Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Theatrical release poster

***Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem*** is a 2023 American computer-animated superhero film based on the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. A reboot of the *Turtles* film series, it was directed by Jeff Rowe and co-directed by Kyler Spears, from a screenplay and story written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Rowe, with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit co-writing the former and Brendan O'Brien the latter. The film stars an ensemble voice cast with Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon as the four Turtles—Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael—and follows the group as they go on a hunt for a mysterious crime syndicate and face an army of mutants. The story explores themes of family, acceptance, and conformity.

Plans for an animated *Turtles* film with involvement by Rogen began in 2018. In June 2020, the project was officially announced, with Rogen, Goldberg, and James Weaver producing through their company, Point Grey Pictures, Rowe as director, and O'Brien as screenwriter. Spears joined soon after as co-director. 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. The animation was provided by Mikros Animation in Montreal and Paris and Cinesite in Vancouver and Montreal, and was primarily influenced by school notebook sketches. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the 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 has grossed $180 million worldwide and received positive reviews for its vocal performances, screenplay, humor, visuals, soundtrack, and stylized animation; several critics considered it the best *Turtles* film. The film was nominated for several awards, including the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Animated Feature. 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.

## Plot

Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI) executive Cynthia Utrom sends a squadron to hunt down rogue scientist Baxter Stockman, who has created a mutagen to form his own mutant animal family, starting with a housefly. Baxter is interrupted by Cynthia's strike force and killed in the resulting explosion, while the mutagen falls into the sewers of New York City.

Fifteen years later, the Turtle brothers Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello have been raised by their adoptive rat father Splinter after the five of them were transformed into humanoid mutants by Baxter's mutagen, which they call "ooze". Being chased away by humans led Splinter to distrust humanity and train his sons in the art of *ninjutsu*, instructing them to only leave their sewer home to steal supplies. Now teenagers, the Turtles long to live as normal high schoolers, much to Splinter's dismay.

During a supply run, the Turtles defeat a gang of criminals to recover a stolen moped belonging to a teenager named April O'Neil, revealing themselves and their origins. April, an aspiring journalist struggling to move past a viral incident of vomiting on camera, has been investigating a series of robberies of TCRI technology by a criminal known as "Superfly". The Turtles plan to stop Superfly and, through April's reporting, win public acceptance as heroes.

They intercept a piece of stolen technology and meet Superfly under the Brooklyn Bridge, discovering that he is not only a mutant himself, but leader of a mutant gang. Ecstatic to meet fellow mutants, the Turtles bond with Superfly and the others and he explains that they were created by Stockman, evading TCRI and living on an abandoned ship in Staten Island. He then reveals that he plans to use the stolen technology to mutate every animal on Earth and create a world where mutants have dominance over humans.

The Turtles try to intervene, but the gang escapes with the equipment while a tracker TCRI installed on the equipment falls back with the Turtles, allowing them to be captured. At TCRI headquarters, Cynthia extracts the Turtles' mutagen, but April arrives with Splinter to rescue them. At the gang's hideout, Splinter and the Turtles convince them that their plan for domination will make them no better than the worst of humanity, and together they turn on Superfly, destroying his machine. However, the ooze falls into the water, combining marine wildlife with Superfly, who then transforms into a gigantic whale-like *kaiju* after grabbing animals from a nearby zoo. He attacks the city and the Turtles and other mutants attempt to stop him but are assumed by the public to be fellow monsters.

April overcomes her anxiety and commandeers a news broadcast to explain the mutants' good intentions and the citizens of New York come to their aid. Leonardo finds his voice as a leader, and with the help of the citizens, other mutants, and fellow Turtles, drops a canister of TCRI retro-mutagen into Superfly's blowhole, turning him back into a collection of normal animals. Reconciling with Splinter, the Turtles, April, and the mutants are celebrated by the city.

The mutants soon move into the sewers with them. Splinter and Scumbug fall in love and the Turtles enroll at April's high school, where they are all embraced as heroes. While the Turtles and April enjoy themselves at prom, they are under surveillance from Cynthia (holding the now unmutated Superfly captive), who plans to recapture the Turtles by enlisting the aid of the mysterious Shredder.

## Voice cast

*See also: List of* Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles *characters*

* Micah Abbey as Donatello
* Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo
* Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo
* Brady Noon as Raphael
* Ayo Edebiri as April O'Neil
* Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom
* John Cena as Rocksteady
* Seth Rogen as Bebop
* Rose Byrne as Leatherhead
* Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut
* Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman
* Jackie Chan as Splinter
* Ice Cube as Superfly
* Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko
* Post Malone (credited as "Austin Post") as Ray Fillet
* Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog
* MrBeast as Times Square Guy
* Derek Wilson as Spider
* Lukas Williams as Curious Goon
* Michael Badalucco as Bad Bernie
* Dempsey Pappion as Bald Bronson
* John Capodice as Cab Driver
* Andia Winslow as TV Anchor
* Raechel Wong as News Anchor
* David Faustino as Normal Nate
* Daniel Mastrogiorgio as Toupee Tom / Police Officer
* Noel Gibson as Responding Police Officer / Military advisor
* Myra Owyang as Short Sharon
* Kevin Eastman as Good Human
* Alex Hirsch as Bossy Goon / Scumbug
* Michael Rianda as Wants a Paycheck Goon / Chop Shop Boss / Ratatouille Guard
* Bobby Wagner as Man Who Thought a Giant Rat Was a Big Cat But It Was Actually a Rat
* Greg Levitan as Gecko Goon
* Illya Quinteros as Helpful Construction Worker
* Natalie Canizares as Sign My Baby Mom
* Kyler Spears as Apologetic Goon
* Jeff Rowe as Man Who Loves Being Young and Free to Go Places

## Themes

Goldberg described the film as overall being about a father, his four sons, and the importance of family. A major theme in the film is acceptance. The Turtles' isolation from the world is meant to mirror a teenager's desire to fit in, and their father, Splinter, fears the worst in humanity after being rejected by them. The theme was an early part of Rogen and Goldberg's pitch. Rowe felt that it was something that had not been tackled in the franchise before, saying "It acknowledges these fantastical things in a way that grounds them in the real world". When asked whether the film was written as an immigration fable, Rowe responded that, while that was not the intention, as the story came along, the team started to recognize the parallels between Splinter and a first-generation parent who moved to the country. According to the director, a lot of the team have had such family situations, and the theme became something they continued to lean on. "So it wasn't the intention, but it became highlighted through execution."