Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Is the Most Creative Adaptation Yet

Turtles + radioactive ooze + pizza = gold. Forty years ago, comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird dreamed up that inspired weirdness as the premise for their independent comic book, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a creative empire was born. Comics, animated television series, video games, live-action movies and so many toys. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the franchise is that despite its rigid origin story rules, the Turtles have proven to be particularly pliable when it comes to reinvention for new generations. There’s been no shortage of inventiveness in how to bring the brothers and their world to life. Which means you have to come at the boys with some serious creative intention to best what’s already been done, but that’s exactly what directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, along with producers Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg and James Weaver, have done with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

A visual tour de force of hybrid 2D and 3D animation, Mutant Mayhem is not only the most authentically New York version of the Turtles yet, it’s arguably the most inventive. Rowe, Spears and production designer Yashar Kassai have rendered the brothers as if they’re hand-drawn, complete with messy sketch lines, doodle flairs and a graffiti aesthetic. This is the ultimate paint-outside-the-lines take on the Turtles and it works on every level. Much like this summer’s Nimona and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is swinging for the fences with its story and voice performances to ambitiously, quantifiably shake up the artistic rut that theatrical computer animation has been stuck in for the last two decades. 

Along with the film’s overall look, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem borrows from what its small-screen cousins have consistently done well, portraying the brothers—Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo—as actual teenagers. Here, they’re drawn with wiry, slightly gawky bodies they don’t quite have a handle on yet, which translates into action scenes that have actual stakes as they grow into their potential over the course of the movie. Design-wise, little touches like Donatello’s glasses and Mikey’s braces are beyond endearing and are relatable ties to their kid audience. And that authenticity extends to April O’Neil (perfectly voiced by Ayo Edebiri), who is reinvented to look and speak like a teen from New York, with her own insecurities and strengths that complement those of our heroes.

Another plus is that the brothers are voiced by non-adult voice actors Nicolas Cantu (Leo), Brady Noon (Raph), Shamon Brown Jr. (Mikey) and Micah Abbey (Donnie), who recorded together, and were encouraged to excitedly talk over one another like a gaggle of real, tight-knit brothers would do. It translates into rapid-fire, organic quips and seemingly effortless timing that conveys a rapport that is singular to this iteration. It also elevates the script so that it doesn’t sound like it was written by a bunch of 40-year-olds trying to be hip and young. In fact, there’s a marked absence of lame, nostalgia-laced dialogue as the bros razz, tease and generally comment on the world around them. That natural vibe adds to the comedy, but also reinforces the conceit that these turtles are just oddball kids trying to fit into a world that doesn’t want them.

Speaking of which, “otherness” and the small-mindedness of humanity drives the emotional engine of Mutant Mayhem, not the plot. The script remixes the traditional origin story of the Ninja Turtles in subtle but original ways, especially with regards to Splinter the Rat. Jackie Chan voices their overprotective “dad” who initially found the glowing babies in the sewers and against his instincts, bonded with them. Although he’s also radioactively empowered, Splinter decides to keep his “kids” away from humanity’s ugliness because of his terrible experiences. As they grow up, he forbids them to connect with those he’s certain will destroy him. 

It’s a myopic point of view that the boys bristle against, which sets the stage for a resonant story about inherent biases, empathy and compassion. All of that is carried through into the motivations of the mutant “baddie,” the gloriously strident Superfly (Ice Cube) and his posse of mutants, including familiar faces like Rocksteady (John Cena), Bebop (Rogen), Leatherhead (Rose Byrne) and a trippy, hippy Mondo Gecko (voiced perfectly by Paul Rudd). Cube in particular is fantastic as the foil, because he appeals directly to the brother’s wants, challenges Splinter’s narrow worldview, and demonstrably pokes holes in conforming to any kind of trite black-and-white, good vs. bad storytelling. He evolves into a character that makes the boys question their motivations and the kind of bond they want to have with the Big Apple.

Rowe and Spears have a firm hold on their pacing, especially in how they use comedy to enhance their action beats. They also chart a progression to the brother’s battle prowess that is satisfying and pays off in satisfying full-circle moments. They don’t waste their large ensemble of mutants either, as each is given a moment to shine in the heat of battle, which makes for some clever reveals. There’s also much to be admired in their choice to frame a lot of sequences with hand-held camera blocking, which leans into the unpredictable youth of the heroes that works so well in the gritty New York environs they’re sparring in. The filmmakers are also delightfully experimental throughout the Mutant Mayhem, using inspired live-action inserts, segueing into different artistic styles (including a homage to Eastman and Laird’s comic art) and embracing the asymmetrical character design that gives the film a fresh and energetic looseness. 

Color me shocked that the 2023 adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles immediately rockets to the top of my list of all-time favorite interpretations. But Mutant Mayhem now claims that spot. Rowe and company prove that there’s no strength to the myth of IP fatigue when you have the vision and passion to reinvent with such bold and fun intention.

Director: Jeff Rowe, Kyler Spears (co-director)
Writers: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Jeff Rowe, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit
Starring: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Brady Noon, Nicolas Cantu, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube
Release Date: August 2, 2023

Tara Bennett is a Los Angeles-based writer covering film, television and pop culture for publications such as SFX Magazine, Total Film, SYFY Wire and more. She’s also written books on Sons of Anarchy, Outlander, Fringe, The Story of Marvel Studios and The Art of Avatar: The Way of Water. You can follow her on Twitter @TaraDBennett or Instagram @TaraDBen