'Turtle Power' Trailer: The True Story Of The Ninja Turtles

Despite their name, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren't really teenagers anymore. This year marks the 30th anniversary of their introduction in a little indie comic originally created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The fact that the occasion will be marked with a big-budget franchise-starter produced by Michael Bay says a lot about what a weird, wild ride it's been for these amphibian heroes.

To retrace that journey, Paramount is releasing Turtle Power, a 98-minute direct-to-DVD documentary directed by Randall Lobb. Watch the Turtle Power trailer after the jump.

The TMNT franchise has never really gone away. A whole new generation of kids are currently enjoying a new Nickelodeon series about the gang, featuring all-new modernized character designs. But Turtle Power seems less interested in where the Turtles are now than where they came from. It's perfectly calibrated to tap into the nostalgia of 20- and 30somethings who grew up reading the comics and watching the show in the '80s and '90s.

Turtle Power hits DVD, VOD, and Digital HD on August 12. Jonathan Liebesman's narrative feature Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lands a few days before, on August 8.

Written and directed by Randall Lobb, the film chronicles the birth of a franchise and reveals the remarkable journey of four of the most unlikely superheroes of all time. Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo and Raphael with this must-see documentary and the August 8th theatrical debut of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles starring Megan Fox and Will Arnett.

In the spring of 1984, a strange new comic book sat beside cash registers in select shops, too big to fit in the racks, and too weird to ignore. Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presented a completely original breed of superhero. It was too bizarre, too crazy. It broke all the rules and should never have worked. Until it sold out. Again and again and again. For 30 years. Now, peek under the shell and see how this so-called "happy accident" defied every naysayer to become one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the world.