The Imaginary World of Craig McCracken

Not too long ago, this poster was floating around the internet:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, it isn’t real.

The closest you’ll get to a new Powerpuff Girls episode is tuning in to Boomerang or catching a rerun on Cartoon Network’s Cartoon Planet and saying a little prayer that it’s an episode you’ve never seen before (but you and I both know we’ve seen them all). Also amnesia, but those effects may not be worth it.

Craig McCracken. Animator, writer, producer, heartbreaker (we get it, it had to be done). This is a guy who loves his cartoons and has built a solid reputation in the world of animation over the years. He’s created shorts as well as worked as art director for 2 Stupid Dogs and Dexter’s Laboratory, but what he’s probably most known for is Emmy award-winning The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.

The Supergirls

Accidentally created with sugar, spice, everything nice, and that pesky Chemical X, the miniature triad of superheroes took the world by storm in the late 1990s, early 2000s—exceeding the expectations of the Pennsylvania-born cartoonist-creator. Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup defended the troubled city of Townsville for seven years on Cartoon Network, and McCracken brought them back three years after their original run for a tenth anniversary special entitled "The Powerpuff Girls Rule!!!" in 2008.

Saying Goodbye to the Friends

The decision to end of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends was completely understandable, but that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking. McCracken and crew were starting to run low on ideas, so instead of letting the show fall on its face from television exhaustion, they ended the series while it was still on a high note. Smart decision? Yes. Knife in my heart? Yes. Dramatic, much? Yes. Thank goodness for DVDs! (And reruns!)

McCracken has since left Cartoon Network with a couple of awards under his belt, and is currently working on Wander Over Yonder for Disney Channel, reuniting with Foster’s voice actors Keith Ferguson (Bloo) and Tom Kenny (Eduardo). The plot: "Wander is an overly-optimistic intergalactic traveler who, along with his loyal but bullish steed, Sylvia, goes from planet to planet helping people to live free and have fun, all against the evil reign of Lord Hater and his army of Watchdogs." The animation style is familiar to those who know McCracken’s work, and a trailer debuted at San Diego Comic-Con this past summer.

Wander Over Yonder is set to make its debut in 2013.