3.9 Million Watch TMNT Premiere Episodes; Series Renewed for 2nd Season

Tweet

TV by the Numbers has reported that approximately 3.9 million people watched the premiere episodes of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series this past Saturday, September 29. Of those 3.9 million, 2.1 million were in the important demographic of kids ages 2-11, and 837,000 of them were boys ages 6-11.

While we've known since Toy Fair that Nickelodeon is committed to making new episodes of the series through at least 2015, and production of the second season is already underway, TV by the Numbers also reports confirmation that Nickelodeon has green lit 26 episodes for season two.

Saturday's episodes garnered largely positive reviews, and the viewing numbers made it the number one kids' program on basic cable. New episodes will continue to air on Saturday mornings at 11am EST/10am CST.

Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons With Ciro Nieli

Tweet

In honor of the premiere of the new TMNT cartoon series, this week's episode of Talkin' Toons has Rob Paulsen (Donatello) chatting with Executive Producer Ciro Nieli.

Get it now over at RobPaulsenLive.com!

TMNT 2012, Episodes 1 & 2: "Rise of the Turtles" Parts 1 & 2

Tweet

The time is finally here! Yaaaaay! And this just in: Nickelodeon will preview episode 1, "Rise of the Turtles: Part 1" TONIGHT in prime time!! The scheduled time is 8pm Eastern/7pm Central. Check your local listings if you live in a different time zone.

And then, get the breakfast pizza ready when the show officially premieres with two back-to-back episodes Saturday morning at 11am Eastern/10am Central (check your local listings in other time zones).

Here are the TV Guide summaries of these episodes...

Episode 1: Rise of the Turtles Part 1 (Watch online!)
Four sewer-dwelling turtles go above ground for the first time and rescue a teenage girl and her father from a near abduction in the series premiere of this CGI cartoon about heroic reptiles.

Episode 2: Rise of the Turtles Part 2 (Watch online!)
The turtles get caught up in a complicated conspiracy shortly after venturing above ground for the first time.

Yeah, it's not much, but I think all of us are more concerned about actually seeing this show finally.

Happy viewing, everyone!

Press Buzzing About New TMNT TV Series

Tweet

Nickelodeon has been busy parading the TMNT around to the media to promote the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, which premieres this Saturday! Here's a look at what the Turtles have been up to and what people are saying about the show.

The Turtles Visit CBS New York:


And check out these spiffy photos from the Turtles' day in NYC.

The New York Times:

Now comes Nickelodeon’s back-to-basics remake. The theme song is still there (albeit slightly more urban sounding). A plan to have Splinter die was scrapped. April, the Turtles’ human friend, will not suddenly be African-American, as envisioned at one point. Early on, Nickelodeon nixed a drastic proposal to send the Turtles to a Hogwarts-type school.

(Wait, what?)

Den of Geek reviews the first two episodes:

The thing about The Rise of the Turtles that impressed me most was the high standard of writing. The episodes are very funny. We get jokey dialogue, slapstick and humorous visual effects, and, for the most part, they really work.

IGN declares a balance between comedy and action:

When it came to the fighting on the show, Nieli said, “The violence never goes to a place that’s excessive. The Turtles are acting in the greater good, but they’re justified. This is a kids show. It’s not that violent.” Astin, a parent himself, said he felt Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was, “Fun and age-appropriate and I’m totally comfortable with my kids experiencing it.”

Media Life Magazine declares TMNT "Still Cool":

The turtles are visually indistinguishable until one sorts out their mask colors and customary weapons. But the voice actors and writers succeed in giving them distinctive personalities, even if those personalities are familiar kid-TV types.

Animation Magazine talks to Executive Producer Ciro Nieli:

Throughout the roughly 14-month development period, Nieli and his crew focused on fine-tuning the storytelling and character dynamics using 2D methods. The producer and two other artists also crafted a 2D “proxy pilot” which lead to the series’ greenlight. Nieli shares that although the subsequent CG production has been “a constant learning curve,” he’s found the new medium rewarding.

Two Days Until TMNT TV Series Premiere!

Tweet

We're down to two days to go until the premiere of the new TMNT cartoon series on Nickelodeon! And Nickelodeon is feeding us with clips and promos to get us pumped for the big day. Here's a peek at some of them.

Mutation Day:


Leadership:


April Gets Kidnapped:


Discovering Pizza:

Nickelodeon Universe Hosting TMNT Premiere Celebration Sept. 29

Tweet

As detailed in the flyer to the left, Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, will be hosting a Premiere Celebration for the new TMNT cartoon on Sept. 29.

The celebration will be from 1-6pm, which gives you enough time to check out the premiere episodes (at 10am in MN - check your local listings) and head over to the mall for some fun!

TMNT Season Pass Now Available in iTunes

Tweet

For those who don't have cable (or even those who do), you can now order a season pass for the new TMNT cartoon series through iTunes. You'll get all 26 episodes of the first season for $29.99 in HD, or $24.99 in SD.  Episodes should be made available on the same day they air on Nickelodeon, starting September 29.

Even if you don't want to buy the episodes, there are some free videos available for download right now. Click the button below to get 'em!

GetGlue Sticker Available for New TMNT Series

Tweet

Yesterday, Nickelodeon released a "Coming Soon" GetGlue sticker for the new TMNT cartoon series. Check in now to earn this sticker, and watch for more to come!

About GetGlue:
GetGlue is a social network for entertainment. Users check-in and share what they are watching, listening to and reading with friends; get fresh recommendations, exclusive stickers, discounts and other rewards from their favorite shows and movies.

Win Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation on DVD!

Tweet

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation Vol. 1 is on DVD today! Woohoo! You could go to your local retailer or Amazon.com to pick it up, OR you can win it!

The kind people at Shout! Factory have given me 5 copies to give away. There are three ways to enter to win, and you can enter each way!

Facebook: Like and share this photo to win!
Twitter: Retweet this tweet to win!
E-mail: Send an e-mail to win!
(Please include your full name.)

The deadline to enter is Sunday, September 9, 2012 at 11:59pm PST.

One winner will be chosen from each entry method. The winners of the remaining two DVDs will be chosen at random from all entries received via all methods.

There are no geographic restrictions on who can enter and win. However, this is a Region 1 NTSC DVD, so please do not enter if you cannot play this kind of DVD. There are no prize substitutions.

Winners will be announced within two weeks of the end of the contest.

Good luck, everyone!

Original TMNT Cartoon Cast Reunion Podcast Now Online

Tweet

The audio recording of last week's original TMNT cartoon voice cast reunion extravaganza is now available to download as an episode of Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons Podcast.

Get it now over at RobPaulsenLive.com!

Complete Original TMNT Cartoon Series on DVD November 13

Tweet

Season 10 just came out a couple weeks ago, but if you've been slacking on picking up Lionsgate's releases of the original TMNT cartoon series, you'll probably be interested in the special complete series package planned for November 13, pictured above.

As announced on TV Shows on DVD, the 23-DVD set comes with a plastic Turtle Van storage case. It is priced at a quite reasonable $99.99, although it'll probably be available for less through discount retailers.

The pictured box states that there are over 3 hours of bonus features, however, at the moment no information is available on whether the content of the discs is identical to what has already been included on the existing releases, or if new content is planned.

TMNT Original Cartoon Cast Reunites August 24

Tweet

A live recording of Rob Paulsen's Talkin' Toons podcast on August 24 will see the reunion of almost all of the lead voice actors from the original TMNT cartoon series. Currently scheduled to appear are Rob Paulsen (Raphael - duh), Barry Gordon (Donatello), Townsend Coleman (Michaelangelo), Cam Clarke (Leonardo), Peter Renaday (Splinter), and Renae Jacobs (April O'Neil).

The show will be at the Jon Lovitz Comedy Club in Los Angeles at 8pm, August 24. Buy tickets now!

Exclusive! Interview with the 2012 TMNT Voice Cast

Tweet

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

Tweet

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

Tweet

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

Tweet


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

Tweet

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

Tweet

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

Tweet

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!

Tweet

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...