Is the Teenage in the title holding the Turtle back in non comic versions?

[Luckyday]

Originally Posted by snake

This doesn't make sense, becuase the companies can make toyline only characters and they would still sell.

That's what I mean. You don't need to put so much emphasis on the show's production value when the real money maker is the toy line. Other thing that other companies or big wig executives who don't watch or understand the appeal of the television series are under the impression that most of the popularity are mostly stem from toys and merchandise.

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by Luckyday

Other thing that other companies or big wig executives who don't watch or understand the appeal of the television series are under the impression that most of the popularity are mostly stem from toys and merchandise.

Time for forced retirement.

[jenna]

Really I think the 'teenage' is branding only. The only incarnation where the turtles have felt like teenagers is Nick. Even as far back as Fred Wolf their characters felt more mature than 15. In the new film they feel much older to me.

[Hannurdock]

Originally Posted by jenna

Really I think the 'teenage' is branding only. The only incarnation where the turtles have felt like teenagers is Nick. Even as far back as Fred Wolf their characters felt more mature than 15. In the new film they feel much older to me.

They've always felt like they were in their twenties, maybe even thirties. Especially in the 2003 cartoon. In the new film, they don't seem 'teenage' at all. They feel more like sheltered twenty year olds seeing the world for the first time.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by jenna

Really I think the 'teenage' is branding only. The only incarnation where the turtles have felt like teenagers is Nick. Even as far back as Fred Wolf their characters felt more mature than 15. In the new film they feel much older to me.

But we never really seen them branching off and trying to find themselves. Closest thing so far to this, would have been the 2007 movie and maybe the whole Ancient One in 2k3.

[Peter Palmer]

Originally Posted by Hannurdock

They've always felt like they were in their twenties, maybe even thirties. Especially in the 2003 cartoon. In the new film, they don't seem 'teenage' at all. They feel more like sheltered twenty year olds seeing the world for the first time.

That's interesting. I felt that the 2003 cartoon versions of the turtles felt VERY "teenager-y". Just looking at how emotional they were, how heavily they relied on one another, and how they spent their free time, they seemed like teenagers to me. Generally speaking, adults (20+) tend to be more independent from their families and form bonds with people outside their family. Adults also tend to be less emotional than teenagers.

I really like the show because it seems to capture some of the strife that comes with how they were raised. They have a lot of martial arts knowledge and combat experience, but they don't have the life experience yet to really temper their emotions and are generally pretty naieve about the world. I think the show did a great job of showing them as teenagers, though maybe a bit older than the other cartoons. I'd guess the 2K3 TMNT were around 18 years old.

We saw grown up turtles in Laird's volume 4, which takes place 15 years after the events in TMNT #1. That places the turtles in their early 30's. Generally speaking, they are more emotionally controlled (especially Leo and Don) and they definitely branched out and formed new bonds outside the family. It felt like a very natural progression for the turtles...to me it made them seem even more like a family since they behaved in a way that real world families often do.

Of course, volume 4 was titled simply "TMNT", thus leaving out the explicit "Teenage" portion of the title. I'm guessing this was very intentional.

[LeotheLateBloomer]

It could be the "teenage" in the title. I for one would love to see the turtles as adults. Whenever we tend to watch TMNT, we often tend to forget that they are teenagers. It kind of makes me wish the 2014 film kept the "Ninja Turtles" title because they did not look or act like teenagers.

[TigerClaw]

Originally Posted by LeotheLateBloomer

It could be the "teenage" in the title. I for one would love to see the turtles as adults. Whenever we tend to watch TMNT, we often tend to forget that they are teenagers. It kind of makes me wish the 2014 film kept the "Ninja Turtles" title because they did not look or act like teenagers.

I would like to see the Turtles grow older throwout the season, Something we never got from the Fred Wolf and 4Kids series, The problem is, in the cartoon world, characters never age, They stay the same age, Look at the Simpsons, That show has been around for years and the kids are still kids.

[plastroncafe]

It's more the adult conception of what a teenager is that's holding the characters back, rather than their actual age. Sometimes I find myself wondering if some of the people on staff spend any actual time with teenagers...

[Candy Kappa]

What, they nailed how teenagers are with PD Mikey...

[Ravenshell]

Originally Posted by Hannurdock

They've always felt like they were in their twenties, maybe even thirties. Especially in the 2003 cartoon.

This is kind of how I feel about the 2003 series... there's nothing really teenager-y about them... they feel more like college students. Raph's voice especially does not read 'teenager' to me.

I would be fine just dropping the title to Ninja Turtles... most people already know where we came from.

I don't see the guys as ageless characters and don't want to... I want to see them progress as characters, growing up in mind and body. I like where the Nick series is going with this, actually giving them some character dynamic rather than making the show "a bunch of weird things happen around 4 "teenage" turtles and then everything goes back to status quo."

[IndigoErth]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

I would like to see the Turtles grow older throwout the season, Something we never got from the Fred Wolf and 4Kids series, The problem is, in the cartoon world, characters never age, They stay the same age, Look at the Simpsons, That show has been around for years and the kids are still kids.

It would be rather unique to actually have characters age, might be a huge plus if someone could actually pull that off with a popular show. However, as much as I'd love to see 2012 physically age, I'm sure that probably would not be reasonable to do in terms of time and money in that medium.

Would still love to see a second series pick up a little while after 2012 closes that is basically the same show but a continuation with older characters. Maybe a bit more intense and mature, aimed at a slightly older demographic (and the rest of us).

Maybe someone will one day do it with traditional 2D. A few newspaper comic strips have slowly aged their characters over many years, so I don't think it's entirely outside possibility that someone with similar patience could try that with a tv series and make occasional small revisions to characters over a long period of time.

[Garfield]

I'm for just dropping the "Teenage" and "Mutant" part of the name. just keeping it as Ninja Turtles. That says enough for me. So if you want to tell stories with them being much older you can, and you can still tell stories with them as teens if you want. They wont be barricaded into a specific portrayal of the characters because of the name.

[Warhorse]

Originally Posted by plastroncafe

It's more the adult conception of what a teenager is that's holding the characters back, rather than their actual age. Sometimes I find myself wondering if some of the people on staff spend any actual time with teenagers...

True! In The Hunger Games, most of the main characters are teenagers, and they sure as hell didn't act like bumbling oafs. So, I guess it's definitely up to the creator's mind set.

Harry Potter is another one that does a good job in writing teens. Lot of Steven Spielberg movies too have well written teens.

[Hannurdock]

Yeah, but even teenagers grow up. They should grow up. Same as it Never Was had a fourty-five year old Mikey and it was highly regarded. There has always been a time-issue with TMNT. They don't age, really. They stay as eternal fifteen year-olds, and have done so since the '80's.

I liked TMNT back when they were four years older than me. Now they're 26 years younger! How'd that happen? When the Nick crowd become adults, it'll be the same thing all over again.

Someone will take the initiative and make an older Ninja Turtle movie eventually. The problem is, who out there has the cash, connections ... and the vision to make it happen? We need film directors on this board, people inside the industry that want to make it happen. Until that day, everything we advise is never going to be taken seriously.