Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo are four masters of the arts, but in this case martial arts. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return to the big screen along with the usual cast of characters. Martial arts master, Splinter, who just so happens to be a rat, will make his return, as the turtle’s mentor and surrogate father.
Also making their returns are April O’Neil, the city’s local news reporter and friend of the turtles, and Casey Jones, New York City’s hockey mask wearing, baseball-bat-wielding vigilante. However, it has been announced that their archenemy, Shredder, will not be making an appearance in the up coming movie known as TMNT.
According to IMDb.com, the movie is set to hit theaters March 2007, giving the turtles a new 21st century look. The new movie will be done completely as a CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) animated film, ridding the franchise of the previous animatronics suits of the ’80s and ’90s. This upgrade will give the writers Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and director Kevin Munroe, unlimited possibilities in creating the movie, where the live action suits gave limitations of the real world.
The turtles will now be able to show the audience just how ninja-esque they can be, as the trailer, located on tmnt.warnerbros.com, depicts them jumping and diving from building to building. As for the turtles themselves, the writers plan on emphasizing each character’s individual personalities a bit more than they did in the last movies.
Leonardo is the fearless leader of the group, diligent and calm, Donatello is the brains, intelligent and mindful, creating many useful gadgets the turtles use to fight crime. Raphael is the renegade brawler, blind with rage, but possessing the most heart. Michelangelo is the comedian surfer dude, always in a party mood, using his goofiness in battle to surprise his opponents.
As for the plot, it as been confirmed that this movie will not revisit the beginning, but will instead reinvent the franchise, into a darker reincarnation of itself. The story will pick up sometime after the original trilogy left off, after the defeat of Shredder. Now that the city is safe from the evil Foot Clan, the turtles have begun to fall apart as a team. Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo have all lost their way and it is now up to Leonardo and Splinter to return unity and discipline to the group in order to save the city once again. “You can never go wrong with the turtles,” says Mike Sullivan, “so I can’t wait to see it.”
So this spring, get ready to kick some shell, along with your favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Watch them unleash themselves as never before, as they leave their two television series behind to create the ultimate TMNT adventure. Be prepared to fight along side these lean green pizza-eating machines, but remember to yell cowabunga!
