Dance Pantsed (The Powerpuff Girls)

Dance Pantsed is a Powerpuff Girls special released on January 20th, 2014.

Summary
The Powerpuff Girls have always saved the world before bedtime, but Mojo Jojo is back with his most diabolical scheme yet. As Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup face off with their enemy, the girls may have found the one challenge that has them staying up past bedtime.

Plot
Mojo Jojo kidnaps an opera singer named Wendy Bags, a flamboyant mathematician named Fibonacci Sequins, and a somehow famous badger. After being humiliated yet again by the Powerpuff Girls, he devises a new plan by creating a game similar to a different game that Bubbles seemed to enjoy. He sends it to Bubbles by pretending that it is the successor to 'Dance Pantsed Revolution', which is called 'Dance Pantsed Revilution 2' which turns out to be a trap turning Bubbles into a dancing robotic version of herself. Blossom and Buttercup eventually follow and are forced to capture the hostages' Mojo Jojo previously captured, which Professor Utonium presumes that he is using them to get Chemical X. This forces the Professor to challenge the girls to a dance-off with help from The Mayor and Miss Bellum, but in the end, failed to do so. However, after help from Professor love the Powerpuff Girls, they break free from Mojo's control and defeat him again. After the fight, he claims that his plan was not to get Chemical X but to rule Townsville by becoming a celebrity by starting a successful softball team including the girls. Eventually, Professor Utonium, the Mayor, Ms. Bellum, and the Powerpuff Girls agree to be part of the softball team, just so they can win trophies. Unfortunately for Mojo, they tricked him, and he took him to jail in the end.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The story and concept are very odd for a special.
 * 2) Almost everyone in the special never shuts up. There are not even enough moments where the characters calm down or talk in a normal manner. It gets annoying very quickly.
 * 3) While the redesigns of the girls are decent and still very cute, they also look unfitting. Blossom’s red hair with her bow and bangs is now brushed sideways, Bubbles’ hair is now spiky, her pigtails pointed upwards as if she had electrocuted, and Buttercup’s short black hair is in a flip with a small triangular part on her forehead now looks like emo hair. Their eyes are also almond-shaped, and their 'Mary Janes' are the same color as their dresses.
 * 4) The Powerpuff Girls, for some reason, have the power to transform anything into gummy bears by freezing, punching, and laser-beaming other objects.
 * 5) The dance numbers are awkward.
 * 6) The special is almost unfaithful to the source material in the original series, such as Bubbles having Blossom's special power, Ice Breath.
 * 7) Professor Utonium has a very awkward backstory that’s nothing like the OG series, for some reason, dreaming to be a square dancer on the Soul Hayride, and he immediately becomes a scientist after meeting with four famous scientists!
 * 8) The Powerpuff Girls have been slightly flanderized in this special, especially when they all throw fits over a dancing game.
 * 9) * Bubbles is portrayed as a naive moron in this special as she never comes to help the other two Powerpuff Girls get the Mayor’s pickle jar down because she’s too focused on her game and she doesn’t listen to her sister’s warnings when she brings in Mojo Jojo’s version of "Dance Pantsed Revolution", thus turning herself and her sisters into robotic slaves of Mojo!
 * 10) There was a mean-spirited scene where Blossom and Buttercup angrily blame Bubbles for the trouble she caused (though they were right to), resulting in her crying.
 * 11) There was also an annoying scene where the Girls throw a meltdown in the store for the game.

Good Qualities

 * 1) The CGI animation is awesome.
 * 2) The medium blending with the traditional animation is also good.
 * 3) The backgrounds are beautiful since the background designer is one of the crew members behind mh:besttvshows:Steven Universe.
 * 4) Great voice acting and casting. Notably, the original actresses for the girls (Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, and E. G. Daily) were brought back, unlike the eventual 2016 reboot.
 * 5) Funny moments such as Fibonacci Sequins shouting random numbers while falling down the stairs and Buttercup throwing Bubbles out of the store while throwing a meltdown with her sisters.

Reception
The special met with a mixed reception.

Common Sense Media gave the special 3/5 stars citing the "tasteful update of the original animation style" and recommends it for older kids around the age of 7. GON (Geeked Out Nation) gave the show a 'B' and described it as "...a good special with the return of the characters that many of us grew up [with]", while also saying that the special has a few flaws. Den of Geek, who gave the special a 2.5 out of 5, said "The Powerpuff reboot needs those paddles to jump-start it. I want more. But I want better."

The special won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation and was also nominated for two Annie’s for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production and Outstanding Achievement in Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production.

Trivia

 * This was the final time the girls were voiced by their original actresses, as they replaced in the 2016 reboot.
 * In the Latin American and Brazilian dubs were also the last times the girls were voiced by their original voice actresses in their respective dubs (Cristina Hernández as Blossom, Maggie Vera as Bubbles, and Rossy Aguirre as Buttercup in the Latin American dub, Iara Riça as Blossom, Christiane Monteiro as Bubbles and Luisa Palomanes as Buttercup in the Brazilian dub) as also they have been replaced in the 2016 reboot, as well the last time that the original dubbing studios Sensaciones Sónicas from Mexico and Cinevídeo from Brazil who dubbed the franchise last used, as they have been replaced with SDI Media de México and Depart in the respective Latin American and Brazilian dubs of the 2016 reboot.
 * It was also the last time the 1998 logo used. Two years since Dance Pantsed aired, Cartoon Network revived it as a new series. The premiered on April 4, 2016, in the United States with a brand-new logo.
 * The special was supposed to be released in 2013 but was delayed a year later to 2014.
 * It marked the 15th anniversary of the original Powerpuff Girls.

Video
https://youtu.be/XzWop6evlUM