| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | |
|---|---|
| Format | Animated Action Adventure Science fiction |
| Created by | Kevin Eastman Peter Laird |
| Developed by | Lloyd Goldfine |
| Voices of | Mike Sinterniklaas Wayne Grayson Sam Riegel John Campbell Darren Dunstan Scottie Ray Veronica Taylor Marc Thompson Scott Williams Christopher C. Adams David Zen Mansley Sean Schemmel Jason Anthony Griffith Eric Stuart Lisa Ortiz |
| Theme music composer | Norman J. Grossfeld Russel Velazquez |
| Composer(s) | Ralph Schuckett Rusty Andrews John Angier Mark Breeding Louis Cortelezzi Joel Douek John Petersen Pete Scaturro John Siegler John Van Tongeren Russel Velazquez |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 156 (List of episodes) 1 TV film |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | JoEllyn Marlow |
| Running time | 21-23 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Mirage Studios 4Kids Entertainment |
| Distributor | 4Kids Entertainment |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | 4Kids TV (season 1–6), The CW4Kids (season 7) |
| Original run | February 8, 2003 – November 21, 2009 |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated series, mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and ended on November 21, 2009. The series marked the revival of the franchise as a Saturday morning cartoon on Fox's Fox Box programming block (later known as 4Kids TV) The TMNT 2003 TV series was produced by 4Kids Entertainment, and Mirage Studios, which each owned half of the rights to the show, and animated by Dong Woo Animation.[1] The series migrated to The CW4Kids in its final season after 4Kids's contract with Fox ended. Nickelodeon now owns the rights to any future Turtles series.
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In the 2003 TV series, the four Turtles' personalities are in some ways different from the 1987 TV series in an attempt to follow the Mirage Comics versions of the characters more closely. All characters are more complex individuals, and the Turtles have a stronger family bond. The tone is also somewhat more serious with an emphasis on action. The show does not feature nearly as much slapstick comedy or heavy puns as its animated predecessor.
The series covers a large scope of the Turtles' adventures taking them from the sewers, to outer space, alternate dimensions, to the future, and ultimately home once more. The first several seasons focus on the Turtles' battles against The Shredder and The Foot, while the later seasons branch out to include other antagonists.
Leonardo is the leader of the group and as such, the most balanced turtle. He concerns himself mostly with his training and meditation. While this leads him to be the most disciplined of the Turtles, it can also be a shortcoming, as Leonardo has been shown to be a relative workaholic on more than one occasion. He wears a blue mask and favors two Japanese katana swords as his weapons.
Raphael is the hothead of the group. He often lets his anger get the best of him and struggles to cope with some of the tougher issues the Turtles face. He would much rather rush into action than contemplate the best move. Throughout the run of the series, he works on his anger to some degree. He wears a red mask and favors two sai.
Donatello is the intellect of the group. He surrounds himself with technological experiments and often endeavors to retain the enemies technology to make enhanced gear for the turtles. He is responsible for creating the shell-cell (a cell-phone like communicator) and Battle Shell (the Turtles' enhanced tactical vehicle) among other devices. He wears a purple mask and favors a traditional bo staff as his weapon.
Michelangelo is the goofy but lovable Turtle. He concerns himself with comics and horror movies, and sees the world in terms of good or bad, with no gray areas in between. He often refers to he and his brothers as superheroes, often wishing he could join the ranks of his favorite comic book characters. He wears an orange mask and favors two nunchaku.
Splinter, is the mutant rat leader of the entire family, and serves as a father figure for the Turtles. He once was a pet for a renowned martial artist, Hamato Yoshi in Japan. It was from watching Yoshi that Splinter first learned the art of ninjitsu which he then passes on to the Turtles. Splinter often acts as much as a spiritual guide and counselor to the team as he does their teacher. While he does not wield a traditional Japanese weapon, Splinter carries a cane which he can utilize as a weapon (like a bo staff) with fierce proficiency. Unlike the previous animated series, the Turtles often refer to Splinter as their father, rather than their master.
April is the Turtles' closest human ally and "big sister". When they first meet April is working under Baxter Stockman as a technical assistant. April is tech savvy on a level close to Donatello, making them fast friends once they become allies. April often assists the Turtles with recon on various missions. She later offers her apartment to the Turtles as a temporary home. April's apartment is located above the Second Time Around antique store which she owns and operates. April serves as the Turtles first true glimpse into human interaction and helps them learn about the outside world. She later becomes romantically involved with Casey Jones.
Casey Jones is a confidant and friend to the Turtle family. He operates as a vigilante, at first on his own, and then later as a member of the Turtles' extended crew. While at first being more closely aligned with Raphael, Casey quickly becomes part of the family and valuable fighter. When in his full get-up he wears a hockey mask, and utilizes a hockey stick and other sports paraphernalia as his weapons. He takes to April quite quickly, and although she dislikes him initially the two become romantically involved.
The Fugitoid (A.K.A Professor Honeycut) is a robot from a distant galaxy. Originally an alien with an appearance no different from humans and living on the planet Danube, he was forced to take his current form after he was struck by lighting during a storm which transferred his consciousness into his worker robot. He invented a transmatter portal device, which gives the user the ability to teleport anywhere in space. Two warring factions, the Federation and the Triceretons, seek to gain control of the device. This makes the professor a fugitive on the run. When the Turtles encounter him, they attempt to help him escape his fate and keep the device away from both factions.
Leatherhead is a mutated alligator who was taken in by the Utroms when they discovered that their mutagen (the same that transformed the Turtles) had made him sentient. Leatherhead lived with the Utroms peacefully until Shredder's attack forced him into hiding. Some time later Baxter Stockman fooled him into aiding him with a scheme to restore his body. Ultimately, Leatherhead learned that Stockman had ties to the Shredder and wound up fighting on the side of good. As the series progresses he becomes a semi-regular member of the Turtles extended family.
The Shredder remains the main villain for the Turtles throughout most of the series run. He is the leader of the Foot Clan, a secret organization of ninja that seek to take control of the city through criminal activity. The Shredder's empire is functioning at its peak until the arrival of the Turtles. Soon after their arrival and interference, the Turtles become the Shredder's main focus. The Shredder then focuses his efforts on ridding himself of the Turtles using his Foot Ninja to aid him. During the course of the series the Shredder is first revealed to be the killer of Splinter's former master, Hamato Yoshi, and later an Utrom. The Utroms (except for the Shredder, A.K.A. Ch'rell) are a peaceful alien race who crash-landed on earth during the feudal period in Japan. It was then that Ch'rell took on the guise of Oroku Saki, A.K.A The Shredder.
Baxter Stockman is a technical genius and the scientist responsible for creating the mousers: a series of mouse-like robots that can eat through practically anything. While at first it appears the robots were created in order to help control the cities growing rat problem, it is revealed that Stockman created them as a technical resource for the Shredder. Stockman often does his best to win the favor of the Shredder but frequently fails leading to his general torture and ultimate dismemberment.
Hun is the Shredder's muscle, and leader of the Purple Dragons, an urban street gang that Shredder sometimes utilizes. He constantly seeks the Shredder's approval and leads the Foot into battle against the Turtles. He is revealed to have been responsible for the death of Casey Jones's father years earlier, and as such, is a particular enemy of Casey. Later in the series when it appears that the Shredder is gone for good, Hun returns to leading the Purple Dragons as a separate criminal entity, only to return to the Shredder's side when he returns. Hun hates what he calls "freaks", which are basically any being other than a human, even to point of hating and being ashamed of working for Shredder when he discovers master's true form.
The Triceratons are a warring alien race with the appearance of a humanoid triceratops that the Turtles come into contact with when they are accidentally transported across several galaxies at the end of the first season while attempting to find the missing Master Splinter. The Turtles then become a public enemy of the Triceraton's for harboring a fugitive known as the Fugitoid, who possesses a transporting technology that the Triceratons desperately want. The Triceratons wish to use Professor Honeycutt's technology to aid them in their war with a military group called the Federation. Later in the series, the Triceratons invade earth believing that the Fugitoid is still in hiding there when in reality he has gone to live with the Utrom on their homeworld.
The Federation is an alien military organization of human appearance that the Turtles meet when they are in space. The Federation is locked in a war with the Triceratons and both sides seek to gain access to a robot known as the Fugitoid. Professor Honeycutt (the Fugitoid), having created a dimensional portal that would give either side a huge tactical advantage in their current battles, has become the prized object of the war. When the Turtles befriend Professor Honeycutt, the Federation seeks to destroy them for harboring him.
Agent Bishop is a secret government agent tasked with protecting the planet from alien invasion and any other sort of extraterrestrial threat. He first comes into contact with the Turtles during the Triceraton invasion,somewhat later in the series. Although he at first appears to be somewhat of an ally, he in fact wishes to gain access to the Turtles in order to study their mutant D.N.A. Long after the Triceraton threat is over, Bishop continues to hunt the Turtles ultimately becoming one of their main villains for the majority of the fourth season. Bishop allies with Dr. Baxter Stockman and utilizes his technical knowledge in much the same way the Shredder did previously,though their partnership works better as Bishop does not give Baxter "punishments for failure" as Shredder did.
During the show's run, the format was changed several times. The original run of the first four seasons kept the Turtles in their native New York facing The Shredder, The Federation/Triceratons, and Bishop. After the fourth season the show received its first major format change in the "Ninja Tribunal" season.
"Ninja Tribunal" season
This season focused on a new threat presented by another version of the Shredder said to be the original legendary villain Oroku Saki from feudal Japan. The Turtles were then asked by the Ninja Tribunal (a group of warriors who seek to combat this ancient, "Tengu" Shredder) to train along side several human warriors to become strong enough to battle the Shredder. This involved the Turtles gaining new weapons, learning how to channel their chi into powerful projectiles, and finding their inner animal spirit. This season marked the end of the use of the original character designs and format.
Fast Forward season
This season featured a brand new direction as well as a completely redesigned look and feel. The season focused on the Turtles being transported 100 years into the future where they meet and befriend Cody Jones, a teenage descendant of April and Casey's. Cody runs a successful and influential technology company and is its sole heir. The newly formatted show saw a brighter tone than its predecessor, and focused on shorter story lines. Some of the previous shows characters did return, however, including Bishop and Baxter Stockman.
Back To The Sewer season
This season was the last of the show's run. It featured yet another redesign for the entire cast similar to the designs from TMNT and brought the Turtles back into present day New York. The season did feature some returning characters from the Fast Forward season. The main villain for the Turtles as they battle in a cybernetic reality is a cybernetic version of the Shredder.
Turtles Forever is a 2009 TV movie featuring the Turtles and effectively brings an end to the 2003 series. The movie features the revamped character designs from the Back to the Sewer season. The story centers around the Turtles encountering their 1987 animated counterparts who were accidentally transported to the 2003 Turtles' dimension. Both sets of Turtles face off against the villains from both series in an attempt to prevent the Utrom Shredder from destroying all of time and space.[2]
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | February 8, 2003 | November 1, 2003 |
| Season 2 | 26 | November 8, 2003 | October 2, 2004 |
| Season 3 | 26 | October 9, 2004 | April 23, 2005 |
| Season 4 | 26 | September 10, 2005 | April 15, 2006 |
| Season 5 (The Lost Episodes) | 12 | February 9, 2008 | May 3, 2008 |
| Season 6 (Fast Forward) | 26 | July 29, 2006 | October 27, 2007 |
| Season 7 (Back to the Sewer) | 13 | September 13, 2008 | February 28, 2009 |
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