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The world of animation opens up the minds of younger generations. Television and films like these humorously explore different themes and scenarios. But many times, these stories aren't just for children. Even when cartoons aren't specifically created with adults in mind, such as Adult Swim shows like Rick and Morty, some animated series have creatively created more risqué content.

Cartoon Network has a history of sneaking in suggestive dialogue that would go over any child's head but may delight parents. Series such as The Powerpuff Girls and Adventure Time aren't just for juveniles. Some jokes would be lost on the younger generations.

Powerpuff Girls Isn't Just Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice Season 4, Episode 7, "Super Friends"

The crime-fighting Powerpuff Girls are about as iconic as any superhero ensemble. Debuting in 1998, the animated series follows Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, girls who were not born through conventional ways. Their father, for all intents and purposes,...

Kimball Farley plays Hippo with a charmingly offbeat weirdness that makes him seem like a complicated mix of narcissism and confusion, caught up in a world defined by the glow of his Nintendo 64. His obsession with video games serves as a distraction from the chaotic reality of his home life in addition to being a hobby.

In important scenes, his tense relationships with his mother, Ethel, and step-sister, Buttercup, show how emotionally distant he is from them. In a powerful scene, the way he brushed off Buttercup’s desire to connect with others shows a sad irony: his focus on himself makes him unable to see the trouble around him.

On the other hand, Buttercup, played by Lilla Kizlinger, drives the film’s darker themes with an eerie blend of innocence and desperation navigates her growing sexual desires with a naivety that verges on tragicomedy, and her motivations are complicated.

"Stranger Things" isn't the only show keeping the fervent spirit of the '80s alive, because "The Goldbergs" acts as a giant love letter to the decade that birthed such national treasures as "ThunderCats" and "Garbage Pail Kids." Loosely based on showrunner Adam F. Goldberg's own life, the sitcom follows his family's adventures (and misadventures) in everyday scenarios that unfolded across 10 seasons between 2013 and 2023. "The Goldbergs" cast features more than a handful of recognizable names, such as Jeff Garlin and Stephen Tobolowsky, not to mention Patton Oswalt using his recognizable voice, but it's sometimes difficult to pinpoint exactly where we have seen these actors before.

Don't stress, though, since that's why we're here -- to figure out the notable shows and films where you might have seen the cast of "The Goldbergs" before. Now, that doesn't mean their entire filmographies will be covered from top to bottom, because some...

Like many years before it, 2024 was a year with a generous amount of blockbuster hits, but there were also some surprising films. For every Dune: Part Two, there was a Didi. For each Wicked, we saw a Summer Solstice. Although you may not have heard of those counterparts and they may have flopped hard at the box office, it doesn't make those surprising films of 2024 any less compelling.

Trust us, Oscar and the Hollywood Foreign Press will pay attention to a few movies you may not know that made an impact at the movies. Here are Bam Smack Pow's Top 10 Most Surprising Films of 2024.

10. Hippo

This is a delirious arthouse film that makes you second guess watching it in the first place. Imagine "Napoleon Dynamite" having meth delusions and no boundaries. The film follows two home-school kids, Hippo (Kimball Farley) and Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger) who go on a dark comedic...

Created by Craig McCracken and released in 1998, The Powerpuff Girls was one of Cartoon Network's original series, also known as a "Cartoon Cartoon". It followed a trio of young girls named Blossom (Cathy Cavadini), Bubbles (Tara Strong), and Buttercup (E. G. Daily), who used incredible superpowers to defend the city of Townsville from near-constant threats. Thanks to its simple but stylistic art style, impeccable voice acting, and homage to superhero stories, the show became one of the most popular Cartoon Cartoons. It even got a reboot in 2014 with a very mixed reception.

More often than not, fantasy movies include an element of romance in their stories, as these two genres easily go hand in hand. Since the aspects of fantasy that make it otherworldly, like magic and mystery, are used to reflect real-life struggles and topics, it's natural that love and relationships are touched upon as well. However, this doesn't mean that every movie ends happily for its central couple, as fantasy is just as filled with violence and tragedy as it is magic and goodness. This makes it even more exciting when the lovers do get a happily-ever-after.

The best fantasy romance movies ever made are notable for their stories and visuals but are often elevated to classic status thanks to the performances. For audiences to get invested in the romance angle of a narrative, the love interests must have a dynamic and believable chemistry. In the films where the lead...

One of the original Frasier sitcom's memorable celebrity callers hopes to connect with the series again. Acclaimed actor Eric Roberts believes it would be a "brilliant" idea if he could feature in the Kelsey Grammer-led reboot.

Speaking with Brittany Frederick of Cbr about his dark comedy, Hippo, alongside his wife Eliza, Roberts was asked about the revival and whether he had any interest in appearing. Roberts expressed his intrigue about the idea, saying, "It is a brilliant idea."

Related Frasier Reboot Producers Reveal Interesting Way They Track Fan Reactions

Frasier reboot producer Joe Cristalli shares how he and co-showrunner Chris Harris track the reactions to their updated version of the hit sitcom.

Eliza further elaborated, stating Eric's call-in to Frasier Crane's Kacl talk show was one of his "favorite things" throughout his accomplished idea. "He'd be happy to do that. In fact, [Frasier star] Kelsey Grammer filmed something in our house.

Movies are empathy machines, as Roger Ebert once wrote. The best films allow us to experience emotions we may not have felt otherwise through a particular character’s story. But some movies conjure emotions that we’re actively seeking out. Happiness. Joy. Love. We call these “feel-good movies.” Everybody has their go-to stable of films they return to over and over again when they need a boost — or maybe just an escape.

If you’re looking to expand your horizons beyond whatever’s streaming on Netflix, or if you just need a pick-me-up Asap, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve assembled a list of some of the best feel-good movies to watch when you’re feeling down.

20th Century “The Princess Bride”

One of the all-time great feel-good movies, Rob Reiner’s “The Princess Bride” endures as the platonic ideal of a romantic fantasy adventure. Carey Elwes stars as the devastatingly charming Westley,...

The Powerpuff Girls meet The Simpsons in a new animation mashup. The Powerpuff Girls was an animated series created by Craig McCracken, which began telling the tale of Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles in 1998. The series ran for six seasons, from 1998 to 2004. The Simpsons, on the other hand, is a less kid-oriented animated series that started almost a decade earlier than The Powerpuff Girls, airing its first episode in 1989. The show has continued on since, and The Simpsons season 36 is currently in progress.

Now, new art from @nathanmadeit shows a mash-up of The Powerpuff Girls and The Simpsons.

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Nathan Made It (@nathanmadeit)

The digital painting shows the trio of Buttercup, Bubbles, and Blossom all in flight. The main villain of The Powerpuff Girls, Mojo Jojo, is also shown on screen. Instead of their typical style, the Powerpuff trio is drawn with yellow skin...

An unusual family lives an unusual life in Mark H. Rapaport’s Hippo, one of the stranger films that has played at the Fantasia Film Festival. Rapaport drops us into a suburban dystopic home where society’s rules don’t seem to apply, and no subject is too taboo to elicit nervous laughter. Hippo (Kimball Farley) and his Hungarian adopted sister Buttercup (Lilla Kizlinger) share a troubling relationship with each other and their mother, Ethel (Eliza Roberts), as they approach adulthood wholly unprepared for the world outside their doors. A young man on the verge of adulthood, Hippo is an odd duck. He spends his days playing video games, bossing around his mother, and searching for automatic weapons on the internet. It’s the late ‘90s, two of these...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

“Hippo” is a new surreal, live-action ‘black comedy’ feature, directed by Mark H. Raport, starring Kimball Farley, Lilla Kizlinger, Eliza Roberts, Jesse Pimentel and Vann Barrett, with narration by Eric Roberts, now playing in select theaters:

“…a teenager and his step-sister ‘Buttercup’ struggle to come of age in late 1990’s America…

“…under the roof of a mother who has been institutionalized at least once…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

The war between Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy and country star Zach Bryan just intensified.

For those who are new to this particular drama, the unexpected feud began when Zach broke up with girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry.

Brianna (real name Brianna Lapaglia) is a writer and podcaster for Barstool, hence the crispy pen name.

Zach Bryan and girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry arrive for the 66th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024. (Photo by Robyn Beck/Afp via Getty Images) Brianna and Zach’s Bad Breakup

Brianna says she was “blindsided” when Zach broke up with her last month.

She later accused Zach of emotional abuse, claiming that he manipulated her throughout their relationship.

Brianna also alleged that after their split, her famous ex attempted to buy her silence with a $13 million payout.

She quickly gained the support of thousands of Barstool devotees, including her boss,...

"Let us bear humble witness." Kinematics has debuted a trailer for a weird little indie film called Hippo, a kooky creation from filmmaker Mark H. Rapaport as his feature debut. It premiered at last year's Fantasia Film Festival and it also played at the Calgary Underground Film Festival earlier this year. Hippo, a peculiar adolescent, and his Hungarian step-sister Buttercup struggle to come of age in late 90s America, under the roof of a mother who has been institutionalized at least once. Reviews describe the film as "an avant-garde sex comedy that unleashes the quirks of Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmusch to their weirdest extents." Huh. Adding that it also "doesn't hold back in exploring taboo subjects... yet offering riotous laughter through the characters' absurdity." The indie film stars Kimball Farley, Lilla Kizlinger, Eliza Roberts, and Eric Roberts. This definitely won't be for everyone, but adventurous cinema nerds should check it out anyway.

Hippo examines the coming-of-age of two step-siblings: Hippo, a video-game addicted teenager and Buttercup, a Hungarian Catholic immigrant with a love of classical music and Jesus. Like the Ancient Greek Aphrodite, Buttercup’s love is unrequited by a brother who prefers to indulge the art of war and chaos. The result is a hormone-fueled, tragicomic waking nightmare that must be seen to be believed. Mark H. Rapaport's comedy drama, Hippo, is coming the theaters on November 12th. Hippo premiered at Fantasia last Summer, where Josh and I caught it. I couldn't quite explain what I had witnessed at the time, but Josh could, which is why he reviewed it and has been quoted in the official trailer. Take a look for yourself down below and...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

The Princess Bride is an absolutely beloved movie because it's so much fun. It tells the story of Westley (Carey Elwes) who must rescue his one true love, Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the clutches of the evil Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Its humor and endlessly quotable dialogue won it an army of dedicated fans.

Actually filming the movie, however, wasn't necessarily always fun. There was a series of unfortunate accidents on the set, ones that could have easily led to someone being seriously hurt. However, the filmmakers and actors overcame these bits of bad fortune to make a truly special movie.

Cary Elwes Broke His Toe

One oft-repeated anecdote from the set of The Princess Bride is all about Andr the Giant's flatulence. There was a minor pause in filming one day when Andre let out a sixteen-second fart that bewildered everyone. There was silence for a moment, then director Rob Reiner asked,...

Quick Links What Is Once Upon A Deadpool? Once Upon a Deadpool Stretches Its Novel Premise Thin Why Once Upon a Deadpool Would Work Better as a Short Film

As Deadpool & Wolverine continues to shatter the all-time R-rated box office record and restore faith in the MCU moving forward, it's worth noting that the playful superhero franchise has seen its share of hits and misses. Look no further than Once Upon a Deadpool, a novelty re-edit of Deadpool 2 that strips away all the R-rated material and replaces it with a PG-13 storybook fairytale molded from The Princess Bride. Although the gimmicky remake has standout moments, most agree it would have worked better as a short film.

With Deadpool & Wolverine poised to clobber its box office competitors for a third consecutive weekend, a closer look at the highs and lows of Once Upon a Deadpool can help to determine what went wrong,...

Dynamite's Ppg #1 explores the girls' separate destinies, adding depth to their characters & storylines. The issue revisits the theme of identity & change, with the girls learning to be themselves while embracing their powers. Dynamite's comic book series follows in the footsteps of DC & Idw, offering a more nuanced look at the Powerpuff Girls' universe.

Warning: Spoilers for The Powerpuff Girls #1 (Dynamite)I will always love Craig McCracken's Powerpuff Girls and even the highly controversial reboot more than the comics, but the first new issue of Dynamite's Ppg comic book series actually feels like it improves upon one classic episode in a way that also underscores something both shows never accomplished. The first issue of Dynamite's six-issue series immediately gets to the heart of what these TV shows lack by exploring and possibly even deconstructing who Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are as characters.

Called "Destiny Detour," Dynamite's Powerpuff...

Dragon Ball and The Powerpuff Girls have collided in a new piece of artwork that brings the two together in the best possible -- and most wholesome -- way.

In a June 20 X (formerly Twitter) post, artist Mocci Mu published an illustration of Dragon Ball's Goku blocking three simultaneous strikes, each coming from a different member of the Powerpuff Girls -- Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup. The post, seen below, was captioned with, "Goku loves the challenge. The girls love their new babysitter."

Related New Dragon Ball Artwork Recreates One of the Most Iconic Anime Movie Posters of All Time

A Dragon Ball fan merges the world of Akira Toriyama's iconic shonen with the vibrant, cyberpunk-style dystopia of a classic science-fiction anime.

Dragon Ball's Goku Might Make a Better Babysitter Than He Ever Did a Radish Farmer Powerpuff Girls x Dragonball:Goku loves the challenge.The girls love their new babysitter.

Below Deck viewers are not here for The Real Housewives of New York City alum Jill Zarin and her entitled behavior.

Jill made her debut on the most recent episode of Below Deck as a guest of the primaries, Noah and Melinda.

However, watching the show, one would have thought Jill was the primary with her obnoxious treatment of the crew, especially Chef Anthony Iracane.

Captain Kerry Titheradge said it best — Jill was forcing the crew to focus on her needs instead of the primary.

There are so many cringe Jill moments on Below Deck that X (formerly Twitter) has been in a frenzy blasting the former Rhony star.

It’s safe to say that most people watching the hit yachting show last night were not Jill fans.

Jill Zarin blasted over Below Deck behavior

“Jill wants to make her 5 minutes on tv to be memorable. I hope we never see her again.

The Princess Bride is arguably one of the most influential films of all time. Based on the 1973 novel of the same name, the 1987 film often ranks among the best films of all time, and all of its cast members, including Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, and Mandy Patinkin continue to receive recognition for their roles even today.

Liam Neeson in Silence

However, actor Liam Neeson, who is slated to lead a Naked Gun reboot, could have ended up in the iconic film’s cast. During an interview, Neeson spoke about auditioning for a role in the movie. However, Neeson went on to lose the role to one of the most popular wrestlers of the 80s and had to make his name elsewhere. Here is what Neeson revealed about losing the role in The Princess Bride.

SUGGESTEDJamie Dornan Steals the Spotlight After Liam Neeson Shares a Heartwarming Childhood Story About Dakota Johnson...

Meryl Streep's iconic role as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada is more famous than her Oscar-winning performances. Robin Wright's portrayal of Buttercup in The Princess Bride remains the most iconic role of her career. Amanda Plummer's brief but memorable role as Honey Bunny in Pulp Fiction is more entertaining than anything else she has done.

Despite blockbuster franchises and cinematic universes garnering the most attention in Hollywood, there are still some actors whose most iconic role is a character they only played once, in one movie. The most famous characters of all time are, more often than not, the stars of long-running franchises. While these movies deserve merit for how they changed cinema, the greatest standalone movies and the performances in them have had just as much of an impact.

Iconic one-off roles are more common among actors who restrict themselves to awards season contenders,...

Sets can be dangerous, with numerous stories of on-set accidents circulating and more always seeming to be revealed through interviews. The most memorable movies are not completed without some issues. Even the now iconic film, The Princess Bride, had problems. Based on the novel by William Goldman, the 1987 adventure film proudly features pirates, giants, fencing, revenge, torture, and romance as Westley (Cary Elwes), a simple farmboy-turned-pirate attempts to rescue his love, Buttercup (Robin Wright), from her impending marriage to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon). Any film that relies so heavily on action is bound to cause an injury or two, and The Princess Bride is no different. Yet, in the case of Cary Elwes' hospital visit, it had nothing to do with the content of the film, but the injury nearly changed The Princess Bride entirely.

Dragon Ball Namek memes are going viral in the final days of 2023 after an X (formally Twitter) user posted, "You can put literally any fictional character on Namek and it’s instantly hilarious."

The post, by user @DreMeMoTo, has received thousands of responses with photoshopped images of characters from nearly every fictional universe, as well as several politicians and celebrities, on Namek -- a fictional planet in Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball universe. It serves as the ancestral home of the Namekians and is known for its distinct green sky, blue-hued grass and crystalline waters. The setting became a pivotal one during the "Namek" saga in Dragon Ball Z, where characters journeyed to the planet in search of its Dragon Balls, powerful artifacts capable of granting wishes. It’s also the setting of many of the series’ most significant battles.

Related Godzilla, Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon Meet in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters...

Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack may actually take place in the same universe, as revealed in The Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up #1. The worlds of Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack are potentially variants of each other, both filled with monsters and superpowered villains. The connection between Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack raises dark questions about the history of both universes, such as the fate of Townsville under Aku's rule.

A long-speculated theory about the relationship between Samurai Jack and the Powerpuff Girls may actually hold water. Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up reveals a connection between the two action cartoons, which may all but confirm one of the darkest Cartoon Network fan theories.

Fans lucky enough to be in the viewing demographic of early 2000s' Cartoon Network had a fantastic library at their disposal. There was something for everyone on the hit cable channel, including comedic, action-packed cartoons like Powerpuff Girls and Samurai Jack.

The Princess Bride is about Fred Savage's Grandson, mentally illustrating the story told by his Grandfather, The film embraces childlike wonder in a way that other movies have failed to accomplish. This is the secret sauce that spreads to the rest of the film, elevating it on numerous levels.

The Princess Bride is one of the classics of 20th-century cinema. Although the film was only a modest success at the box office, subsequent years have turned Rob Reiner's tribute to fantasy storytelling into one of film's most memorable adventures. So much of the film has become a part of the shared pop-culture consciousness that, in theory, it should be hard to relate to for new audiences. But viewers young and old can find that same sense of fun, whether it's their first or hundred-and-first viewing.

This is because the film quietly but specifically embraces a childish tone that carries throughout the story.

The Powerpuff Girls' archenemy Mojo Jojo looks like a comic book villain in new fan art. Aired on Cartoon Network, the animated series follows three kindergarten-aged superpowered sisters – Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup – who are frequently called upon to defend Townsville from big baddies. This includes their archenemy, Mojo Jojo, a humanoid monkey and evil genius mastermind who is constantly plotting to take over the world or destroy the Powerpuff Girls.

Some new fan art from raresauce_ on Instagram saw fit to reimagine the monkey-like Mojo Jojo as a comic book villain. Check it out below:

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Raresauce (@raresauce_)

Mojo Jojo's original design in The Powerpuff Girls was inspired by Caesar from Planet of the Apes and Dr. Gori from the Tokusatsu series Spectreman. Instead of an animated antagonist, the fan art reimagines Mojo as if he would appear in a comic book panel,...

Nickelodeon's greatest animated show about a group of babies, Rugrats, has returned to Paramount+ with a second season of the rebooted series. Tommy Pickles and his friends Chuckie, Susie, Phil, Lil, and even Angelica return with Eg Daily and most of the original show's cast. The new season is filled with more diaper-filled adventures, and this time, the voice actor behind Batman's Harley Quinn and Powerful Girls, Bubbles, Tara Strong, returns to the series to reprise her role as Dil, Tommy's new baby brother.

Each voice actor who voiced the Rugrats kids returns to voice their iconic characters, who all sound just as charming as they did in the original series and its spin-offs. Tommy is one of fiction's bravest characters, and Eg Daily returns to bring life to the determined leader of the series group of babies. Eg also voices Buttercup in The Powerpuff Girls animated series,...

At the start of The Princess Bride, the grandpa explains that every time Westley says "as you wish," what he really means is "I love you." As Buttercup's farmhand, she calls Westley "Farmboy" and doesn't care about his feelings or how she treats him. Still, after every request she makes of him, he always replies, "As you wish." When Westley leaves on an excursion at sea and fails to return, Buttercup assumes he has died. However, he survives and becomes a pirate and eventually sets out to rescue his love from a horrible life with an evil prince.

"As you wish" is one of the most memorable quotes from The Princess Bride — along with Inigo Montoya's "Prepare to die!" and Vizzini's "Inconceivable!" Westley's line is what shows his admiration for Buttercup before he can truly tell her how he feels for her. Throughout the movie, "As you wish" is said six times,...