Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the most recent television iteration of the world's favorite terrapin heroes, generated a lot of buzz when it was first announced. While the show did receive a satisfying conclusion in 2020, it was later announced that an original film would continue where the series left off and introduce several franchise mainstays into the Rise universe. i09 sat down with the co-executive producers of the TV show and film to find out what they thought about the film.
The duo was asked by a Nickelodeon executive to come up with a storyline for a feature-length Rise film. They received a phone call on a Saturday morning and spent the rest of the weekend texting and pitching their favorites. The story that got the green light involved a mysterious stranger arriving from the future, warning turtles that the Krang were going to invade the planet. The team needs Leonardo to lead them against this threat.
The show's creators intended for Leonardo to be the leader of the team. The journey ofLeo is front and center. He is on the arcs as it were.
The movie gave us the chance to do that storyline justice. Everyone else's role is affected by it. Raph was in charge. Raph was the older one. The younger brother suddenly becomes in charge and that changes the relationship.
The shift is going to be fascinating. Longtime Turtles fans know that a franchise staple is Raph butting heads with Leo over the latter's leadership style, something that Ward assured will be a plot point in the film.
The powder keg was always there.
The film allows for the introduction of characters that had not been seen in Rise, allowing them to build the universe as they had always intended to do. The turtles have an ally in the future who comes from the future to warn them of the Krang menace. In Rise continuity, this will be the second time that the intensely energetic Foot Clan recruit-turned-ally is featured.
Ward said thatCassandra was always meant to beCasey. We had to change the location of the reveal from where it was originally going to be. In the movie, we loveCasey. HaleyJoel Osment is a monster. There is a sense of responsibility that may not be front and center in previous versions. There is a bit of the song 'Goongala!' in there. He is not going to be taken lightly.
The Krang, the pink, squidlike aliens who have seen vastly different portrayals from one Turtle to the next, will make their Rise debut. No silly gurgling noises, no comedian voice actors, and no need for human exosuits are some of the things that the classic villains have in common. The Krang are looking for a fight.
The goal was to create formidable adversaries to the turtles. To go toe to toe with the turtles without any help from their Mechs, they had to adjust their proportions and designs. They are not funny about them. The biggest roadblock was the shredder. The people that created the shredder are not the only ones.
"We went so big in the finale that we really had to make sure the Krang were such a threat that the turtles were in for the fight of their lives," said Ward.
Going bigger than ever is the name of the game for this film, taking advantage of the medium to push animation and stories to levels unachievable in tv series format.
The person said that everything is a bit extra. We were budgetarily limited in how we could move the characters in ways. Some of the plotlines and character beats that we had set up in the series, we got a chance to pay off, some of the things we didn't get to do in the series.
Ward said that when they went in to do the show, they were focused on an 11 minute format. You definitely have to make some compromises with the schedule. The movie allowed the characters to breathe and let the epic events unfold in a more traditional way.
The theme of family bonds is what makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles special. The Rise movie will portray this in a more complete way. "As long as we do that, with any story, with any franchise, with any characters, I think it's going to be very popular with viewers." It isn't just a good movie. It's a great family movie.
There is a strong theme of family in the Rise film. The show's staff had to bond together to overcome the Krang-like obstacle that was made during the Pandemic. The crew rose to the occasion.
Ward said he was proudest of the family that he built. By the end of the show, we were such a tight knit family that there was explicit trust at every level of the show.
Everyone was given the power. Every single person on our production crew is promoted by ants and me. It is all about creating family and that is what we did with our team.
Almost two years have passed since Rise aired its last episode. It's possible that interest in the series has waned, but it seems that the opposite is true with the show recently becoming available on the internet. It is nice to see that engagement a few years later. The audience is getting bigger. People are having fun with it.
A lot of people are opposed to changing the turtles. They had a preconceived idea of what it was and why they wouldn't like it. A lot of people say they didn't give it a chance but then watch it. There are a lot of themes in there that appeal to people.
With a growing audience and hype for the movie intensifying, now might be a good time to jump on board the turtle train, even if you don't have a relationship with the franchise.
This is going to be a great way to get to know the Turtles. It will be a satisfying payoff for existing Rise fans. It will be a good movie. It's great for people who haven't seen any Turtles media. It is going to be very funny and action-packed, but also very heart-warming. The journey is a great one. It is going to be a spectacle to watch because it was a journey that was made. I want people to see it.
If the film does well, they would love to continue building the Rise world with a new film idea. They may have some ideas for the Rat King.
The movie Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie will be on the streaming service.
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