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==Reviews== |
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− | {{quote|Teenage mutant ninja turtles are an acquired taste, like pizza with [[banana|bananas]] and [[pigs|sausage]]. If you haven't already acquired |
+ | {{quote|Teenage mutant ninja turtles are an acquired taste, like pizza with [[banana|bananas]] and [[pigs|sausage]]. If you haven't already acquired the taste for them, based on watching the screechy, [[Michaelangelo (animated)|poorly animated]] kiddie TV show, then you should stay home and teach your kids to read books instead of taking them to see ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', The Movie, The Marketing Concept... |
Despite Jim Henson's overzealous animatronics, the four turtles are basically lithe stuntmen wearing turtle costumes. Their dubbed voices sound like Bill & Ted on another, less excellent adventure.}} |
Despite Jim Henson's overzealous animatronics, the four turtles are basically lithe stuntmen wearing turtle costumes. Their dubbed voices sound like Bill & Ted on another, less excellent adventure.}} |
Revision as of 21:13, 23 February 2007
Released | Mar. 30, 1990 |
Duration | 93 minutes |
Director | Steve Barron |
Written by | Bobby Herbeck (story), Todd W. Langen & Bobby Herbeck (screenplay) |
Music | John Du Prez |
Studio | New Line Cinema |
Rated | PG |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the first theatrifcal film based on the popular comic book characters of the same name, about a group of crime-fighting reptiles who lived in a sewer. The plot condenses elements from the comic books, combined with the lighter touch of the 1987 animated series.
Set in New York City, the story revolves around a mysterious crime wave, which can be traced back to the revival of an ancient Japanese order known as the Foot. Led by the Shredder, the thugs threaten investigative reporter April O'Neil, who receives unexpected aide from the titular turtles. Further complications arise with the kidnapping of mentor Splinter, the presence of sports equipment-wielding vigilante Casey Jones, and the entanglement of a young teen, the son of April's boss, in the Foot.
Jim Henson's Creature Shop supplied the four central characters as well as Splinter. Brian Henson was chief puppeteer and also served as second unit director, overseeing the fight scenes. Two seperate sets of body suits were made. The heavier, more detailed suits were worn by the principal body performers in most scenes, while a lighter set was engineered explicitly for action and stunt scenes. The suits were divided into 15 pieces, and the faces were controlled via motorized cables, located in the shells. This technology, later refined into the Henson Performance Control System, paved the way for such later productions as Dinosaurs, which used many of the same puppeteers and creatives.
The Creature Shop also provided the creatures for the sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze, but did not work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III or the TV series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.
Cast
- Judith Hoag as April O'Neil
- Elias Koteas as Casey Jones
- Raymond Serra as Chief Sterns
- Michael Turney as Danny Pennington
- James Saito as the Shredder
- Jay Patterson as Charles Pennington
- Toshishiro Obata as Tatsu
- Sam Rockwell as Head Thug
- Josh Pais as Raphael/Man in Cab
- Michelan Sisti as Michaelangelo/Pizza Man
- Leif Tilden as Donatello/Foot Messenger
- David Forman as Leonardo/Gang Member
- Kevin Clash as Splinter
Voices
- Brian Tochi as Leonardo
- Robbie Rist as Michaelangelo
- Corey Feldman as Donatello
- David McCharen as Shredder
- Michael McConnohie as Tatsu
Jim Henson's Creature Shop
- Puppeteers: David Greenaway, Mak Wilson, David Rudman, Martin P. Robinson, Ricky Boyd, Rob Tygner
- Creative Supervisor: John Stephenson
- Project Supervisor: William Plant
- Visual Supervisor: Ray Scott
- Designers: Peter Brooke, Nigel Booth, John Blakeley
- Computer and Electronic Supervisor: Dave Houseman
- Suit Design, Fabrication, and Maintenance: Lesja Liber, Xenia Beith, Fiona Cazaly, Marion Keating
Reviews
-- Jami Bernard, The New York Post. March 30, 1990