Exclusive! Interview with the 2012 TMNT Voice Cast

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One of my highlights not just of this year's Comic-Con, but of all the 14 years I've attended Comic-Con, occurred this July 13, the day Nickelodeon was most heavily promoting the new TMNT CGI cartoon series. After spending a day full of talking to the press, including the TMNT panel in the morning and a lunchtime autograph signing, that Friday afternoon the brotherhood of Sean Astin, Greg Cipes, Jason Biggs, and Rob Paulsen were on the other side of a table talking to little ol' me.

It had been meant to be a shared roundtable experience, with other interviewers, but the way circumstances worked out I found myself going solo with them. I wasn't quite prepared for that! But luckily they bounced thoughts off of each other quite naturally, which brought out some fun conversation and interesting information.

I had to miss the IDW panel in order to make this appointment, but it was obviously well worth that sacrifice. I took the audio I recorded and produced it into the video below. Enjoy!


A huge hand of thanks to everyone at Nickelodeon, especially the entire voice cast!

TMNT Panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2012

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At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Nickelodeon hosted a panel that gave fans a sneak preview of the new series, as well as a chance to see and hear the new voice actors. After all the panelists were brought out, Executive Producer Ciro Nieli showed us "The Pitch" he had presented to Nickelodeon, which ended up getting him the job. We were also shown an early test clip of animation.

After Ciro's time was up, the new voice cast for the show answered questions from moderator Rich Magallanes, Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon Animation. As we've known, the cast includes Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Sean Astin (Raphael), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Hoon Lee (Master Splinter), Mae Whitman (April O'Neil), and Kevin Michael Richardson (Shredder).

Below is a collection of all the video clips I personally recorded during this panel. I've also inserted some of the animation clips we were shown during the panel. Convention rules didn't allow the recording of these clips during the panel, but Nickelodeon released them online later that day.


Nickelodeon also released online their own recording of the panel, although it's in the wrong aspect ratio and doesn't feature the same awesome handheld qualities as the above video. ;)

New TMNT Series to Premiere Sept. 29

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Nickelodeon has announced that the new TMNT CGI series will debut on September 29, 2012 at 11am. The one hour premiere event will launch the 26-episode season. Nickelodeon also officially announced for the first time three additional members of the voice cast: Mae Whitman as April O’Neil, Hoon Lee as Master Splinter, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Shredder. All three, together with the voices of the Turtles (Jason Biggs, Sean Astin, Greg Cipes, and Rob Paulsen) will be appearing at Comic-Con in San Diego on Friday.

Stay tuned to Ninja Pizza all week for full Comic-Con coverage!!

First Trailer For New TMNT TV Series Now Online

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The first trailer for the new TMNT series is online! Check it out above, over on EW.com, or share it with your friends over on Facebook.

In the trailer we can hear the voices of the four Turtles and can get a better feel for what the animation style is going to be. You can also hear a hint at what might be the theme song, which sounds like a remix of the infamous theme song from the original TMNT cartoon. At the end, the URL www.nick.com/turtles is shown on screen, although that site doesn't seem to be live at the moment.

This is likely the beginning of a publicity force that will be launched in full at Comic-Con in a couple weeks. There should be a lot more goodies in the upcoming months!

TMNT Panel Planned for Comic-Con

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It's been assumed that Nickelodeon would have a strong TMNT presence at San Diego Comic-Con to advertise the upcoming new TV series, and now we've seen a first glimpse at exactly what it is they have planned.

As reported by Variety, a panel for the show will be held on Friday of the convention. Panelists will include the four Turtles voice actors from the show - Jason Biggs (Leonardo), Sean Astin (Raphael), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), and Greg Cipes (Michelangelo) - as well as executive producer Ciro Nieli.

Additionally, the Nickelodeon booth in the exhibitor hall will have visits from TMNT costumed characters, and possibly autograph signings.

Be sure to stay tuned to Ninja Pizza for more Comic-Con details as the show draws near! And, if you can't make it to the Con, Ninja Pizza will have full coverage of everything TMNT throughout Comic-Con weekend, July 11-15.

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Vol. 1 Comes to DVD Sept. 4

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Amazon.com is listing the 2-DVD set Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Vol. 1 as having a release date of September 4, 2012.

With 26 episodes total in the series, this collection should have 13 episodes across 2 discs. And with any luck, Vol. 2 won't be too far behind it.

This set is available for pre-order right now!

TMNT Panel Report from MCM Expo London

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From @TinaMcCannMD on Twitter.

Attendees of MCM Expo London this past weekend were treated to a series of TMNT exclusives and reveals for the upcoming CGI animated cartoon series from Nickelodeon. There are several in-depth reports of the event available online, including Toonzone, What the Shell! Podcast, and some members of The Technodrome.

The panel was hosted by Nick Roche, Rich Magallanes, and Kevin Eastman. Unfortunately, photography and video were not allowed inside. A lot of the information covered at the panel seems to have been stuff we already knew. Here are some bullet points of new and old information:

• The visual style of the series is meant to be a sort of mash-up of CGI and anime.
• A short preview was shown of the Turtles using Mikey as bait for a "killer robot." Mikey ends up running back toward the other three Turtles as he's being followed by head-seeking missiles. Mikey ends up dangling from a beam across from a pizza parlor.
• The Kraang are only able to talk through their robot bodies, and their agenda is to colonize Earth.
• Leatherhead, Baxter Stockman, and Karai will all appear in the series.
• The panel seemed to avoid answering the question if Casey Jones will appear in the series, but we know from previous Mutation in Progress events that they are planning to bring him in for season 2 (but watch the backgrounds for graffiti tags from Casey during season 1).
• Bebop and Rocksteady will not appear in this series.
• In place of "Cowabunga!", Mikey's new catch phrase will be "Booyakasha!" (Ok...)
• While the toys will hit the States in August this year, they won't be out in the UK until January 2013. The show itself should start around October in the UK this year, which should only slightly delayed from its start here in the US.

A trailer for the series was also premiered. Here is how Toonzone.net described it:

Things start with the brothers darting across rooftops of NYC at night before settling in an alley. Mikey is goofing off playing kick the can, which causes his three brothers to angrily shush him in a Teen Titans-reminiscent sight gag. A group of Foot soldiers emerge from the shadows, and Leo's cocky quip is met by several more. The Turtles still emerge triumphant and their demand for a better challenge is met with the sinister mocking laughter of the Shredder. Focus then switched to an encounter with a Kraang, visibly freaking the brothers out before Mikey starts beating it unconscious in another comedy sight gag. Waving his trophy around, he berates the other three for not believing him such a creature existed before it wakes up and latches onto his face, leading Raph to quip, “How can you be proven right and still look stupid?”

And finally, Playmates had some of the new toys on display, including this lineup of Leonardo action figures through the years.

TMNT Season 10 DVD to Include Missing Episodes!

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Yesterday, via TVShowsOnDVD.com, the box art for the TMNT Season 10 DVD was revealed, along with some very exciting news about the two "missing" episodes, "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "Planet of the Turtleoids."

Dear Valued Customer, 

Thank you for your patience. We have confirmed that the bonus episodes, Once Upon A Time Machine and Planet of the Turtleoids will be included in the Season 10 release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  

Thank you,
LionsGate Shop Customer Service

This is very exciting news, indeed! Now, if only we could get them to throw the Turtle Tips PSAs on there as well...

TMNT Season 10 Comes to DVD August 14

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Lionsgate has announced that it will release the final season of the original TMNT cartoon series on DVD August 14.

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo are back in the classic final season that pits turtles from the past and present against the evil Lord Dregg and his minions. Determined to enslave mankind, Dregg will stop at nothing to win: causing a piece of the sun to crash into Earth, opening a giant portal to pull the planet into Dimension X, and even draining the life energy from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Carter soon realizes that the only way to defeat Dregg, Krang and Shredder is to bring the Turtles' past selves to the present...doubling the Turtle power! But will they make it in time before Dregg's invasion is complete? Featuring time-warping serious Turtle muscle, season 10 is a totally tubular finale!

As noted on TVShowsOnDVD.com, the collection will include the 8 episodes of season 10, plus special features that include interviews with animators who worked on the show.

Unfortunately, this release comes without any sign of the two episodes that were indadvertedly left off of any DVD collection, "Once Upon a Time Machine" and "Planet of the Turtleoids." TMNT fans have been trying to notify Lionsgate of this oversight for more than a few years, but they've taken no notice of these requests. Also missing from any DVD collection are the Turtle Tips environmental messages that ran between episodes on CBS.

TMNT TV Preview to Air After Kids' Choice Awards?

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Ever since showing up on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Wikipedia page, the rumor has persisted that we may see a preview of the new TMNT CGI series from Nickelodeon connected to the Kids' Choice Awards, which airs this Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Despite the lack of any official confirmation that this may be happening, there is indication that there could be some truth to the rumor. However, it would not be in the form of a complete episode. If we do see anything, expect it to only be a short clip - probably the same clip that was shown at Toy Fair. It's also likely that the preview won't be during the awards show itself, but directly after it.

Keep in mind that all of this is still just speculation, but if there's any truth to it we will probably hear about it within the next day or so via @TMNTMaster on Twitter and/or the official TMNT Facebook page. Even if we don't hear anything, it might be worth it to schedule your DVRs.

UPDATE:
A Tweet from Kenny Byerly, a writer for the series, indicates that there will not be a preview attached to the Kids' Choice Awards this weekend.

Shout! Factory Acquires DVD Rights for "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation"

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Last year, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation appeared on Netflix streaming as part of a distribution acquisition that included most all of the titles in Saban's library. This was the first time The Next Mutation had appeared in the United States in any format in well over 10 years.

Now, in a DVD distribution deal that consists mostly of Power Rangers episodes, Shout! Factory has picked up the rights for The Next Mutation. This doesn't guarantee that the series will be released on DVD, but it is an important step in making it happen. Here's hoping!

Character Profiles for Nickelodeon's New TMNT CGI Series

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Note: These pictures were removed by Nickelodeon. I'll have them back on the site as soon as I'm able to.

Among the pages discovered during the brief window of time that the upcoming website for the new Nickelodeon TMNT CGI series was viewable (as described yesterday) was a series of character profiles for all of the main characters. Screen caps of all of these profiles are below.

One note about about Shredder's profile is that it mentions that he has an adopted daughter named Miwa. This is interesting because we learned at last year's Fan Preview Event that Splinter, as the Human Hamato Yoshi, had a daughter that was left behind in Japan when he fled to New York. Could Hamato Yoshi's daughter be Shredder's adopted daughter, Miwa?

New Pictures Emerge as Website Launch Nears

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Note: These pictures were removed by Nickelodeon. However, they are still on dozens of other websites, so I'll be putting them back up soon. If Nickelodeon has a problem with this, I ask that they please e-mail me.

Some savvy TMNT fans over at The Technodrome have noticed signs of activity at the URL http://www.nick.com/tmnt, including some elements of what looks to be a website close to ready to launch. These pictures reveal the best look yet at the CGI designs for Splinter, April, the Shredder, and the Kraang, in addition to the Turtles themselves.
Just a handful of the discovered pictures are below; you can view more over on Facebook.
(Note: Facebook followers get these sorts of updates first!)

New TMNT Series Photos Emerge From Toy Fair

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ToyArk.com yesterday uploaded more pictures from the TMNT booth at Toy Fair. This time the pictures weren't of the toys, but of the booth. And among those photos are some really amazing screen shots straight from the series itself! These pics provide a great feel for what the series will ultimately be like - Check out some of the highlights below, and catch the rest of them over on Facebook.

A Closer Look at the TMNT 2012 Toys

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Yesterday's exciting reveal of Playmates' 2012 TMNT lineup was part of a pre-Toy Fair event held in MTV's New York offices. In addition to the pictures we saw, there was also a series of short videos posted on MTV.com. These videos give us some closer looks at everything being offered ... and raise a few questions as well. Let's take a look at what there is to see...

Packaging! Bright and bold colors look quite sleek - Very nice! No complaints here.

Here's all of the loose figures on display. And here's where the questions start...

Yesterday we were shown this AMAZING picture of figures that were quite universally coveted by TMNT fans and toy collectors everywhere. These are not exactly the same as the figures shown last year at the Fan Preview Events, but they're equally fantastic.

Now, look at the above two pictures carefully and you'll see that the figures look nothing alike. Mike's awesome chained nunchucks? Gone! Painted weapons? Nope! Any indications of detailed paint work or the wash seen in the first picture? Nadda! I really hope these aren't the figures that will eventually be shipping, because that will seriously deflate my enthusiasm for them. :(

Moving on, let's take a look at another oddity: Splinter.

Last Spring at the Fan Preview Event held at Nickelodeon Studios, the Splinter we saw barely resembled an action figure, so I can't use that as a comparison to this, but I don't recall any of the images we saw of Splinter having a white face. I really hope this looks better in the CGI designs than it does here.

Here's another look at Splinter next to April. There isn't much to say about April, really, but this is our first good look at her character design for the new series. Obviously it's a radical change from any April we've previously seen.

And here's a closer look at the bad guys, a Foot Soldier, a Kraang alien in an exoskeleton, and Shredder.

In addition to the basic figures, there will also be new figures with "special features" released approximately every six months. The first wave will be "Power Sound FX." These figures look to be more closely designed to resemble the Turtles as we will be seeing them in the new CGI series.

Hey, look. The Leo on the package has only two toes.

And there will also be a Shredder figure with the sound feature.

Playmates is expanding the TMNT line beyond the new Nickelodeon TV series to also include a "Classics" line that features highly-articulated figures based on the Turtles seen in the original cartoon series. If the line sells well, it will be expanded to include more characters and, possibly, more universes. These figures will be in the 6" height range.

There is more to look at and share, but I'm going to break this into multiple posts to keep this from getting too long. Stay tuned for more, and considering Toy Fair hasn't even started yet, there should be more pics and news to drool over during the next couple of weeks!

"Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation" Now Streaming on Netflix

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Well, here's something I didn't see coming. The infamous 1997-98 live action TMNT TV series, which has never seen a proper video release in the United States, is now available on Netflix's streaming service. Saban recently reacquired the rights to its TV shows that had previously been owned by Disney, The Next Mutation being among those shows. And it looks like they don't intend to sit on it. Could a DVD release be in the future?

Despite an over-abundance of odd sound effects, The Next Mutation is a part of TMNT history that's still worth checking out, especially if you've never seen it before.

December Coloring Contest - Two Ways to Win!

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Hello, December - It's contest time! I've been tossing this one around in my head for awhile and I think it should be fun!

This is a coloring contest, so entering is simple - Color one or both of the provided pictures, e-mail it to me, and you are entered in the contest.

"Easy"

"Hard"

RULES!

There are two different categories and two different ways to win. There is an "Easy" category, which is a classic piece of cartoon licensing art from the 90s, and there is a "Hard" category, which is the Eastman and Laird cover to the first TMNT movie comic book adaptation. The winner of the "Easy" category will be chosen at random from all entries received in that category. The winner of the "Hard" category will be my personal favorite entry in that category, judged based on overall skill and style. You can enter both categories, although you can only win one prize package. The pictures can be colored digitally, or print them and color traditionally.

PRIZES!

I am still determining what the prize packages will be, but they will definitely include a TMNT IDW Ashcan comic, a set of basic/common cards from the Upper Deck TMNT TCG, and a Ninja Pizza button. I'm going to try to find something Christmas-y to throw in, too. And maybe an additional surprise or two.

ENTER!

Entries will be accepted between now and 11:59pm PST on December 24, 2011. Entries should be e-mailed to me in either .JPG or .PNG format. Submitted entries will be posted to Facebook on a regular basis as they are received. Winners will be announced on or before December 31, 2011.

DOWNLOAD!

Download the "Easy" picture as a .PSD file, or get the .PNG to print.
Download the "Hard" picture as a .PSD file, or get the .PNG to print.
Download both .PSD files.

The World Trade Center as the TMNT Saw It

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Ten years ago today, the skyline of New York City changed forever. As the Turtles have always called New York home, that lost skyline was often seen throughout all the mediums in which TMNT stories have been told. To reflect on the time before September 11, 2001, here's a look at some of the reminders we are left with of the World Trade Center, as seen through the eyes of a TMNT fan.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

The Twin Towers silently established the location of all three live-action TMNT movies.

TMNT 2: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (1993)