Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | |
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Directed by | Jeff Rowe |
Screenplay by |
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Story by |
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Based on | The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Kent Seki |
Edited by | Greg Levitan |
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Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $70 million |
Box office | $180.5 million |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is a 2023 American animated superhero film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. A reboot of the Turtles film series, it was directed by Jeff Rowe and co-directed by Kyler Spears, from a screenplay and story written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Rowe, with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit also credited to the former and Brendan O'Brien to the latter. The film stars the voices of Nicholas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr.,and Brady Noon as the titular team, alongside Ayo Edebiri, Maya Rudolph, John Cena, Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Natasia Demetriou, Giancarlo Esposito, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, and Paul Rudd. Mutant Mayhem follows the Turtles, who, with the help of their new ally April O'Neil, go on a hunt for and face off against a mysterious crime boss, Superfly, and his gang of mutants.
Plans for an animated Turtles film with involvement by Rogen began in 2018. In June 2020, the project was officially announced, with Rogen, Goldberg, and James Weaver producing through their company, Point Grey Pictures, and Rowe as director. Seeking to explore the teenage aspect of the Turtles, the filmmakers drew inspiration from teenage coming-of-age films. The animation was provided by Mikros Animation in Montreal and Paris and Cinesite in Vancouver and Montreal, and was primarily influenced by school notebook sketches. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross composed the score.
Mutant Mayhem was screened as a work-in-progress at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 12, 2023, and was released by Paramount Pictures in the United States on August 2, 2023. It grossed $180.5 million worldwide and received positive reviews for its performances, screenplay, and stylized animation; several critics considered it the best Turtles film. The film received multiple award nominations, including at the Critics' Choice Movie Awards and the Annie Awards. A sequel is set to release in theaters on October 9, 2026, while a follow-up television series, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, debuted on the streaming service Paramount+ in August 2024.