TheDOCTORdre
03-21-2007, 11:40 AM
http://movies.msn.com/movies/PMG/TMNThistory?GT1=9184
In preparation for "TMNT," we show how four turtles from Manhattan became America's favorite crime-fighting heroes
In the cinematic pantheon of esteemed talking animals, a group that includes Babe, Francis the Talking Mule and Stuart Little, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are truly one of a kind. They have rippling muscles, they talk like a bunch of frat boys, they pig out on pizza and they fight crime. Their spiritual leader is a gigantic Buddhist rat that wears a pink kimono, and they're named after a bunch of old European artists. Not even Howard the Duck, in all his Lea Thompson-kissing glory, is that peculiar.
If there's anything Hollywood loves, it's a comic-book adaptation. As the "Fantastic Four" has proven, even a bad movie can make money if it has good action sequences and appealing stars. The recent boom of computer-animated films, many centering on talking animals, makes the big-screen return of Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo a seemingly sure thing. At least we know it can't be as bad as "Catwoman."
For the uninitiated, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT for short) are a quartet of anthropomorphic turtles living in the sewers of Manhattan. Using their awesome fighting skills, they help rid the city of criminals, aliens and any other evil creatures that pop up along the way. Their allies are Splinter, the aforementioned rat; April O'Neil, a saucy TV reporter; and, Casey Jones, a hockey-mask-wearing vigilante. Together, they fight the evil villain Shredder, a human fiend who wears spiky, modified samurai armor.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a comic book in 1984. Although creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird originally intended their characters to be satirical, they soon found themselves with a runaway success that would lead to countless incarnations and spin-offs, including a nationwide, daily syndicated strip and mountains of merchandise.
As the comic's popularity grew, the demand for more turtle action increased, leading to the immensely successful 1987 cartoon TV series, a Saturday-morning staple for an entire generation of children. The show ran until 1996, on CBS and in syndication, for a total run of 193 episodes. After a failed 1997 reboot that was canceled after one season, the boys made their triumphant return to television in 2003 on the nation's No. 1 guilty-pleasure channel: the FOX Network. Currently, they can be found fighting crime in the future -- 2105 to be exact -- every Saturday morning.
"TMNT," the Turtles' fourth foray onto the big screen, will be released Friday, March 23. Their gritty and hip new look, coupled with the continued inexplicable wave of '80s nostalgia, positions the film for success. High expectations run counter to the franchise's tradition of wildly divergent quality.
It all began in 1990 with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," an independently produced smash that grossed $135 million and established the boys as true international stars. In the film, actors in elaborate foam-rubber suits portrayed the protagonists. Puppets, miniatures and animatronics did the rest. Like many first films in superhero franchises, the movie went back in time to tell the original story of how the turtles came about, mutated and banded together. The film is also notable for appearances by Sam Rockwell and Skeet Ulrich, both of whom appear in small roles as thugs.
A second film quickly followed in 1991, entitled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze." The film was rushed into production following the success of the first film, and it shows. The picture is strange and poorly crafted, but still manages to be fun. This time, the plot involves the turtles battling Shredder for the magical ooze that caused them to mutate in the first place. Vanilla Ice also makes his film debut in this sequel. There are so many jokes I could make here, but I'll just allow you to create your own.
The final nail in the coffin was 1993's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III." The film follows the boys as they go back in time to ancient Japan to fight some samurai dude for some very loosely explained reason. The movie is only notable in that it provides a fascinating career arc for Corey Feldman, who voices the group leader, Donatello, for the final time. The goofy fun of the franchise was no match for the stone-face machismo and big effects of other action movies from that year such as "Last Action Hero" and "Cliffhanger."
Now we have "TMNT," the franchise's first film to reflect the Turtles' new image and to fully incorporate computer animation technology. The film also features A-list vocal talent. There's no Corey Feldman here. Instead, the diverse cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Zhang Ziyi, Patrick Stewart, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Smith and the late Mako. Although the trailer looks promising, audiences will have to wait and see whether the film delivers the big laughs and bigger action promised by the trailer.
So why does America love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Is it their magnificent green color and their adolescent charm? Is it an extension of our love for talking animals? Do we simply enjoy fighting? The truth is that no one person can explain the mass appeal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's one of pop culture's biggest anomalies. Think about it. If someone told you 25 years ago that a bunch of talking turtles studying Eastern philosophy and kicking butt was going to take in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and merchandise worldwide, you'd probably laugh in their face.
Two possibilities best explain the Turtles' unlikely success. First, like all good franchises, the TMNT appeal to a wide variety of age groups: sophisticated kids, childlike adults, college-aged stoners and the confused elderly. In recent years, SpongeBob SquarePants has found gold with the same wide demographic. Second, there's that catchy theme song that is just about impossible to get out of your head.
While writing this article, the first thing I would hear from people when mentioning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the theme song. With its high energy, instantly recognizable guitar riffs, the tune ranks up there with "The Brady Bunch," "Green Acres," "Gilligan's Island" and the rest of the best of the best in TV theme-song history.
Finally, in an attempt to end a nearly 25-year reign of confusion and debate: Leonardo wears the blue mask, Michelangelo wears the orange mask, Raphael wears the red mask and Donatello wears the purple mask.
Regardless of whether the film is a blockbuster or a flop, kids and longtime fans will scour the malls of America for new TMNT toys, and our friends Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello will continue to hold their rightful crown as the kings of Saturday morning.
In preparation for "TMNT," we show how four turtles from Manhattan became America's favorite crime-fighting heroes
In the cinematic pantheon of esteemed talking animals, a group that includes Babe, Francis the Talking Mule and Stuart Little, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are truly one of a kind. They have rippling muscles, they talk like a bunch of frat boys, they pig out on pizza and they fight crime. Their spiritual leader is a gigantic Buddhist rat that wears a pink kimono, and they're named after a bunch of old European artists. Not even Howard the Duck, in all his Lea Thompson-kissing glory, is that peculiar.
If there's anything Hollywood loves, it's a comic-book adaptation. As the "Fantastic Four" has proven, even a bad movie can make money if it has good action sequences and appealing stars. The recent boom of computer-animated films, many centering on talking animals, makes the big-screen return of Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo a seemingly sure thing. At least we know it can't be as bad as "Catwoman."
For the uninitiated, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT for short) are a quartet of anthropomorphic turtles living in the sewers of Manhattan. Using their awesome fighting skills, they help rid the city of criminals, aliens and any other evil creatures that pop up along the way. Their allies are Splinter, the aforementioned rat; April O'Neil, a saucy TV reporter; and, Casey Jones, a hockey-mask-wearing vigilante. Together, they fight the evil villain Shredder, a human fiend who wears spiky, modified samurai armor.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a comic book in 1984. Although creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird originally intended their characters to be satirical, they soon found themselves with a runaway success that would lead to countless incarnations and spin-offs, including a nationwide, daily syndicated strip and mountains of merchandise.
As the comic's popularity grew, the demand for more turtle action increased, leading to the immensely successful 1987 cartoon TV series, a Saturday-morning staple for an entire generation of children. The show ran until 1996, on CBS and in syndication, for a total run of 193 episodes. After a failed 1997 reboot that was canceled after one season, the boys made their triumphant return to television in 2003 on the nation's No. 1 guilty-pleasure channel: the FOX Network. Currently, they can be found fighting crime in the future -- 2105 to be exact -- every Saturday morning.
"TMNT," the Turtles' fourth foray onto the big screen, will be released Friday, March 23. Their gritty and hip new look, coupled with the continued inexplicable wave of '80s nostalgia, positions the film for success. High expectations run counter to the franchise's tradition of wildly divergent quality.
It all began in 1990 with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," an independently produced smash that grossed $135 million and established the boys as true international stars. In the film, actors in elaborate foam-rubber suits portrayed the protagonists. Puppets, miniatures and animatronics did the rest. Like many first films in superhero franchises, the movie went back in time to tell the original story of how the turtles came about, mutated and banded together. The film is also notable for appearances by Sam Rockwell and Skeet Ulrich, both of whom appear in small roles as thugs.
A second film quickly followed in 1991, entitled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze." The film was rushed into production following the success of the first film, and it shows. The picture is strange and poorly crafted, but still manages to be fun. This time, the plot involves the turtles battling Shredder for the magical ooze that caused them to mutate in the first place. Vanilla Ice also makes his film debut in this sequel. There are so many jokes I could make here, but I'll just allow you to create your own.
The final nail in the coffin was 1993's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III." The film follows the boys as they go back in time to ancient Japan to fight some samurai dude for some very loosely explained reason. The movie is only notable in that it provides a fascinating career arc for Corey Feldman, who voices the group leader, Donatello, for the final time. The goofy fun of the franchise was no match for the stone-face machismo and big effects of other action movies from that year such as "Last Action Hero" and "Cliffhanger."
Now we have "TMNT," the franchise's first film to reflect the Turtles' new image and to fully incorporate computer animation technology. The film also features A-list vocal talent. There's no Corey Feldman here. Instead, the diverse cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Zhang Ziyi, Patrick Stewart, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Smith and the late Mako. Although the trailer looks promising, audiences will have to wait and see whether the film delivers the big laughs and bigger action promised by the trailer.
So why does America love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Is it their magnificent green color and their adolescent charm? Is it an extension of our love for talking animals? Do we simply enjoy fighting? The truth is that no one person can explain the mass appeal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's one of pop culture's biggest anomalies. Think about it. If someone told you 25 years ago that a bunch of talking turtles studying Eastern philosophy and kicking butt was going to take in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and merchandise worldwide, you'd probably laugh in their face.
Two possibilities best explain the Turtles' unlikely success. First, like all good franchises, the TMNT appeal to a wide variety of age groups: sophisticated kids, childlike adults, college-aged stoners and the confused elderly. In recent years, SpongeBob SquarePants has found gold with the same wide demographic. Second, there's that catchy theme song that is just about impossible to get out of your head.
While writing this article, the first thing I would hear from people when mentioning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the theme song. With its high energy, instantly recognizable guitar riffs, the tune ranks up there with "The Brady Bunch," "Green Acres," "Gilligan's Island" and the rest of the best of the best in TV theme-song history.
Finally, in an attempt to end a nearly 25-year reign of confusion and debate: Leonardo wears the blue mask, Michelangelo wears the orange mask, Raphael wears the red mask and Donatello wears the purple mask.
Regardless of whether the film is a blockbuster or a flop, kids and longtime fans will scour the malls of America for new TMNT toys, and our friends Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello will continue to hold their rightful crown as the kings of Saturday morning.