Kim Possible (2002-2007) Overview

There are very few notable or popular heroines in cartoons and animation, especially in action cartoons, as most of it seems to be male dominated. A very important cartoon that changed that status quo was Kim Possible, conceived as a show for both kids and teens, this was a mix of the typical high school themes and concepts but injected with a dose of adventure and action to keep things fresh.

It follows the exploits of secret agent Kim Possible, a seemingly perfect teenager that can do anything, she's physically superior to all of her peers, she's intelligent and has everything a girl can hope for. However, her inability to fit in with the rest of the kids makes her socially troubled as she only has one true friend: The charming Ron Stoppable, he is the typical goofy boy who has dorky interests and tells jokes every two seconds... I must admit, he isn't the best part of the show. 

Losing his pants is another running gag with the goofball. Something that never happened to Kim, always found that curious as a kid. 

Anyway, both go on different missions stopping bad guys and saving the day. Its a very serviceable and fun half hour that gives you the thrills and laughs you can expect. Kind of like a female Johnny Quest mixed with James Bond.

I will spare you the details of the show, lets just talk about my overall impression of it.

Always ready for action.

For all of its virtues, Kim Possible feels like an uneven series at points, it sometimes puts too much focus on Ron and his escapades while giving Kim more mundane or routinary issues. 

The male character is allowed to be silly, be a loser and have a more explosive personality, while Kim is often more composed and too competent to catch our attention, something the writers took notice of as they made some episodes dealing mostly with Ron or with Ron alone. After all, Ron is inept and is always messing up, something that gives him more room to improve or to be a more sympathetic and interesting character due to his flaws. 

I can understand needing to feature a capable female lead as well as grabbing the male audience, not to mention the appeal Ron has as a comedic relief, but perhaps that could have been solved in another manner. 

Do you think Ron overshadows Kim?

While Kim is not a "Mary Sue" she definitely feels less compelling due to her amazing abilities at just about everything. Her best character driven moments are when she tries to adapt to normal teenage girl stuff instead of fighting and going on missions. I suppose that's why she doesn't have many female friends aside from one or two. 

This doesn't make her unlikable and she's still the best part of the show. I love her as a main protagonist and she does have many good lessons to learn as not everything in her life revolves around being a secret agent.

Shego is definitely a highlight of the series.

An interesting parallel are the villains. Dr. Kraven is fun to watch but Shego, the henchwoman, is far more competent at being an effective villain. The joke being that there are more skillful women out there working for men who use them as assistants or helpers instead of being the people in charge due to their talent. A funny idea that gets explored and played around with throughout the series.

The show it's mostly episodic aside from a few specials, some two parters and a movie. It never gets repetitive due to the clever writing with many jokes and great character interactions to keep you interested. 

Queen Bebe is one of the top episodes.

The action is also another reason why you should check out this show, there are many great sci-fi adventure plotlines and ideas that feel very creative and interesting for a Disney channel program.

Ron and Kim eventually end up together. Kind of expected.

Sort of a tough gal compared the usual cartoon girl.

I would recommend it to everyone, especially if you wanna go for a nostalgia trip. It's a fun romp from start to finish. I might highlight some episodes in the future and I will review the two movies eventually. There are also some great female characters such as Shego, Warmonga and even Kim´s mom joins in on the action. 

It's easy to see why it broke new ground, having tridimensional female characters who kick butt wasn't the most common sight in the early two thousands.