This article is about the series that ran from 2002-2007. For the character with the same name, see Kim Possible (character).
Kim Possible is an American animated television series about a teenage crime-fighting girl of the same name who has the task of dealing with worldwide, family, and school issues daily. Although the show is action-oriented, it also has a light-hearted atmosphere, comedy, and often lampoons the conventions and clichés of the secret-agent and action genres, it is marked as the second animated Disney Channel Original Series, after The Proud Family, and was the first series to be produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, in association with the Disney Channel. It had a cameo appearance in the form of a poster in the film The Santa Clause 2. Currently Disney Heroes: Battle Mode contains 6 playable characters from the series.
Kim Possible is Disney Channel's highest-rated show of all-time. It also holds the record for being the second-longest running Disney Channel original series (behind Bunk'd), airing for a total of 5 years and 3 months (or 63 months) between its first episode and its series finale, it is also currently the third-longest running animated Disney Channel Original Series (following behind Big City Greens & Phineas and Ferb).
Premise[]
The series revolves around Kim's fights against her enemies as well as her everyday life problems as a normal teenager, which are usually presented as a subplot. Kim lives in what is supposed to be an Any Town, USA named Middleton, although it is built around a thriving NASA-like Space Center with several supporting Science Laboratories.
Production[]
Creators Mark McCorkle and Bob Schooley claim they created the show in an elevator. As they tell it, McCorkle looked at Schooley and said, Kim Possible: She can do anything. Schooley at once replied, Her partner is Ron Stoppable: He can't do anything. The creators also maintain that it was always their intention for Kim and Ron to eventually become involved romantically, rather than just remaining best friends. This becomes a reality in the movie Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama, which was originally slated to be the series' ending. The romantic theme, however, also continues throughout season four, the last season of the show.
The series premiered on Disney Channel on June 7, 2002, and the first episode to premiere there, Crush, was nominated for a Primetime Emmy award the following year. After the premiere of this episode, Kim Possible was the most-watched and highest-rated television show on Disney Channel at that time. The series as a whole was nominated for the Daytime Emmy in 2004 and again in 2005 (that year, it received five nominations and won one for Outstanding Sound Mixing — Live Action and Animation). The show has been widely praised for its dialogue, animation, and characters. This is the second longest-running Disney Channel show ever.
On February 22, 2005, after three seasons and 65 episodes, the show ended production. Due to the popularity of the series and grassroots operations by dedicated Kim Possible fans, Disney announced on November 29, 2005, that the show would be renewed for a fourth season, which debuted on Disney Channel on February 10, 2007.
The series finale aired on September 7, 2007, with the airing of the one hour-long concluding episode Graduation.
Steve Loter documented the production of the final episode of season four, and thus the completion of the Kim Possible franchise. In a blog titled So the Finale hosted on Blogger, it included behind-the-scenes and production information from the perspective of the cast and crew as well as production sketches from one of several alternative endings that had been scripted. So the Finale maintained an open comment system allowing fans to express their views on the franchise and its closure.
The show's title music, Call Me, Beep Me! is sung by Christina Milian. Artist Stephen Silver was the lead character designer.
Four different animation studios animated the series: Rough Draft Korea, Starburst Animation Studios, Toon City, and Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd.[1]
Airings[]
Kim Possible also aired on Toon Disney in the United States and Family in Canada. Episodes have been aired on ABC as part of its ABC Kids lineup.
In the UK, the show has often aired on GMTV's children's weekend slot Toonattik, on ITV1. The show is being broadcast daily at 9:30pm showing two back to back episodes on Sky Movies Disney. In Australia, Kim Possible can be seen on Disney Channel Australia, 3 times a day along with the Seven Network which are currently repeating the final season every Saturday at 7:05am. In India, Kim Possible can be seen on Toon Disney, Disney Channel, and Disney Cinemagic. It is still being aired on Disney Channel Latin America in the Pacific feed from Monday to Friday in the animated block. It is also being aired on Disney Channel South Africa and Disney XD Netherlands.
The Bulgarian version of Kim Possible (Ким Суперплюс) premiered in 2005 on BNT Channel 1, with a dub produced by Disney Character Voices International; the Disney weekend block however was closed without notice on January 1, 2006. After more than two years absence, Jetix CEE brought the series' first season back in August 2008, with the old Bulgarian dub appearing from October of that year. After Jetix was changed to Disney Channel, it repeated season 2 (which aired on Channel 1 as well). It has been reported that the previously undubbed season 3 is now ready for broadcasting. It is expected that it will be dubbed by the same sound studio as before (Alexandra Audio).
Between February 3, 2014, and January 2015, and again between March 17 and August 12, 2018, and one last time on February 10, 2019 (to prepare for the 2019 live-action movie premiere), the show was on Disney XD in the US.
On May 2016, the show started airing on Freeform (previously known as ABC Family) on Fridays from 12am to 2am as part of That's so Throwback until September 30.
Episodes[]
- Main article: Kim Possible episode list
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |
---|---|---|---|
Season premiere | Season finale | ||
1 | 21 | June 7, 2002 | May 16, 2003 |
2 | 30 | July 18, 2003 | August 5, 2004 |
3 | 14 | September 25, 2004 | June 10, 2006 |
4 | 22 | February 10, 2007 | September 7, 2007 |
Characters[]
The show centers around teenage crime-fighter Kim Possible and her faithful sidekick (and later boyfriend since Kim Possible Movie: So the Drama and throughout season 4), Ron Stoppable. Ron owns a pet naked mole rat named Rufus, who proves an excellent aide to Ron and Kim in their many battles versus Dr. Drakken and various other foes. Ron is also the main source of comic relief for the show. During the show, Kim and Ron progress through high school, starting in 10th grade in the pilot episode, Crush, and ending with a graduation party in the final episode, called Graduation.
Together, the duo face off against various antagonists, most commonly Doctor Drakken, assisted by his henchwoman Shego, whose unsuccessful world domination schemes appear in almost every episode of the show. The other common villains are Monkey Fist, Duff Killigan, Señor Senior, Sr. and Jr., and Professor Dementor. Monkey Fist starts out as an Indiana Jones-like persona at first, but soon it turns into a megalomaniacal practitioner of monkey kung-fu also known as Tai-Sheng-Pek-Quar as shown in the episode Monkey Fist Strikes (written by Gary Sperling), which is a fictional fighting discipline supernaturalized and portrayed as mystical in the series. Duff Killigan is an overweight Scottish golf player who wears a kilt and attacks his opponents with exploding golf balls. The Señor Senior father and son duo are at first just extremely rich people owning a large resort island. However, they are inadvertently pushed into the evil business by Ron Stoppable. Senior, the father, is more business-oriented, as his son tends to exploit the evil ways for not-so-evil deeds, such as opening a personal discotheque. Little is revealed about Professor Dementor, an antagonist obsessed with world domination schemes like Doctor Drakken, his sworn enemy, although Dementor usually turns out to be more successful.
Films[]
Home media[]
- Main article: Kim Possible videography
Video games[]
- Kim Possible: Revenge of Monkey Fist (Game Boy Advance) - released November 15, 2002
- Kim Possible 2: Drakken's Demise (Game Boy Advance) - released September 22, 2004
- Kim Possible 3: Team Possible (Game Boy Advance) - released July 26, 2005
- Kim Possible: Kimmunicator (Nintendo DS) - released November 9, 2005
- Kim Possible: Legend of the Monkey's Eye (Windows/MacOS) - released May 16, 2006
- Kim Possible: What's the Switch? (PlayStation 2) - released October 19, 2006
- Kim Possible: Global Gemini (Nintendo DS) - released February 13, 2007
- Kim Possible (Java ME) - released 2007, ceased unknown
Other games[]
- Disney Heroes: Battle Mode - Kim, Ron, Rufus, Shego, Dr. Drakken, Duff Killigan, and Monkey Fist are playable characters in the game.
Other media[]
Reception[]
Critical Response[]
In the days leading up to Kim Possible's premiere, television critics speculated whether or not the show would attract a large enough male audience despite its female lead to prove successful. Ultimately, Kim Possible premiered to both widespread acclaim and strong viewership. The first season currently holds a perfect 100% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The series continued to garner critical acclaim throughout its run, earning particular praise for its dialogue, humor and animation, as well as appeal towards both younger and older viewers.
Describing the show as "infectious", Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "Blessed with a modern sense of humor and hip -- but not too hip -- vocabulary, Kim Possible should appeal to the tweens ... it clearly targets", believing that its animation, "speed with which stories unfold and especially the dialogue makes Kim Possible an early summer TV treat." Writing for The New York Times, television critic Julie Salamon enjoyed Rufus' role, penning, "I probably would have liked Kim Impossible even if one of its lead characters hadn't been a naked mole rat. But the cheerful presence of Rufus ... in this new animated series from Disney signals that the show's executive producer and director, Chris Bailey, doesn't mind getting cute in obvious ways." Similarly, USA Today's Alex Kane wrote that the show "is ultimately made memorable by its charming cast of characters, including a naked mole rat named Rufus". In his book The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, television historian Tim Brooks appreciated the show's "marvelous sense of humor about itself." Ted Cox of Daily Herald stated that the "good things about [the show] outweighs the bad" and welcomed the show as a change to the "male cartoon dominance". Evan Levine of Newspaper Enterprise Association stated that the show has a "nice mix of humor and adventure", praising the humor as "genuinely funny moments that parody everything from adventure movies to family relationships."
Scott D. Pierce of the Deseret News praised Kim Possible for being "an entertaining show that should indeed appeal to tweens, younger kids and even their parents" that "plays with the superhero format in a way that doesn't take itself too seriously but doesn't play down to the viewers." Tracy McLoone of PopMatters reviewed, "Kim Possible includes adult-friendly humor, in the event that parents feel the need to watch tv (sic) with their kids. But nobody in or watching the series will ever be offended or over-stimulated, or even surprised." While accepting Kim as a positive role model and admitting that the series teaches "good lessons" at times, Besty Wallace of Common Sense Media expressed concern over the show's violent action sequences, explaining, "lessons may get muddled and nearly lost as the heroes shimmy up rope ladders dangling from helicopters and dodge spinning tops of doom." Wallace concluded, "As long as you're not expecting too much in the way of educational value, you'll probably have plenty of fun with this one." Writing for Bustle, Sarah Freymiller opined, "Ultimately, Kim Possible was just a solid show" that "didn't skimp on plot or dialogue in favor of Wile E. Coyote explosions, and its tongue-in-cheek humor allowed it to be self-aware and hip at the same time."
Conversely, Girlfighting: Betrayal and Rejection Among Girls author Lyn Mikel Brown was less receptive towards Kim herself, criticizing the show for promoting the beautiful and thin heroine as "your basic average girl" and apparent reliance on Ron's intelligence, as well as the fact that her "biggest threat" is Bonnie as opposed to evil. According to Brown, "Being the kind of girl who's accepted or befriended by boys underscores a girl's power and sets her against other girls."
Ratings[]
Kim Possible's premiere received a 2.2 Nielsen rating, totaling 1.8 million households and 2.5 million viewers. At the time, the series had the highest-rated premiere of all the Disney Channel shows. It also became the first Disney Channel series to debut at No. 1 in the US and the top-rated show among tweens 9 to 14, girls 6 to 14, and girls 9 to 14. In terms of ratings, Kim Possible continued to perform consistently well into its second and third seasons. By 2003, Kim Possible was Disney Channel's highest-rated animated series for kids 6 to 11 and tweens 9 to 14. In 2005, Richard Huff of New York Daily News confirmed that the series was a "huge hit" with both boys and girls. On March 26, 2007, Thomas R. Umstead of Multichannel News stated that Kim Possible is one of the shows that contributed to the viewership growth of Disney Channel for the past three years.
Awards and nominations[]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | 30th Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production | Kim Possible | Nominated |
Best Animated Television Production Produced For Children | ||||
Production Design In An Animated Television Production | Alan Bodner | |||
2003 | 55th Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Animated Program | Chris Bailey, JK Kim, Marsh Lamore, Michel Lyman, Mark McCorkle, Bob Schooley, and Bob Treat for "Crush" | |
2003 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Cartoon | Kim Possible | ||
2004 | 31st Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Children's Animated Program | ||
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Nancy Cartwright as "Rufus" | |||
2005 | 32nd Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Children's Animated Program | Bob Schooley, Mark McCorkle, Kurt Weldon, David Block, Steve Loter, Lisa Schaffer, Bill Motz, and Bob Roth | |
Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction And Composition | Adam Berry | |||
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Christy Carlson Romano as "Kim" | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Live Action and Animation | Paca Thomas and Robbi Smith | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing - Live Action and Animation | Melissa Ellis and Fil Brown | Won | ||
2006 | 33rd Annie Awards | Production Design In A Television Production | Dave Bullock for Kim Possible "So The Drama" | Nominated |
Storyboarding In A Television Production | Troy Adomitis for Kim Possible "So The Drama" | |||
2008 | 35th Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production | Kim Possible |
International[]
- A Mandarin version aired on CCTV-14 in China.
- The Arabic dub made its debut on Disney Channel Middle East in 2002, whilst later occasionally airing for MBC 3's Disney on 3 block. In the Arabic dub, most of the characters' names were changed to reflect the lingual puns of the original names; Kim Possible is called Damo Staheel (a pun on the term mostaheel (مستحيل) which is Arabic for impossible), Ron Stoppable is called Mostah Aed, Rufus is called Fa'roon, Wade is called Awad, Shego is called Shahira, and Dr. Drakken is called Daraken. In addition, the Arabic dub of the series was initially performed by Lebanese actors, when traditionally it is Egyptian, however, for some unknown reason, the dubbing cast was entirely changed to Egyptian actors for the fourth season. Despite this, the Arabic dub of Kim Possible was one of the few Disney TV series that used standard Arabic instead of a colloquial Arabic dialect, although colloquial terms were loosely used.
- The show aired on the French Disney Channel and then on TF1's Disney show in France. Several changes were made in the names to fit with translated jokes: for example Ron is called Robin Trépide (intrépide, meaning intrepid: some kind of a courageous and adventurer).
- In Russia, broadcast on the Channel One Russia (Perviy kanal) from 2003 to 2004, seasons 1-2, and in the spring and summer of 2008, seasons 3-4, in February-April 2008 and July-August 2009, a replay is shown on the CTC channel, from 2010 to the present Shows on the Disney Channel (Russia) (name changes: Kim Possible - Kim Pyat'-s-Plusom / Ким Пять-с-Плюсом; Ron Stoppable - Ron Tak-Sebe / Рон Так-Себе).
- In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Kim Possible was aired on Super RTL, ORF 1 and SF zwei. Kim was dubbed by Anna Carlsson.
- In Bulgaria, the show was aired on Kanal 1 in 2005. The same translation was made available on the Bulgarian version of Jetix on October 20, 2008 (name changes: Kim Possible - Kim Superplus / Ким Суперплюс; Ron Staythere / Рон Стойситам).
- In Sweden, the show has been aired on SVT1, Disney Channel Sweden and Toon Disney Sweden. The show was dubbed to Swedish, but the names were the same as in the original version. This is also so in the Dutch version.
- The Hungarian version aired on the Hungarian RTL in 2006.
- In the Japanese version of this show, Beni Arashiro sang the main theme Call Me, Beep Me in both Japanese and English.
- In India, the show retained its name as Kim Possible and was aired on Disney Channel India and various channels airing Disney cartoons dubbed in Hindi.
- The show aired on Poland's version of The Disney Afternoon block (better known as Walt Disney Przedstawia) around the mid-to-late 2000's.
- The Croatian dub aired on Croatian RTL in 2015. In the Croatian version, Kim is called Kim Svemoćna (Kim Powerful) while Ron is called Ron Nemoćni (Ron Powerless).
EPCOT World Showcase Adventure attraction[]
Based on the Disney animated TV series, the Kim Possible: World Showcase Adventure was an interactive attraction that took place in several of Epcot's World Showcase pavilions in Walt Disney World. The attraction is an electronic scavenger hunt that has guests using special Kimmunicators (in actuality, modified cell phones), to help Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable solve a crime or disrupt an evil-doer's plans for global domination. The Kimmunicator is able to trigger specific events within the pavilion grounds that provide clues to completing the adventure. Launched in January 2009 and presented by Verizon Wireless, the Adventure is included in park admission.
The attraction was closed on May 18, 2012 to make way for a similar attraction themed around the character of Agent P from the Disney Channel animated TV series Phineas and Ferb. The new attraction, now called Disney's Phineas and Ferb: Agent P's World Showcase Adventure opened in June 15th of the same year.
Podcast[]
In June 2022, in celebration of Kim Possible's 20th anniversary, Christy Carlson Romano and Will Friedle released a very special reunion episode of their podcast, I Hear Voices. The episode began with an interview with Mark McCorckle and Bob Schooley, followed by interviews with voice actors Nicole Sullivan (Shego) and John DiMaggio (Drakken). At the end of the episode, a brand new Kim scene written by McCorckle and Schooley and directed by original voice director Lisa Schaffer and with all four voice actors reprising their roles was presented. In the scene, Kim and Ron are tricked by Drakken and Shego into being interviewed for their podcast.
Trivia[]
- Will Friedle and Rider Strong work on Boy Meets World.
- Neil Patrick Harris auditioned for the role of Ron Stoppable.
- Christy Carlson Romano also played Ren Stevens on Even Stevens in the 1990s.
- Gary Cole and Jean Smart had once starred together in "The Brady Bunch Movie".
Audio[]
Videos[]
Gallery[]
Promotional[]
Behind the Scenes[]
External links[]
- Official Website
- Disney Now
- Kim Possible on Wikipedia
- Kim Possible Wiki
- Save Kim Possible Website
- Online KP Compendium, with much information and resources
- Major KP fansite, complete with active forum
References[]
- ↑ "KP Crew Chat with Steve Loter - 02/11/06 - Transcript". Save Disney Shows (February 11, 2007).
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