Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a 2023 American computer-animated superhero comedy action film based on the Mirage Studios characters Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is a seventh film of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films and reboot of the series. The film was directed by Jeff Rowe, and written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Benji Sammit, and Dan Hernandez, with story by Brendan O'Brien. It features Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown, Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the main characters, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Jackie Chan, Ayo Edebiri, Ice Cube, Giancarlo Esposito, Hannibal Buress, Paul Rudd, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Post Malone, Seth Rogen, John Cena, and Maya Rudolph. The film was produced by Rogen and Goldberg's production company Point Grey Pictures as their first family film production, with Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies, with the CGI animation being handled at Mikros Image in Montreal, Quebec and Paris, France. Critics cited Mutant Mayhem as the best Turtles installment, with praise for its performances, screenplay, and stylized animation.
On July 27, 2023, it was announced that a sequel was in development.[1]
Appearing in Mutant Mayhem[]
Major characters[]
- April O'Neil (Ayo Edebiri) (debut)
- Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph) (debut)
- Donatello (Micah Abbey) (debut) (mutates in flashback)
- Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu) (debut) (mutates in flashback)
- Michelangelo (Shamon Brown, Jr.) (debut) (mutates in flashback)
- Raphael (Brady Noon) (debut) (mutates in flashback)
- Splinter (Jackie Chan) (debut) (mutates in flashback)
- Superfly/Superduperfly (Ice Cube) (debut) (secondarily mutates) (retro-mutates)
- Superfly's gang (debut)
- Bebop (Seth Rogen) (debut)
- Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress) (debut)
- Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) (debut)
- Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd) (debut)
- Ray Fillet (Post Malone; credited as Austin Post) (debut)
- Rocksteady (John Cena) (debut)
- Scumbug (Alex Hirsch, Jeff Rowe, and additional actors) (debut)
- Wingnut (Natasia Demetriou) (debut)
Minor characters[]
- Bad Bernie (Michael Badalucco) (debut)
- Bald Bronson (Dempsey Pappion) (debut)
- Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Esposito) (debut) (death)
- Kevin (debut) (dies in flashback)
- Normal Nate (David Faustino) (debut)
- Short Sharon (Myra Owyang) (debut)
- Shredder (debut)
- Spider (Derek Wilson) (debut)
- Toupee Tom (Danny Mastrogiorgio) (debut)
Plot[]
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Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI) executive Cynthia Utrom sends a squadron to hunt down rogue scientist Baxter Stockman, who has created a mutagen to form his own mutant animal family, starting with a housefly. Stockman is interrupted by Utrom's strike force and killed in the resulting explosion, while the mutagen falls into the sewers of New York City.
Fifteen years later, turtle brothers Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello have been raised by their adoptive rat father, Splinter, after the five of them were transformed into humanoid mutants by "ooze" — Stockman's mutagen. Being chased away by humans led Splinter to distrust humanity and train his sons in the art of ninjutsu, instructing them to only leave their sewer home to steal supplies. Now teenagers, the Ninja Turtles long to live as normal high schoolers, much to Splinter's dismay.
During a supply run, the Turtles defeat a gang of criminals to recover a stolen moped belonging to a teenager named April O'Neil, revealing themselves and their origins. April, an aspiring journalist struggling to move past an embarrassing viral incident of vomiting on camera, has been investigating a series of robberies of TCRI technology by a criminal known as "Superfly". The Turtles plan to stop Superfly and, through April's reporting, win public acceptance as heroes.
They intercept a piece of stolen technology and meet Superfly under the Brooklyn Bridge, discovering that he is not only a mutant himself, but the leader of a mutant gang, a warthog named Bebop, a rhinoceros named Rocksteady, a bat named Wingnut, an Australian-accented alligator named Leatherhead, a frog named Genghis Frog, a lizard named Mondo Gecko, a stingray named Ray Fillet and a cockroach named Scumbug. Ecstatic to meet fellow mutants, the Turtles bond with Superfly and the others, and he explains that they were created by Stockman, evading TCRI and living on an abandoned ship in Staten Island. Like the Turtles, they were attacked by society, and an embittered Superfly has stolen TCRI technology to weaponize ooze to mutate all wildlife on the planet into the new dominant species and enslave humanity.
The Turtles try to intervene, but the gang escapes with the equipment while a tracker allows TCRI to capture the Turtles. At TCRI headquarters, the Turtles regained consciousness and were met by Cynthia who tells them that they needed their blood to make a stable mutagen and make super soldiers, and take over the world. The machine starts, and the Turtles are painfully "milked" for their mutagen. They begin to share their final moments, regretting before they will get milked to death. But then, April arrives with Splinter to rescue them. Splinter scolded his sons for lying and disobeying him, and angrily tells that they had to fix the mess and stay in the sewers to where they belong. At the gang's hideout, Splinter and the Turtles convince most of them that their plan for domination will make them no better than the worst of humanity, and together they turn on Superfly. Superfly asked the mutants why they are turning against him, and angrily urged them to listen to him. Splinter realized what he had done and started to help the mutants push Superfly to the machine, destroying it. However, the ooze combines Superfly with other nearby wildlife into a gigantic whale-like kaiju and attacks the city. Splinter reconciles his sons that he messed up and doesn't want to be like Superfly. He told his sons that they can stop the monsterous mutant and make the people love them. April calls them and said that she has an anti-ooze on her scooter and told them to meet her here. As they made to shore, the Turtles and other mutants attempt to stop him but are assumed by the public to be fellow monsters. It's then that Leonardo finds his voice as a leader, utilizing Michelangelo's gift for improvisation, Donatello's intelligence, and Raphael's rage to drop the anti-ooze canister into Superfly's blowhole.
April overcomes her anxiety and commandeers a news broadcast to explain the mutants’ good intentions and the citizens of New York come to their aid. Superfly grabbed the Turtles and started to crush their shells as Splinter watched in horror. The citizens began to gather around and recognize that he is with the Turtles. Overcoming his hate of humans, Splinter told the people that he needs to get the anti-ooze to his sons, and they decide to help him. Their actions distract Superfly long enough for the Turtles to free themselves and manage to throw the canister inside Superfly, turning him back into a collection of normal animals. Reconciling with Splinter, the Turtles, April, and the mutants are celebrated by the city. The other mutants soon move into the sewers with them, Splinter and Scumbug fall in love, and the Turtles enroll at April's high school, where they are all embraced as heroes.
In a mid-credits scene, the Turtles are enjoying high school life: Donatello has made friends in the computer club, Raphael is on the wrestling team, Michelangelo takes up improv comedy, and Leonardo — who has developed a crush on April — joins her investigation into TCRI to stop Utrom and her agents from creating super soldiers, who escaped during the rescue. While the five of them enjoy themselves at prom, they are under surveillance from Utrom (holding the now unmutated Superfly captive), who plans to recapture the Turtles and decides to call an old acquaintance.
Production[]
In June 2020, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced that they will be producing a CGI reboot in association with Rogen and Goldberg through their production banner. While promoting for his film, An American Pickle in August of that year, Rogen announced that his reboot wanted to emphasize the "Teenage" part in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, something that he describes it as a coming-of-age story. In June 2021, Rogen posted an image of school notes by Leonardo through his Twitter account, confirming the movie's original release date and details within the image.
In a first time for the franchise, the four Turtles will be voiced by actual teenagers at Rogen's behest on honing in the authenticity of the teenage element.
At the 2023 Kids Choice Awards on March 4, 2023, a teaser trailer was shown as well as the cast reveal. Two days later, the official teaser was released on IGN.[2]
On July 27, 2023, it was announced that Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies had begun development on a sequel to the 3DCG animated feature, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, with director Jeff Rowe again at the helm and Point Grey producing.[1]
Trivia[]
- TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and YouTuber MrBeast appears as cameos in the film, with Eastman being credited as "Good Human" and MrBeast being credited as "Times Square Guy".
- After producing several R-rated comedy films such as Neighbors, Blockers, Good Boys (the very latter of which also co-starred Brady Noon), and the mature-oriented comic-book adaptations of Preacher, The Boys, and Invincible for television, this is Point Grey's first family-targeted production.
- Mutant Mayhem is the second animated feature film produced by Point Grey after the 2016 R-rated animated comedy, Sausage Party.
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross previously composed Pixar's Soul (along with Jon Batiste) which won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. It is their second animated film.
- Thus, it is also the second Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film overall to have more than one composer for the music score, after the 2009 television film Turtles Forever.
- This is the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theatrical film to be rated PG by the MPA since the aforementioned TMNT.
- A cardboard cutout of actor, Chris Evans, who had voiced Casey Jones in the 2007 film, is featured during Splinter's surprise party.
- The SLACKCiRCUS cover of What's Up? by 4 Non Blondes was played during the film's chase scene. Per Jeff Rowe, the song's inclusion was suggested by Seth Rogen himself to the team that they use "a crazy version" of "What's Up" for the final product.
- This is the first Nickelodeon Movies film to use the old 2008-2009 logo since Imagine That..
- When asked if Hamato Yoshi exists in this TMNT universe in August 2023, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem script coordinator Andrew Joustra answered in a Tweet, "We did try a version way back with him and it felt forced/not authentic to this iteration. So currently, no Yoshi."[3]
See also[]
References[]
External links[]
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Films | [view] | ||
| Theatrical releases Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) · The Secret of the Ooze · Template:Suflonk · TMNT · Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014) · Out of the Shadows · Mutant Mayhem Direct-to-video |
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