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In Theaters 3 Years Ago, Ninja Turtles Took a Page From Spider-Man & Broke A Franchise Record
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were immensely popular during the ’80s and ’90s thanks to the long-running animated television series, the fun live-action films, and a string of impressive comic books. However, the 2000s and 2010s saw it fall by the wayside for the most part. There were a steady stream of animated series that ensured the Turtles stayed central to pop culture – including the especially well-received Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which even spawned a film as a season finale.
Of course, there were also a couple of movies produced by Michael Bay about the superhero team that weren’t as well-received; though, those films made a decent amount of money at the box office. To Bay’s credit, the second film (Out of the Shadows) in 2016 attempted to do-right by fans – including finally bringing Bebop and Rocksteady, not to mention Krang, into live-action. Still, the film wasn’t exactly a “good” movie that oozed creativity or innovation and any chance of third movie quickly went unrealized. Thankfully, the Turtles are never gone for too long, and exactly three years ago, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles project went back to the animated roots and adopted some concepts and elements that made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a major success. The result? A fresh TMNT movie that sent a franchise record.
Mutant Mayhem Styled Its Animation After Into The Spider-Verse
Yes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem owes a lot to Sony’s Spider-Verse. The first thing that stands out about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is the animation style. The film looks like nothing else that had ever been seen from the franchise. Unique visual styles are evident across TMNT history, with nearly every show from throughout the years looking different from each other. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem takes a lot of inspiration from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and it was a stroke of genius.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was designed to look like it was pulled straight out of the comic book. Director Jeff Rowe noted that while working on The Mitchells vs. The Machines at Sony Pictures Animation, he got an informative look at the technology used by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He said that film had a North Star comic book look, which they utilized for Mutant Mayhem.
The animators ensured that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem looked like a rough drawing done by a passionate young artist. That adds to the special feeling of the movie as it doesn’t feel overly polished. The loose frame rates allowed the film to look dirty and underdeveloped, which plays perfectly into who the Turtles are as heroes who live in the sewers.
Mutant Mayhem Has The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Score Of Any TMNT Movie
The Ninja Turtles have always worked best in an animated format because turtles who do karate are kind of goofy to showcase any other way. The live-action movies were never critical hits either, with each installment scoring, in order of release, 46%, 35%, 19%, 20%, and 38% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even the animated takes, like 2007’s TMNT, only sit at 35% on the website.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem shattered those numbers to easily score the highest rating on Rotten Tomatoes of any entry in the franchise. The 2023 movie has over 250 reviews and holds an outstanding 95% rating, while the score from the audience at 90% is also the highest in franchise history. It’s not even remotely close either, as the 79% rating that the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is in second place.
The only metric that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem doesn’t seem to hold the top spot for is its worldwide box office intake. The film sits behind the 1990 installment and both Michael Bay projects in terms of its commercial numbers, which might have seen the studio question how a sequel might perform; nevertheless, there is a sequel in development – slated for a 2027 release.
There Are Other Things Mutant Mayhem Borrowed From Into The Spider-Verse
The animation style certainly stands out, but there are some other elements that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem wisely borrowed from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. One of them was the curation of an excellent soundtrack. There are memorable needle drops throughout the movie that feel perfect for a story that’s told in New York City, including classic hip-hop tracks.
Like Spider-Verse, this movie also has teenage protagonists who feel authentic. In the past, these teens were played by older actors, but here, it’s actual teenage actors lending their voices to the characters. The teens are awkward, not exactly cool, and it makes them relatable and easy to root for. They’re also expertly integrated into pop culture, delivering jokes and making references that younger audiences can easily understand.
For the first time, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles come across as legitimate teens, which goes a long way to making sure it works as well as it does. Quality voice acting, authentic teen characters, a New York-influenced soundtrack, and those comic book-style visuals are all things that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem adopted from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and it worked for the better.
