Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Director Explains Desire to Make Film Emotional

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is gearing up to hit theaters in just a few weeks, and fans are excited to see what will happen in the animated movie. Seth Rogen is producing the film and made sure to use actual teenagers to voice the titular characters as well as cast himself as the iconic character Bebop. From everything we’ve seen in the trailers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is sure to be one of the most heartfelt takes on the franchise that has been released so far. ComicBook.com’s Chris Killian recently had the chance to speak with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem director Jeff Rowe, and he revealed that the team behind the movie had a serious desire to make it emotional.

“I mean, I think really just like wanting to make it emotional,” Rowe told us in an exclusive interview. “We’re like, we’re making a comedy but, we really need to lean into this character story. And one of the first scenes that we did is that whole Splinter flashback and just really leaning into his loneliness and what the Turtles meant to him. And when he found them and then just the struggle to be a single parent, raising four kids.”

What Goes Down in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem marks the latest movie in the long-running media franchise, and a new reboot for four turtle brothers. Seth Rogen produced the movie, and lends his voice to its huge ensemble cast. In the film, the titular heroes venture out into the real world after years of living isolated in the sewers. Though they try to be recognized as normal teenagers by their heroics, a crime syndicate with an army of mutants makes everything more difficult for them and threatens their plans for joining society. The voice cast for the film includes Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, and Brady Noon as Raphael. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem includes a slew of celebrities as well like Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Jackie Chan as Splinter, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ice Cube as Superfly, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem opens in theaters on August 2nd.

Stay tuned to ComicBook.com for all future updates on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem as we learn it!

What do you think about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem directors comments? Are you excited to see what happens in the movie when it arrives in theaters? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!

Editor’s note: This interview was conducted prior to the SAG actors’ strike.