The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turned forty last year. Since its debut, the property has become ubiquitous in our pop culture landscape. TMNT first leapt off the pages of their popular comic series in 1987 as a wildly successful toy line and animated series. Now, seven films and seven television series later, TMNT creator Kevin Eastman shared which is his favorite on-screen adaptation with ComicBook. Speaking at San Diego Comic-Con, Eastman reflected on the “humbling” experience of new generations of fans discovering and embracing Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo, as well as which TMNT adaptation he “adored” and felt did the comics the most justice.
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When asked which Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles adaptation best captured what Eastman and co-creator Peter Laird envisioned when they created the character, Eastman instantly answered the original live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, which premiered in 1990, citing the film’s faithfulness to the “original black and white series that Peter and I did” as a major reason why he enjoys it so much. He went on to explain that tonally, the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film was “the perfect storm” with its ability to blend the humor and lightness of the 1987 animated series with “the edginess and the heart and soul, the importance of emotion, and the edge of the darkness” present in the comics.
Eastman was also quick to express his excitement over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returning to theaters this month to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary. Directed by Steve Barron and featuring the voices of Brian Tochi, Josh Pais, Corey Feldman, and Robbie Rist as the mutant crime-fighting quartet, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the most successful independent film of all time when it debuted, grossing a mammoth $202 million internationally at the box office against its modest $13.5 million budget.
Eastman Also “Adored” Teenage Mutant Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
Though the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie may always have a special place in Eastman’s heart, that doesn’t mean he didn’t enjoy the latest entry into the franchise’s canon. The animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem premiered two years ago this month. Mutant Mayhem was both a commercial and critical success, earning the coveted “Certified Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 95% score from critics on the site.
Eastman, who had a small cameo in Mutant Mayhem, said that he “loved” and “adored” the film, calling it a “love poem” to the original Turtles animated series. “It was the edginess, the dirt, the grit, the feel, the lighting,” Eastman raved about Mutant Mayhem. “The animation style was just perfect.”
Though the Turtles seemed to have had an on-screen rough patch coming into the 21st century, with the universally panned TMNT in 2007 and similarly received live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot in 2014, it appears that the franchise has bounced back stronger than ever. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continues to have success in the comics space, and as for its cinematic future, Eastman himself asked about a Mutant Mayhem sequel after watching a mere fifteen minutes of footage when the film was in production. Luckily for him (and us), a Mutant Mayhem is indeed in the works and is targeting a 2027 release date.
In the meantime, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 35th Anniversary screenings take place in theaters nationwide from August 15th through 21st.
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