TMNT: The Next Mutation (film)

TMNT: The Next Mutation is a 1995 American-Canadian action comedy film based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It acts as a semi-sequel to the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.
It suffered from a very small budget (CAD$1 million, courtesy Sanford Productions' almost-cost cutting troubles), the mouths barely moving at all on the Turtles' normal forms' animatronic suits (the same ones used in We Wish You a Turtle Christmas/Turtle Tunes), a hefty price-per-shooting day for the Turtles' "next mutation" forms animatronic suits and the Mona Lisa and Kirby animatronic suits (created by Gerry Anderson of Thunderbirds fame), IATSE Canada problems (due to Super Shredder's voice actor, Eric Stuart being a non-union actor who usually appeared in anime dubs, so he went under the Alan Smithee name), and hammed up acting.
The film was produced by Sanford Productions, Golden Films, American Film Investment Corporation and Golden Harvest and distributed, unlike the first three films, by Troma's 50th Street Films.
== Plot ==
The Turtles go through their next mutation, and have a dimension-hopping adventure.
Also, there's a new turtle, Kirby, and Mona Lisa also appears in live-action.
==Cast==
===Live actors===
* Margot Kidder as April O'Neil
* Florian Schneider as Casey Jones
* Sofia Rotaru as The Shredder/Super Shredder
* Arnold Schwarzenegger as Talbot (uncredited)
* Eric Idle as Bugman
* Kathleen Barr as Evil April
* Owen Gleiberman as Fang (wearing a muscle suit)
* Frank Welker as Lawson
* Carlos Alazraqui as Spyder
** Leonardo DiCaprio and Glenn Hughes as Nano Spyder
===Voice cast===
* Brian Tochi as Leonardo
* Robbie Rist as Michaelangelo
* James Eric Anzalone as Donatello
* Robert F. Paulsen III as Raphael
* Rich Little as Kirby
* Peter Renaday as Splinter
* Eric Stuart as Shredder (Super Shredder form only, credited as Alan Smithee for union reasons)
*  as Mona Lisa
===Puppeteers===
* Karen Prell as Leonardo (face performance)
** John Charles MacKenzie as Leonardo (in-suit performer)
*** Ernie Reyes, Jr. as Leonardo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
* Joey Mazzarino as Michelangelo (face performance)
** Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Michaelangelo (in-suit performer)
*** Dai-won Moon as Michaelangelo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
* Bruce Lanoil as Raphael (face performance)
** Phil Nibbelink as Raphael (in-suit performer)
*** Jinichi Kawakami as Raphael (in-suit martial arts stunt double, credited as Giorgione Smithee)
* Jake Sanford as Donatello (face performance)
** James Eric Anzalone as Donatello (in-suit performer)
*** Stephen K. Hayes as Donatello (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
* Caroll Spinney as Splinter (principal puppetry)
** Members of the Ottawa Puppetry Club as Splinter (assistant puppetry)
*** César Rodríguez Luna as Splinter (in-suit martial arts stunt double and peformer for scenes as "super mutant rat")
**** Robert Stainton as Splinter ("half-suit" performer in some scenes)
* Bob Bejan as Kirby (face performance)
** Marie Forleo as Kirby (in-suit performer, credited as Marie F. Smithee)
*** Hiroshi Fujioka as Kirby (in-suit martial arts stunt double, credited as George Spelvin)
* Jake Sanford as Mona Lisa (face performance)
** Kristian Michaels as Mona Lisa (in suit performer)
== Production ==
In addition to the problems stated way above:
*The Splinter puppet was really hot due to being made of euthanized dog skin (and a real dog's nose) donated by a local pet hospital.
**The Splinter costume that Robert Stainton wore had a modified store-bought Werewolf mask made to look like Splinter's head, and was operated much like Big Bird (ironically Big Bird's performer Caroll Spinney was one of the Splinter performers). Also, much editing had to remove some extra body on the costume from the shots.
*The early "next mutation" Raphael suit used for the first couple of scenes with the second mutation Turtles was so stiff Phil Nibbelink had to take it off before resting.
*Kathleen Barr's Evil April dentures were so painful she had to take them off her teeth quickly after takes were finished or before lunch breaks.
It was filmed at Kaufman Astoria Studios and at Lower Queen station (for the TMNT's lair)
Jake Sanford noticed Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly's negative review of the first movie, and won him over by having him play Fang in the film.
Kristian Michaels, the suit actress of Mona Lisa, did her own stunts (being an expert at aerobics and ninjutsu).
The animatronic suits were made by the Landmark Entertainment Group (normal forms of the Turtles, supplied to the producers by Controlled Entropy Entertainment, Inc.) and Gerry Anderson.
== Gallery ==
btco-tmnt-scans-costumes-3bf85000861691791e7e0c16d65d8337-large-128787.jpg|The normal turtle suits (Featured: Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, John Charles MacKenzie, James Eric Anzalone, and Phil Nibbelink)
Donatello_nm.png|Donatello's next mutation (Don was given the least obvious mutation -- growing telekinetic and telepathic abilities, unfortunately counterpointed by diminishing eyesight (hence the vision-enhancing goggles). We also provided him with an updated “techno” version of his bo staff.)
Raphael_nm.png|Raphael's next mutation (He has the ability to “morph” into “Raptor Raph”, complete with big gnashy teeth and claws to complement his big gnashy personality)
Leonardo nm.png|Leonardo's next mutation (The new mutation was the ability to morph his skin into a kind of nearly impenetrable chrome-like surface)
Michelangelo_nm.png|Michelangelo's next mutation (Mike was given a more “street” look because his new mutation gave him the ability to project a human appearance onto his turtle features, allowing him to interact freely with humans)
Splinter_nm.png|Splinter's next mutation (Splinter was given a much more active part in the battles that the Turtles fought, and he was given to have the ability to morph into a big, lithe, muscular “super rat mutant")
tmnt4art4.jpg|The Shredder's updated look
tmnt4art25.jpg|The new Super Shredder
tmnt4art20.jpg|Kirby the Fifth Turtle
tmnt4art23.jpg|Spyder in normal form
tmnt4art22.jpg|Nano Spyder
tmnt4art8.jpg|Evil April, as played by Kathleen Barr in one of her few live-action roles
tmnt4art7.jpg|Bugman
BTCO TMNT SCANS9.jpg|The turtles' full bodies
Category:Films