Kim Possible (TV series)
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Kim Possible is an American animated action comedy-adventure television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 7, 2002 to September 7, 2007. The show revolves around eponymous high school student Kim Possible, a teenager tasked with fighting crime regularly while coping with everyday issues commonly associated with adolescence. Kim is aided by her best friend and clumsy sidekick Ron Stoppable, his pet naked mole rat Rufus, and 10-year-old computer genius Wade. Known collectively as Team Possible, Kim and Ron's missions primarily require them to thwart the evil plans of the mad scientist–supervillain duo Dr. Drakken and his sidekick Shego, though they encounter several other enemies as well throughout the show.
Veteran Disney Channel writers Schooley and McCorkle were recruited by the network to develop an animated series that could attract both older and younger audiences and conceived Kim Possible as a show about a talented action heroine and her less competent sidekick. Inspired by the scarcity of female-led animated series at the time, the episodes, some of which are based on the creators' own high school experiences, combine elements of action, adventure, drama, romance, and comedy to appeal to both girls and boys, while parodying the James Bond franchise, spy and superhero films, and teen sitcoms. Writers Schooley and McCorkle designed the characters Kim Possible and Shego to appeal to the older and younger audience of the 2000s, making them the sexiest and most popular female characters of Disney. Shego's athletic form and sharp tone make her highly noticeable to many of the male audience. Distinct from other Disney Channel shows in its use of self-referential humor, Schooley and McCorkle developed fast-paced sitcom-style dialogue to cater to adult viewers. Set in fictional Middleton, Wisconsin, USA, the show's setting and locations exhibit a retro-influenced aesthetic. With a strong emphasis on modern-day technology and the Internet, the series also explores themes such as girl power, feminism, and relationships. It receives heavy comparisons to other female-driven action shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Alias, Dark Angel, and The Powerpuff Girls.
Kim Possible was the second animated Disney Channel Original Series, following the release of The Proud Family in 2001, and the first series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Defying initially low expectations, the show premiered to critical acclaim and continued to be praised for its humor, writing, and animation. Maintaining strong ratings since 2002, Kim Possible's premiere was the most-watched of any Disney Channel Original Series. Originally canceled at the end of its third season in 2005, Disney Channel unprecedentedly ordered a fourth season of the series to appease devoted fans. Nominated for eight Emmy Awards, Kim Possible won one, for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing - Live Action and Animation, in 2005. Lasting four seasons and 87 episodes, the show is considered to be one of Disney Channel's greatest and most successful and remained the network's longest-running series until it was surpassed by Phineas and Ferb in 2012. The success of the series spawned two television films based on the show, Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time (2003) – the first animated Disney Channel Original Movie – and Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama (2005), as well as a video game series starting in 2002.
On February 15, 2019, the series received a live-action 2019 reboot film which received extremely negative reviews by most fans and critics alike.
Plot
The series revolved around a high school student named Kim Possible who becomes a freelance heroine after rescuing Mr. McHenry who made a typing error and contacted her babysitting site. Though an exceptionally gifted heroine, she is still at heart a teenager so in addition to battling wacky villains like Dr. Drakken, she still hangs out with friends and works on her love life.
Why It's Possible
- The animation is fluent and detailed, thanks to being animated by Rough Draft Studios and Toon City (season 1).
- The character designs look appealing.
- The action scenes are satisfying to look at.
- The characters are likable and memorable such as Kim Possible herself and her best friend (later boyfriend) Ron Stoppable, Jim and Tim (Kim's twin brothers), Rufus, Wade, Shego, Drakken, Monkey Fist, and Steve Barkin.
- Rufus himself is a very cute naked mole-rat, it helps that his voiced by Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson from The Simpsons).
- Great voice acting by Christy Carlson Romano, Will Friedle, Nancy Cartwright, Tahj Mowry, Jean Smart, Gary Cole, Shaun Fleming (Seasons 1-3), Spencer Fox (Season 4), Kirsten Storms, John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) and Raven-Symoné (Raven Baxter from That's So Raven series).
- The soundtrack is great and incredibly catchy such as the theme song: "Call Me, Beep Me", and some other notable songs like "The Naked Mole Rap", "Say the Word", "Rappin' Drakken" and "Could It Be?"
- It shows a strong female character without dumbing down most of the guys or making them stereotypical jerks (not counting the supervillains).
- The sidekick Ron Stoppable shows great courage when facing danger even though he is not as skilled as her (not counting the Monkey Kung Fu he acquired).
- There are numerous threatening supervillains, from Dr. Drakken, Shego, DNAmy, Professor Dementor, and Monkey Fist (who was Ron's archenemy). Dr. Drakken and Shego in particular have amazing chemistry and easily steal the show.
- There are lots of funny jokes, especially from Ron, Steve Barkin and Drakken, the stingers introduced in the fourth season specifically are very funny to look at.
- The fourth season is widely considered to be the best out of all since it has, slightly improved animation, more character development, and the new addition of stinger credits that show humorous scenes.
- It is one of the Disney Channel's longest-lasting cartoons, having a total amount of 4 seasons and 87 episodes, it was later surpassed by Phineas and Ferb.
- It spawned numerous great tie-in video games.
- The series has some good morals.
- The success of the series spawned two television films such as: Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time in 2003 and Kim Possible: So the Drama in 2005.
- The fourth season finale, Graduation was an epic way to wrap up the series.
- This is the first Disney Channel Original Series to be in HD and Widescreen 16:9.
Impossible Qualities
- Bonnie Rockwaller is an unlikable character.
- The fourth season finale, while a great way to end the series, never revealed how Drakken got his skin blue, all he said in the stinger is that it happened on a Tuesday, and then the series ends.
- The infamous live-action reboot film, enough said.
Reception
Kim Possible is considered to be one of the greatest cartoons and Disney Channel shows of the 2000s and has a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDB and 8.6/10 on tv.com
Trivia
- It is the first Disney Channel Original Series under the Walt Disney Television Animation label.
- It is the first Disney Channel Original Series in High Definition Widescreen 16:9.
- Christy Carlson Romano, Kim Possible’s voice actress makes a cameo appearance in the infamous 2019 live-action movie. She previously played Ren Stevens in Even Stevens.
- Raven-Symoné later played Raven Baxter in That's So Raven and its spin-off series Raven's Home, she also guest starred in the first spin-off series Cory in the House in the episode "That's So in the House".
- Four actors, Kirsten Storms, Raven-Symoné, Christy Carlson Romano, and Gary Cole departed fellow Disney Channel movies Zenon: Girl of the 21st *Century and Cadet Kelly, respectively.
- Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle, the two creators of the show, also created Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Big Hero 6: The Series.
- The series is popular in Germany, Israel, and Japan.
- The second special movie "So The Drama" was supposed to be the series finale, but due to fans wanting more, the series received a fourth season finale in 2006 which was highly acclaimed, and aired its last two-parter episode "Graduation" in 2007.
Videos
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- Cartoons
- Disney
- Disney shows
- Disney XD shows
- Action shows
- Kids' Shows
- Traditional animation shows
- Animation
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- 2000s programs
- 2000s media
- Television Shows Reviewed by PhantomStrider
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- Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle shows
- Shows with great theme songs
- Shows that were cancelled, but came back for more seasons
- Rough Draft Studios