From TMNT Front Lines...

[discordiatookie]

holy crap how did i miss this thread earlier ?!?!?!

sticky it dear admin! please!

welcome, tis great to have you on board, and please try and drag some more officials in! we cant get enough!

as for soundtracks, stick in some kasabian and some libertines, cant go wrong with them! (Murph can vouch for the 'tines!)

oh, and is it true that the UK will be getting the movie released at the same time as the US? please say so (or even a week earlier, i know i would'nt complain )

[TerranigmaFreak]

Wow, this is sooooo freaking awesome!!! It's THE director of the movie!!! It really is a nice change of pace to see a cool director doing justice to one of my all time favorite franchise instead of listening to Michael Bay telling me how I'll love the way he's going to rape my childhood.

I don't really have any questions on my mind, so I just want to say a few words of encouragement and thanks for the hard work. I know, I'm only judging it based on the teaser but I'm confident you and the hard working men and women on this project will deliver the goods! Compared to the Transformers (yeah, another big part of my life growing up in the 80s), this movie is getting nothing but positive reaction. From what I've read in the interviews and what I saw, it shows that you really know what you're doing and truely understand the fans.

[iris]

Originally Posted by gobo

Um... Are you back home or did you finally figure out the Japanese keyboard?

I'm home, at my own keyboard. Thank the gods for my 26-letter language! I love it and hug it and call it George. *kisses keyboard*

Wow, that is way off topic.

Ummmmmmm... I didn't find any ninja turtles in Japan. Maybe I should have tried a South American country???

[Chris]

Welcome to the boards!

I must say it's fantastic that more TMNT celebrities have starting appearing here in the last month or so! That you're willing to interact with the fans like this shows just how cool you guys are!

I just want to say that I loved the teaser trailer and I can't wait to see the main trailer in a few days time! I don't know much about the plot as I've avoided most of the spoilers so it should be a real treat for me!

Thanks for coming by and giving us an update, I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of movie you've made (judging from the teaser trailer it looks to be the best yet)

Keep up the good work!

[Raph'N'Roll]

Hey Kevin, I just have a couple of questions.
What sort of running time are you aiming for with the film?
Is the soundtrack if released going to feature Marco Beltrami's score from the whole movie?(that would be cool if it did)
Will the guy's at Imagi be designing the official poster for the movie or will that be Warner Bros?
Not sure if you can answer this, but how many celebrity voices in total are in the movie?

Thanks in advance!

[ThemanthatwouldbeRaphael]

Wow, Kevin Munroe is here. First Steve Murphy, now this. Now if we could just get Peter Laird to swing by we'd be all set.

But seriously, it's great that your taking the time out to come and chat with us fans, and answering our questions. I have to say, I've seenand heard you in all the different interviews, and I'm really impressed by you're level of enthusiasm. I can tell you're really treating this movie seriously, and I know that it's gonna reflect well in the finish product. TMNT is in good hands.

Quick questions...

1. When the cast was doing the voice records, were they all in the same room, or were they seperate?

2. What type of music can we expect out of the movie?

Thanks.

[Toonami Tom]

Welcome Kevin! It's really awesome that you are here! I want to thank you for keeping the TMNT alive. This movie is going to be great!

As for questions, I would also like to know how long the movie will be. I hope it's long. I wish I could think of more to say and ask.

Add Edit: I was wondering if maybe you knew when the movie action figures will be in stores? That's probably a question I should ask Playmates Toys.

[Kevin Munroe]

Thanks for the warm welcome(s) and all the mangoes. I like mangoes.

Gobo - “Donner” was a xmas special I created for disney/abc family a few years ago. It was made for an insanely low budget, but was really fun to do. It airs occasionally in Canada, UK and a couple of other territories. Jimmy Kimmel voiced the elf Skeezer... before Jimmy became a popular late night talk show host.

Sewer bull - The music in the movie is sort of all over place. It's just a big fun movie, and the music reflects it. Sort of a mix of rock, some hip hop, techno, etc. All pretty appropriate music for each scene, which is kind of what is so cool about the TMNT franchise. Allows you to go in a lot of directions. Marco's score is sounding awesome too – a mix of big orchestral and a few other surprises. He's temping that score now.

Raphroehller - As far as an R-rated TMNT goes... I dunno. I see the fun it would be. But it's sort of like making Spiderman hardcore to me. Maybe it's just because we're in the middle of doing this version, but it's hard for me to see these guys violently killing bad guys and then go home to brotherly/family bickering and then also be obedient of their Father. Hey, it's like “Kids” meets “The Punisher”. Awesome. All that said, it would be great as it would just start western audiences thinking about mass market animation as something other than more talking cute animals. TMNT is a good small first step in that direction – be cool to see where it goes from here.

Iris – Thanks for the nice words. I tend to talk a lot when I get excited. And yeah, I think that there are definitely some nice word-of-mouth things that can be done as release nears. People have this assumption as to what the movie will be like, but it's always fun to see how shocked they are after seeing a clip or trailer. I think the new trailer will help a lot with that cause – a lot of different locations, tons of characters, action and a few bits of comedy.

Duke – nope, that wasn't the TV Mikey in the trailer.

And as for casting, I can still tell you that there is no “stunt casting” for the Turtles. We've all fought really hard for that one, and it's seemed to work so far. You just hear “Leo” when he speaks, etc. The VA's are incredibly talented. We are “casting” a couple of the other parts, but again, I can't say anything as contracts still have to be finalized, etc. But there are definitely some cool genre choices in there that we're all excited about.

Aztek – I've always been a fan of monster movies. Anything creature based is fun. Then after meeting Peter, turns out he loved them too. So it just seemed like a natural progression for us. It was important to Peter that people knew that this fantasy element is a big part of the TMNT universe. I also hate explanations of curses that are too obtuse or hard to visualize. Seeing the effects of the curse in Pirates of the Caribbean is cool. We needed that for TMNT... so we added a bunch of hairy, toothy, nasty creatures, and it did the trick.

Tookie – From what I know, it'll be released very close, if not exactly on, the date of the US release. I think the goal was to have Turtles' day worldwide wherever possible.

RaphnRoll – We're going to be sort of standard running time. Still tweaking edit. As far as “celebrity” voices, there will be a few. A cameo or two. Sorry for being vague. And no, Imagi is not designing the official poster – that's all Warner's marketing. We had our crack with the Comicon posters, which I think are just so cool and really get across the vibe of the movie. And, not sure what the plans are with Marco's score in terms of releasing on CD. It'd be cool, tho.

TMTWBR - The Turtles' voices initially were recorded all in the same room. It really led to an air of authenticity for the whole thing. There is a great scene where Leo and Raph just let each other have it and are screaming at one another. You just can't get the same intensity when the guys aren't in the same room, I feel.

Master Chief – I'm not sure when the toys are out. I've seen a few of them in person, and they're really great.

Wow – those stockpiled pretty fast.

Speak soon,

Kevin

[Raven]

Again I cant say how very cool it is that your taking the time to speak with the fans, it means a lot that you are doing this. I feel personally that it will make the movie just that much better knowing we had a chance to speak with you.

I have another little question. Why did you choice to do this project? And what you can share with us what has been the hardest thing while making the film?

Again thanks so much for doing this!

[gobo]

From the video interviews I've seen, I knew you were a well-spoken guy. But, I must commend you for having such a mastery of language and grammar in print as well. It's almost unbelievable, Mr. Munroe. Are you sure you're working on a multi-million dollar picture?

[VaughnMichael]

Hey Kevin I was at comicon and got a bunch of stuff and you and tmnt where the only reason I went..was sad there wasnt much to buy tmnt was in this anime flodded world. Anyways the clips you showed us made the trip from la very much worth it and what you talked about made me realize this movies gonna be great because you care just as much as the fans or peter laird himself would and to me that's A+.
I've been thinking long and hard for a question to ask you but it was rather hard.
But I've finally come up with one and I'm not sure if you can answere it all but how does Karai fit into all of this will it sort of be a city at war type of deal? will she be the shredders daughter in this like in the last toon, or will she be her own person not even having anything to do with the shredder and be some one the foot sends over from japan like in the comics.
Oh and you did say shredder will not be in the film at comicon does this still stand up today? Because some fans reguardless of what I told them you said still want to believe he is..I mean I could see a flash back or something but other than that I think it really would be silly.
Oh well I'm glad your in charge and I think you're doing a kick ass job!

[Kevin Munroe]

Raven – Why did I pick this project? I was a fan of the franchise, but also really wanted to make my first film something that was just different than other animated comedy stuff. Nothing against the others, I just knew it wasn't my style as much. So I begged Peter, and here I am. As far as the hardest thing in production? There is just so damn much, to be honest. But that's sort of the business. If it was easy, it would probably be a recipe for disaster. I would say one of the hardest things was that, early on, we hit this incredible look with our production designer Simon Murton. You see a bit of it in the teaser, but you'll see a lot in the trailer. But we hit this look with rim lighting, texturing, wetdown on surfaces, specularity, etc. that was just phenomenal. And then once we made a whole sequence look like that, it was like a drug. We just needed more. And then there was no turning back – every sequence had to look like this unique production design, or else we'd look like hacks. It was a lot of work, and continues to be, just to make the whole movie hold up to that standard. The team in LA, plus the hundreds in HK are really hitting a homerun with it.

Putrescent – Good question, and one that I can't really answer. I'll say this – Karai's involvement is only just beginning with this story. We just wanted to introduce the idea of her in this movie. The notion that she's running the Foot Clan now that Shredder is gone. But if/when there is a sequel, we'll see her real motivations for coming to New York. As for Shredder in TMNT, yeah, I saw a lot of people saying he'll be making a cameo. We have nods to him in the film, but there isn't a scene with him or anything. But again, I wouldn't say he's gone from the franchise...

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by Kevin Munroe

Putrescent – Good question, and one that I can't really answer. I'll say this – Karai's involvement is only just beginning with this story. We just wanted to introduce the idea of her in this movie. The notion that she's running the Foot Clan now that Shredder is gone. But if/when there is a sequel, we'll see her real motivations for coming to New York. As for Shredder in TMNT, yeah, I saw a lot of people saying he'll be making a cameo. We have nods to him in the film, but there isn't a scene with him or anything. But again, I wouldn't say he's gone from the franchise...

Thanks so much and I really do apricate the answere it's good enough for me without giving anything away...gotta admit what you had shown at comicon got me a bit choked up in a good way mind you.
You heard everyone clapping I hope just know you, you're team, and peter are doing an amazing job.
I really don't think anyone else really could do a better job.
And thank you for clearing that up I really got tired of sounding like a broken record.

[PizzaPower]

So Karai is in the movie?? Will this be a seqal to the last 3 movies or what??? About how long is it?? And and do you have a favorite scene in the movie?

[Duke Igthorn]

Originally Posted by Kevin Munroe

Duke – nope, that wasn't the TV Mikey in the trailer.

And as for casting, I can still tell you that there is no “stunt casting” for the Turtles. We've all fought really hard for that one, and it's seemed to work so far. You just hear “Leo” when he speaks, etc. The VA's are incredibly talented. We are “casting” a couple of the other parts, but again, I can't say anything as contracts still have to be finalized, etc. But there are definitely some cool genre choices in there that we're all excited about.

Wow, maybe then wish was the father of my thought. I would've sworn it was him. But you'll never stop learning
I'm pretty sure the voices will be awsome!
It's allways to be seen, if people do something with passion, this feeling is transported to the audience.
They feel that this is done with the heart, not just another "job".
And you give us this feeling!

Two other questions roamed my mind:

- Due to the certain "Ninja Action", how many martial arts specialists do you have to guide you through believable, effective, yet esthetical moves, in the fights?

- And as it was mentioned earlier, a big part of the fandom seems to be, lets say adult by now .
I assume there will be some people getting injured, including the "guys".
Will there be just hints, like bruises or a later bandage, or will there be (a small amount of) blood?
I'm not talking about gory, split open chest blood. Just some "plot element" blood as it's by time even used in some cartoons to tighten the tense of getting hurt and to make things more believable.

Again thanks for your time!

Greets and take care,
Duke Igthorn

[Leonardo_Warrior_Turtle]

Hey Kevin! I have a question. Have you been involved at all with the development of the video game for the movie? Their is some buzz for the game as well. After all the games that Konami tried to give us based on the new cartoon, I hope that Ubisoft can produce something grand from the new movie. So how much involvement do you/have you had with the video game?

[Buslady]

Oh goodie Kevin's on board.
I would like to simply say:

THANK YOU FOR GIVING US A NEW TMNT MOVIE.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not a huge fan of CGI after falling in love with the animatronics of the first movie, I love Raph in that, nothing can beat it. But I can accept CGI. It's better than nothing and I do appreciate your crew's hard work to give us old timer fans and the newbie fans something NICE to see. Not to mention some cool looking toys to collect Yeah I'm hearing this big Leo/ Raph fight scene, I already know I'm gonna dig that. I think it's great you had the VA's together, your so right about it being performed a whole lot better that way. I'm dying for some really GREAT Raph stuff...and this Cowabunga Carl thing's got me curious, I can see Mikey decking out being a kiddie party clown. Goofball!
Anyways, My first impression of the teaser was a little iffy, I wasn't sure what to make of it. The look is nice, the city looked real. I gotta get used to their comic book look with the lean bodies and large wrists and ankles but that's the way turtles are built - I'd know I got alot of turtles here. (And yes, I have a Raph, Mike and Don, the latter is a daddy too. I'm incubating a Leonardo , weird that Donnie is his daddy though; and my first baby, Steve (after Irwin) just hatched out and this is all because of my love for TMNT extended to the real thing) Okay I rambled..sorry, anyways I'm REALLY looking forward to this. A bunch of us here in SoCal are getting together, it sounds like the plan is to make the first showing on opening day in Hollyweird and then a Japanese restaurant for lunch. One of my friends is talking of renting a limo!! See what you've caused, a whole lotta fun!

So thank you Kevin and crew, you all rock!

oh here have a Mango...
I don't care for them but my wood turtles LOVE them.

[johnnyblaze]

I have a question-Will someone say "God I love being a turtle!"

The line was in every turtle movie (and even spoken by Mikey during one of the Lost Episodes) and I just see it as a kind of Ninja Turtles movie, trademark line. Kind of like how in the Terminator movies someone always says "Get out" and "I'll be back" or how in Star Wars someone always says "I have a bad feeling about this"

[iris]

And will they all land in April’s bathtub again???

(kidding)

I’m restraining myself from asking all the annoying technical questions that are now floating around my brain—although if you’ve got the time to give us more detail about your animation and graphics approach, please do!

But I would like to just say thank you, to Kevin and all the crew, for bringing this baby into the world for us. To be honest, I never thought I’d see the day; a big-screen TMNT movie couldn’t be an easy sell. All I’m really looking for is a well-told story; the rest is icing. Based on what you've said, I have a feeling I’m in for a sugar high.

[jeff the cheff]

All I have to say is I hope this is as good as the first movie, (which would be very hard to do, but it looks like you guys can pull it off) and I hope this movie is a success for your sake!

I'm looking forward to being impressed by the new trailer!!