FAQ for
TMNT (2007)

Kevin Munroe (the director) and Tom Gray (the producer) explain (in the Super Hero Hype interview) that the reason was because no studio wanted to do another live action TMNT movie, feeling that the (live-action) franchise was dead or had been done, also noting that the movie would've been insanely expensive done live action (another reason the studios passed) but when they pitched it as a CGI it was easier to shop around as they would be able to accomplish everything they could in a big budget live action film but at a fraction of the cost thanks to CGI.

Yes. Both Kevin Munroe and Thomas Gray have been interviewed to explain their way of going about this film:

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=78864

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2006-12-20-ninja-turtles-cover_x.htm

http://www.superherohype.com/news/tmntnews.php?id=5133

http://iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1736&Itemid=99

http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/03/22/tmnt-writerdirector-kevin-munroe-interviewed

http://www.mtv.com/#/movies/news/articles/1550705/story.jhtml

http://www.yourgeeknews.com/?p=5 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4EcMRx5VJw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy9ehqYyiNw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpJUr6e-_Qc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ9Ag1S72v4

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within cost a phenomenal amount of money to make, and was considered a colossal failure that resulted in the director being fired and the company being bought out. Conversely, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was aimed at a very focused audience, where resources could be dedicated and still have the film be successful. This is not the approach the directors of TMNT wanted to take. They wanted to stay true to the original story, while still appealing to a wide enough audience in order to make money. In doing so, they felt that a more stylized rendering would help the film's success.

It is a loose sequel to the original films, much like Superman Returns is to the first two Superman movies.

It takes place after the first movie. Parts of the second and third movie are acknowledged (such as the appearance of the ooze cannister from the second movie and the Time Sceptre from the third) on Splinter's trophy wall, but it is unclear how much of those two movies is considered canon at this point.

It also bears noting that, in the same image, it is unclear whether the cannister that contained the "ooze" that mutated the Turtles and Splinter is marked "TCRI", as in the comics and the 2003 cartoon, or "TGRI" as in the second film.

After the defeat of their old arch nemesis, the Shredder, the Turtles have grown apart as a family. Struggling to keep them together, their rat sensei, Master Splinter, becomes worried when strange things begin to brew in New York City. Tech-industrialist Max Winters is amassing an army of ancient monsters, to take over the world.

Leonardo has been traveling the world for the last year, honing his skills. While he's away, the other turtles are barred from leaving the lair by their Master Splinter, who wishes to keep the family together. However, Raphael has been scouring the streets at night, fighting crime. Michelangelo (in disguise) has taken a job as an entertainer at children's parties.

Casey Jones and April O'Neil return, building on their romance in the first film.

See the cast list at http://imdb.com/title/tt0453556/fullcredits#cast

For the End Credits: http://www.eofftv.com/t/tmn/tmnt_main.htm

Yes.

http://media.movieweb.com/galleries/3042/notes.pdf

He finished recording his lines before he passed away.

Kevin Munroe has stated that they are in the 18-19 years old range.

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=466492&postcount=301:

---

Johnnyblaze we never specifically set an age. I like that 18-19 range of just becoming a real adult on your own, etc. It's the kick you out of your nest point in your life. Good character drama age.

---

No.

At the comic-con it was confirmed that nobody from the movies (or animated series) will be voicing the characters in this movie. They wanted to go with all new cast (just like the new Superman and Batman movies did).

The Shredder is pictured very briefly in a recap at the beginning of the movie, but does not appear in the story itself.

Director Kevin Munroe says:

"As for Shredder in TMNT, yeah, I saw a lot of people saying he'll be making a cameo. We have nods to him in the film, but there isn't a scene with him or anything. But again, I wouldn't say he's gone from the franchise..."

Producer Tom Gray (in the IGN interview) stated they had felt they had done Shredder to death by this point with comics, TV shows, and first two movies, so they wanted to take a break from him so they could use and introduce some other villains.

There is a hint that the Shredder may appear in a sequel, and Munroe has more to say on that point in an interview (http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/03/04/tmnt-sequel-planned-could-we-see-shredder/):

"Because we now have these sort of better Shredder stories of how to bring Shredder back. But now if it works out well, and Karai coming to New York, that's a setup for a really good volume in The Turtles in the comics as well, it could work out to a really cool sequel."

He is referring to the City at War arc from the Mirage comics, in which Karai temporarily takes on the mantle of the Shredder. So it is possible that if we see the Shredder in a sequel, it will be Karai and not Oroku Saki wearing the armor. This is supported by past statements by Peter Laird that he does not want Saki to return.

No. While Mirage does own the rights to those characters, Peter Laird wants to keep this movie true to the mood of the comics, the first movie, and the 2003 animated series, and as far away from the original, campy animated series as possible.

While a number of posters on the board have claimed that Mirage doesn't own the rights to the cast from the cartoon, Laird had this to say when the issue came up in the 2003 animated series ( http://www.planetracers.com/blast/prblast0073.html ):

---

It has been stated a number of times in various places that the reason the new animated show does not feature Krang, Bebop, Rocksteady and the Technodrome is that Mirage does not have the rights to those characters. This is not true. We have the rights to those characters and most of the other characters from the old animated series. The reason they are not in the new show has NOTHING to do with rights issues, but rather the fact that I did not want to use them.

---

Yes, led by Karai (taking over from the defeated Shredder).

Max Winters (a Tech-Industrialist) is the main villain. He seeks to revive four 3000-year-old generals who have been turned to stone, and to defeat and imprison 13 ancient monsters. They enlist the aid of the Foot Clan and its new leader, Karai.

In actual fact, it turns out that neither Winters nor the Foot are really villains; in the end they team up with the TMNT to defeat the four generals.

April, Casey, Splinter, and Karai.

Karai takes over leadership of the Foot after the Shredder's defeat. She first appeared in the original Mirage comic series and can also be seen in the 2003 animated series. For more in-depth information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karai

Mirage has published a five-issue miniseries of prequel comics -- Raphael, Michelangelo, Donatello, April, Leonardo -- which serves to flesh out the events leading up to the movie.

Raphael: the story of how Leo leaves on his journey, and how Raph becomes Nightwatcher.

Michelangelo: a lighthearted story in which Michelangelo, as Cowabunga Carl, chases a purse snatcher.

Donatello: Donatello creates a machine that scans for unknown lifeforms, and discovers the 13 monsters.

April: explains how Max Winters hired her to search for the Fourth General.

Leonardo: the story of Leonardo's journey and the path he followed.

Each issue retails for $3.25, and there is also a movie adaptation comic available for $4.99. Please visit your local comic shop if you're interested in finding out more.

Additionally there will be a Collected Movie Books TPB to be released July 7, which collects the 5 movie prequel comic books along with the official movie adaptation. Retail price is $16.

Also, please note that, while the movie is rated PG, not all of the comics are. Each issue fits with the mood of its central character. For example, Michelangelo's issue is a lighthearted adventure story that's suitable for all ages, but Raphael's is considerably more violent.

If you're a parent, please remember that not all comics are for kids; read these yourself before deciding if they're appropriate for yours.

While it is unclear when April quit her reporter job, the prequel comic establishes that she got the archaeology job as a result of her work at the Second Time Around antique store. Max Winters approached her and was impressed by her expert knowledge, so he employed her to seek out the artifacts he was looking for.

It is also worth noting that April was never a reporter in the original comic series or the 2003 cartoon series. For more in-depth information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_O%27Neil

As stated before, the turtles are now 18-19 years old. In the original films they were 15-16 years old. So, in those three years, April has been training under Master Splinter.

Not exactly, but the movie isn't very clear either. The following scenes are presented in the order that they appear:

1) We see Winters overlooking the captured monsters. There are three empty spaces. (10 out of 13 captured)

2) Raphael and Casey witness the Generals capture the flying monster. (11 out of 13 captured)

3) General Aguila told Winters that there are two more monsters left, which is correct by our count.

4) General Aguila then tells the other three generals that they shouldn't find the 13th monster if they want to live forever. In this scene we briefly see the generals forcing some sort of monster with tentacles into a cage. Now, here is where it gets confusing. We could assume that this is the flying monster that they just captured, however the flying monster did not have any apparent tentacles on it. If this was a different monster, then that would bring the count to 12. However, we could also rationalize that either (a) the flying monster did in fact have hidden tentacles or (b) this was one of the previous 10 monsters that was trying to break out.

5) Raphael battles with the Jersey Devil in the diner.

6) Leo is then captured by the stone generals and is used as the 13th monster.

7) Later we see that the Jersey Devil has since been captured off screen along with Leo. (12 out of 13 captured, Leo not counting)

8) At the end of the movie, the 13th monster is delivered via the Cowabunga Carl van to the swirling vortex. (13 out of 13 captured)

So, while there was no blatant plot hole, the 4th scene above makes this questionable.

Munroe said they tried it, but it looked too weird.

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=452590&postcount=224:

---

I knew I'd get this question sooner or later. We actually tried a version of it. It looked okay if you knew the origin of the story. Otherwise, it looked a little strange at first glance. It was a conscious decision to go full-eared. We just added a line about his otoplasty procedure and how it improved his self-esteem, finally enabling him to love again. Aww.

---

Peter Laird was closely involved with the project.

Kevin Eastman was not involved in any official capacity, as he sold his creative stake in the TMNT property to Laird several years back, but claims in a Newsarama interview that he helped with the initial deal and had regular contact with Kevin Munroe during the process.

(Source: http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=127540)

In addition to co-creator Peter Laird being involved, the answer is 100% yes, in a big sense.

The director, Kevin Munroe, is quite familar having bought the original first issue of the comic back in 1985, playing the games when they first came out, and watching the cartoon when it first aired, and being a fan of TMNT since 1985.

The producer, Tom Gray, has been involved with a lot of the media-related turtles stuff, notably the movies, and has been with the overall franchise for quite sometime.

From their interviews is quite obvious that they really get the turtles and have been with them a long time.

All ages. It's rated PG. It's darker and more mature than the previous films, but kids are still the primary audience.

Most people who know TMNT first got to know them through the 1987 cartoon series. As such, there is a very vocal faction of people on this board who want to see a movie that is true to those memories: a campy, comical take on the series with characters like Bebop, Rocksteady, and Krang.

While this formula was a recipe for a wildly successful children's cartoon, it is not what the people making this film want from either a creative or a financial standpoint.

You are entitled to fond memories of your childhood, but Peter Laird considers the original cartoon series a disappointment. And you might too if you went back and watched those cartoons again as an adult -- particularly the later episodes.

It also bears noting that, while successful in the cartoons, this formula is what killed the original movie series. The 1990 TMNT movie was relatively mature in tone and based largely on the original comic series, whereas the second and third movies were more like the cartoon, full of slapstick and camp. The first movie outsold the sequels.

The creative team behind this movie is trying to make it similar to the original 1990 film, or to the 2003 cartoon series: a deep story with complex characters, with lots of (PG) action and some jokes thrown in.

The original TMNT comics were written for adults. They told deep stories and developed complex characters, and were often dark and violent. Fans of those stories generally express disappointment in the original cartoon, the second and third live-action movies, and the current Fast Forward series.

However, most people don't even know TMNT started out as a comic book. Most people know it best as a campy cartoon and a series of live-action movies. The primary audience for TMNT is kids, and that's been the case since 1987.

As such, it is unrealistic to expect a movie with the same level of mature content that the comics had.

However, most fans believe that the original, 1990 TMNT movie, as well as the 2003 cartoon series (prior to the Fast Forward revamp), are reasonable compromises between the kid-friendly and adult audiences. While they toned down the violence and other mature content, they kept the complex story and characters from the comics.

The creative team behind this movie has repeatedly expressed its commitment to making it fit those same criteria and having appeal to younger and older fans alike.

Yes, it is being developed by Ubisoft (Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell) rather than Konami (who developed all the past TMNT games) and has similar gameplay elements found in the Prince of Persia series.

The game loosely follows the events of the movie with various content added in to pad it out (like the Spider-Man movie games). Additionally, the four turtle voice actors reprise their roles for the game.

There is a demo for the PC version, available for download at http://www.fileshack.com/file.x/10211/TMNT+Demo.

You can also watch the video game trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gsziDEjbrQ

There's a brief but very thorough rundown of all the TMNT comics on Newsarama, http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=105939.

The official TMNT website is ninjaturtles.com. It contains the most comprehensive information you're likely to find on all things TMNT, and in addition to summaries of all the comic series (Mirage, Archie, Image, Dreamwave), it has the first ten issues of the original series, as well as Fugitoid #1, available in their entirety for online viewing:

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/one/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/two/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/three/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/raphael/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/four/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/fugitoid/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/five/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/michaelangelo/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/six/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/donatello/pg01.htm

http://www.ninjaturtles.com/comics/mirage/seven/pg01.htm

A new issue will be posted roughly every two months.

The ninjaturtles.com site also has a catalog section at http://www.ninjaturtles.com/catalog.htm -- it's low-tech and requires that you print out an order form and mail it in, but there are some great deals there.

Back issues are also available at comic sites such as nostalgiazone.com.

For current issues of the TMNT comic, including the miniseries that leads up to the new movie, support your local comic shop.

Both director Kevin Munroe and Mirage Studios' Steve Murphy have been posting at forums.thetechnodrome.com.

Munroe's thread: http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=17631

Murphy's thread: http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=17406

The trailers and TV spots are available for your viewing at YouTube:

The teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCa4Ij5fBgM

The theatrical trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMnhf9MDtv4

TV spot #1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=238bg7bPOpo

TV spot #2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfzPIC30Jqw

TV spot #3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejN5v6iBJ-8

TV spot #4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkzFaW9fWOE

High-Definition Versions of the teaser and theatrical trailer can be seen here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/teenagemutantninjaturtles/

Or

http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=8982

Yes, there many pics and/or stills that you can see:

http://filmz.ru/film/2607/photos/ and http://filmz.ru/film/2607/posters/

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/stills.php?id=2642

http://www.superherohype.com/cgi-bin/imageFolio.cgi?direct=TMNT/The_Movie/Movie_Stills&img=

http://kino-express.ru/stills/tmnt and http://kino-express.ru/posters/tmnt

Yes.

There is a 10 minute in-depth preview with interviews and exclusive scenes at YourGeekNews.com:

http://www.yourgeeknews.com/

This preview can also be seen at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4EcMRx5VJw

There is a 4 minute clip shown at www.comingsoon.net:

http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=8982

There was a 53 second clip of a fight scene shown on G4's "Attack of the Show":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0uXLAB9daY

or

http://www.dailymotion.com/altpunkhead/video/x1eyv7_tmnt-movie-footage-g4

12 clips are available for your viewing at ign.com:

http://media.movies.ign.com/media/150/150340/vids_1.html

Yes, there is one. More info on the soundtrack is provided here:

http://www.superherohype.com/news.php?id=5309

TMNT - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Music from the Motion Picture:

01. "Shell Shock" - Gym Class Heroes

02. "Rip It Up" - Jet

03. "There's A Class For This" - Cute Is What We Aim For

04. "Awww Dip" - Cobra Starship

05. "Roses" - Meg And Dia

06. "Bring Me Along" - Pepper

07. "Fall Back Into My Life" - Amber Pacific

08. "Red Flag" - Billy Talent

09. "Walking On Water" - This Providence

10. "Youth Like Tigers" - Ever We Fall

11. "Lights Out" (Chris Vrenna Remix) - P.O.D.

12. "Black Betty" - Big City Rock

13. "I Love Being A Turtle" (score)

14. "Nightwatcher" (score)

Nothing official. While producer Harvey Weinstein said "It's sequel time, dudes" after the film's highly successful opening weekend (source: http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/20070325/117485040000.html), viewership dropped sharply after that and the movie has not been as successful as the studio initially hoped.

Kevin Munroe commented on the Technodrome Forums (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=490850&postcount=503):

---

As for sequel talk, despite the Harvey's enthusiastic quote after opening weekend, there really hasn't been any official talk since. The general feeling is that we need it to roll out worldwide before any big decisions are made. But I know that the games and particularly the toys are selling like gangbusters, so all these things help on top of it. And so even "if" we move forward on a sequel, it'll still be a while before we jump into it. And it'll have to start the same way as before sitting down with Pete and brainstorming and coming up with cool new ideas for the next chapter.

---

It bears remembering that the Weinsteins are well-known for supporting films that perform modestly at the box office, and usually consider a film a success so long as it makes back its budget, which TMNT has. It also bears noting that bigger studios have released bigger failures (such as Hulk and Superman Returns) but are still planning sequels due to the popularity of the characters.

Steve Murphy has said on the Technodrome Forums (http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showpost.php?p=513515&postcount=43):

---

The show's future will be decided following the Licensing Show (in NYC in June). Only then will decisions be made regarding what direction the show would take (assuming, of course, that the show continues).

It is at that point that we will also know whether or not a greenlight is given to a movie sequel. This and the precding point are directly related.

---

The Licensing Show was June 19 - 21, and there has be no solid announcement as of yet. However, Murphy has recently posted news on his personal blog that seems to point to there being a sequel (http://the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com/2007/06/movie-sequel-status.html):

---

As of two weeks ago Imagi Entertainment (the TMNT movie animation studio) informed Mirage Studios that there was a 50-50 chance of a CGI film sequel. Last week they upped the odds to 70-30 in favor of a sequel, as talks between Imagi and their distribution partners Warner Brothers and the Weinstein Group seem to be heading in a positive direction....

---

Clint at Moviehole.com has commented on the films status (http://www.moviehole.net/news/20080319_caffeinated_clint_19308.html):

---

7. TMNT 2 Never say Never, but last I heard, Warner Bros are abandoning their plans to do a sequel to last years Ninja Turtles restart. The plan originally, was to do a further two films the next wouldve seen the heroes in hardshells taking on old foe, Shredder in the series. Some initial work had even begun on the next sequel. After the lacklustre performance of TMNT though, the studio put the sequels on indefinite hold.

---

Murphy has posted news that Mirage may be looking at other studios for another film (http://the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com/2008/05/tmnt-movie-2-update.html):

---

Thursday, May 29, 2008 TMNT movie 2 update

The rumor circulating with regards to the animation studio Imagi and its relationship to the sequel of the TMNT film is, perhaps, true. Below find the official word:

Imagi's unilateral option to produce and distribute a sequel to the 2007 TMNT CG-animated movie expired on April 30, 2008. As a result, while Mirage continues to speak with Imagi, Mirage has begun discussions with several other movie companies regarding the production of a new TMNT film for distribution sometime in the not-too-distant future.

We should have substantial news on this to report by the end of summer. ;)

---

Peter Laird has talked about how they are exploring different options on how to do the next film such as a live-action film with CGI turtles (http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080610-TMNT25-Laird.html):

---

NRAMA: On the film development front, how's it going with Imagi and WB on the sequel?

PL: I'm not sure that we will be working with Imagi on the sequel -- I'd like to, but we're looking into other options. I can't really talk about it in detail, but there are several interested parties we're talking to. One of the things which seems to appeal to everyone is this idea of doing what people are calling a "hybrid" movie -- one where most of it will be live-action, but the Turtles would be very realistically rendered CGI characters. I think that could be, if done correctly, incredibly cool. One thing that I would love to see happen is to try to get Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chris Evans (who performed the voices of April O'Neil and Casey Jones in the 2007 computer-animated TMNT movie) to reprise those roles in a sequel... but as live-action versions of April and Casey. I think that would be wicked cool! As far as I know, at this point they have not been asked, and I have no idea if they would be interested in doing it. I can hope, though!

---

At the Playmates Toys website (the official license holders of the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' license), it is mentioned of a live-action film (http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/07/16/new-live-action-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-movie-in-the-works/):

---

Following the success of the 'TMNT' theatrical release in 2007, Mirage licensing and Imagi studios have begun work on a new live-action TMNT film for 2010. It's the turtles like you've never seen them before! Shellalicious!

---

The Region 1 DVD was released August 7, 2007

The movie comes in DVD as well as Blu-ray and HD DVD/DVD combo formats. The DVD release contains both the widescreen and fullscreen version of the movie on a flip disc, while the high definition formats only have the widescreen version. Audio for all versions is Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as Dolby TrueHD for the high definition formats.

Confirmed special features: Audio commentary by Writer/Director Kevin Munroe, Alternate opening (Splinter Tells the Back Story), Alternate ending with Casey and April, Deleted scene (Mikey Sneaking Food to Splinter), Side-by-Side Comparison of Storyboards and CGI Action, and Interviews with voice talent Patrick Stewart, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laurence Fishburne and Filmmakers

Limited time offers for the DVD are as follows: Walmart will package the DVD along with a copy of the computer game. Target will have a Two-Disc Deluxe Edition that includes an exclusive making of featurette on the bonus disc as well as a different slip cover. Circuit City will give away a free TMNT collectible action figure with purchase.

Further details and cover art can be seen here: http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/tmnt.html

There's also a Deluxe Edition of the DVD available for Region 4: http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/793061

There is Shredder's mask, the Time Sceptre from the third Ninja Turtle film, the Honor Guard helmet from the third film, Walker's hat from the third film, A Mini-Mouser from the animated series, The Honor Guard suit, one of the Honor Guard swords, and Winter's helmet.

Imagi used Maya, with Pixars RenderMan for the production pipelines back-end.

http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=Special%20Features&article_no=3219&page=2