TMNT 1990 Questions

[SDCC]

Hi everyone,

Last night I sat down to watch this classic with my wife, and I noticed a few things. Could anyone help me clear them up?

• Is there an entire Mikey side story missing? He skips over Donnie's musings about Splinter not being around and there's no April artwork of him. We see him on the punchbag in a brief moment of intensity too. Also, is it him on the roof of the barn dubbed with Raph's voice?
• I can't not see the actor's teeth when Donnie really opens his mouth in the 'Kodak moment' scene now. It's extremely unsettling.
• Once you know, it's obvious how they cut out the Shredder floor fight againt the initiates. Can see Rockwell's character in the background holding his cut arm.
• Did Shredder get hit twice? We clearly see Leo hit his arm, but there's a slash on his back too, which you can see when Splinter is holding him over the edge of the building.
• Speaking of which, it still really annoys me that Leo just throws himself at Shredder instead of actually fighting.
• Mikey and Don together is gold!

I absolutely adore this film. Just noticed more this time.

What do you guys make of the points?

[Powder]

Not an entire story, no, but April was supposed to say during her art sequence that he was having an especially hard time being without his master. He'd be shown in the barn, giving hell to a punching bag. I wanna say I read/heard that certain parties felt this was out of character for him, being he's the comedy relief, & that's why it was cut. Yes, that was him on the roof.

If Shredder has more than one cut it's safe to say he was cut more than once.

[Technogeek29]

Hmm.. I want to do some digging and see what I can find on the Mikey cut scenes and see what I can find.

[SDCC]

Originally Posted by Technogeek29

Hmm.. I want to do some digging and see what I can find on the Mikey cut scenes and see what I can find.

It would be interesting to see what you come up with


Seems a shame to have cut it out. I understand he's the party dude, but there it looked like some strong characterisation cut out.

[Powder]

All you've got to do is read the comic adaption to see what it would've been.

[d_osborn]

There are also a few scanned script pages posted on this forum that have the cut Mikey farm sequence. April sketch props were made for the Mike scene, as well.

[Powder]

Indeed:




No doubt they'd have used the second one.

[SDCC]

Originally Posted by Powder

All you've got to do is read the comic adaption to see what it would've been.

I don't own the adaptation so can't check it I'm afraid.

Good to see the sketch though, thanks. It set me off on a google, where I found the four original sketches had been auctioned a few years ago. What I'd have given to have that Leo sketch!

I did a search for the script pages but nothing came up. I'll look on the net but if anyone could post a link that would be great

[The Fifth Turtle]

There are repros of the Leo sketch on eBay if that strikes your fancy.

[SDCC]

Originally Posted by The Fifth Turtle

There are repros of the Leo sketch on eBay if that strikes your fancy.

We must have been thinking along the same lines! I just got this at the weekend!

[Yabuturtle]

I remember Nostalgia Critic talking about Mikey ignoring Don talking about Splinter being gone and he speculated that the thought of Splinter being gone is so painful, Mikey would rather not think about it. During the campfire scene you see Mikey cry the hardest at well and it's a good theory.

[The Fifth Turtle]

Originally Posted by SDCC

We must have been thinking along the same lines! I just got this at the weekend!

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...afa983ea67.jpg

How's the quality? I kinda want one.

[shuriken]

Originally Posted by SDCC

[*]Once you know, it's obvious how they cut out the Shredder floor fight againt the initiates. Can see Rockwell's character in the background holding his cut arm.[*]Did Shredder get hit twice? We clearly see Leo hit his arm, but there's a slash on his back too, which you can see when Splinter is holding him over the edge of the building.
?

Yeah, there's a couple of them looking hurt and dejected.
They clearly didn't show the whole fight because he was cut twice. It might've been Raph or a swift Bow strike to tear it. Who knows, I'm sure they weren't going to show every single blow landed on the Shredder (Unless if he was only *hit* twice). Either way really enjoy the Final fight in this movie.

[myconius]

Originally Posted by SDCC

• Speaking of which, it still really annoys me that Leo just throws himself at Shredder instead of actually fighting.
  

that always bothered me from the very first time seeing the movie!
what were they thinking???

and i never really understood the decision to swap out the solo fight with Leo versus the Foot Clan with Raph?

some people say it was a reason to get Casey to show up to the Second Time Around during the Foot attack.
but it's usually never questioned when Casey shows up in Mirage V1 issue 10.

[Technogeek29]

Originally Posted by myconius

that always bothered me from the very first time seeing the movie!
what were they thinking???

and i never really understood the decision to swap out the solo fight with Leo versus the Foot Clan with Raph?

some people say it was a reason to get Casey to show up to the Second Time Around during the Foot attack.
but it's usually never questioned when Casey shows up in Mirage V1 issue 10.

That's because in Issue 4 Casey is smoking a cigarette from the building across the street watching the 4 of them talk to April. Most likely he saw them throw Leo in and snucked in while during the chaos.

[myconius]

Originally Posted by Technogeek29

That's because in Issue 4 Casey is smoking a cigarette from the building across the street watching the 4 of them talk to April. Most likely he saw them throw Leo in and snucked in while during the chaos.

see??? they could have played out that scenario in the 1990 movie, instead of switching it to give Raphael the spotlight even more than he already had.

but it's all moot at this point, just like wishing the film had less Danny!

[Leo656]

It could've been worse. At the time the first movie came out, Mikey was the one all the kids were nuts over. We could have had HIM be the "starring Turtle" of the film and they'd have every excuse to do so, since his jokes and catchphrases were about 7/10s what kids watched the show for in the first place.

Original Film Series Mikey is my favorite Mikey by far, but... yeah, that would've been awful.

Frankly, as the Team Leader, Leonardo should by default be the main character to get focused on, but little kids don't like the whole "Big Brother" thing so I understand why he always has to play second-fiddle to "The Rage" and "The Nitwit", since those are just the right kind of one-note archetypes that kids and teens relate to. And cartoons and movies can't have "characters", especially in a team scenario. Everyone has to have "A Role". Leo's not flawed enough to focus on, so his "role" is to be "boring", by way of actually having his sh*t together and helping everyone get things done, and since that's not "colorful" or "exciting" enough he mostly "leads" from just off to the side of the screen.

Pisses me off but whattyagonnado.

[Xav]

Originally Posted by SDCC

I don't own the adaptation so can't check it I'm afraid.

You can find it online if you know where to look.

Originally Posted by Leo656

Frankly, as the Team Leader, Leonardo should by default be the main character to get focused on, but little kids don't like the whole "Big Brother" thing so I understand why he always has to play second-fiddle to "The Rage" and "The Nitwit", since those are just the right kind of one-note archetypes that kids and teens relate to.

What about the 4Kids series? Leo got the focus in that.

[Leo656]

It's one of my favorite versions of TMNT, as well as being among the most-ignored by the general public, thus proving my point thoroughly from both ends.

[Bry]

Originally Posted by Yabuturtle

I remember Nostalgia Critic talking about Mikey ignoring Don talking about Splinter being gone and he speculated that the thought of Splinter being gone is so painful, Mikey would rather not think about it. During the campfire scene you see Mikey cry the hardest at well and it's a good theory.

That was my read on it even as a kid. I loved Mikey most because he was the "fun one", but the movie had such perfect, fairly-subtle hints at his hidden emotional depth that endeared me to him even more. The "fun" guy who uses his natural humour and goofiness as a defense mechanism. Yeah, that hit home a bit.

Originally Posted by myconius

and i never really understood the decision to swap out the solo fight with Leo versus the Foot Clan with Raph?

some people say it was a reason to get Casey to show up to the Second Time Around during the Foot attack.
but it's usually never questioned when Casey shows up in Mirage V1 issue 10.

I think it was a simple storytelling decision -- the most sensible choice for the story they're telling. I think that scene/scenario works best with Leo, but only if you've fully established the characters and put them through some crises already. In the story they were telling, as a self-contained film, it made the most sense for Raph to go off recklessly and get in over his head. IMO.