Credit: Sony Pictures Animation, Paramount PicturesThe heroes in a half-shell are back — and this time with a Spidey connection you might not have realized!
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Recently, the internet collectively freaked out when a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) movie trailer from producer Seth Rogen, dropped. A new reboot, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023) proves an updated take on the Turtles, premiering August 4, 2023 in theaters. These Ninja Turtles are known for having sprung from 1980s comics and cartoon fame, and later Michael Bay reboot circa 2014 starring Megan Fox (April O’Neil).
Why is the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie so promising?
Who’s actually working on the much-anticipated TMNT reboot? Well, a veritable slew of talented individuals who are making this new take on TMNT one that is absolutely worth waiting for! Actor and comedian Seth Rogen is producing, alongside Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, and this passion project is studded with industry greats. Directed by Disney’s Gravity Falls (2011) alum and Oscar-nominated The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021) co-writer and co-director, Jeff Rowe, in his feature directorial debut. Brendan O’Brien helms the screenplay based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It will star Nicolas Cantu as Leonardo, Micah Abbey as Donatello, Shamon Brown Jr. as Michelangelo, Brady Noon as Raphael, Jackie Chan as Splinter, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom. No sign of the Foot Clan yet, but here’s hoping.
Related: ‘Ninja Turtles’ Reboot Trailer Has Some Serious ‘Spider-Man’ Multiverse Vibes
This promising animation news is coming at a time when the world of animation seemed somewhat dire — inundated with “live-action” (but really, heavily realistic CGI animation) reboots of older 2D franchises and suspiciously lackluster marketing for genuinely new and original projects. Honestly, you can probably blame The Walt Disney Company for most of that, with their own Pixar Animation Studios coming under fire when their upcoming movie caught waves of backlash from the general public regarding its “lazy” appearance, and their overall industry position slipping.
How is Spider-Man involved with TMNT?
Recently, however, there were a few sparks here and there in the world of animation. Disney-rival DreamWorks Animation‘s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) opened to rave reviews at the close of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. But it’s the surprising Spider-Man connection that the new TMNT movie has that could spell a bright future for Nickelodeon Animation/Nickelodeon Movies, Point Grey Pictures, and parent company, Paramount Pictures.
It was 2018’s explosively popular and well-loved film by Sony Pictures Animation about a certain Spider-Man and his friends that changed the game, and likely led to the greenlighting and production of this promising new movie. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse utilized this iconic 2D-3D hybrid animation, often coined “2.5D”. The public have been absolutely tuned into the new trend, making a surprising connection between Spider-Man and TMNT — such as social media user @bigmonkeong’s viral tweet quoting the trailer, and openly crediting Spider-Man for bringing the new Mutant Mayhem film into being:
god bless into the spiderverse
god bless into the spiderverse https://t.co/1oIUWOO0Bs
— doctor idk (@bigmonkeong) March 6, 2023
After Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s monumental success on the big screen, the new style became wildly popularized, being used in the aforementioned The Mitchells vs. the Machines (also by Sony Pictures Animation) and colossally popular Arcane by French studio Fortiche for the video game League of Legends — just to name a few. This is all spelling fantastic things for the animation industry, as there seems to be a new commercially viable mode of animation that veers away from the “Disney-Pixar-esque” fully 3D styles adopted more or less wholesale over the last decade. Two animators, Jess A.M. and Alberto Herrera came forward to share their excitement for this whole new world of “2D-styled CG animation” with upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and Disney’s very own Disney Princess entry Wish (2023), giving credit where credit was due to Spider-Verse and Netflix’s The Dragon Prince (2018):
Jess A.M.: I want to say, as a 3D animator, animating in this stepped style that spider-verse and dragon prince spearheaded, is infinitely more FUN for us animators than tweaking graph curves indefinitely
(in quote tweet) Herrera: 2023 is shaping up to be the biggest year so far for the 2D-styled CG animation trend for movies.
I want to say, as a 3D animator, animating in this stepped style that spider-verse and dragon prince spearheaded, is infinitely more FUN for us animators than tweaking graph curves indefinitely https://t.co/qnJCtdSDtL
— jess a.m. artposting (@jam_etc_art) March 5, 2023
The world of animation is definitely looking up, if studios allow new 2D-3D hybrid movies to develop their own unique style! Because when everything looks like The Incredibles, nothing will be… all that incredible.
What do you think about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse influencing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem? Share your thoughts in the comments below!