Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a brand new animated movie set to release later this year. With a new film hitting the big screen, TMNT fans have something big to look forward to. The first trailer was finally released recently, giving those fans a small taste of what they can expect. Let’s take a look at some of the most important details about the movie the trailer has to offer.

See the trailer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooZdaF2zMlM

Animation Style

The animation style looks like it’s clearly inspired by Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse, and it definitely works for the Turtles. It’s certainly a growing trend in animation and not everything needs to mimic that style, but it’s fitting for something going for a comic book-like style, and it makes sense for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The overall aesthetic matches how zany and how action-packed the Turtles can be.

Voice Acting

The cast of the movie was announced before the trailer, and it includes the likes of Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Maya Rudolph, Paul Rudd, and a slew of other huge names. It was also announced that younger actors will be voicing the Turtles. The trailer gives us a sample as to what those younger actors will sound like. The performances sound like they’ll be full of personality and realistic emotions. It’s a smart move to have actual teens voicing the TEENAGE Mutant Ninja Turtles for a change, especially if they want us to grow with the Turtles throughout a series of movies.

Humor

There are plenty of moments in this trailer worth laughing at, like Raphael’s sai getting stuck in Donatello’s leg or the way the Turtles say “o-o-o-o-z-e” to April. That being said, it’s the type of humor that’s truly worth noting. The jokes the Turtles make capture their immaturity, their refusal to take things seriously, and their brotherly bond, but they don’t come across as dimwitted potty humor like another adaptation focused on. The writers clearly found the perfect middle of clever and immature for the Turtles’ humor.

Coming of Age Vibe

Adding to the fantastic idea behind casting actual teens as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the movie’s story looks like it’ll have more of a coming of age vibe than any previous version. They feel like real, organic teen brothers who are about to go through life changing events as they age. It looks like we’ll see these young characters grow over the course of the film.

Origin Story

This movie will definitely be an origin story for the Turtles. Most “first” movies based on superheroes are, but there are some that focus on older versions of characters or even heroes who have been in their role for a little while like The Batman. There’s plenty of evidence throughout the trailer that tells us this will be an origin story. There’s a scene of them training as (adorable) younger children, they explain how they were mutated by the ooze when talking with April, and it’s evident that they aren’t familiar with any of the bad guys they’re going up against. 

Actual Martial Arts and Weapons

Thankfully, the Turtles look to be fighting with actual martial arts and their classic ninja weapons. There are versions that have had them use magical powers or rely heavily on tech, so it’s nice to see them confirmed to fight like they’re actual ninjas.

Character Design

Each of the characters is designed in a way that matches them from a variety of source material while also feeling like a new take on them. All of the characters presented in the trailer look great. It’s a relief that the Turtles aren’t hulking giants like in their previous big screen outings. They’re (appropriately) the size of young teens. There are fun details thrown in for everyone as well. Donatello wears glasses because he’d be staring at screens all day. Michelangelo is smaller and wears braces, making him feel like the youngest brother. Splinter has an afro, which is pretty awesome. Raphael is a bit bigger and is missing a tooth,which is fitting for the one who likes to fight. It’s all clever character design without overdoing details.

Character Selection

In the trailer, we see the four Turtles, April O’Neil, Master Splinter, Bebop, Rocksteady, and some random thugs. These are all usually major characters in TMNT, so that makes sense. From the casting announcement, it’s also known that Baxter Stockman, Mondo Gecko, and several others are planned to appear as well. A notable absence, though, is none other than the Turtles’ arch nemesis the Shredder. Perhaps he’ll be used as a surprise or as a post-credits big bad like Thanos. For the characters who weren’t used in the trailer, they might not have as much screen time or focus as those who were. Only time will tell, though.