The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have a history of being reinvented ever since the original comic book writers, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, handed over the rights to have the 1987 TV show made. That cartoon took characters from the violent indie comic and turned them into something designed for children. The divide between the source material and new media only continued to grow as more comics, cartoons, movies, toys and video games took on various renditions of the turtles. The latest iteration of the iconic reptiles comes from The Mitchells vs. the Machines co-director Jeff Rowe, who makes his solo directorial debut with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.Â
If you’re familiar with the Cowabunga Crew, you probably know how this goes. An ooze falls into the sewers of New York City, transforming four baby turtles and one rat into anthropomorphic mutants. Growing up in the sewers and outcast by humans on the surface, our heroes — Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Raphael (Brady Noon) and Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.) — want to be a part of the society that shuns them, despite the wishes of their father Splinter (Jackie Chan). They team up with April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri) to win the love of the public by stopping the crime lord wreaking havoc in NYC, Superfly (Ice Cube).
Rowe’s take on the Half-Shell Heroes is less a reinvention than a culmination of decades of turtle-mania. The band of brothers here will feel familiar to fans of previous iterations, but now they’re rendered as goofy Generation Alpha teenagers — and performed by a teenage voice cast that was free to adjust dialogue in a way not often seen when filmmakers write younger characters. Rowe & Co. succeeded in making a heartfelt story about outcasts trying to change the negative image society has unjustly given them, while also filling it with pop-culture references that both older fans and first-time viewers can enjoy.Â
Also noticeable from the very first frame: The animation style is like none other. The 3D animation is complemented with 2D texturing similar to Netflix’s Arcane and Rowe’s The Mitchells vs. the Machines, but also distinct with its rough sketchbook style and exaggerated character design — something more akin to 2D-animated movies. The style and music — largely ’90s East Coast hip-hop — both play into the aesthetic of the lost teens trying to find their place in society.
This project was brought together by TMNT super-fans who teamed up with some of the best animators in the industry to make one of the best appearances of the turtles on the big screen. It will satisfy the die-hard fans of the Tubular Terrapins with Easter eggs and references, while also being approachable enough for first-time viewers.
