Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a 2023 American computer-animated superhero film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. A reboot of the Turtles film series, it was directed by Jeff Rowe, who co-wrote the screenplay with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, from a story he co-wrote with Brendan O'Brien, Rogen, and Goldberg. The film stars the voices of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the titular Turtles-Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, alongside an ensemble voice cast that includes Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Paul Rudd, Post Malone, and Hannibal Buress. In the film, the titular Turtles-Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo-go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them. The story explores themes of family, acceptance, and the desire to fit in.
Plans for an animated Turtles film with involvement by Rogen began in 2018. In June 2020, the project was officially announced, with Rogen, Goldberg, and James Weaver producing through their company, Point Grey Pictures, Rowe as director, and O'Brien as screenwriter. Kyler Spears joined soon after as co-director. Seeking to explore the teenage aspect of the Turtles, the filmmakers drew inspiration from teenage coming-of-age films. The majority of the cast was announced in March 2023. The animation was provided by Mikros Animation in Montreal and Paris and Cinesite in Vancouver and Montreal, and was primarily influenced by school notebook sketches. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the score.
Mutant Mayhem was screened as a work-in-progress at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 12, 2023, and was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on August 2, 2023. It has grossed $180 million worldwide and received positive reviews for its vocal performances, screenplay, humor, soundtrack, emotional depth, action sequences, and stylized animation; several critics considered it the best Turtles film. The film was nominated for several awards, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature and the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature. A follow-up television series, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is set to premiere on Paramount+ in 2024, and a sequel film is set to be released in theaters on October 9, 2026.
Contents
- 1 Plot
- 2 Voice cast
- 3 Music
- 4 Themes
Plot[]
Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI) executive Cynthia Utrom sends a squad to hunt down rogue scientist Baxter Stockman, who has created a mutagenic ooze with which he intends to form his own mutant animal family, starting with a housefly. Baxter is interrupted by Cynthia's strike force and killed in the resulting explosion, while the mutagen falls into the sewers of New York City. The mutagen turns four turtle brothers—Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello—and a rat named Splinter into humanoid mutants, whereupon Splinter adopts the turtles. Splinter distrusts humanity—particularly after one encounter where he and the turtles were chased away—and trains his sons in the art of ninjutsu, instructing them to only leave their sewer home to steal supplies. Over the years, the Turtles long to live with and like humans their age, much to Splinter's dismay.
Fifteen years later, after one of their supply runs, the Turtles catch an outdoor showing of a film. They return back home, where they are confronted by Splinter who grounds them for being late. A month later, 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 a 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 leader of a mutant gang. Ecstatic to meet fellow mutants, the Turtles bond with Superfly and the others and he reveals their creation at the hands of Stockman, explaining that they evaded TCRI and are living on an abandoned ship in Staten Island. He then reveals that he plans to use the stolen technology to mutate every animal on Earth and create a world where mutants have dominance over humans.
The Turtles try to intervene, but the gang escapes with the equipment while a tracker TCRI installed on the equipment falls back with the Turtles, allowing them to be captured. At TCRI headquarters, Cynthia extracts the Turtles' mutagen, but April arrives with Splinter to rescue them. At the gang's hideout, Splinter and the Turtles convince them that their plan for domination will make them no better than the worst of humanity, and together they turn on Superfly, destroying his machine. However, the ooze falls into the water, combining marine wildlife with Superfly, who then transforms into a gigantic whale-like kaiju after grabbing animals from a nearby zoo. He attacks the city and the Turtles and other mutants attempt to stop him but are assumed by the public to be fellow monsters.
Leonardo finds his voice as a leader while 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. With the help of the citizens and other mutants, the Turtles drop a canister of TCRI retro-mutagen into Superfly's blowhole, turning him back into a collection of normal animals. Reconciling with Splinter, the Turtles, April, and the mutants are celebrated by the city. The 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. While the Turtles and April enjoy themselves at prom, they are under surveillance from Cynthia (holding the now unmutated Superfly captive), who plans to recapture the Turtles by enlisting the aid of the mysterious Shredder.
In the second movie A story begins with a little kraken making freinds with a humans girl that she moved. and astory end with a sacrifice between a kraken and Cynthia Ultron. A kraken named Nika Hulkenberg Read A story about a human girl made friends with a Kraken to Her parents. Her Mother Erin Hulkenberg told Nika that April O Neil Called & ask for a team.
Nika, Erin, And Her Father Chris Hulkenberg to grab her & April's gang to go to NYC for help.
April introduce Donnatello, Ralphel, Michelangelo, and Leonard her friends coming to brooklyn and also April's best partner and a kraken named Nika. Nika brought her gang to meet the turtles to help her, April, and them to destroy the ultrons. Cynthia found her husband named Sam Ultron and her daughter named Camelia Ultron.
Somehow the TCRI arrived again to kidnap the turtles along with April and Nika's gang Vertron, Childish Dad, Christain, Mamma Ellie, Andy, Anna,Princess Frog, and Tony Merdman. Cynthia did not know that she found new mutants later on April, Nika, and Master splinter came to save the turtles and April and Nika's gang, Nika is shutting down the TCRI headquarters while April and Splinter fight with the TCRI solders. the turtles are saved again. Cynthia kidnaps Sam and Calmelia to attack the city and the mutants teamed up to save the city Camelia betrayed her family and team up with the mutants. Nika fights against Cynthia once by using her kraken nitro to sacrifice her and Sam, April cried that Nika was dead Leonard felt sorry for April that what happened to Nika and then a few moments later Nika somehow survives after the explosion, April looked at her and smiled they smiled Camelia has homless that April said (COME ON JOIN US)
In the end April and the Turtles decide to take Nika and Her gang to school and learn some fun.
Voice cast[]
See also: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters
- Micah Abbey as Donatello
- Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo
- Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo
- Brady Noon as Raphael
- Ayo Edebiri as April O'Neil
- Sean Rizzo as Nika Hulkenberg
- Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom
- Sophia Kalem as Verton
- Kumail Nanji as Childish Dad
- Paulina Chavez as Camelia Utrom
- Ryan Reynolds as Sam Utrom
- Anna Farris as Christain server
- Jackie Chan as Splinter
- Allison Janney as Mamma Ellie Server
- Alexa Vega as Anna
- Daryal Sabara (credited as "Austin Post") as Andy
- Christina Boldensteiner as Princess Frog
- Casper Jennings as Tony merdman
- Derek Wilson as Spider
- Lukas Williams as Curious Goon
- Michael Badalucco as Bad Bernie
- Dempsey Pappion as Bald Bronson
- John Capodice as Cab Driver
- Andia Winslow as TV Anchor
- Raechel Wong as News Anchor
- David Faustino as Normal Nate
- Daniel Mastrogiorgio as Toupee Tom / Police Officer
- Noel Gibson as Responding Police Officer / Military Advisor
- Myra Owyang as Short Sharon
- Kevin Eastman as Good Human
- Alex Hirsch as Bossy Goon / Scumbug
- Michael Rianda as Wants a Paycheck Goon / Chop Shop Boss / Ratatouille Guard
- Bobby Wagner as Man Who Thought a Giant Rat Was a Big Cat But It Was Actually a Rat
- Greg Levitan as Gecko Goon
- Illya Quinteros as Helpful Construction Worker
- Natalie Canizares as Sign My Baby Mom
- Kyler Spears as Apologetic Goon
- Jeff Rowe as Man Who Loves Being Young and Free to Go Places
- Jenny Slate as Erin Hulkenberg
- Samuel L Jackson as Chris Hulkenberg
Music[]
Main article: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (soundtrack)
In May 2023, it was announced that the score was composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, with Gabe Hilfer as music supervisor. The score album was released by Reznor's label, The Null Corporation on July 28, 2023. Mutant Mayhem features hip-hop music from popular artists, with a heavy emphasis on classic East Coast hip-hop to go with the film's setting. Many of the songs used in the films were ones that Rogen and Rowe would regularly listen to. An official playlist of some songs featured in the film was released on Spotify.
Themes[]
Goldberg described the film as overall being about a father, his four sons, and the importance of family. A major theme in the film is acceptance. The Turtles' isolation from the world is meant to mirror a teenager's desire to fit in, and their father, Splinter, fears the worst in humanity after being rejected by them. The theme was an early part of Rogen and Goldberg's pitch. Rowe felt that it was something that had not been tackled in the franchise before, saying "It acknowledges these fantastical things in a way that grounds them in the real world". When asked whether the film was written as an immigration fable, Rowe responded that, while that was not the intention, as the story came along, the team started to recognize the parallels between Splinter and a first-generation parent who moved to the country. According to the director, a lot of the team have had such family situations, and the theme became something they continued to lean on. "So it wasn't the intention, but it became highlighted through execution."]