Donatello stars in a Direct Line commercial

[Cyndaquilfan123]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wS9z-WRLHc


So, I guess this is a U.K Based home insurance company, and they have one based off Bumblebee also. But Donnie's design for this is absolutely incredible. I really hope a design like this is used in a future movie.

[IMJ]

Wow you weren't kidding about that design... it was very Fred Wolf!

[frank_one]

Better than BayTurtles.

[The Turtle Terminator]

Better than BayTurtles.

Hardly an achievement

[Galactus]

You beat me to it. I was literally just coming here to post this.

It captures the look of the Fred Wolf turtles very well albeit with the leather pads. The grapple, skateboard, the look of the Don's computer room as well the general aesthetic of the sewers looks like the Bay movies. It's surprising how well the cartoony look meshes well with more real environments.

I'll go on record (again) that don't want a Fred Wolf inspired movie but if they were going to do one (again) this much more the look they should go for.

This and things like this and Detective Pikachu and even to some degree Sonic show with the right amount of added texture a very cartoony design can blend in very well real world environments. Personsally I'd prefer the look more like the 1990 movie but credit were it's due this is well done.

Incidentally as well as the aforementioned ad with Bumblebee there's also one with Robocop.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

Pretty impressive design admittedly.

[IndigoErth]

I like the design, but not so much for a live action setting. Funny commercial though.

[Vegita-San]

how come the uk can get it so right and amazing, but PD and US can't?

[Autbot_Benz]

Wow one UK Commercial does it better than 2 Bay movies. :o

[CyberCubed]

I'd love a live action show like this. Not to keen on Don's voice but that doesn't matter.

[TommyT]

I like the design, but not so much for a live action setting. Funny commercial though.

Agreed. I hated the bay films, but I hate this too.

The CG is so weak. Looks like SpaceJam. Sort of Fred wolf-ish, sure, but I wouldn't want a film to look anything like this.

[Hockey Boy]

Reminds me of injustice

[Andrew NDB]

The CG is so weak. Looks like SpaceJam. Sort of Fred wolf-ish, sure, but I wouldn't want a film to look anything like this.

Agreed. This makes my skin crawl.

[IndigoErth]

Would probably be fine in a CGI world. I prefer my Turtle movies to be live action, but an all CGI Netflix thing would be okay in that style. (Even if I'd tweak it a bit in the direction of the Injustice 2 designs and more believable textures.)

I'm not a fan of the cartoon laid over real life look though. Just too hard to believe real and animated characters are actually interacting.


Tell you what though... seeing Donnie show up in a UK ad makes me more annoyed that some of those Walmart commercials have not included the Turtles! lol

[IMJ]

Agreed. I hated the bay films, but I hate this too.

The CG is so weak. Looks like SpaceJam. Sort of Fred wolf-ish, sure, but I wouldn't want a film to look anything like this.

Well it's a TV commercial - I was impressed that it looked as good as it did on that standard alone. I'd imagine that if a movie followed the same art direction we'd get better textures and less of that rubbery animation.

Art direction and design = big win
Texturing and motion = great for commercial, needs man hours for film

CG characters are great when they fit the world they are put into. I loved Sonic, but it is very strange to have a living cartoon allegedly be part of the real world Universe, as opposed to the CGi used on Jurassic World Dinosaurs - like they are really there. Texturing.

[TommyT]

Reminds me of injustice

Looks nothing like injustice. Looks more like battle toads.

https://i.imgur.com/9CM7HfT.jpg

It's a step in the right direction, sure, but could be so much better.

[IndigoErth]

As a still frame and compared to the Injustice design... the cartoonie proportions are a little bothersome. That is one large noggin. Looks better in motion.

[TommyT]

CG characters are great when they fit the world they are put into. I loved Sonic, but it is very strange to have a living cartoon allegedly be part of the real world Universe, as opposed to the CGi used on Jurassic World Dinosaurs - like they are really there. Texturing.

I zero percent agree on the sonic thing.

I'm a purist, so yeah, I think for example, this is great:
https://cloudfront.first4figures.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1800x/040ec09b1e35df139433887a97daa66f/s/o/sonic_exc_h02.jpg

First 4 figures nailed it. But that makes no sense in the real world. I didn't love the first attempt for that film, or the changes they begruginglymade- but the important distinction is, Sonic is pretty obviously not meant to be real, at all. Sonic can in no way translate to the real world.

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/60/e8/02/60e8024447e5a15c4c8d02f5530c448b.jpg



The turtles, well, they are. They are absolutely meant to be freaks of nature.

The real question is, what the hell does a Ninja Turtle look like, in real life. I think, the suspension of disbelief for the over 40 crowd, is simply not possible.

We've been ruined by the internet, seen too much, know too much.

also this:
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PR7mcGzRRpA/VkyW_CX0tiI/AAAAAAAASgY/YTrsIW8T-lg/s400/Teenage+Mutant+Ninja+Turtles+Faces+HD+Wallpapers2. jpg

This in 3D is just a fat happy face.

[TigerClaw]

I shared that video recently on the Drome Discord.

Paramount needs to take notes with that design when they reboot the TMNT movie.

[TommyT]

I shared that video recently on the Drome Discord.

Paramount needs to take notes with that design when they reboot the TMNT movie.

No. No they don't and no they shouldn't.

[TigerClaw]

No. No they don't and no they shouldn't.
What's wrong with this design? It looks fine to me. Sure it looks like Fred Wolf. But still. Most fans would rather have this than the designs from the 2014/2016 movies.

[TommyT]

What's wrong with this design? It looks fine to me. Sure it looks like Fred Wolf. But still. Most fans would rather have this than the designs from the 2014/2016 movies.

If you read these comments, most fans are not "excited".

[Andrew NDB]

I'd be OK with totally different designs for the Turtles that look more turtle-like, even kind of scary looking... as long as, #1, they're around 5' tall, #2, don't have radically different body types from one another, and #3, no stupid accessories or clothes (unless they all wear some kind of gi).

[TommyT]

I'd be OK with totally different designs for the Turtles that look more turtle-like, even kind of scary looking... as long as, #1, they're around 5' tall, #2, don't have radically different body types from one another, and #3, no stupid accessories or clothes (unless they all wear some kind of gi).

At least they went with short. I honestly don’t know if Henson can be improved on, but even Henson was kind of weird right?

At the end of the day, Ninja turtles are far from turtles. I don’t know if I want to see realistic turtles, but cartoons look horrible on screen beside real people.

[Zulithe]

When some random TV commercial can churn out something this decent with what is probably a very low budget it really puts the mishandling of live action TMNT since 1990/1991 in clear perspective.

It doesn't have to look REAL it has to look cool and honor the source material, only changing what needs to be changed without throwing out what clearly works. The Sonic movie redesign really proved that.

[CyberCubed]

At least there were no disgusting Turtle nostrils.

[Galactus]

I'd be OK with totally different designs for the Turtles that look more turtle-like, even kind of scary looking... as long as, #1, they're around 5' tall, #2, don't have radically different body types from one another, and #3, no stupid accessories or clothes (unless they all wear some kind of gi).

I think it best regardless of what kind of style they go for ie Fred Worlf cartoony vs something more Mirage inspired like the 1990 movie they need to look like what people recognise as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

When the designs for the first Bay movie came I was like everyone else on the front line calling it trash but in truth I grudgingly admire the balls of doing something so different. I definitely 'get' what they were going for, they wanted the turtles to be badass and edgy.

I also get what what they were trying to do with the accessories. To your average moviegoer there's still an issue of telling the four turtles apart and the accessorising worked as a visual shorthand for their defining character traits. As a big fan of the Image run you may appreciate that after all part of the reason for the various changes like scarring Raph and Don becoming a cyborg was motivated for the same reasons.

They just missed the mark and went way too over the top with both ideas. Plus they kinda cancel each other out. You've got these edgy, badass looking turtles wearing such gaudy over the top gear that even Playmates toys would think twice making into a variant in the 90s but the intention with both is pretty sound.

One thing I would say is that their faces with much more human like features was a mistake from the start. If this wasn't a decision by Bay himself it was made with pleasing him in mind. The idea they can't convey emotions with a more traditional turtle face is ridiculous and in it's own small way this ad does a good job of showing that. Donatello in this ad conveys all kinds of emotions; intrigue, determination, happiness, disappointment etc. Personally I'd like that in a less pudgy Fred Wolf inspired face but the point is still the same.

[Stick1101]

I can’t agree about Bays version, they weren’t Turtles they were monsters!
I just don’t get what goes through these movie makers heads when they remake films that already have a huge fan base for 30/40 years, they know roundabouts what we all want, but they think they’ll be clever and drastically change designs in to nothing we’ve ever seen and honestly believe we’ll swallow it, they are so set on making a huge new fan base with the younger generation that they completely ignore its original fans. And when I see what they put out I’m already cursing it to my kids who in turn take the mickey out of it and have no interest because they also have loved West and Hensons turtles.

The biggest culprit being Star Wars, how much did we all want the reunion? Did we get it? No instead they turned one of our biggest if not biggest childhood hero’s into a laughing stock and made the whole trilogy a mess, All female Ghostbusters Hahahaha, any I’ve forgotten about?
Make it simple! Stop trying so hard!

I think some are missing the point in the new advert. This is a uk based company making an ad with the tiniest of budgets compared to the movie world and the Donnie looks like a fantastic updated version of the ‘87 Turtles. I wouldn’t want to see Turtles look like that in live action, my hope is still an updated version of Henson’s look but with different body sizes in a similar way to the 2012 cartoon.
But would this new Donatello and his brothers look great in a cgi film or toon series with a bigger budget.....absolutely!!!

[IndigoErth]

I'd be OK with totally different designs for the Turtles that look more turtle-like, even kind of scary looking...
A minority of fans may be into that, but as for most, including the majority of diehards? Good luck in that not bombing. Scary animalistic looks aren't going to go over with most any better than making them over 6' tall and on steroids and people already thought the Bay Turtles looked "scary" and unappealing. Going farthing in a scary and less relatable animal-like direction isn't going to win most hearts and viewers.


Pretty much agree with all the rest of course. Keep body variation mild. Makes sense that Raph might be the most muscled being the bruiser that he is, but it should be only vaguely noticeable. Not the extreme difference between him and Donnie in those last films. Definitely keep them on the shorter end. Personally, I don't really care if they're a little closer to a regular human height (at least that of human women) of a mid-5' range, but proportions and bulk needs to be considered so not to overdo it, and if a certain height makes them too large all over next to their human costars, then decrease the height...

Honestly, a little bit of clothing doesn't really bother me if it isn't overdone and makes sense. Maybe what the Bay Turtles wore, at least in 2016, made sense for them as they were clearly going for more of a modern American esthetic for Turtles who grew up amid modern NYC. (Or at least with what is available to four guys living in the sewers with no income and just one human friend to maybe help out a little.) But a look that suits the usual theme, growing up trained by Splinter, a rat/man originally from Japan and immersed in his ancient family history and culture, makes as much sense. There's so much awesome art out there of them in more ninja-ish garb that inspiration could be pulled from if film makers are going to put them in clothing.

[Cyndaquilfan123]

If you read these comments, most fans are not "excited".

I don't think all of our opinions here is enough to count as "most fans". Going by the comments on the Youtube page, this reception it is pretty decent.

[Sumac]

Interesting design. Kind of middle ground between FW and realistic one.
In general, I like this video.

[The-Shredder]

Looks nothing like injustice. Looks more like battle toads.


That was exactly my first impression as well. The face is too bloated and the proportions are really awkward.

[triplexxx]

This is really cool, wonderful turtle design, humorous too, good voice work for Donatello also.

[TommyT]

At least there were no disgusting Turtle nostrils.

I'm concerned about your dating life. What do you do when you confront nostrils in the wild?

[TommyT]

A minority of fans may be into that, but as for most, including the majority of diehards? Good luck in that not bombing. Scary animalistic looks aren't going to go over with most any better than making them over 6' tall and on steroids and people already thought the Bay Turtles looked "scary" and unappealing. Going farthing in a scary and less relatable animal-like direction isn't going to win most hearts and viewers.




BRrWiW1o19E


Personally, I don't really care if they're a little closer to a regular human height (at least that of human women) of a mid-5' range, but proportions and bulk needs to be considered so not to overdo it, and if a certain height makes them too large all over next to their human costars, then decrease the height...

Basically, you want to be able to swipe right?


There's so much awesome art out there of them in more ninja-ish garb that inspiration could be pulled from if film makers are going to put them in clothing.

We need more fan art here - more "examples" less talk. What fan art satisfies your ideal?

[TigerClaw]

They need to take a cue from the Sonic Movie. And design the Turtles to be somewhere between the real and cartoonish side. Which was something that the 1990 films did.

[Galactus]

^^^

The 1990 movie was essentially the Mirage designs with muti-coloured bandanas.

I just don't think that a Fred Wold inspired movie is the way to go. Some of the concepts of that show are just very difficult to translate in a modern action movie. Out Of The Shadows had some glaring problems but it was actually a fair stab at and it was still bad.

Sonic has been an unexpected success which may make people think that doing that but with turtles is the way to go. Basically make the Fred Wolf characters in live action but I just don't think that will work.

There's a reason one of the top search queries when you type in TMNT into google is "Are TMNT Marvel or DC?". It surely suggests that people see TMNT more in the line of properties owned by those companies and something like that will successful and frankly the Fred Wolf characters, designs and concepts don't lend themselves well to those kind of serious or semi-serious comic book movies.

[TommyT]

They need to take a cue from the Sonic Movie. And design the Turtles to be somewhere between the real and cartoonish side. Which was something that the 1990 films did.

You want Roger Rabbit? Nobody wants Roger Rabbit.

You get somebody to look at TMNT like they looked at the Joker, you'll have a real hit. TMNT is a violent book, about savage animals taking revenge on Ninja's. That's it.

[FredWolfLeonardo]

You get somebody to look at TMNT like they looked at the Joker, you'll have a real hit. TMNT is a violent book, about savage animals taking revenge on Ninja's. That's it.

Awe hell NO!

I want my tmnt to be about Cowabunga, pizza, Technodrome and Bebop!

[IndigoErth]

I just want some cutie Turtles who fit believably into a live action world and kick enemy butt while looking awesome doing it. Is it too much to ask? :trazz:

[Galactus]

You get somebody to look at TMNT like they looked at the Joker, you'll have a real hit. TMNT is a violent book, about savage animals taking revenge on Ninja's. That's it.

Yeah...not sure I'd want to go that far in the other direction.Nothing about TMNT can't be done in PG-13.

Plus the whole tone of The Joker is something to be avoided. It's a movie that has all the look and stylings of a serious art house movie making serious about society simply masquerading as a comic book when it's basically just a silly comic book about a guy messed up by his mother.

[TommyT]

Yeah...not sure I'd want to go that far in the other direction.Nothing about TMNT can't be done in PG-13.

Plus the whole tone of The Joker is something to be avoided. It's a movie that has all the look and stylings of a serious art house movie making serious about society simply masquerading as a comic book when it's basically just a silly comic book about a guy messed up by his mother.

I disagree entirely. I think Andrew is with me here. Violent savagery is EXACTLY what TMNT is missing.

They've tried goofy, they tried tongue in cheek. It's time for realism.

[pferreira]

Saw the video. Imagine waiting for Harvey Keitel and getting a Ninja Turtle instead. :lol:

I just don't think that a Fred Wold inspired movie is the way to go. Some of the concepts of that show are just very difficult to translate in a modern action movie. Out Of The Shadows had some glaring problems but it was actually a fair stab at and it was still bad.Everyone in these comments say he looks like Fred Wolf Don but he looks almost nothing like him, especially personality. :-?

[TommyT]

Saw the video. Imagine waiting for Harvey Keitel and getting a Ninja Turtle instead. :lol:

Everyone in these comments say he looks like Fred Wolf Don but he looks almost nothing like him, especially personality. :-?

There's a lot of FW in there, but it's distorted. Bad fan art distorted.

[Andrew NDB]

I disagree entirely. I think Andrew is with me here. Violent savagery is EXACTLY what TMNT is missing.

They've tried goofy, they tried tongue in cheek. It's time for realism.

It's really the one thing they haven't tried, at this point. After finally doing what "everyone" wanted and bringing Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang and Technodrome to life on the big screen and it failing spectacularly, let's turn over that stone.

And cut the budget. You don't need to spend 135 million on a TMNT movie. "Into the Shadows" cost that and TMNT 1990 cost 13 million. Even adjusting for inflation that's, what, 20 million? Get a passionate visionary filmmaker, a solid writer that will say "the Mirage Turtles" when you ask them what their favorite TMNT is, give them 50 million, no studio interference and turn them loose on a movie that "pushes the boundaries" of PG-13 and see what happens.

[Leo656]

Even hoping or wishing for anything like that now that Nick owns it is just begging for heartburn. Might as well ask for a unicorn since we're just jacking off about stuff that's impossible.

Toys aside, it's a dead brand. The best days are long since passed. The same corporate overlords who've kept The Sponge on the air for two decades aren't going to serve up anything more than junk food for little kids. It's over. TMNT is dead. Even the IDW comics only get away with as much as they do because nobody reads them. If they had a circulation of a million readers or so, you can bet that Nick would tighten the fist a bit, but as it is that project is under their radar.

Don't get me wrong, I'm as sick of TMNT For Kids as anyone, but Nick buying them was pretty much the worst-case scenario if a gritty/violent movie or TV show was anyone's hope. Unless they sell it, anyone who dislikes the status quo while hoping for anything different is simply grinding down their teeth for no reason.

I don't see Nick ever selling it. Therefore, as a realist, I simply don't care about this brand at all anymore, except as (somewhat ironically) a vehicle for toys. Which is admittedly odd; the obsession with toy marketing is arguably what ruined the whole concept of TMNT in the first place, BUT, it's the only thing that is actually giving fans in 2020 anything to look forward to. But that's the situation.

I mean I get why people who are not satisfied want to hope and even beg for something better, but at the same time, it's kinda like writing letters to Santa even after you know he's not real. It won't change the situation and you're simply not going to get what you want.

Without being a jerk on purpose, I do sincerely wonder why anyone does in fact hope/want/expect that Nick would somehow change course for this ONE brand - which is simply not very important to them compared to The Sponge and their other in-house brands - even though it would mean going completely against what they represent as a company, which is Fluff For Kids. You REALLY think that would ever happen? Common sense says it won't. Why persist? Why wallow in disappointment and aggravation needlessly?

Is it really so hard to move on? Can't TMNT just be "Something I USED to like" at some point? Works fine for me. I still revisit the Good Stuff from the past and am satisfied, without all the aggravation and impotent rage inherent in hoping that it's ever going to be that good again.

I don't know. I'm pretty happy with my current interaction (or lack thereof) with the franchise. In short: It sucks now, so I quit. I get the feeling that a lot of people kinda want to do the same, but simply can't bring themselves to, for some reason. And I'm not sure why. Those movies and stuff that y'all want just aren't going to happen. Make peace with it.

At least until someone else buys it. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Andrew NDB]

Oh, I agree with you. And I'm positive Viacom would rather just sit on TMNT and not sell it to anyone than allow another studio to possibly do good by it, even if they themselves ever give up on it.

[Wildcat]

I didn’t notice this til now but this is pretty great. I mean sure the cgi could be better but it’s a commercial not a movie quality production. Still impressive.

I disagree that they should go in a really violent direction. Anything PG-13 or pushing that limit would be enough. Something with a balanced tone. Like TMNT. It genuinely took itself seriously. Now I wanna watch that. It’s been awhile.

No reason to fully abandon any franchise. Everything goes through ups and downs. We know nothing about the next movie...just that it’s by PD :teek: :lol: seriously though something else is always in the works.

[Voltron]

. . . This was great. Felt like the old 'toon. Kind of bummed it won't be anything more than this.

[Leo656]

No reason to fully abandon any franchise. Everything goes through ups and downs. We know nothing about the next movie...just that it’s by PD :teek: :lol: seriously though something else is always in the works.

Sure there is! The best possible reason is when a thing no longer offers any enjoyment, at which point it becomes a waste of time and money and a source of aggravation. There's absolutely no reason to become "wedded" to a piece of entertainment or a hobby. When it's not fun anymore, do something else. It's just like with wrestling; I do it because it's fun to perform, but I can't watch it because it's generally presented so poorly. These things we fill our days with can only be temporary, and leaving them behind once they become more frustrating than fun opens up the mind and energy for other, more fulfilling things.

With TMNT, I realized at some point that I was mostly "keeping up" with it out of obligation more than interest, despite not really enjoying most of what I was looking at. Sometime in the middle of Mirage Vol. 4. I didn't like the comic, but spent a lot of money on it, and towards the end when money was getting tight, I was actually relieved that they decided to end it because I literally felt like I was just throwing my money away by buying it. Then way later on, when I was underwhelmed by the Nick cartoon, thoroughly disgusted by the PD films, and then again with Rise, I took stock and realized that I actually disliked more TMNT products than I enjoyed, and given that, it really doesn't make sense for me, personally, to sit around and wait for anyone to give me what I want, when those people have repeatedly told me that No, that's not happening.

It's fine. Again, hobbies or interests don't have to be permanent. I can watch the 1990 film once in a while, or scattered episodes of the first two cartoon shows, pick up some toys now and then, and play some video games, and that's officially all the TMNT that I "need". More bad than good exists in the brand now, with more on the way; not interested, not really paying much attention to it at all. I hear mumblings about a new movie, and I'm literally, "So what?" And while it's not something I predicted as a child, when I was a fanatic, as an adult I'm perfectly fine focusing ONLY on things which I trust will fulfill me and make me happy. TMNT is not one of those things in its present form and likely never will be again.

So yeah, there are plenty of very good reasons to give up and move on from a brand, or any hobby once it no longer fulfills you. I would argue that it actually makes more sense than wishing and hoping and always getting annoyed in the end, but that's me.

[Candy Kappa]

The commercial is really cute. I think with a movie budget he'd fit in the type of movies like Alvin and the Chipmunks, Smurfs, Garfield and Sonic; where the creatures are obviously cartoons but are still treated as real and do fit in the world (mostly... Garfield wasn't the best at cgi integration)

And I think with even more tweaking he'd be fit for a "real" live-action creature effect.

[Wildcat]

@Leo656, ya it’s fine to stick to whatever parts of the franchise you like. That’s not abandoning it just picking your favorites. I think a lot of people do that with popular series.

I’m not aggravated by recent Turtle offerings. I was enjoying Rise but it wasn’t my absolute favorite incarnation. I realize it’s a dry spell at the moment too.

Just waiting to see more about the movie. Regardless of PD it’s interesting to see what they come up with now that the last version is over with.

Like what if something really cool comes along? Surely you won’t ignore it no matter what. You’ll check it out and probably stick with it.

[Peter Palmer]

I thought the commercial looked great!

Keep in mind, it is a commercial and has a MUCH lower budget than a feature film. I thought the design was unique yet recognizable, which I'm betting is EXACTLY what they were going for.

If we're talking movies, I think they should go 100% live action (like the first 3 movie) or 100% animated/CGI (like 2007 TMNT or Turtles Forever). A hybrid of the two is the least interesting option to me, but it seems to be the most likely way that Hollywood will go in the current landscape.

I still look to Hellboy from 2004 as a terrific example of what terrific effects can be achieved trough traditional means and only supplemented with CGI when necessary. I'd love to see a live action TMNT movie that showcased how far monster-maker technology has come in the 30 years since the first movie.

All that said, this commercial was enjoyable. If nothing else, it worked. We're talking about it.

[AquaParade]

This is great fun to see. I always enjoy seeing TMNT pop-up. It almost reminds me of the simple thrill of seeing Michelangelo guest star in that cartoon about drugs, back in the 90's.
It's not something I necessarily want to see replicated for the big screen. I agree with Galactus that there was merit in what PD was going for, design-wise, even if it ended up falling flat and looking pretty bad. I'm actually a big fan of the clothing, but not the size and facial features.

As for the franchise in general, I haven't abandoned it, yet I don't give it any more time or money than it deserves. I'm disappointed with the overall output, but I still find upcoming TMNT projects that interest me, whether that's the occasional IDW comic - The Last Ronin being a great example, or the Neca figures. And I do think it's highly possible that a good TMNT story is told on the big screen again. I'm not holding my breath, I'm just sipping some lemonade in the corner and keeping an eye out.

Lastly, I recently have begun to appreciate TMNT 2012 all over again. I was pleasantly surprised by the show when it debuted. It exceeded my low expectations and kept me hooked for a couple seasons. Tedium did set in and I dropped the show around season 3, aside from a few episodes from later seasons. After rewatching season 2, I've realized how much I enjoy about this show.
While my ideal incarnation of TMNT would have less censorship and a stronger bite to the violence and tone, TMNT 2012 is a nearly perfect "all-ages TMNT" product and the perfect gateway drug for children everywhere.

One pro: the storyboarding, at least in season 2, is fantastic. Inventive and cinematic camera angles that keep the action scenes stimulating and go a long way in helping you forget the lack of detail and budget afforded to backgrounds and character designs.

One con: the writing is a mixed bag and Mikey again has to fill the role of contributing the "bottom of the barrel" comedy relief all too often. Greg Cipes does charming voice work, and thankfully they do give Mikey moments to shine, but a lot of his dialogue falls flat on me. Last few thoughts:

- I'm anxious to see what I missed by skipping over the second half of the show. Anyone have an opinion on how well the quality holds up?

- Why haven't Nickelodeon released this or seemingly any of their shows on bluray? I'd do terrible things to own this in 4k.

- I find myself fascinated by the fact that I find TMNT 2012 easily twice as entertaining as TMNT 07, which seems a fair enough comparison, for the sake of discussion. I'd be curious to hear other opinions on this.

[newfan]

This is great fun to see. I always enjoy seeing TMNT pop-up. It almost reminds me of the simple thrill of seeing Michelangelo guest star in that cartoon about drugs, back in the 90's.

It's not something I necessarily want to see replicated for the big screen. I agree with Galactus that there was merit in what PD was going for, design-wise, even if it ended up falling flat and looking pretty bad. I'm actually a big fan of the clothing, but not the size and facial features.

As for the franchise in general, I haven't abandoned it yet I don't give it any more time or money than it deserves from me. While I'm disappointed with the overall output, I still find upcoming TMNT projects that interest me, whether that's the occasional IDW comic - The Last Ronin being a great example, or the Neca figures. And I do think it's highly possible that a good TMNT story is told on the big screen again. I'm not holding my breath, I'm just sipping some lemonade in the corner and keeping an eye out.

Lastly, I recently have begun to appreciate TMNT 2012 all over again. I was pleasantly surprised by the show when it debuted. It exceeded my low expectations and kept me hooked for a couple seasons. Tedium did set in and I dropped the show around season 3, a few episodes from later seasons being the exception. After rewatching season 2, I've realized how much I love about this show.
While my perfect incarnation of TMNT would have less censorship and a stronger bite to the violence and tone, TMNT 2012 is nearly a perfect all-ages TMNT product. I'm anxious to see what I missed by skipping over the second half of the show.

Always warms me to see some love for 2012, I feel the earlier seasons were better but liked it through, some preferred season 5's tales format, I preferred the main story but you can have your own view when you watch it. For what it is I got a lot from it.
Edit: So far as quality, the CGI was a little better later on and they had some good fight scenes.

As for the topic, fun commercial, as noted already this design would better suit a more comedy or cartoon character in a live action movie type thing better, I would prefer something else for a more serious movie pushing the p3-13 line or above.

[MikeandRaph87]

Here is a reaction and better look at the commercial from The Old Turtle Den.
DwAizaiN6f8

[pferreira]

And cut the budget. You don't need to spend 135 million on a TMNT movie. "Into the Shadows" cost that and TMNT 1990 cost 13 million. Even adjusting for inflation that's, what, 20 million? Get a passionate visionary filmmaker, a solid writer that will say "the Mirage Turtles" when you ask them what their favorite TMNT is, give them 50 million,Films costs way too much today. It's all to do with inflation.

Greg Cipes does charming voice work, and thankfully they do give Mikey moments to shine, but a lot of his dialogue falls flat on me.Don't knock him. That man is the real life Garth Algar of our times. :lol:

There's a lot of FW in there, but it's distorted. Bad fan art distorted.I'd like to know what the similarities are because they were trying to ape the FW designs they didn't a really, really bad job. It looks closer to the 2007 animation.

[Leo656]

I'd say less "inflation" and more "Keeping up with the Joneses".

As other people have mentioned, most casual observers see the TMNT as a brand similar to DC and Marvel properties. And there's an unfortunate situation where people often mistakenly expect that a film like that has to be a "blockbuster", including a blockbuster budget. As Andrew has said, there's really no reason why a TMNT movie has to cost $200 million or so, other than, the studio feels like they have to market it as a "spectacle" on par with the latest Avengers flick - even though that's the total opposite of what a TMNT movie should be - and in turn they have to spend a fortune because it's simply what's expected. I mean, look at the stuff in the PD films, from the giant Hole In The Sky or whatever in the first movie and "Sky Tetris" with the pieces of the Technodrome in the second movie, and all the other pointless CGI crap they crammed in there just so they could market TMNT like a Marvel flick... and it didn't do any good because the scripts were trash. BUT, the writing was by far the thing the studio was the least concerned with.

In theory, a TMNT movie shouldn't be a gigantic, expensive CGI-fest full of giant super-hero set pieces. BUT, the concern is that nobody will turn out for a "smaller" picture, since box office numbers reinforce the theory that people only buy tickets to go see those gigantic blockbusters, and they wait for everything else to hit streaming. Thus, if they want to actually see a return on investment, they have to make a "big" movie even though that isn't what TMNT is about at all.

The whole "Gotta spend $500 million to make a billion" mindset in modern movie-making needs to die in a fire. It's ruining absolutely everything. BUT, the audience is culpable as well, to a point.

[IndigoErth]

Too bad people, including those companies like PD, seem convinced that in order to even be a blockbuster it has to be obnoxiously over the top. If it isn't a hyper, flashy thrill ride for the viewers little brain neurons then it isn't blockbustery enough...

Imagine if that kind of budget could be spent on quality and impressive film making and visuals, without being over the top ridiculous.

[Leo656]

Once they start spending a ton of money, they have to make sure that the film has "international appeal"... which means that everything has to be very broad and dumbed-down so that it translates in every culture and language. Thus, fart jokes, etc.

If you're aiming for a billion-dollar gross, you kinda have no choice but to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

Blame Disney/Marvel; they're the ones who made "A billion or Nothing" the status quo and ruined it for everyone else in the game. It used to be that billion-dollar movies were the super-rare exception; now you're a failure if you don't hit it. Some movies shouldn't even be in that conversation, BUT, that's the Business we call "Show", as it were.

[AquaParade]

I'd say less "inflation" and more "Keeping up with the Joneses".

As other people have mentioned, most casual observers see the TMNT as a brand similar to DC and Marvel properties. And there's an unfortunate situation where people often mistakenly expect that a film like that has to be a "blockbuster", including a blockbuster budget. As Andrew has said, there's really no reason why a TMNT movie has to cost $200 million or so, other than, the studio feels like they have to market it as a "spectacle" on par with the latest Avengers flick - even though that's the total opposite of what a TMNT movie should be - and in turn they have to spend a fortune because it's simply what's expected. I mean, look at the stuff in the PD films, from the giant Hole In The Sky or whatever in the first movie and "Sky Tetris" with the pieces of the Technodrome in the second movie, and all the other pointless CGI crap they crammed in there just so they could market TMNT like a Marvel flick... and it didn't do any good because the scripts were trash. BUT, the writing was by far the thing the studio was the least concerned with.

In theory, a TMNT movie shouldn't be a gigantic, expensive CGI-fest full of giant super-hero set pieces. BUT, the concern is that nobody will turn out for a "smaller" picture, since box office numbers reinforce the theory that people only buy tickets to go see those gigantic blockbusters, and they wait for everything else to hit streaming. Thus, if they want to actually see a return on investment, they have to make a "big" movie even though that isn't what TMNT is about at all.

The whole "Gotta spend $500 million to make a billion" mindset in modern movie-making needs to die in a fire. It's ruining absolutely everything. BUT, the audience is culpable as well, to a point.

So true. And everytime I hear it, I must sing the praises of the Joker film for proving audiences will show up for a "smaller" comic book adaption.

[Leo656]

I still suspect that if you change the name from "Joker" to "Random Dude Has A Series Of Bad Days Until He Snaps", everyone stays home. The media telling everyone that the movie was definitely going to win an Oscar like four months before it came out sure didn't hurt, either. Everybody wants to be in on the ground floor of something "big", and all that.

But yeah, razzle-dazzle aside, in theory people will go see anything as long as it's marketed correctly. Sadly, the suits don't generally give people that much credit.

[pferreira]

And there's an unfortunate situation where people often mistakenly expect that a film like that has to be a "blockbuster", including a blockbuster budget. As Andrew has said, there's really no reason why a TMNT movie has to cost $200 million or so, other than, the studio feels like they have to market it as a "spectacle" on par with the latest Avengers flick - even though that's the total opposite of what a TMNT movie should be - and in turn they have to spend a fortune because it's simply what's expected. My point is that the inflation costs are coming from paying everyone and everything too much money. All that money being splashed out is going to the wrong places because everybody is asking for more. Generally across the whole of Hollywood whether its TV or film way too much money is spent on stuff when it doesn't need it.

Blame Disney/Marvel; they're the ones who made "A billion or Nothing" the status quo and ruined it for everyone else in the game.You probably already know this but the more you investment the more you have to lose and I get the impression if they really fail one day with a movie for Disney the fall will be from a lot higher than most studios.

The media telling everyone that the movie was definitely going to win an Oscar like four months before it came out sure didn't hurt, either. Everybody wants to be in on the ground floor of something "big", and all that.From my experience the media were telling everybody to avoid it because it celebrated 'toxic masculinity'. :lol:

[IMJ]

You probably already know this but the more you investment the more you have to lose and I get the impression if they really fail one day with a movie for Disney the fall will be from a lot higher than most studios.

This is how a lot of huge companies are hanging on by a thread, but given their size it's imperceptible. But it's sort of like owning a handful of poorly allocated rentals. The mortgages are manageable all the way up until month 2 of problems getting the rent from two of your renters. Stretched too thin and now you are under water. With large organizations it's magnitudes bigger, although they have the ability to bury the money and stave it off for a while.

[Wildcat]

Ok this made think of something.

I could be wrong. Maybe Direct Line was allowed to choose the design...but what if Nick actually did this on purpose to test reactions for an OT looking live action turtles?

I know other similar ads have been made (Progressive made a Sonic one that very briefly aired). I mean since they were approving the use in a commercial anyway maybe they said...make him look FW style so we can see if it gets any attention.

It’s a safe way to show a concept that’s not attached to anything concrete. Its not showing in the US but the way the Internet goes it obviously doesn’t need to.

[AquaParade]

From my experience the media were telling everybody to avoid it because it celebrated 'toxic masculinity'. :lol:

I'd say the same. Most mainstream media did everything in its power to destroy this movie prior to release.
There were awards prior to release as well, but it's essentially beside the fact.

But yeah, point being, Joker's success at proving fans will show up to a character and story-driven comic adaption of a DC property, with no licensing deals or studio interference is a goddamn beautiful thing.

[Galactus]

To be fair TMNT can be many things. It can be grounded martial arts action in an urban setting but it can also be big space epics and big scale super hero-esque action.

There are many problems with Platinum Dunes handling of the franchise but I'm not sure you could fault them for going in the direction that all indications would work best. The problem is that I'm not sure they ever really understood what actually makes the current crop of superhero movies work or even had a budget for it. The whole bs of the Technodrome slowly assembling in pieces in Out Of The Shadows screamed that they didn't have the budget for a proper Technodrome battle.

I don't want to consider an R rated TMNT movie; it's just never going to happen and while I wouldn't say no to one unless you're doing an adaption of Bodycount little about Mirage couldn't be done in a PG 13 movie. Still, smaller scale ninja action in NYC is the way to go at very least for the first movie is a must when it is eventually rebooted.

[AquaParade]

The more time goes on, the more I think the turtles would be better suited for a big-budget streaming series. Something on Netflix or HBO. Hell, even Scy-FY.

In the right hands, I'd love to see a big budget film series that is capable of leading us from The Foot to Triceratons and Dimension X, but I think that opportunity has been fumbled for now. Let's build the property back up with a gentle touch. It's probably time to bring TMNT into the homes/streaming devices of audiences, as opposed to begging them to come give you another chance on the big screen.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

To be fair TMNT can be many things. It can be grounded martial arts action in an urban setting but it can also be big space epics and big scale super hero-esque action.

There are many problems with Platinum Dunes handling of the franchise but I'm not sure you could fault them for going in the direction that all indications would work best. The problem is that I'm not sure they ever really understood what actually makes the current crop of superhero movies work or even had a budget for it. The whole bs of the Technodrome slowly assembling in pieces in Out Of The Shadows screamed that they didn't have the budget for a proper Technodrome battle.

I don't want to consider an R rated TMNT movie; it's just never going to happen and while I wouldn't say no to one unless you're doing an adaption of Bodycount little about Mirage couldn't be done in a PG 13 movie. Still, smaller scale ninja action in NYC is the way to go at very least for the first movie is a must when it is eventually rebooted.

I don't see an R rated TMNT movie happening unless it's done in an animated movie released on DVD. Especially if it's based off of Bodycount or anything Image. But as far as live action, a PG-13 Mirage styled movie with no influences of FW whatsoever is all I'd like to see. If not, a Netflix series.

[sdp]

I like it.

[Voltron]

I don't see an R rated TMNT movie happening unless it's done in an animated movie released on DVD. Especially if it's based off of Bodycount or anything Image. But as far as live action, a PG-13 Mirage styled movie with no influences of FW whatsoever is all I'd like to see. If not, a Netflix series.

How big do you think the market is for this, though? A lot of people are familiar with the Turtles through the FW series. The other cartoons were pretty light-hearted as well.

Do you think enough people are familiar enough with the original, darker version that a company would be willing to shell out (I like puns) the cash for a series? Especially if Rise was a flop?

I'd love to see it done. I don't know if it's ever going to happen unless we start a gofundme and bankroll it ourselves. :(

[Leo656]

A halfway-decent fan-film is the absolute best we can ever hope for. Hollywood simply doesn't know how to distance itself from the cartoons.

The casual audience is a factor in that, certainly, but people aren't always as stupid as they're expected to be. Back in the pre-internet days, I can believe that few-to-no people who'd willingly drop coin on a TMNT movie would know what the original comics were like, but pretty much every single person has the internet now, and every single TMNT fan spends way too much of their free time online, if you follow the behavioral patterns of people who self-identify as "TMNT fans". And literally every single article I've seen about TMNT on ANY website whatsoever for the last ten years has had at least one mention of how the brand "began oddly enough as a much darker and more violent black & white independent comic", how there were no pizza jokes or "Cowabunga", etc. etc. So even people who maybe didn't know Then, certainly know Now, even if they've never read those books.

One would think/hope that, at the very least, they might be a little bit curious as to how that would play out in live-action, especially since the 1990 film is far and away the most popular film in the franchise to this day, and while it's definitely a hybrid, it borrows at least as much from Mirage as it does from the cartoons, and probably a little more so. Anyone who liked that movie - which is most fans - would probably like a more "purely" Mirage-based film at least as much if not even more. The trick would be in reminding them that they've already seen and enjoyed something that was a lot like the source material, they simply weren't aware of it at the time.

After all, the audience grew up (although not all of them mentally :lol:); one would sincerely hope that they could find some appreciation for an angle on this thing they profess to "love" so much, which doesn't rely on bad pizza puns or Bebop and Rocksteady in order to hold their interest. Because if THAT's sincerely the stuff a person feels that is "necessary" for TMNT to remain interesting, well... it says a lot about them, that's all I can say. I'd like to think that most TMNT fans would have better taste than that.

Note, I said "I'd LIKE to think." You don't wanna know what I actually do think. :trazz:

[Coola Yagami]

A halfway-decent fan-film is the absolute best we can ever hope for. Hollywood simply doesn't know how to distance itself from the cartoons.

The casual audience is a factor in that, certainly, but people aren't always as stupid as they're expected to be. Back in the pre-internet days, I can believe that few-to-no people who'd willingly drop coin on a TMNT movie would know what the original comics were like, but pretty much every single person has the internet now, and every single TMNT fan spends way too much of their free time online, if you follow the behavioral patterns of people who self-identify as "TMNT fans". And literally every single article I've seen about TMNT on ANY website whatsoever for the last ten years has had at least one mention of how the brand "began oddly enough as a much darker and more violent black & white independent comic", how there were no pizza jokes or "Cowabunga", etc. etc. So even people who maybe didn't know Then, certainly know Now, even if they've never read those books.

One would think/hope that, at the very least, they might be a little bit curious as to how that would play out in live-action, especially since the 1990 film is far and away the most popular film in the franchise to this day, and while it's definitely a hybrid, it borrows at least as much from Mirage as it does from the cartoons, and probably a little more so. Anyone who liked that movie - which is most fans - would probably like a more "purely" Mirage-based film at least as much if not even more. The trick would be in reminding them that they've already seen and enjoyed something that was a lot like the source material, they simply weren't aware of it at the time.

After all, the audience grew up (although not all of them mentally :lol:); one would sincerely hope that they could find some appreciation for an angle on this thing they profess to "love" so much, which doesn't rely on bad pizza puns or Bebop and Rocksteady in order to hold their interest. Because if THAT's sincerely the stuff a person feels that is "necessary" for TMNT to remain interesting, well... it says a lot about them, that's all I can say. I'd like to think that most TMNT fans would have better taste than that.

Note, I said "I'd LIKE to think." You don't wanna know what I actually do think. :trazz:

I mean the Bay movies are the perfect example. The first one was a horrible movie with horrible designs and the dumbasses that be decided int only failed cause it wasn't like the cartoon. The trailer for the sequel literally said 'we got pizza, cowabunga, bebop and rocksteady, what else do you need?'.

Then that failed and rather than thinking about trying to stick closer to the older comics and have the turtles look like themselves, they just shrugged and said 'I guess people don't like ninja turtles' and quit.

[Leo656]

As far as I've heard it, that's exactly what happened. Which is a real f*cking shame.

I completely agree with the side of the fandom who says, in essence, "A pure, straight-up Mirage adaptation is the ONE thing they haven't tried, yet," because that's technically accurate. And I think - or hope - that such a movie might actually do pretty well, simply by way of being of quality but also because it would indeed be so different from what's familiar and expected from this franchise.

BUT, maybe it wouldn't actually do well. In recent years, we've seen "straight" comic book adaptations get a mediocre response, while ones that completely eschew and abandon the source material, like "Thor: Ragnarok", are overwhelmingly successful (I know I harp on that movie a lot, but it's a perfect example of a highly-successful comic book film that has NOTHING to do with its source material and nobody caring because it was "Fun"). So when a studio like Marvel keeps making more and more money by saying, essentially, "F*ck the source material, let's just Go For Goofy", and it works every time they do it... well, other studios may as well try and play the same tune. Believe me, stuff like "Guardians of the Galaxy" had a LOT to do with what the last two TMNT movies turned into, whether people see the connection or not. That's The Business.

BUT, that's why I say the only hope anyone has for a GOOD TMNT movie is a fan-film. They're done for pure love and not profit; a profit-minded TMNT film simply isn't in a position to take chances or risks, they HAVE to copy whatever Disney is doing because those are the only movies making money right now. A TMNT movie might not need to cost $200 million, but it would definitely have to be expensive, and if you're in a position of needing to make that money BACK, well... you're then forced to put a lot of really dumb sh*t in your movie no matter how pure your original intentions are (I do honestly believe the people at PD when they claim their original idea was NOT for what became BayTurtles Part 1; sadly, they never had a hope in hell of seeing that vision coming true, and they found that out the hard way).

Meanwhile, people make fan films knowing full well that it's all a lark and the only goal is to honor the subject(s) as reverently as possible. They spend money knowing they won't get it back, and they don't care. That's the only attitude that can possibly produce a GOOD movie about TMNT, even if it looks "cheap". Once you start talking about toy concepts and selling Slurpee cups in China, you've already f*cked everything up. And those things are part of the discussion way, WAY before a movie's script is even begun, which is why most movies are f*cking terrible.

There's just so much working against a "real" TMNT movie ever being any good. I don't think Hollywood can do it. Their values are not ours, that's the simplest way I can put it.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

How big do you think the market is for this, though? A lot of people are familiar with the Turtles through the FW series. The other cartoons were pretty light-hearted as well.

Do you think enough people are familiar enough with the original, darker version that a company would be willing to shell out (I like puns) the cash for a series? Especially if Rise was a flop?

I'd love to see it done. I don't know if it's ever going to happen unless we start a gofundme and bankroll it ourselves. :(

And yet those same people watched the original film which was closer to the original comics than the FW cartoon. And at this point, there are more than enough people that are at least aware that TMNT started as a comic book series.

Moreover, Batman 89 was entirely different from the Adam West tv show which at the time was what people associated Batman with.

[pferreira]

This is how a lot of huge companies are hanging on by a thread, but given their size it's imperceptible. But it's sort of like owning a handful of poorly allocated rentals. The mortgages are manageable all the way up until month 2 of problems getting the rent from two of your renters. Stretched too thin and now you are under water. With large organizations it's magnitudes bigger, although they have the ability to bury the money and stave it off for a while.I didn't even consider your last sentence but yeah I agree with everything you said.

But yeah, point being, Joker's success at proving fans will show up to a character and story-driven comic adaption of a DC property, with no licensing deals or studio interference is a goddamn beautiful thing.Indeed it is.

And yet those same people watched the original film which was closer to the original comics than the FW cartoon. And at this point, there are more than enough people that are at least aware that TMNT started as a comic book series.I will point out however the 1990 movie had the benefit of being released at the height of TMNT popularity.

The whole bs of the Technodrome slowly assembling in pieces in Out Of The Shadows screamed that they didn't have the budget for a proper Technodrome battle.I know. I felt like I was watching a Lego movie (not that I have an issue with those movies but you get the point). :D

[Vicky82]

A new Direct line advert, Leo is in this one.

KngWJ899YyE

[ZariusTwo]

And again, this CGI is so on-point, whoever is budgeting these ads needs to have a talk with the studios

[Jephael]

I kinda want to see them do a TV special based on these commercials where the other Turtles go to UK to find Donatello and Michelangelo keeps making silly Harry Potter references and the occasional off-color joke about the royal family.