TMNT (film)

This article is about the 2007 film. For other entries in the franchise, see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (disambiguation).
TMNT
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are placed posing on a cloudy night sky background with the moon in the center.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKevin Munroe
Written byKevin Munroe
Based onCharacters created
by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman
Produced by
  • Thomas K. Gray
  • Galen Walker
  • Paul Wang
Starring
CinematographySteve Lumley
Edited byJohn Damien Ryan
Music byKlaus Badelt
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • March 17, 2007 (2007-03-17) (Grauman's Chinese Theatre)[2]
  • March 23, 2007 (2007-03-23) (United States)
  • March 29, 2007 (2007-03-29) (Hong Kong)
Running time
87 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Hong Kong
LanguageEnglish
Budget$34 million[3][4]
Box office$95.6 million[5]

TMNT (abbreviated from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is a 2007 animated superhero film written and directed by Kevin Munroe in his feature directorial debut and based on the characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. The first animated film in the franchise,[6] it features the voices of James Arnold Taylor, Nolan North, Mitchell Whitfield, Mikey Kelly, Mako, Chris Evans, and Sarah Michelle Gellar, with narration by Laurence Fishburne. In the film, after having grown apart following the final defeat of their arch-enemy, the Shredder, the four Turtles, Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo are set to reunite and overcome their faults to save the world from evil ancient creatures.

Development and pre-production for TMNT began in June 2005 at Imagi's Los Angeles facility and the animation was produced in Hong Kong, followed by post-production in Hollywood. Munroe chose to produce the film in CGI animation as opposed to live-action like the prior Turtles films, in an effort to make it easier for audiences to suspend their beliefs. When writing the film, Munroe wanted to divert away from the lighthearted elements of the franchise and put a heavier emphasis on the darker tone of the original comics. The animators that worked on the fight sequences were inspired by Hong Kong action films.

TMNT was released theatrically in the United States on March 23, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures, and internationally released with The Weinstein Company and in Hong Kong, on March 29 by Golden Scene. The film was a commercial success, grossing $95.6 million worldwide against a budget of $34 million. However, it received mixed reviews from critics. Planned sequels were cancelled after Nickelodeon acquired the franchise in 2009, rebooting the film series with the live-action film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014.

  1. ^ a b c Pamela McClintock (May 7, 2007). "Duo divvy up 'Ninja' world". Variety. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "2007 – Chinese Theatres". TCL Chinese Theatre. Archived from the original on November 26, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  3. ^ Joe Strike (March 23, 2007). "TMNT: The Turtles More Animated in CG". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on May 3, 2007. Retrieved March 23, 2007.
  4. ^ Martin A. Grove (March 31, 2007). "$35 million budget puts TMNT on road to profits". Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved March 31, 2007.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Armstrong, Josh (August 19, 2014). "Director Kevin Munroe revisits Imagi's TMNT franchise". Animated Views. Retrieved January 5, 2023. "The memento wall was a way to try and have TMNT play in continuity with the earlier, live-action films," explains Munroe. "I probably would have done a complete reboot if presented with the idea. But Pete was pretty adamant about not doing a reboot while not necessarily having TMNT play with the rest of the franchise. So, I just took a stand and said, 'Yes, TMNT exists with the other films.'"