What happens when four teenagers get together? They wreak havoc. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT as they are fondly called, are no different. Named after four Renaissance artists, the turtles are trained in the art of ninjutsu by their teacher and mentor — a rat. They live in the storm sewers of New York city and fight petty criminals, evil overlords, mutated animals and alien invaders.
Larger than life
They first appeared in a comic book and later went on to become toons in an animated series before their first feature film in 1990. And Turtlemania was in full swing. This year, they have decided to make a comeback in a new avatar — a mix of their grit, action, comedy and friendship. These one-of-a-kind heroes on the half-shell are back — as a new generation of Turtles emerging from the sewers of New York. They are darker, edgier and more menacing.
The new movie is an action-packed reboot, which tells the story of the Turtles born in a laboratory and who become loyal brothers. In their new form, you will also get to see their humour, charm and big action moments.
What’s different?
Named after Renaissance artists, the four turtles — Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael — have been re-invented. Drawing upon familiar pop culture references, Leonardo is more like Tom Hanks, the resolute leader in “Saving Private Ryan”. In Raphael we see glimpses of Clint Eastwood from the “Spaghetti Westerns”, Michelangelo resembles the comical Bill Murray in “Ghostbusters” and Donatello will remind you of logic-loving Spock from “Star Trek”.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will Cowabunga into a live-actionadventure on August 29 in theatres.
TURTLEMANIA
When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first hit comic book stands in 1984, it was meant to be a single-issue comic by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. They borrowed money from Eastman’s uncle to produce it. But it turned out to be just the beginning . . .
In 1988, the first phase of total Turtlemania kicked off with the launch of the animated television series followed by video games, tours and the 1990 movie.
A new phase of Turtlemania began in 2012 with the computer-animated television series on Nickelodeon. It was an instant hit, with 12 million viewers tuning in for the very first show.
Over 100 million viewers have since watched the series worldwide.
