Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie is a 2022 American animated superhero film based on the superhero team the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A continuation of the animated television series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it was produced by Nickelodeon Movies with animation by Flying Bark Productions, Top Draw Animation, Digitoonz Media, and Cartoon Conrad Productions. The film is directed by series developers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, and stars the voices of Ben Schwartz, Omar Miller, Brandon Mychal Smith, Josh Brener, Haley Joel Osment, Kat Graham, and Eric Bauza. The film follows Leonardo as he is forced to lead his brothers to save the world from the Krang.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie | |
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Directed by |
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Screenplay by |
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Story by |
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Based on | Characters by
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Produced by | Vladimir Radev |
Starring | |
Edited by |
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Music by | Matt Mahaffey |
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Distributed by | Netflix |
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Running time | 82 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The film was released in the United States on August 5, 2022, by Netflix. It generally positive reviews from critics.
In the year 2044, the alien Krang has invaded the Earth and the resistance has fallen. In one final attempt, Leonardo and Michelangelo now as Masters with the rest of their family having died in the war, send their student Casey Jones back in time to stop the invasion by finding a key that allowed the Krang to come to the Earth, though it costs Leo and Mikey their lives to do so.
Casey successfully reaches the present day, several months after the defeat of the Shredder.[1] After Leo breaks Donatello's pizza box stack record, Raphael alerts both of them and Mikey of a theft unfolding by Hypno-Potamus and Warren Stone, with the key that Casey is looking for is included with the stolen items. The Turtles manage to stop them, but the Foot ninjas arrive and claim the key. Back in the new lair, Raph and Leo get into an argument due to the latter's growing ego.
Meanwhile, Casey finds April O'Neil who knocks him out and takes him to the Turtles' lair. He then explains his mission and after mentioning the Krang, Splinter explains that they came to Earth long ago and were exiled to another realm by a band of warriors who created and used the key, which is a mystic weapon, and that they are worshiped by the Foot. The Turtles, along with April, Splinter and Casey, go after the Foot, who have managed to open the portal. Their fight against the Krang causes them to lose their mystic powers, forcing them to retreat, but Leo manages to seize the key and close the portal. To protect Leo, Raph forces him to escape while he is captured.
Afterwards, the remaining Turtles, along with Casey, go after the Krang and Raph while Splinter and April remain behind to get rid of the key. The Krang manage to find the Turtles' lair through Raph, they then parasitically possess the members of the Foot clan and sends them after the key while they prepare the portal on top of the Metro Tower, the tallest building in the city.
The Turtles and Casey are ambushed in the sub-way tunnels and get separated. Casey calls out Leo for his arrogance before they reunite with the rest of the Turtles. They then find Raph, who has been possessed by the Krang and seizes the key, the Krang then uses the key to open the portal and bring forth the Technodrome. The Krang began their attack upon New York City and easily defeat the U.S. Army.
While April, Splinter, and Casey occupy the Krang forces, the Turtles board the ship. Leo goes after Raph, while Donnie and Mikey try to seize control of the ship. They are captured, but Leo reaches out to Raph and helps him break free, and the brothers manage to regain their mystic powers. The four fight valiantly but the Krang are too strong with Mikey, Donnie and Raph thrown out of the ship during the battle. Leo forces the Krang back to their prison realm and orders Casey to close the portal, which results in the Technodrome getting cut in half from the closure and destroyed. Leo is trapped in the realm with the enraged Krang who proceeds to mercilessly beat Leo, but Mikey, Raph, and Donnie save him using Mikey's newly-developed mystic powers, leaving the Krang alone in the prison realm, preventing the future of earth being destroyed.
Sometime later, the heroes enjoy pizza on top of the Brooklyn Bridge, with Casey revealing that former Foot Clan recruit Cassandra Jones is his mother. They watch the city as it is being rebuilt and make a vow to defend it when it is needed. Afterwards, Raph tries to break Leo's pizza box stack record.
On February 5, 2019, it was announced that feature films based on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Loud House were in production for Netflix.[3] The film was in development since October 2018, though production didn't begin until March 2020; Nickelodeon first approached showrunners Andy Suriano and Ant Ward to develop a film during development of season 2.[4][5] The producers worked on the film simultaneosly with the series' second season. Due to the season being shortened by Nickelodeon, the writers had to adjust the film's plot to align it with changes made for the second season's story, though the directors did noted some details would not align with the series.[4] On January 12, 2021, the films's plot synopsis was revealed on the franchise's official Twitter account, alongside with the original release year.[6] On August 27, 2021, the film was pushed back to 2022 due to it not being completed in time.[7] Production on the film was finally completed on April 7, 2022.[8]
The film features a rift between Leonardo and Raphael as a plot point. A traditional aspect of TMNT lore, the filmmakers wanted to potray their rivalry in a "unique way". While writing the Krang as villains, Suriano and Ward aimed for them to be "formidable adversaries to the Turtles" and establish them as more dangerous foes than the series' potrayal of the Shredder. In order to enphasize the threat represented by the Krang, the characters' designs were altered from previous potrayals, such as altering their size proportions.[5]
Animation services were provided by Flying Bark Productions and Top Draw.[4] Due to the increased budget, the animators were allowed to feature more fluidity and color in the film than in the series.[5]
The film was originally set to be released in 2021 but was pushed back to 2022 due to it not being completed in time.[7] The film's trailer was released on July 6, 2022.[9] A preview of the first 4 minutes was released on August 3, 2022, showing the film's apocalyptic opening.[10] Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie was released on Netflix on August 5, 2022.[11] The film saw a theatrical release in China nationwide on November 19, 2022, where it was distributed by China Film Group Corporation.[12][13]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10.[14] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
Hayden Mears of IGN praised the fim, writing "Not only does Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie function as a superb entry point for new fans, but it also commits to tonal and stylistic makeovers that elevate the franchise in unexpected ways."[16] Jennifer Borget of Common Sense Media wrote, "Though this is a dark, and at times frightening, story, it's also thrilling and exciting for long-time fans of the iconic characters."[17] In a more critical review, Ricky Valero of Ready Steady Cut wrote, "While fans of the series might love the film, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [The Movie] is an overlong episode that overstays its welcome."[18]
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