The Powerpuff Girls Movie is a 2002 American animated superhero action-adventure comedy-drama film based on the Cartoon Network animated television series of the same name. Directed by series creator Craig McCracken, and produced by Cartoon Network Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film was released in the United States on July 3, 2002. It is a prequel to the series that tells the origin story of how the Powerpuff Girls were created, and how they came to be the defenders of Townsville. In theaters, a Dexter's Laboratory short entitled "Chicken Scratch" was shown prior to the film, which later aired as part of the series' fourth season. The film made its network debut on Cartoon Network on May 23, 2003 and on March 5, 2004 on Toonami.