Genndy Tartakovsky Reacts to Live-Action Powerpuff Girls Series

Genndy Tartakovski has written, directed, and produced episodes of The Powerpuff Girls animated series. He’s not stranger to Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom. Much off Tartakovski’s resumé is in the world of animation, an impressive list of titles which also includes Samurai Jack and now the popular series which is getting more episodes in the form of Primal. However, as Hollywood shifts to reboots and adaptations, a lot of animated properties are getting live-action treatments and the Powerpuff Girls are next in line. While Tartakovski doesn’t seem to claim any sense of ownership over the characters after working on their stories, he does have his reservations about any animated titles translating to live-action.

“The lines between live action and animation are so blurred,” Tartakovski tells ComicBook.com. “I think anything could work. I mean, Dexter can work, and Samurai can work, and Primal could even work if you have a cool CG. I mean, if you take something of quality, Jurassic Park, animated T-Rex, and you have a big burly caveman with her, it can be super cool. It’s super expensive, the jungle has everything, to make it look and feel right. You give The Revenant feel and tone to Jurassic Park, and all of a sudden now you got something crazy. So, I think everything can cross over, But does it need to? Does it want to? Is it deserving?”

For Tartakovski, that is what it comes down to – will the story and characters still work and is it needed?

“The thing is, there’s gotta be a reason for it to be an animation or live action,” he explains. “And so, I imagine everything as drawings, because I’m such an animation enthusiastic. And so, that’s kinda how it exists. And I have to work my way into live action and kind of picture it live and see where it goes.”

Specifically to the Powerpuff Girls show coming to the CW in live-action, “I guess we’ll see,” he says. “It’s certainly interesting.”

“I didn’t create it, but obviously I worked on it a lot,” he says.”When you try to do a certain thing and then you’re successful at it, and then somebody else takes it, and now is gonna make it a different thing, is that good? Is it bad? I mean, they made an anime from Powerpuff Girls. And then it was like straight anime, it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, it lost a lot of some of the charm that I thought we had in the American version.’ But it was good in a different way too. So, that’s the thing. It’s always, ‘Who’s gonna do it? Is it gonna be sincere? Is there a purpose for it besides just, ‘Oh, people know Powerpuff Girls, so let’s do it.’

Do you think Powerpuff Girls can work in live-action? Share your thoughts in the comment section or send them my way on Instagram! Watch ComicBook.com’s entire interview with Tartakovsky in the video above! Tartakovsky’s Primal returns on October.