One of the most anticipated animated movies of the year is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” the latest attempt to bring half-hulled heroes back to the big screen. The prospect of more TMNT is enticing on its own, as it’s a franchise that has continued to remain popular with new generations – thanks to new adaptations like “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” – but still attracts the wreath of nostalgia 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 one big trick up its sleeve: its visuals. From the very first footage that debuted in Annecy last year, it was clear that this film was trying to set itself apart from other adaptations of the original comic by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Directed by “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” co-director Jeff Rowe, the 3D animated film uses sleek graphic visual language that recalls how “Into the Spider-Verse” profoundly changed the entertainment industry. American animation, with 2D used to give the film a sketchy look, like what a teenage turtle would have in his notebook.
After a fantastic first trailer and presentation at CinemaCon, but ahead of its special work in progress screening at the Annecy Animation Festival ahead of its theatrical release on August 4, 2023, we bring you a brand new trailer for “ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Chaos.”
Watch the Mutant Mayhem trailer
“Mutant Mayhem” comes from producing and co-writing duo Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. The duo are familiar with teenage projects, having worked on “Superbad.” They’re also not new to animated projects or superhero stories — they’re involved in 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” aims to stand out from other adaptations is the title’s focus on the teenage aspect. Real teenagers voice the titular turtles, which had a big impact on the dynamic between the characters. As Seth Rogen told CinemaCon, their goal was to “capture their crazy teenage energy and put it into the movie.” Unsurprisingly, things quickly got a bit out of hand, as Rogen added, “They said so many disgusting things that we couldn’t fit into the movie.”
“Mutant Mayhem” acts much like an origin story, focusing on the brothers who seek to win the hearts of people on the surface after spending years sheltered from the human world. We’ll see how well they fare when the movie is released on August 4, 2023.
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