Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhemsurprised us all by reinventing the franchise that has been going strong since the early 1980s. Under the direction ofJeff Rowe(Mitchells vs. the Machines), Nickelodeon and Paramount told a coming-of-age story that takes the world’s most fearsome fight team as they learn to find their place in the human world. After the film’s events, the four brothers, Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Donatello (Micah Abbey), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), and Raphael (Brady Noon), find themselves in uncharted waters. The world accepts them, and they can finally fulfill the dream of being (somewhat) normal kids. However, they quickly learn that life still comes with its challenges. Hate still exists in this world, and now they’ll have to learn how to survive these hardships alone.Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlestakes us back to the sewersshortly after the events ofMutant Mayhem. In a snappy twelve episodes, the Turtles must learn more about themselves if they ever hope to defeat their newest threat.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
What Is ‘Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ About?
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesis a direct sequel to the breakout filmMutant Mayhem. After saving the city from Superfly, the Turtles are accepted by society and can now live freely without hiding who they are from the rest of the world. The foundation of the film allows the series to hit the ground running. Relationships are already established, lore and exposition are largely unnecessary, and it can build off everything that worked the first time. The only drawback this has is thatif you haven’t watchedMutant Mayhem, you might struggle to follow some plotlines, but for the most part, anyone can catch on pretty quickly.
The Turtles' main antagonist for the first half of the season is Bishop, a character who is bent on revenge. Bishop is a special agent who, in most iterations, is tasked with handling mutant and extraterrestrial affairs, a cross between both Agent Smith and Neo fromThe Matrixas well as the definition of cool. However, inTales of the TMNT, he’s reimagined in an entirely new way. Now, played byAlanna Ubach(Ted), Bishop is a woman bent on ridding the world of mutants, and she takes aim at the four teenagers. To win, Bishop splits the boys up, leading to each getting their own storyline where they’re forced to fight for themselves.
Ina significant departure from the previous film,Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesreturns tothe classic 2D art stylewe’re accustomed to seeing. While the character designs clearly carry overMutant Mayhem, they look vastly different in the 2D world. Surprisingly, this change is natural, and the hand-drawn aesthetic of the film translates exceptionally well to the 2D space. Overall, in terms of the show’s art direction, there are times when it can be a bit harsh. There are also moments where fight scenes happen, but instead of seeing it fully animated, it transitions into a fun comic book or 8-bit style, which feels like it’s only there to spend time or money on the animation. This is a shame, because the film never suffered from this issue, and the last series,Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was the gold standard for Western animated fights during its run. This doesn’t ruin the series, but it is something that you notice pretty early on.
The Mutant Mayhem Continues in ‘Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’
InTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, each turtle gets their own standout episode, helping further define who they are individually instead of as a collective. Leo must learn that while he is a capable leader, he must also be able to fight for himself. Raph has to learn that he can’t just punch his way out of trouble and instead must use his words to overcome challenges. Mikey and Donnie also have to dig deep within themselves and find that they can fight for themselves. Each mini-arc for the Turtles further highlightswhy this iteration of the characters is so singular. They’re still very much teenagers, and as they continue to grow as individuals, your love for them also deepens. The cast is phenomenal, which comes as no surprise, andAyo Edebiri’s April O’Neil is a wonderful presence in the limited amount of time she’s given. Overall, showrunnersChristopher Yost(Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘03) andAlan Wan(Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘12,Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) also bring their expertise and continue the worldbuilding that madeMutant Mayhemsuch a delight.
When these characters werefirst introduced inMutant Mayhem, they were no longer one-note stereotypes and instead becamemore three-dimensional, with depth to them.Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesleans intensely into that idea and pushes it even further. Leo and April have to work together, Mikey needs to figure out how to stop a killer robot, Raph goes up against the Purple Dragons, and Donnie has to outsmart a genius. Each of their arcs leans into why this group is so special, but also reminds us of why we fell in love with them in the first place. As fun as it is seeing them exploring their independent stories, however, you quickly miss having the brothers all together. While some of that is intentional, the pacing begins to drag around the third episode. Once these turtles reunite and work together to face Bishop, the pacing returns to normal, and the series bears a much closer resemblance to a classicTMNTadventure.
If you lovedMutant Mayhem, you’ll also enjoyTales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which makes fora terrific follow-up that expands the worldand sees the four boys grow as individuals. While it does suffer from some pacing issues and stiff animation from time to time, the series more than makes up for that overall with its humor and wonderful characters.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles expands the world established in Mutant Mayhem while offering great humor and character arcs.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtlespremieres Friday, August 9 on Paramount+.
Watch on Paramount+
