Turtles Forever

Last updated
Turtles Forever
Turtles Forever Poster.PNG
Promotional release poster
Genre
Based on Characters created
by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Written by
  • Rob David
  • Matthew Drdek
  • Lloyd Goldfine
Directed by
  • Roy Burdine
  • Lloyd Goldfine
Voices of
Composers
  • Elik Alvarez
  • John Angier
  • Lou Cortelezzi
  • Matt McGuire
  • Pete Scaturro
  • Freddy Sheinfeld
  • John Van Tongeren
  • Rusty Andrews
  • Mark Breeding
  • Joel Douek
  • John Petersen
  • Ralph Schuckett
  • John Siegler
  • Russell Velázquez
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Gary Richardson
  • Frederick U. Fierst
  • Alfred R. Kahn
  • Norman J. Grossfeld
ProducerSarah C. Nesbitt
EditorRichard Kronenberg
Running time81 minutes
(Uncut/PAL DVD) [1]
73 minutes
(TV edit/NTSC DVD) [2]
Production companies
Original release
Network The CW4Kids
ReleaseNovember 21, 2009 (2009-11-21)

Turtles Forever is a 2009 American animated superhero film directed that is a crossover between two different incarnations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The plot follows the Turtles of the 2003 animated television series as they team up with the Turtles of the 1987 television series to save the multiverse from the wrath of Ch’Rell, the Utrom Shredder of the 2003 television series. Directed by Roy Burdine and Lloyd Goldfine and written by Goldfine, Rob David, and Matthew Drdek, it was produced in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the characters while also serving as the finale to the 2003 television series.

Contents

Turtles Forever aired on The CW4Kids on November 21, 2009.

Plot

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles watch a video broadcast of warriors who look like them fighting the Purple Dragons on TV. The Turtles break into the Purple Dragons' HQ and discover that their "imposters" are actually alternate versions of themselves. The teams escape together.

The 1987 Turtles landed there after fighting their Shredder and Krang over mutagen in the Technodrome. During the battle, the dimensional teleporter malfunctioned, sending them all to the 2003 dimension. Checking recent tremor reports, the Turtles find the Technodrome, only to have to battle an army of Foot Soldiers led by Bebop and Rocksteady.

1987 Shredder sees the two Turtle teams and theorizes that another Shredder might exist in this dimension. Ch'rell, the Utrom Shredder, is on an icy asteroid where he was banished. 1987 Shredder and Kang beam Ch'rell to the Technodrome and revive him from the block of ice he was frozen in, but find him too insane for an alliance and try to vivisect him. However, Ch'rell's adopted daughter Karai, who had been monitoring his exile, breaks into the Technodrome and frees him, declaring the weapon's technology property of the Foot Clan.

While tracking the Technodrome, the Turtles and their master Splinter are attacked by Hun and the Purple Dragons, who want their mutagen. During the fight, Hun is accidentally exposed to it and turns into a mutant turtle. He wanders until coming upon the Technodrome, now under the control of Ch'rell, who takes Hun back into his service.

Ch'rell and Karai begin rebuilding the Technodrome with help from the Cyber Foot. Ch'rell and Karai use Utrom science to revise the Technodrome with the combined technology having been used to make Ch'rell's new Shredder body and create new Foot-Bots. Analyzing the mutagen that affected Hun, they reverse-engineered it to transform Cyber Foot into Mutant Foot Soldiers. Using the trans-dimensional portal, Ch'rell learns that there are many parallel universes filled with Ninja Turtles. Hun, Bebop and Rocksteady are dispatched alongside an army of Utrom Foot-Bots to capture the Turtles by breaking into their lair. The lair begins crumbling, forcing the Turtles to use their dimensional portal projector to escape into the 1987 universe while Splinter is captured by Hun.

While the Turtles are preparing for their fight, they discover that Shredder has started attacking the 2003 universe with the upgraded Technodrome and the Mutant Foot Soldiers. Casey Jones and April O'Neil try to hold the enemy off before the Turtle teams arrive. After entering the Technodrome to find Splinter, they are captured by Ch'rell, who plans to wipe out every version of the Ninja Turtles across the multiverse by destroying them in their source dimension, "Turtle Prime". By scanning the eight turtles' DNA, he finds the dimension, but the Turtles themselves are saved by Karai, who has started to question Ch'rell's goals. The turtles are joined by April and Casey, but realize that Ch'rell has started his plans and their dimension is being erased.

After a fight with the Dragons and Hun which results in their erasure, the Turtles escape to Turtle Prime, where they encounter their prime counterparts. The twelve Turtles team up and are joined by Splinter, Karai, 1987 Shredder, and Krang against Ch'rell. During the battle, Ch'rell's exo-suit grows giant, but proves to be vulnerable to the Technodrome's laser beam. Utrom Shredder seizes the Prime Turtles and attempts to destroy them and the entire multiverse, but the 1987 Turtles break his balance and save the Prime Turtles. Bebop unknowingly reactivates the Technodrome's laser beam, which vaporizes Ch'rell. With their foe defeated and their worlds restored, the two turtle teams and their allies return to their respective worlds, while the Prime Turtles decide to go get some pizza.

In the real world, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman put the finishing touches on the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, hopeful that the book will sell. They then go out for pizza.

Voice cast

Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman make voiceover cameos as themselves.

Additional Voices By Jason Griffith, Sean Schemmel, Bruce Falk, and Matthew Piazzi. [b]

Crew

Production

None of the original voice cast from the 1987 cartoon series reprised their roles, but the original music from the show was not used in this special. In the actors' case, the original voice cast are members of SAG-AFTRA, which 4Kids did not have a contract with. [3] For the score, most of the music from the 1987 series was owned at the time by that series' producer, Fred Wolf Films, and would require a license fee to be used in the show. For a cost-effective solution, the special used many of the productions' frequent talents and used their in-score team to make a soundtrack reminiscent of the original series. [4]

Release

Fathom Events originally planned a special event to commemorate the franchise's 25th anniversary to theatrically release Turtles Forever across the United States of America on October 29, 2009, with plans for an introduction "hosted" by the Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo themselves, followed by a documentary by Peter Laird about how he and Kevin Eastman created the characters with rare original comic book art, archival pictures and all-new interviews. [5] However, the inability by Fathom to reach an agreement with 4Kids Entertainment and Mirage Studios led to the event's cancellation. [6]

An edited version of the movie was released on July 11, 2009, worldwide on TV. The film was then released on July 29 in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. [7] In other countries, the film aired on The CW as part of their Saturday morning The CW4Kids lineup on November 21, [8] as part of a 25th anniversary celebration which featured a top-10 episode countdown preceding the film's television premiere. In the United States, an uncut version aired from October 31 to November 14 in a form where three weekly 26 minute episodes were shown in a half-hour slot per week.

The uncut version of the film later appeared on the CW4Kids's website on November 16, 2009, which includes 8 minutes of footage cut from the original version that aired on TV. The edited version was released on non-anamorphic widescreen DVD on August 24, 2010 in North America from Nickelodeon/Paramount Home Entertainment. [9] [10] [11] The uncut anamorphic widescreen version was later released in 2011 on DVD in the PAL DVD regions (2 and 4). There are currently no plans for an American release of the uncut anamorphic version on home video.

Edited scenes

The edited version of the movie (which was used for some TV airings and the Region 1 DVD release) removed several additional scenes which remain intact in the "uncut" version of the movie. Some of those key scenes include: [12]

Reception

Critical response

Turtles Forever received mixed to positive reviews from fans and critics. Alan Ng of Film Threat gave the film 5/10, calling the film "incredibly dated" and the lack of connection felt towards the different sets of Turtles, with "the 1987 crew [...] a little more mature than their 2003 counterparts". [13] The review from DVD Talk called Turtles Forever a "mostly forgettable endeavour" and said that the "cheap shots [against the 1987 Turtles] are pathetic and get old immediately". [14]

Notes

  1. ↑ credited as Adam Caroleson
  2. ↑ credited as Matthew Piazza

Related Research Articles

Donatello (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Fictional character

Donatello, nicknamed Donnie, is a superhero and one of the four main characters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media. He is the smartest and often gentlest of his brothers, wearing a purple mask over his eyes. He wields a bō staff, his primary signature weapon in all media.

Leonardo (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Fictional character

Leonardo, commonly nicknamed Leo, is a superhero appearing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and related media, and created by American comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. He is one of the four central characters of the franchise, along with his brothers, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Leonardo is the leader and strategist of the turtles.

Shredder (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Fictional supervillain in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise

The Shredder is a supervillain and the main antagonist of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media franchise created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The character debuted in the Mirage Studios comic book Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, and has since endured as the archenemy of the turtles and their master Splinter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krang</span> Fictional Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles character

Krang is a supervillain appearing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-related media, most frequently in the 1987 animated series and its associated merchandise, such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book and many TMNT video games. The character has endured as one of the franchise's most prominent antagonists and a major foe of the Ninja Turtles.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (1987 TV series) American animated television series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Fred Wolf Films, and based on the comic book characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Set in New York City, the series follows the adventures of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their allies as they battle the Shredder, Krang, and numerous other villains and criminals. The property was changed considerably from the darker-toned comics, to make it more suitable for children and families.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (2003 TV series) Animated television series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series developed by Lloyd Goldfine and based on the characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The series premiered on February 8, 2003, as part of Fox's FoxBox programming block and ended on February 28, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foot Clan</span> Fictional ninja clan in the TMNT franchise

The Foot Clan is a fictional ninja clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media and are the main antagonists. It is led by the devious Shredder and his second in command Karai. The Foot Clan was originally a parody of the criminal ninja clan The Hand in the Daredevil comics published by Marvel Comics. In addition to the obvious similarity in their names, both clans originate from Feudal Japan, practice ninjutsu and black magic, and are now powerful global organized crime rings who are familiar with multiple illegal activities such as drug smuggling, counterfeiting of money, gunrunning, murder, assassination, computer hacking, theft, and terrorism.

Casey Jones (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Fictional character

Arnold Bernid "Casey" Jones is a fictional character that appears in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and related media. Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, he first appeared in the one-shot, Raphael: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Like the turtles, Casey Jones is a vigilante, and was created as a parody of vigilante characters that were popular in comics at the time. Casey usually has long dark hair, wears an ice hockey mask and cut-off biking gloves, and carries his weapons in a golf bag over his shoulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bebop and Rocksteady</span> Comics character

Bebop and Rocksteady are a fictional duo of a mutant warthog and mutant rhinoceros that have made appearances as characters in various media releases of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The two characters are henchmen who follow the orders of the franchise's chief antagonist, Shredder, the leader of the Foot Clan. Their names are both derived from genres of music: Bebop is a style of jazz, while Rocksteady is a Jamaican music style, a precursor to reggae.

Leatherhead (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Comics character

Leatherhead is a fictional character in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) comics and all related media. The character first appeared in Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #6 and was created by Ryan Brown. He is depicted as a mutated humanoid-alligator.

Karai (<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i>) Comics character

Karai is a fictional supporting character appearing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and related media. She is usually a high-rank member of the Foot Clan outlaw ninja organization. She was introduced in Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's comic book series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 1992. Since then, she has appeared in several different Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, television series, films, and video games. She is depicted as Shredder's second-in-command or adopted daughter in most versions and shares a rivalry with Leonardo and is at times considered his love interest. In one version of the comics, she is the granddaughter of the immortal Shredder, while in the 2012 series, she is Hamato Miwa, the only child of Hamato "Splinter" Yoshi and the late Tang Shen.

The third season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles originally aired between October 9, 2004, and April 23, 2005, beginning with the "Space Invaders, Part 1" episode. The entire season of the television series was released on DVD in seven volumes from March 15, 2005, through May 16, 2006. This is the only season of the 2003 series which has a prodcode, and included a Christmas episode under the title "The Christmas Aliens".

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<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> (IDW Publishing) Ongoing American comic book series

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<i>Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</i> Crossover comic book mini-series

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a six-issue intercompany crossover comic book miniseries featuring fictional heroes Batman and the IDW incarnation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The series was written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Freddie Williams II.

The fifth and final season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, titled Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, aired on Nickelodeon from March 19, 2017, to November 12, 2017, consisting of 20 episodes.

References

  1. ↑ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever DVD (Australia)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever DVD". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ↑ Pellegrini, Mark (2011-11-25). "Turtles Forever Review • AIPT". Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  4. ↑ Pellegrini, Mark (2011-11-25). "Turtles Forever Review • AIPT". Archived from the original on 2023-08-29. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  5. ↑ "Turtles Forever: the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary Shell-ebration". www.ncm.com. September 28, 2009. Archived from the original on September 28, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Special Announcement". www.tmnt25.com. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ "TMNT "Shell-ebrate" Culmination of Official Anniversary Tour and Look Forward to Next Generation with 2011 Motion Picture". KidsTurnCentral.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Krang in Biosuit Papercraft, More TMNT "Turtles Forever" New Mutants Images and Wallpaper Released!". 4kids.tv.com. November 11, 2009. Archived from the original on February 1, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "DVD Calendar Feature Articles - Metacritic". Archived from the original on 2016-11-01.
  10. ↑ ""Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever" DVD coming August 24, 2010! | toonzone.net". Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever". DVD Talk . Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  12. ↑ Gobo. "CW4Kids' 16 cuts to Turtles Forever... TRANSCRIBED". The Technodrome Forums. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  13. ↑ "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever | Film Threat". 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 5 December 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  14. ↑ "DVD Talk". Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
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