New CGI movie

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Galactus

If the live action reboot was happening they'd very clearly say they were working on it. Instead they are floating it as a remote possibility. That's confirmation that it's as good as dead.

It was never really alive. So they commissioned a script, so what? Do you know how many drafts of TMNT 4 there were and by how many writers between 1994 and 2007? Something like 10. That doesn't mean that 10 TMNT 4s died, it means that none of them ever got past the script stage. Because they all sucked.

[NinjaPug]

From the Annecy Animation Festival:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is heading back to the big screen in a new film from director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines) and produced by Seth Rogen and Adam Goldberg. Through a video message from Jeff, we were given a “Peek under the shell” at the style of the film, which is CG with 2D accents. Jeff was inspired by sketches he made in school notebooks as a teenager and wanted the film to evoke that same type of feeling. From the brief bit of animation shown, it felt reminiscent of the look of Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This film is scheduled for release on August 4th, 2023.

https://www.laughingplace.com/w/arti...ws-and-movies/

[IndigoErth]

...it felt reminiscent of the look of Sony’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Okay, slightly intrigued, and curious what was seen. While I prefer live action for films, if we have to go CGI, something similar to Into the Spider-Verse in visuals and tone was what I was kind of hoped for, but figured was highly unlikely. Thought Spider-Verse was pretty decent and rather visually interesting and unique... I could deal with a TMNT that takes some cues from that. (Though I still worry about the characterization if they're so insistent on focusing on the "teenage" part of the title above all else.)

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

Okay, slightly intrigued, and curious what was seen. While I prefer live action for films, if we have to go CGI, something similar to Into the Spider-Verse in visuals and tone was what I was kind of hoped for, but figured was highly unlikely. Thought Spider-Verse was pretty decent and rather visually interesting and unique... I could deal with a TMNT that takes some cues from that. (Though I still worry about the characterization if they're so insistent on focusing on the "teenage" part of the title above all else.)

I wonder how close it'll be to the style of the original, This type of animation would suit well for the original series style.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

I wonder how close it'll be to the style of the original, This type of animation would suit well for the original series style.

Why yes, the Laird/Eastman style would be a good fit for that type of animation.

[IndigoErth]

First cartoon, no... but that comic book-ish kind of look to make it reminiscent of Mirage (albeit it with color), yes please.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by IndigoErth

First cartoon, no... but that comic book-ish kind of look to make it reminiscent of Mirage (albeit it with color), yes please.

I was only making fun of TigerClaw but yes, that does sound pretty nice.

[AquaParade]

Sounds like the best I can realistically hope for right now. Probably not the direction I want to see, but they are going to pull it off well, I think.

I bet there will even be some nods in there for every type of turtle fan, but the whole "family friendly - pixar/dreamworks" thing rarely works for me outside of Toy Story. Especially with turtles because I know it doesn't have to be that way.

I am not completely down on this yet and I do want to see a preview before I judge anything. I'm just not expecting much at this point either.

The only optimism I have is from the fact that the brand has actually had some decent output as of late. They let WB get a little rough in Batman V Turtles, they allowed TLR to basically get away with anything, and they are making smart decisions in the video game world. Not everything is lackluster under Viacom. Just most of it.

It's interesting that they refer to Transformers as one of their "adult franchises" while TMNT has to be "family friendly". The distinction just strikes me as odd. Both have room to be either, really. Just makes it seem like they still don't really get it.

I think the tone of the first movie is nearly perfect for the franchise, but it feels both adult and family friendly at the same time. Sort of like The Simpsons, which balances tone so well. If that's what they mean, then I'm all for it.
However, when you have a distinction between Transformers and TMNT, where you imply Transformers can be aimed at adults but TMNT is something else, it strikes me funny.
Let's not forget which of them is rooted in a tale of bloody revenge, almost any way you slice it, and which of them is essentially just robots blowing up.

[Galactus]

I don't like to do Transformers down. It may primarily be a vehicle to sell toys to kids but a lot of the creative people who worked on the concept were well respected comic book writers. The Marvel and UK comics were even better written lifting it beyond the usual license tie in fare. The animated series had a few episodes that were more ambitious than most Saturday morning cartoons of the time. That being said...it's still just a massive commercial to sell toys to kids.

TMNT certainly became that and what 90% of the franchise is but it certainly didn't start as something aimed at kids. The idea that it can't be for adult audiences when it was created as something very much aimed at a mature audiences is ridiculous. It's sad that the 1990 movie, the 2003 series are about as mature as the franchise will ever be allowed to get in the mainstream.

I feel I should also point out that the 2014 movie (which was at least moderately successful) had the the people making confused over who to aim the movie at and definitely had parts in it that had some teeth to it. Then the sequel which openly targeted children and thirty-something man children obsessed with the 80s cartoon tanked hard. The fact that they're doing this is again but animated just seems like a recipe for disaster.

[Cowa]

Originally Posted by NinjaPug

From the Annecy Animation Festival:



https://www.laughingplace.com/w/arti...ws-and-movies/

Cool, I liked The Mitchells VS The Machines. So far my only problem with the movie is the (possible) character design. I don't mind it being family oriented, as long as it doesn't get too dumb. So far I' hoping for the best, although I'm trying to not have high expectations.

[Slash-Dash]

https://deadline.com/2022/06/paramou...pe-1235049871/

[Autbot_Benz]

Rogen sent a video in which he said he’s had the TMNT “world in my head for 30 years” and showed off new artwork of the heroes on the half shell as teenagers “who just want to be normal.”

From the deadline article

[IndigoErth]

World in his head for 30 years... Why do I feel like we're just gonna get his personal fan fic that he's always wanted to see.


Maybe they sometimes do wish to be a little more "normal" and accepted, though some more than others (and probably mostly Mikey), but I dunno, call me crazy but I feel like that should not be the basis of a story or plot and only an occasional side thought that's easily put away because they have all this far more important ninja stuff to focus on?

Literally the most recent movie also just went there, this isn't exactly an original idea, but even OotS didn't try to make that the overall theme of it. And Leo did not agree, appropriately for him, imo, because he's the sort who is likely going to want to play the hand he's dealt in life the best he can and not "cheat," so even PD managed to get that right. Hope I don't have to wait even longer yet to see him back in character. edit: I swear to [no] god if they make him behave like his most recent series counterpart...

[Leo656]

"They just want to be normal" isn't even remotely who they are. "Accepted", maybe. But that's not the same thing.

Sigh. One can't help but notice how nobody actually wants to write "Mutant Ninja Turtles" in the slightest. They just wanna write about "weirdo teenagers trying to fit in" and the rest of it is way, way in the background, an afterthought at best.

Bad take.

[Andrew NDB]

Yeah. Seth Rogen: "I've had a really bad and apocryphal take on the TMNT in the back of my head for 30 years."

Wonderful.

[AquaParade]

Focusing on them wanting to be normal or part of the world above isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it sort of feels like they are trying to ditch the ninja and Saki aspect of the story.

That's integral to me, but I could see them putting that story off, without doing away with it. I can imagine them saying "There is certainly a story to tell in regards to how the turtles and Splinter came to be, but for this story we wanted to set that aside and focus on a 'coming of age' story." Then they can just put it off without getting as much backlash.
Obviously I'm talking out my ass, but I can imagine it.

I'm not completely down on it though. Not until we get a taste. Best case scenario is they combine a coming of age story with the ninja aspect and we get a great mix. Hard to be optimistic though, personally speaking.

[CyberCubed]

I just can't get over Don wearing glasses. That kills it alone for me.

[Andrew NDB]

Maybe the hook will be there is some kind of mutagen outbreak and the Turtles get their wish and all become human, go to school, etc. But bad guys get mutated and they realize that being mutant Turtles was their "true selves," so they voluntarily re-mutate and save the day.

[Galactus]

Kinda convenient that the brilliant idea that Seth Rogen has always had for a TMNT movie aligns perfectly with what Nickleodeon has been pushing to be TMNT's main theme for the last few years.

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

Maybe the hook will be there is some kind of mutagen outbreak and the Turtles get their wish and all become human, go to school, etc. But bad guys get mutated and they realize that being mutant Turtles was their "true selves," so they voluntarily re-mutate and save the day.

I wish this didn't sound so plausible.

[neatoman]

Originally Posted by Leo656

They just wanna write about "weirdo teenagers trying to fit in" and the rest of it is way, way in the background, an afterthought at best.

Which, to be fair, isn't that far off from what the 2012 cartoon was, what with it's attempts to make the Turtles act a bit too juvenile and making the main two human characters teenagers as well.

If I had to guess why they like to do this, I imagine these are the reasons:

1. Justifying the "teenage" in the title with a coming of age story is harder than just making them a bunch of awkward kids.
2. Hollywood likes it's formulas and since it works for Spider-Man and bunch of other movies, why the hell not?
3. Reading comics is somehow considered hard by some people (which... ugh... why?) and so they just default to making something up themselves.

Obviously it shouldn't be that difficult to just adapt some comic book story for a movie, Hollywood just doesn't care. Producers want to play it safe and directors hate constraints to the point where simply using the bare bones of an existing story offends them.