Mutant May-HAM: The NEW TMNT Movie

What did we think of the latest TMNT movie in this 35+ year old franchise?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a 2023 American computer-animated superhero filmdirected by Jeff Rowe, who co-wrote the screenplay with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit. It is the seventh theatrical Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film and a reboot of the series. The film stars the voices of Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the titular team, alongside a supporting ensemble voice cast that includes Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, Paul Rudd, Post Malone, and Hannibal Buress. In the film, after years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtles set out to be accepted as normal teenagers through acts of heroism. The brothers go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate, but trouble arises when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them. 

Nickelodeon announced Mutant Mayhem in June 2020, with Rogen, Goldberg, and James Weaver producing under their Point Grey Pictures banner, and Rowe as director. Kyler Spears joined as co-director soon after. The animation was provided by Mikros Animation in Montreal and Paris and Cinesite in Vancouver, and was primarily influenced by school notebook sketches. Seeking to explore the teenage aspect of the Turtles, the filmmakers drew inspiration from teenage coming-of-age films. The majority of the cast was announced in March 2023. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the musical score. 

Mutant Mayhem was screened as a work-in-progress at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 12, 2023, and was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on August 2, 2023. It received positive reviews, with praise for its vocal performances, script, and stylized animation; several critics have named it the best Turtles film.[5] It has grossed $64 million worldwide to date. A follow-up television series, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is set to premiere on Paramount+, and a sequel film is in development.