Invented as an absurd and harsh ‘Daredevil’ parody, they have gone from niche comic book heroes to a pop culture phenomenon that has persisted for decades: the fighting mutant turtles Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello are just as tough to imagine the toy shelves and comic shops of the world without the film and television cosmos, as they are out there.
Four animated series and a live-action film series about the pizza-loving greenskins have already been made, which will make their seventh (!) appearance in theaters in 2023. Financially it underperformed expectations, grossing just over $180 million worldwide, but it’s a visual stunner and a celebrated reinvention of its heroes. From now on “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Chaos” is available for the first time as a streaming subscription from Paramount+.
Alternatively, you can also watch the animated film as 4K Blu-ray in Steelbook*, normal 4K edition*, Blu Ray* or DVD* to acquire. Or you can get it as a purchase or rental VOD, for example Amazon Prime Video*. If you’re an animation fan or have a soft spot for the Turtles, it’s worth catching up on the movie!
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” earned an impressive 95 percent on the review aggregator site and FILMSTARTS critic Stefan Geisler gave the animated spectacle no less than four stars!
This is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
The mutant turtles Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael (voices: Nicolas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon) live in the sewers of New York. But despite all the warnings from their master Splinter (Jackie Chan), they yearn to become part of the surface population. When they meet school journalist April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri), they come up with a plan: they help April undermine the crime syndicate led by the main villain Superfly (Ice Cube). To compensate, she does pro-mutant promotions to protect the Turtles from prejudice from ‘normal people’. However, both are easier said than done…
The screenplay for the film comes from Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Jeff Rowe and Seth Rogen with his writing partner Evan Goldberg. It was Rogen, who claims to be a lifelong Turtles fan, who was instrumental in portraying the quartet of brothers as young teenagers. He was always amazed at how little of the teenage lives of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello are reflected in most interpretations.
Through the younger portrayal of the heroes, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” finds a new, emotional focus: More than usual with the Turtles, this animated film is about finding your identity, the question of whether you have a place in this world and the gradual formation of self-confidence.
The directorship was taken over by the aforementioned Jeff Rowe, who worked as a writer on the Disney cult series ‘Welcome to Gravity Falls’ and co-directed the turbulent trick fun ‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’. The latter already mixed classic computer animation techniques with influences from other animation media – and in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” Rowe takes this stylistic device to the extreme.
The turtles look a bit like plasticine figures, the world around them combining stylistic elements from acrylic painting with colored pencil scribbles – although retaining the spatial depth effect of detailed computer animation. Combined with the intense courage for ugliness that plays a role in the figure design, FILMSTARTS critic Stefan Geisler testifies of the film that “a great look” is one of its greatest strengths. “More beautiful and stranger” than ever before is the motto for this “TMNT” incarnation!