'Kim Possible' at 20: How It Kickstarted a New Animation Age

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Kim Possible also served as a twist on the usual action-adventure cartoons. In other cartoons, the male protagonist is the main character while the female character is either a damsel-in-distress or just along for the ride; here the roles are reversed as Kim does most of the world-saving while Ron acts as the comic relief. This also extends to the villains, particularly Drakken and Shego. Though he's a self-proclaimed "criminal mastermind", most of Drakken's schemes usually end in failure. Shego, on the other hand, is the more skilled and pragmatic of the pair despite being the sidekick - and also never misses a chance to ridicule Drakkon.

The show also wasn't afraid to dip its toes in multiple genres during its run. There were science fiction elements (particularly in stories involving Drakkon), fantasy elements (Ron went to a boarding school for ninjas in one episode, and both he and his recurring arch-nemesis Monkey Fist (Tom Kane) drew upon "mystical monkey power"), and even spy elements (Kim often pulled off stunts that rivaled any seen in a Mission: Impossible or James Bond movie, and Senor Senor Senor was a sendup of Bond villains like Dr. No.) Even the superhero genre was the subject of a few episodes, including one where Ron became the new Fearless Ferret in an obvious homage to Friedle's time on Batman Beyond. Schooley and McCorkle would even continue to bring superhero stories to Disney, as they were the co-writers for 2005's Sky High and helped develop Big Hero 6: The Series.

But what Kim Possible is best known for is having a heroine that dealt with everyday problems as well as apocalyptic ones. In addition to protecting the world from evil, Kim had to go to high school and captain the cheerleading squad - and episodes focused on how her double life could be a strain. A perfect example is the episode "Tick, Tick, Tick": when Kim is late to class after a mission, her teacher Mr. Barkin (Patrick Warburton) gives her detention. Kim objects, saying that she's a cheerleader and cheerleaders don't get detention. This comes back to bite her when during a battle with Drakkon and Shego, a miniature explosive attaches itself to her face — and her salvation lies in the hands of her classmates in detention, as well as Ron.

Kim Possible was also at the forefront of a wave of female-led action cartoons. In its wake came The Life and Times of Juniper Lee on Cartoon Network, My Life as a Teenage Robot on Nickelodeon, and W.I.T.C.H., all of which featured a female protagonist who, you guessed it, had to balance her schoolwork with heroics. And even though Kim Possible wasn't the first animated Disney Channel original — that honor goes to The Proud Family — its success opened the doors for animated series including American Dragon Jake Long, Gravity Falls, and The Owl House.

The biggest milestone that Kim Possible achieved was escaping cancellation due to fan support. Like most of Disney Channel's original series, it was expected to go into production for three seasons and a total of 65 episodes. However, fans started up online petitions and e-mail to campaign for more episodes. That push, compared with the success of the feature-length film Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, led the Disney Channel to greenlight the fourth season. While campaigns to renew canceled television series are commonplace (Star Trek: The Original Series remains the prime example), Kim Possible is one of the first times it's happened for an animated series.

[Hawkee]

From the time it was announced Kim Possible was destined to be a smash hit and when it debuted on Disney Channel it proved to be a wise hit. When I first heard of Kim Possible it reminded me of Wonder Woman and Kim Possible was so cool with all her cool moves and her gadgets and she could easily have been a female version of Inspector Gadget and because of it's success Christy Carlson Romano who voiced Kim Possible became a huge star for Disney. But it was actually R&B singer Christina Milian that made the show a hit because she sang the iconic theme song Call Me Beep Me which recieved constant airplay on Radio Disney and as Kim Possible continued to explode like a comet and become even more popular there was more that made the show popular such as music cds and even a merchandise deal with Walmart kept Kim Possible on it's feet. I think with the live action movie now on Disney+ I think Disney will make a new version of Kim Possible in the future and it will be a hit I guarantee if it were to be made
Bestie

[JamesG]

Twenty years since the hit show premiered, the voices behind the iconic characters Kim Possible (Christy Carlson Romano) and Ron Stoppable (Will Friedle) look back on the animated series.

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Kim Possible turns 20: The Disney Channel show's creators and stars Christy Carlson Romano and Will Friedle look back at the iconic teen heroine

Creators Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle introduced Disney Channel viewers to their animated high school cheerleader who saved the world in her spare time alongside her best friend Ron Stoppable and his naked mole rat, Rufus, on June 7, 2002. Kim Possible ran for four seasons and 88 episodes, through 2007. “When we were growing up, we would have these action heroes that we would worship. We looked at them and said, ‘Well, you know, it was always effortless for them.’ And it’s like, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have a heroine where it’s effortless like that?’” says McCorkle. “There’s never a point where it’s like, ‘Oh, you can do this and you’re a girl?’ We just dispense with that immediately, which I think looking back was very smart and maybe why it connected.” Romano adds: “I think that that wasn’t something that was overtones (for me), as much as it was more of the mentality of, you know, be the change that you would like to see and create the best characters."