with the series because a younger family member of mine would watch the series almost non-stop. It has been a number of years since I have watched an episode from the original run but from what I remember is that all of the episodes were around 20 minutes each. This new format follows into Cartoon Network’s updated formula of having most of their animated series run from around 11-15 minutes per episode.
On the plus side, even though the episodes were shorter than the original, they were still pretty funny. I found myself laughing out loud at times while watching the DVD. What I also appreciate about the series is that it makes quite a few pop culture references. The series has references to films like The Terminator, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and others. That part makes it have the same feel as the original series. My favorite reference was in the original series when they referenced the Beatles in the Beat-Alls episode. Pure comedy.
Also updated for the new reboot is the theme song and the series’ cast. These are both touchy subjects for Powerpuff fans. Though the new theme isn’t bad, I feel like the older theme song was much more catchy. When it comes to the cast, I feel that Cathy Cavadini, E.G. Daily and Tara Strong were perfect for the roles and could have easily returned if they were contacted to do so. I’m guessing the producers wanted a younger cast that younger fans could relate to. The two voice actors who returned are Tom Kane (Professor Utonium) and Tom Kenny (Mojo Jojo).
What surprised me about this DVD release is that it had extras. Most of the Cartoon Network DVDs that I have reviewed in that past did not have any extras unless they were complete season in-home releases. This DVD has a collection of “minisodes”. There are five minisodes (two-minute episodes) and one includes Donny the Wannabecorn. I’m a sucker when it comes to bonus features with in-home releases so I can appreciate that Cartoon Network added these.
The new Powerpuff Girls series may not be as good as the original and at times can feel like the producers are catering to the younger/newer fans at times but there are still laughs to be had with this newer version. When it comes to the cost of the DVD, the suggested price is $14.97. Considering that most Blu-rays are well over $22, $13.97 isn’t too bad of a price especially for a DVD with a runtime of over an hour and thirty minutes.
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