What Mutant Mayhem gets right about TMNT
The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie proves once again that taking creative risks can pay off big time
Film Features TMNT
In the midst of the strongest summer movie season in years, and with Barbie and Oppenheimer still casting a long shadow in cinemas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem had a lot working against it at the box office in its opening week. Yet this animated reboot managed to cut through the noise like a carefully sharpened katana, earning praise from critics and fans alike. In his review for The A.V. Club, Manuel Betancourt called the film “a refreshing reappraisal of a property that could very well have felt stale in 2023.”
You’ve probably heard at least one person say that Barbie exceeded all expectations of what a Barbie movie could be—maybe you’ve said as much yourself. Well, the same is true of Mutant Mayhem. Would a by-the-numbers CG-animated TMNT movie still have found an audience? Probably. But boy are we grateful that the film we got is far more ambitious and creative than it needed to be. At every step in the process, from writing to casting to animation, there’s legitimate love and respect for the source material, and that has made it more than just cynical nostalgia bait. As long as Hollywood insists on relying on old IP to draw in audiences, this is a good example of how to do it the right way.
Remixed for a new era
Since they first appeared in an indie comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been anything but consistent as characters. Through many iterations, mediums, and tones, they’ve been constantly reimagined to appeal to a wide range of target audiences and timely sensibilities. The adults who picked up the original comics—which were violent, edgy, and loaded with satirical humor—weren’t necessarily tuning into the Saturday morning cartoons or buying tickets to the cheesy live-action films in the ’90s.
Over the decades, the Turtles have been many things to many people, so one of the many challenges any new TMNT project has to overcome is appealing to several generations of fans all at once. What the writing team behind Mutant Mayhem (including Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit) cleverly figured out is that the world of the Turtles is so absurd and silly that it can conceivably contain elements of all of the versions that have come before. Without being too cutesy or meta, it winkingly references the original comics, cartoons, films, toys, and games and brings them all under the same goofy umbrella. Is Vanilla Ice’s “Ninja Rap” from Secret Of The Ooze here? Why, yes it is, and it fits right in.
Putting the Teenage back in TMNT
With all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films and TV series that have come before, it’s surprising that none of them ever had actual teenagers perform the voices of the Turtles (according to Seth Rogen). Mutant Mayhem, on the other hand, doesn’t just lean into the immaturity and naiveté of its half-shelled heroes—it makes that its central theme.
It was important to the creative team to cast teenage actors in the lead roles, so we get the delightful exuberance of young Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, and Brady Noon as Raphael, with all the age-appropriate slang and references. The four of them recorded all their group scenes together. Director Jeff Rowe and co-director Kyler Spears let them riff, improvise, and be themselves, then incorporated that into the final film. It gives the characters an authenticity you couldn’t get any other way. Let’s face it, the Turtles have always been a little cringey (has any teen in recorded history ever really shouted “Cowabunga!” without irony?), but for the first time that awkwardness feels like it comes from a realistic place.
The idea carries through to the narrative, too. This reboot is a coming-of-age story first and foremost, taking us back to the characters’ mutant origins and the reasons behind their heroic aspirations. They’re the ultimate outcasts, sheltered down in the sewers by their adoptive father Master Splinter (Jackie Chan) for their own good, or so he believes. Their shared arc is laid out as a quest for acceptance from the human world, and becoming heroes seems to be the shortest path to getting there. It’s just natural adolescent angst, amplified yet still relatable.
Pairing the aesthetic with the theme
That youthful energy carries over into the look of the film. It’s been compared to Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, but Mutant Mayhem is a bit more specific in the style it wants to invoke. Rowe has said that he wanted the animation to look like it could have been drawn in a teenager’s notebook. The visuals are intentionally rough and amateurish, filled with scribbles and scratches that call to mind the franchise’s comic book origins. There are no generic CG images here; the world is perfectly imperfect.
Even when the filmmakers drop in live-action film footage, like the scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that plays during the outdoor movie night in Brooklyn, or the kung fu clips that sum up Master Splinter’s training techniques, it doesn’t pull you out of the story, because by that time you’re so used to the unconventional and unexpected that you just roll with it. The film even finds time to celebrate TMNT fan art, showcasing what appear to be handmade drawings by actual young fans. A true appreciation of art and animation comes through in every frame, from start to finish.
Filling in the picture with memorable characters
Finding a fresh take on a longstanding franchise and building an innovative world are valuable and important, but without compelling characters, it’s hard to get an audience fully on board. The design of the Turtles combines the look from the comic books, the cartoon series, the action figures (that’s where the belts with the initials come from), and even the live-action versions. Of course, Leo, Raph, Mikey, and Donnie are all great, but they need other characters to bounce off of and fight. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of them here.
Rogen (who appears as the voice of Bebop) and his writing partner Evan Goldberg were likely instrumental in getting people like their friends Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko) and Rose Byrne (Leatherhead) involved. Ice Cube is the perfect blend of chill and menacing as the villainous Superfly. Rounding out the mutant crew is a murderer’s row of talent, including Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog), John Cena (Rocksteady), and Post Malone (Ray Fillet). Jackie Chan is equally funny and empathetic as Master Splinter, more father than sensei this time around. And then there’s Ayo Edibiri (who keeps popping up in various projects this summer and is always a welcome addition) as a reimagined April O’Neil, who’s now the same age as the Turtles and suffers from a serious case of camera shyness.
The filmmakers are well aware that all of these characters will be familiar to fans, so they take care in keeping their essence while still updating and upgrading them for a modern audience. In keeping with the art style of a teenage amateur, the goons and background characters are not always well drawn. They sometimes have Picasso-like faces, or simplistic features. It all fits together, though, as part of the greater aesthetic.
Most importantly, everyone involved in the film seems to be having a blast, from the actors to the writers to the directors and right on down the line. And that’s perhaps the biggest thing we can take away from the success of Mutant Mayhem—a franchise like this should only be entrusted to someone who will have fun making it. After seeing the film, and knowing that there’s a sequel and a new series in the works, we can say with confidence that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are in good hands.
30 Comments
The turtles themselves were totally charming, even though I still can’t discern which one is which.
Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines
Raphael is cool but crude
Michelangelo is a party dudeHTH.
Sorry, but it’s actually ‘Raphael is cool but rude (give me a break!)‘
I know that Chuck Lorre says ‘Cool But Rude’ but I will always say ‘Cool But Crude’.I rebuilt my old Shogun hybrid bike as a Raphael gravelleur.
Cool but rude. We don’t take that Turtles: Out of the Shadows revisionism around these parts.
May Allah shower your life with blessings for confirming the CORRECT and PROPER interpretation “cool but CRUDE”
Red – RaphaelBlue – LeonadoPurple – DonatelloOrange – Michelangelo
Although Michelangelo is sometimes yellow too.
I don’t know that world, but I’ll tell you what’s nuts. When my daughter was 2 or 3 or something I bought her a TMNT shirt from Old Navy. It was from the “girls section,” so naturally they made Raphael’s mask…pink? I didn’t realize it until it came in the mail and I was like wtf is this? I have nothing against pink! But it’s insane that not only did they think a girl wouldn’t like it unless it had some pink it in it, but why change the red? Isn’t red consider a “girl’s” color too? I kept the shirt but it pissed me off every time I put it on her.Actually now that I remember the shirt itself was pink! WHY DID THEY CHANGE HIS MASK??? Old Navy needs to answer for this.
And you’ve been carrying this around for how long now??
Well she’s 8 now, so some time, I tell you what.
You’re not helping.
Light Blue – Venus
Yellow – Giuseppe
Grey – Bruno “The Weasel” CatchatoriWhite – Michelangelo but the original human one
Brown – Gianni Versace
Teal – KevinPink – Benito MussoliniDark Purple – Waluigi
Also, their belts have the first letter of their names on them.
The design of the Turtles combines the look from the comic books, the
Cartoon Network series, and even the action figures (that’s where the
belts with the initials come from)
Did you mean the Nickelodeon series? I can’t recall one airing on CN.
Took my 7-year old to this on Saturday and he liked it but didn’t love it. When I asked “Why?” he said the first half didn’t have enough jokes. I mean, I smiled from ear to ear through most of it but I’m dead-center Gen X and I get it that I shouldn’t expect him to get all the call-backs.
Who is this film for tho…? It looks like a kid film but between the more sophisticated animation and the callbacks you mention, this actually sounds like a nostalgia film for adults and not geared at modern kids.
Eh, my son if he were 10 and not 7? It’s a really good movie, but if you’re a kid or tween then you’d better be pretty media-savvy, have Gen X/Elder Millenial parents, or both.
https://mattthecatania.wordpress.com/2023/08/04/is-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-mutant-mayhem-shellsational/This reboot gets the spirit right. This was made by people who clearly have a lot of love for Kevin
Eastman’s & Peter Laird’s creations. It’ll be a fun ride for folks
experiencing TMNT for the first time too. I’ll still die mad about Bebop being whitewashed though.
We get it you’re trying to shill your reviews under these reviews
Are we really calling this summer that now? I was actually venting to a friend that there was a lot of duds this summer. I guess Spider-Verse happened but, are we just basing that statement on the success of Barbenheimer? Let’s not skew the data by claiming that this entire summer was Barbenheimer because it wasn’t. Although Dead Reckoning part I was excellent and there’s always a couple tabs of Hayley Atwell open at one time on my computer now.
I really wanna see this based on the animation style but I have just… never liked TMNT, I’m an adult now but even as a teen they seemed juvenile. I was never the type to bro out and order “za” etc. but like idk…. is there merit to that sort of slang that I’m missing (I’m guessing the answer is yes). I also couldn’t watch Juno because the dialogue sounded stupid and juvenile to me in a similar way. Am I just wrong/uninitiated? I’m kinda hoping someone sees this comment and elaborates on a way in to enjoying this film because as it stands I want to see it but I just cant get around juvenile dialogue.
Or wait is stuff like this for douche-bros? I’ve never been big on the xbox/playstation online culture but perhaps this is just for a different breed of male than myself?
I just think maybe there are people who acted like this when they were teenage but that was not my experience what so ever.
counter argument: it looks gorgeous.
I mentioned this on the Gizmodo article, but I never really liked TMNT either, and I still really enjoyed this film. I suppose for fans of the property, it has enough references to feel familiar, but to me it could have functioned just fine as an entirely different IP without missing a beat. The kids they got to do the voices do a fantastic job with the dialogue, and it’s not bogged down at all with lore or anything. It’s just light and fun entertainment. I don’t think anyone even says “za”, although pizza does make an appearance. I guess you might call the dialogue juvenile, in that they’re actually meant to be teenagers in this version, and they have the giddy energy of kids who don’t know what existential dread is yet. I found it charming, though ymmv. They don’t, however, sound anything at all like any version I remember, which in my memory remains a sort of disaffected California surfer attitude.
– It’s a shell of a town!
“Through many iterations, mediums, and tones, they’ve been constantly reimagined to appeal to a wide range of target audiences and timely sensibilities.”This is why, as dreadful as they looked, the Michael Bay TMNT movies didn’t bother me too much. I knew that they would pass by soon enough and there’d be a new, almost certainly better take on the turtles to sit in the public consciousness. And anyway, I’d already had my go at the turtles, when I was a kid in the 80s and 90s. I’m glad that kids today get their own, and that it looks pretty good.
I loved the movie and was totally into it. But my old-man-yells-at-cloud-grognard brain just can’t get past Splinter not having any connection to Hamato Yoshi, and completely severing any connection to Japan. I mean, it’s not like a mutant ratman learning to be a ninja from kung-fu movies and youtube is any more ridiculous than a rat imitating his ninja master from his cage, but the feud between Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki is such a core conflict to TMNT that it not being there feels wrong.but no sacred cows, new generation new ideas, blah blah blah. I’ll survive.