Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Trailer: The Heroes In A Half-Shell Are Back
One of the most anticipated animated movies of the year is "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," the latest attempt to bring the heroes in a half-shell to the big screen once again. The prospect of more TMNT is alluring in and of itself, as this is a franchise that has continued to remain popular with new generations — thanks to newer adaptations like "Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" — but still draws in the nostalgia crown with memories of past adaptations (whether it's the 1990 live-action movie, the '80s or 2000s animated series or even the 2014 Michael Bay-produced movie).
"Mutant Mayhem" in particular has a big ace up its sleeve: its visuals. From the very first images that debuted at Annecy last year, it was clear that this movie was trying to stand apart from other adaptations of the original Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comic book. Directed by "The Mitchells vs. The Machines" co-director Jeff Rowe, the 3D-animated film uses a stylish, graphic visual language that is reminiscent of how "Into the Spider-Verse" heavily changed the American animation industry, with 2D used to give the movie a sketch-like look, like what a teenage turtle would have in his notebook.
After a fantastic first trailer and a presentation at CinemaCon, but ahead of its special work-in-progress screening at the Annecy animation festival before its theatrical release on August 4, 2023, we bring you a brand new trailer for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem."
Watch the Mutant Mayhem trailer
"Mutant Mayhem" comes from producing and co-writing duo Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The duo knows a thing about projects about teenagers, having worked on "Superbad." They're also not new to animated projects or stories about superheroes — they're involved with both "Invincible" and "The Boys." The script for "Mutant Mayhem" is also credited to Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, who gave us a fantastic adaptation of another massive franchise with "Detective Pikachu."
One area where "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" is aiming to stand out from other adaptations is a big focus on the teenage aspect of the title. Actual teenagers voice the titular turtles, which had a big impact on the dynamic between the characters. As Seth Rogen said at CinemaCon, their aim was to "capture their insane teenage energy and put that in the movie." Unsurprisingly, things quickly got a bit out of hand, as Rogen added, "They said so many disgusting things we couldn't put in the movie."
"Mutant Mayhem" is acting as a bit of an origin story, focusing on the brothers setting out to win the hearts of the people on the surface after spending years sheltered from the human world. We'll see how well they fare when the film is released on August 4, 2023.