| “ | "Please can you get out of my way?" | „ |
| ~ Ace after being greeted by 2-D |
Ace D. Copular is a character from Cartoon Network's 1998 animated series, The Powerpuff Girls. He is the leader of the Gangreen Gang, a group of hoodlums based out of Townsville.
He is the bassist for Gorillaz' sixth studio album The Now Now and served as the temporary replacement bassist while the band's usual bassist, Murdoc Niccals, was imprisoned.
For More Information
Check out Ace on the Powerpuff Girls Wiki.
Gorillaz Phase 5: 2018
Noodle and Ace spotted at the 2018 Kentucky Derby.
On May 5, 2018, Noodle was seen at the Kentucky Derby with Ace.[1] It was then revealed that he was the temporary new bass player for the band on their sixth studio album The Now Now while their usual bass player Murdoc was incarcerated at HM Wormwood Scrubs.
Following Murdoc's release from prison, he stated in the final of the FreeMurdoc chats that Ace had gone back home and that he "was taking time out to write his memoirs."[2]
Since Phase 5
Ace has been referenced a few times since his departure from the band after The Now Now. He appears in some artwork featured in the Gorillaz Almanac and is mentioned a few times in the book. In Song Machine Live's pre-show interviews, Gorillaz live bassist Seye mentioned that he misses playing with Ace during The Now Now Tour, and a picture frame of Ace is one of the props on the set of Song Machine Live. A sticker of an ace playing card is one of the many decorations on the Song Machine device.
Sometime after leaving Gorillaz and returning to Townsville, Ace became a doomsday prepper and moved to the desert. In the commentary edition of the music video Humility, Murdoc stated that Ace now lives in the desert, stocking up food and munitions, waiting for the 'endless dark".
Background
In an interview, Damon Albarn explained Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz and confirmed that Cartoon Network had given permission for Gorillaz to use the character. According to Albarn, Ace was chosen as Murdoc's replacement because he and Jamie Hewlett believed Ace had a certain spiritual connection with Murdoc. He also mentions that he and Jamie were both "massive fans" of The Powerpuff Girls when it came out and they always thought the energy of the show was "really cool," and that they're friends with the show's creator, Craig McCracken. "It all came about organically, is my point," Albarn says.[3]
In another interview, Jamie Hewlett mentions that his children were also huge fans of The Powerpuff Girls growing up and that the show was huge back then, and says that he's always been interested in the idea of cartoons crossing over, but that he's never seen a cartoon character entering another cartoon world, aside from Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam. Hewlett also said that, "Cartoon Network was great about it, but they did say no alcohol or prostitutes!"[4]
Ace was unable to speak as a member of Gorillaz since the process of getting approval from Cartoon Network for dialogue from the character was very costly and went over the band's budget. The music video for "Tranz" was originally going to have an introduction scene where Ace would've had a conversation with 2-D, but the process of getting Cartoon Network to approve the script would have been so costly that in the end, they would not have had the budget required to get Ace's voice actor (Jeff Bennett) to play the role of the character, so the scene was scrapped.[5] However, on an episode of Butch Hartman's Speech Bubble podcast with Jeff Bennett as a special guest on June 21, 2018, they discussed Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz, and Bennett read lines from Gorillaz songs as Ace.[6] Jamie has stated that he still has plans for Ace to be used in the future.
Appearance
In Gorillaz, Ace's design is much more detailed than his Powerpuff Girls design, in that he has more realistic proportions, with less cartoony, exaggerated features. One example being his chin, which is shorter and less curvy, though it remains sharp. Ace’s ears are also sometimes visible and more rounded than they usually are, and his nose is slightly pointier and longer. He is also visibly older in Gorillaz, as he now has slight wrinkles and a receding hairline. Ace’s wardrobe in Gorillaz is also more varied, as Ace appears in a different outfit in every music video and each of Jamie's drawings, as opposed to his singular Powerpuff Girls outfit (a blue and orange vest jacket paired with bell-bottom pants and wristbands). Ace is normally depicted wearing a jacket overtop of a shirt with a pair of jeans and a belt, sometimes with a hat on as well. He's also often seen wearing an actual ace playing card as an accessory, with the ace of spades symbol sometimes appearing on his clothing. In one of the interviews, 2-D implied that Ace dresses more stylishly than him and Murdoc.[7]
Gorillaz' character design for Ace is loosely based off the actor John Cazale’s character Sal from the 1975 crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon.[8] In the "Tranz" video, Ace's clothing is loosely based on Paul Simonon, The Clash's bassist and the live bassist for Gorillaz during the Plastic Beach era. Additionally, his movement and mannerisms in "Tranz" are loosely based off of the movement and mannerisms of the band's live bassist Seye Adelekan.[9] Ace's shirt worn in the "Humility" music video was later made available as a part of the G Foot clothing line.[10]
Personality
Ace (Jeff Bennett) Reads Gorillaz Lyrics-2
A clip of Ace reading Gorillaz lyrics from an episode of the podcast Speech Bubble with Jeff Bennett, Ace's voice actor as a special guest.
According to the FreeMurdoc chats, Ace is close friends with him and they have known each other for a long time. In an interview with NME, Murdoc spoke of Ace in high regard and referred to him as a "lovely, genuine fella" and "an underrated actor in his day," while also stating: "As a TV villain he's up there with Mumm-Ra, in my opinion."[11] In another FreeMurdoc chat, Noodle described Ace as "a bit clingy," but said he had a good heart. In another NME interview, 2-D stated the following about Ace: "He's cool and really respects me." 2-D says that one day when he greeted Ace and said, 'Yo yo yo! S’up Ace?' and Ace responded, 'Please can you get out of my way.'[12] In an interview with Billboard Argentina, 2-D said Ace was great and that "he made a career in showbiz by taking balls from kids and stealing their lunch money." 2-D also said that Ace once stole a toaster from him and sold it to Russel for $5, who then sold it back to 2-D for $10.[13] In the music video for "Humility," Ace takes a ball from two basketball players and deflates it with a switchblade, which was similar to the times he took dodgeballs from kids in The Powerpuff Girls. In a DJ Magazine interview with Noodle, she says that initially, the rest of the band did not trust Ace due to him being friends with Murdoc. However, they grew to become good friends and began enjoying having him around.[14] On an episode of the podcast Speech Bubble from June 21, 2018, Ace's voice actor Jeff Bennett was informed of Gorillaz making Ace the bassist for The Now Now and was asked to read Gorillaz lyrics as Ace.[15]
Quotes
- "Please will you get out of my way." —Ace after being greeted by 2-D
- "That's right! We're gonna get you, Powerpuff Girls!" —Ace, from the podcast Speech Bubble, "Special Guest: Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo!)"
- "Hi, guys! How ya doin? I'm gonna do some Gorilla lyrics later, or somethin'. I don't even know what I'm talkin' about. Hahahahahahahahahaha." —Ace, from the podcast Speech Bubble, "Special Guest: Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo!)"
- "That's what he saw in the Joe Pesci guy!" —Ace, from the podcast Speech Bubble, "Special Guest: Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo!)"
- "Bada Bing!" —Ace, from the podcast Speech Bubble, "Special Guest: Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo!)"
- "I ain't gonna dig the hole! I ain't diggin' the hole this time!" —Ace, from the podcast Speech Bubble, "Special Guest: Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo!)"
- "Will it spin? Will it soar? My little dream, working the machine." —Ace reciting the lyrics to "Empire Ants"
- "Bounce, wiggle. Bounce, wiggle...shakin' all them bangs out." —Ace reciting the lyrics to "All Alone"
- "Sha...Shabada...Shabada—FEEL GOOD!" —Ace reciting the lyrics to "Feel Good Inc."
- "Ey! 2-D!" —Ace, from part of the scrapped introduction of the "Tranz" music video
Trivia
- In the Powerpuff Girls Movie, an ad for Gorillaz LIVE was briefly seen in a newspaper and a lookalike of 2-D (with a mohawk) could briefly be seen in the crowd and during a scene of news report about the girls, sparking the theory that the Gorillaz and the Powerpuff Girls share the same universe.
- In FusionFall, Ace had a band with Belladonna, (an old Buttercup with amnesia).
- Another connection between Gorillaz and The Powerpuff Girls is a picture with 2-D wearing a shirt of Mojo Jojo.
- Also, in The Powerpuff Girls episode "Shotgun Wedding," the opening scene shows a picture of the Gang Green Gang spraying graffiti in the style of the Gorillaz logo.[16]
- On Gorillaz' old Kong Studios website in Phase 1, Noodle had The Powerpuff Girls game section of Cartoon Network's official website as an internet bookmark on her computer.[17]
- During a BBC Webchat with Gorillaz from 2002, Bubbles asked Noodle who her favorite Powerpuff Girls character was, and her answer was Mojo Jojo.[18]
- In Phase 1, The Powerpuff Girls was one of Noodle's favorite cartoons.[19] In Noodle's official Phase 1 biography, she lists The Powerpuff Girls as one of her likes and interests.[20]
- In the image of Noodle on her tricycle holding a card that says "Death from below," stickers of The Powerpuff Girls logo and the girls themselves can be seen on the tricycle.
- Gorillaz was asked by The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken to make a song for The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002, but due to conflicting schedules, the song was never made.[21]
- Craig McCracken's other Cartoon Network series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends also paid homage to Jamie's comic Tank Girl in the episode "Nightmare on Wilson Way," in a scene that briefly shows Frankie Foster dressed up as Tank Girl for Halloween.
- Coincidentally, Ace and Murdoc both have green skin, have criminal backgrounds, and are leaders of their respective groups.
- In March 2018, Jamie posted a clip of Ace hitting a kindergartner with a dodgeball from the Powerpuff Girls episode, "Schoolhouse Rocked" to his Instagram. This was the earliest known hinting of Ace's involvement with the band.[22]
- On May 31, 2018, Damon Albarn explained in an interview with BBC Radio 6 the reason behind adding Ace as Murdoc's temporary replacement, stating that Cartoon Network gave Gorillaz permission to use Ace as a character.[23]
- Cartoon Network Latin America posted a promo on their official Facebook page about Ace becoming a member of Gorillaz, with Ace as shown in the "Humility" video followed by an angry reaction from Mojo Jojo, with captions that say "Some people enjoy their fame" and "Others just can't stand it."[24]
- Ace's design in Gorillaz was also loosely based on John Cazale's character Sal from the 1975 crime drama film Dog Day Afternoon.[25]
Gallery
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| The full image gallery for Ace may be viewed at Ace/Gallery. |