Here’s my concept on a Ninja Turtle cartoon that would be aimed at children. Despite what fans say, I really enjoyed Nickelodeon’s Rise of TMNT for what it was. It was a departure from what we got previously within the fandom of the TMNT, but sometimes you need change in order for decades old characters to evolve. It was fast, silly, and focused on comedy over action. Sort of a Teenage Mutant Titans Go! If you will. And the background art and animation was just fantastic.
I decided to take a lot of direction (visually) from what Rise gave us, but coupled it with more traditional character design. The pizza, Ninjitsu, and humor would still be present…but we’re dropping the “teenage” as the Ninja Turtles have been teenagers in every iteration of movie/television media so far. The idea of them being “celebrities” akin to say, Iron Man in the MCU, is another direction that could be explored. Social Media personally run by the Ninja Turtles and media appearances booked and handled by April herself could led to some very humorous and interesting storytelling. Not to mention something we’ve never seen before.
I also think social media could be a very serious danger to younger generations. And certain episodes could deliver the message to young viewers on using this “new” technology safely and responsibly. Akin to the old G.I. Joe or “Sonic Says” safety messages, but updated for a modern generation.
The series being titled “Shell Shocked!” is because that’s exactly what it is to the IP and something I always strive for in my “reimaginings”. Teenage Turtles? Nope. Now they’re adults. Splinter is dead. The Turtles are big celebrities. No Technodrome. No Dimension X. Shredder is a giant mutant freak. Keep shakin’ it up, dudes and dudettes!
The TMNT are one of my favorite close personal characters and have been for decades. Yet I’ve never had “my take” on them. So this little concept was a ton of fun for me to do. I believe the Ninja Turtles are characters that are going to be similar to Scooby Doo or the Looney Tunes. They’ll have their peaks and valleys, but always be around for the new generation. I think the concept of them is so bizarre yet gripping that every little boy (or girl) is going to be gripping an empty wrapping paper tube and yelling “Cowabunga!” for decades to come.
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