Another animated kids’ TV show gets the big-screen treatment. Here, Blossom (voice of Cathy Cavadini), Bubbles (Tara Strong), and Buttercup (Elizabeth Daily), Cartoon Network’s three bug-eyed balls of energy, burst into the expanded format in all their teeny-weeny-voiced glory. The film starts with their sugar-and-spice inception by Professor Utonium (a Cary Grant clone voiced by Tom Kane) after he becomes fed up with all the urban nastiness in Townsville. As a result of "Chemical X," the girls have the power of flight, laser eyes, and superhuman strength, but when an innocent game of tag demolishes half of Townsville, they’re ostracized and the professor is tossed in the brink. Fortunately, a nefarious simian (Roger L. Jackson as Mojo Jojo) with his brains rising out of his cranium like a gonzo soufflé amasses a monkey army and takes over the city à la Planet of the Apes, giving the Powerpuffs an opportunity to save Townsville and redeem themselves.

The plot may be rudimentary, but the crisp direction/animation, by series creator Craig McCracken, and its symbiotic relationship with the hip, techno score make for a pulse-quickening experience. The writing’s on the mark too, especially the primate gags about "opposable thumbs" and getting the "monkey off your back." It’s a spite bounce for fans and the whole family as well. (87 minutes)