Let’s get this out of the way first: The story beats of this episode match very closely to Turtles Forever. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, “Trans-Dimensional Turtles” acts as a great tribute to that special, especially with the return of all four Turtles and Krangs voice actors. I think the writers of the episode did a great job updating the concept to this TMNT iteration. There were some genuinely funny moments, and the Splinter visit was a tear inducing reunion for the Turtles. This scene was really important, since no other animated series has dealt with the death of Splinter. It firmly establishes the heart this series has, and was an impactful moment for us longtime Turtle fans.
One of the biggest draws for this episode though was the art. While it was cool seeing the new turtles in the old 
cartoon style, the best part was seeing the old Turtles in CGI. The art direction was spot on. The other big draw was, of course, the original voice actors. Getting Cam Clarke, Townsend Coleman, Barry Gordon, Rob Paulsen, and Pat Fraley back together was a real treat, and seeing the personalities of each turtle play off each other was a lot of fun. We got a quick joke off Old Raph and Donnie “sounding weird,” Old Leo screaming “Turtle Power!” constantly, Old Donnie’s deus ex machina inventions, and of course both Mikey’s getting along perfectly and immediately.
It was great to see how carefree the old Turtles are, how ridiculous their fight scenes seem now, and finally getting to see them use their weapons at the end of the episode! I loved how they dialed up Old Raph’s sarcasm, and I love how they tied the current continuity to the old one. Turns out Krang is a Kraang ( a sentence I never thought I’d write), and he was banished to the 2D dimension by Kraang Subprime!
And how could I write a review without mentioning the brief trip to the Turtle Prime Dimension? The motion comic idea was really interesting, and I liked how the OG Turtles didn’t speak. It’s a bold move to trust your humor to deliver exclusively visually, but it’s a gamble I’m glad the writer’s took.
“Trans-Dimensional Turtles” was a fun side quest in the Turtles mission to find the black hole generator pieces. It continued the sci-fi trademarks that are the cornerstone to this season, but it brought the Turtles back to New York City (3 of them!), and an emotional core that helped remind the audience the stakes at hand. It would have been fun to see 80s Casey Jones pop up, and with more time more could have been mined from the theme. All in all though, Trans-Dimensional Turtles” succeeds as a fast paced nostalgic romp through Turtle generations!
What did you think of the episode? Were you happy to see the original voice cast return? If you’re new to the Turtles, what did you think of the history of the franchise? What’s your favorite catchphrase? Cowabunga? Booyakasha? Give me a Break? Turtle Power? Let us know in the comments!
63 comments
i loved the episode and absolutely loved the quip between 87 raph and this donnie and also how they tied together another loose end which was season 2 when we got a brief look at the og turtles with the end of battle for new york as we did know that the worm was sent to the 87 world but we never got a firm conclusion on what happened as tiger claw was eaten by the worm. I also did like how they tied the two shows together, as most writers wouldn’t have gone to that length to explain how the two shows connect, but these writers seem to have grown up on the 87 show, and show how they appricate it, as they brought in irma, who turned out to be kranng subprime, casey, and also before today’s episode yes they had the orignal voice cast, but also season 3, buried secrets had another of the og voice cast as renae jacobs who voiced april o’neil in the 87 series, was the voice of april o’neil’s mom in buried secrets. also it kind of brought a tear to my eye seeing splinter back on screen just for the brief moment and leo desprately wanting to tell him what happened to him and why they were so glad see him. as to me the end of season 3, if your a writer that took some guts to kill one of the most beloved charcters and iconic charcters, as most writers they wouldn’t do that, but these writers i like that there willing to push boundaries, and even though they don’t get emmy’s for writing, the voice dierctor, and sound editors and mixers they got some acknowledgement as in the daytime emmys nick got 3 daytime emmy nods one for voice casting again, which is well deserved as i didn’t even realize until i went to wikipedia that the bigfoot in season 3 was diedrich bader and the person hunting him was jesse ventura. I mean that’s one of the reason’s i love this show, espcially the last two seasons when there arc’s have focused on a certain genere last year first half was horror, they got jesse ventura, robert englund, john kazar, this year it’s been sci-fi, and to set it up at the end of last season they got lance hendrickson, micheal dorn, david tennat, keith carradine, lucy lawless, and even with there heroes in a half shell special kate mulgrew, and i won’t forget ron pearlman. Also i like how they’ve altered or sort of tweaked a characters backstory, like bishop, as when season 2 ended and elf was mentioned you just knew bishop was coming and they introduce as something diffrent instead of bad guy turned good, hes’ always been a good guy, and he’s been part of the peaceful utrom, who want nothing to do with what the krang want to do
I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see some Archie comics only appearances from this series as well as the return of Usagi Yojimbo and Ninjara. I would also like for the Triceratons to enlist, of all people, Tora the Polar Beast and Shogun, to aid Armaggon in helping hunt down the TMNT, specifically, in trying to stop the TMNT from getting the last piece of the Black Hole Generator, and then, after the dust has settled, and when Season 5 begins, for some of the Triceratons to eventually work for the Kraang and the Foot Clan, and ditto for Armaggon, Tora, and Shogun. Also, Playmates Toys, would it kill you to make some boxing glove robot, Tora, and Shogun figures in both 1987 and 2012 forms, let alone a 2012 version of Rodney Roadkill? (Yes, one of them DID appear briefly in the last episode of Season 3 of the 2012 TMNT series as a Kraang invention and it looked much like its 1987 and video game forms, albeit in all silvery steel form rather than being blue and white, though it is unknown if it could have also used electric whips on its targets, as it was only seen for a few seconds before being destroyed by the TMNT.) Finally, when will Tokka or Terrorpin make an appearance? I honestly would love to see them both in this series.
I loved this episode a lot. I loved that part when the 1987 Raph and the 2012 Donnie were like “Why do you have the same voice?”. That part was brilliant. I liked seeing the original voice cast in there. It was a nice tribute to them. ALSO, Leo and the Turtles (2012) saw Splinter, alive. The part where Leo saw Shredder’s blades through Splinter was like “STOP REMINDING US!” Overall, I loved this episode, and I hope it bumps up ratings and viewers again.
The person who was the OG Michaelangelo is actually also the VO artist for Mondo Gecko in the 2012 series.
No he’s not. Mondo Gecko is Michelangelo from the original live action movie not the old cartoon.
No. Mondo Gecko is Mikey from the very first Turtles movie. Townsend Coleman plays 1987 Mikey.
No, I read the credits and it is indeed Townsend Coleman. Fun fact, he also was the lead character in the Fox animated series called “The Tick,” which is also funny. Another fun fact, Fox also did a live action version of “The Tick” starring Patrick Warburton. Patrick Warburton also was the main bad guy (I guess) in the 2007 TMNT movie.
i never really got a chance to see the new version of tmnt. I don’t know what channel or time of day to access it.
It’s on Nickelodeon. IDK what ur TV provider is.
I get YTV, Disney family channel, teletoon, and i think i get nickelodeon…
Oh, ok! Cool!
Is it wrong for me to say I already hate Trans-Dimensional Turtles and prefered Turtles Forever?
Yes because hate is a strong word Robbie. Both iterations are great.
Well, did anyone even see RowdyC’s review of Turtles Forever before seeing this?
I really disliked how they constantly put down the 87 group and how dumb they were portrayed as well.
Though in Turtles Forever, the 4Kids Turtles are as guilty as the Fred Wolf Turtles for their mistakes. Many people may not realize it, but that’s because the fans are focusing too much on the Fred Wolf Turtles. RowdyC pointed out this particular issue. Trans-Dimensional Turtles did not have the same feel as Turtles Forever, as it feels more one-sided, and the problems with the Viacom Ninja Turtles was never addressed or backed up by the Fred Wolf Turtles, which is why I already hated Trans-Dimensional Turtles the moment I saw the “Remix” Trailer.
Oh Phelos was just being a whiny little brat most of the time in that review. He didn’t see the 2003 cartoon and really did give the old cartoon too much credit. Yeah, they were a bit…unsatisfying in Turtles Forever, but honestly, by the final seasons the old Turtles were acting quite a bit like that with how flanderized they were getting at that point. And his points about Shredder in that review really hold no water at all given that there simply isn’t any way that the old cartoon Shredder would match up to the 2003 one since the 2003 one was literally the most evil incarnation there’s ever been of the character.
No, what this Crossover does right is it brings back the proper voices and makes the old Turtles do more respectable stuff. But that’s about it. Other than that the whole Krang-connection is just kinda crap given what we know of the original Krang from the original cartoon. It may not be fair to compare the crossover to Turtles Forever, but I can safely say, if it’d been allowed to have the length Forever did, this crossover still wouldn’t come anywhere close to being as good as Turtles Forever. That felt like the finale of the franchise. This is just some wacky crossover.
Did you even listen to what I said when I say, when I brought up RowdyC? What I’m saying is that Turtles Forever did a much a much better job than Trans-Dimensional Turtles! Yes, I know it’s dumb to compare a 1-hour special to a half-hour special, but, come on, does Viacom really care? This is the same company that gave us a FOP half-hour episode featuring Chloe and try to call it a special. And guess what, not many people liked it.
The reason I have an issue with Trans-Dimensional Turtles was when they showed Splinter being reunited with his sons, but then when he sees the Fred Wolf Turtles, he was like “WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOU DONE, YOU DISOBEDIENT CHILDREN!?!?”, because that’s what they made Splinter act like in the Viacom version of the series, making Splinter an aggressive parent. Give the other shows credit, their portrayals of Splinter were less crazy than this version. And yes, Splinter does show discipline to his sons, but he’s not as harsh as Shredder. When I see Splinter, I think of someone who meditates and tries to be positive, someone who doesn’t want revenge on anyone… and even if he does, it’s just to protect his family with the Turtles. With the Nick Turtles (which is a Tax Scheme, BTW), I can’t buy into this, because of how Mean-spirited Splinter can be, and I don’t know if I want to have the Turtles be treated that way or not… or that I don’t want to watch the series if they’re going to do that… the worst example is that I can’t root for anyone, when Splinter gets killed by Shredder, thus having Shredder being killed off without having a second thought.
I don’t care for Trans Dimensional Turtles either. I was just giving my opinions on why I thought it was a pretty bleh episode.
I’m sorry, it’s just that… why are people liking the Nick Turtles series if it’s a tax scheme?
Coupled with “Turtles Forever,” one can conclude that they are merely two parts of a whole. The evidence is pretty strong and I already laid it out in a previous comment.
Oh, okay. Looking back into your comment, that further proves my point of how Viacom doesn’t give a fuck about the Franchise anymore! I didn’t notice the “That’s about it” part, because yeah, that’s the big issue. Trans-Dimensional Turtles got the original cast, but badmouthed the original show too much, Turtles Forever didn’t get the original cast, but didn’t badmouth the original show that much (as many people would think).
yep. I agree.
I agree with you.
Yes.
you also have to consider that turtles forever was an hour and a half long movie, while this was just a standard episode from the series. So its not entirely a fair comparison. its also just amazing that this got made where as its not as surprising that turtles forever got made.
Did you even see RowdyC’s review of Turtles Forever?
Me sound weird? Heard yourself lately?
Lol, lol
I liked this episode except for one thing, namely a few issues that everyone has overlooked. In “Turtles Forever,” Krang stopped the Ch’rell Shredder (whom, ironically, also grew huge, just like Krang did in the cartoon that you mentioned, as well as the 1987 series, Archie comics, and arcade/video games from destroying dimensions, yet he seeks to do the same thing that the Ch’rell Shredder did in “Turtles Forever” in this cartoon (“Trans-Dimensional Turtles”).
1. Why would Krang want to stop the Ch’rell Shredder from doing what he did in “Turtles Forever,” yet do the exact same thing himself?
2. Since Ch’rell Shredder was a rebel Utrom that became evil, then would that not also make Ch’rell Shredder a Kraang by default?
3. Why was the 2003 TMNT dimension omitted from this series?
1. Because they didn’t pay much attention when making the plot of this episode. If they were trying to keep the story correct at all Krang wouldn’t be related to the Kraang to begin with given that he looks the way he does in the original cartoon because he lost his body when he was banished from Dimension X for being an evil warlord there.
2. Kraang and Utroms don’t both exist in any universe together so far aside from the new cartoon. Ch’rell is just an evil Utrom. Kraang are 2012 Utroms under a hive mind control from an Utrom named Kraang Prime.
3. Probably because it’s more recent or doesn’t have as much nostalgia as the others.
I figured out how things went and the answer is simple. What happened in “Turtles Forever” must have happened AFTER what happened in “Trans-Dimensional Turtles” because Ch-Rell, whom, by the way, is an evil Utrom that could technically be considered a Kraang himself, though retroactively, that is, through retroactive continuity, anyway. Krang knew that, as a result of what Kraang Sub-Prime did to him, he had to go stop Ch’Rell/Shredder (TMNT 2003) from taking over all of the dimensions. However, due to a combination of the 2012 Turtles not being invented yet (as in through the real world), and the fact that the 2012 Turtles kind of had their Earth already destroyed at the hands of the Triceratons, not to mention that they were also busy trying to get the Black Hole Generator (of which they were also trying to do at that time of “Trans-Dimensional Turtles” anyway), they could not participate in the events of “Turtles Forever,” thus they did not appear in that storyline. Also, one could also argue that Ch’rell was also likewise banished by both the Utrom AND the Kraang as Krang was, but that since he was FAR more dangerous, vindictive, and possibly backstabbing in a Starscream (from Transformers) sort of way to the Kraang AND Utrom, he was sent to the 2003 Turtles dimension. This event also may have caused things to tip in favor of the Triceratons when they obtained all three part of the Black Hole Generator in the most recent 2012 Turtles episode. Finally, as for the existence of the Utrom in the 1987, Mirage, Archie, 2003, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, and upcoming movie Turtles universes, the answer to that is simple and that is there were unknown and unaccounted for survivors of the war between the Kraang and the Utrom, thus 2012 Bishop was unaware and possibly incorrect when he said that there were around only a hundred or so Kraang that were left of his species. Those hundred or so Kraang that were left were actually the hundred that somehow managed to stay together in the 2012 Turtles dimension and the other Utrom have lost contact with 2012 Bishop. Now, given the fact that Krang is trying to stop Ch’rell from making the same mistake that he nearly made, I would easily say that “Turtles Forever” was an attempt by Krang to get on the good graces of Kraang Prime and Kraang Sub-Prime once again. Does that seem to make sense to you, given the evidence and how things unfolded in both storylines?
“Kraang Sub-prime?” “No! Megan Fox!” Hillarious, this episode was incredible
Hey! I resent that!
LOL!
Hey! thanks for following and all the upvotes!!! It’s great meeting people who like to discuss my favorite heroes!
Do u have a WattPad?
nope. sorry. never heard of it actually
It’s this website where you can read and create stories.
i would like to join, that is er…if i’m allowed to join it. As a matter of fact i’m already apart of one. it’s okay.
*feeling left out* But…but…number 1, you said i could only talk to you about tmnt topics. *walks away sad,hangs head down* *looks back one more time, then walks away sad*
I never said that! TMNT, prefferably, but talk with me about anything!
Hey! : ) you’re on right now. Cool…!
So, Pyrenees Gal, i am apart of a story site as well.
Which site?
I’m on ” Fan fiction . net” , but it allows all sorts of fans to write. For example if you like bugs bunny and tweety show you can write a fan fic for that, if you like spider man you can write about that too.
WattPad’s like that, too! U can do FanFics and all that other stuff!
Wow…! Neato. ^_^ (symblo for excited giggle)
Yeah, but I’m a little busy right now.
I’d love for you to read my story, since it’s a crossover between TMNT 2012 and Minecraft.
sounds cool! I love minecraft! not nearly as much as tmnt though lol!!!
Plz get an account! I’d love for you to read it!
wha…stories…?
T-M-N-T! What ya get is what ya see!
When the Mirage Turtles appeared, I was like “WE HAS HIT THE JACKPOT!”
EXACTLY!
it was good but just too short, they should have at least make it an hour special, because we would like to also see april, splinter and maybe shredder interact with each other, but of course, you cannot fill it all in a 20 minutes episode
the whole thing about krang being cousin of kraang subprime does not really make since, since we know that krang in 1987 series was a bodiless brain and we even saw how he looked like before he lost his body in one episode
and finally, this is something I noticed way back in Wormquake in the ending scene – for some reason, the voice actors for donatello and michelangelo were switched, you can even see that in end credits, but I never saw any review mentioning this
I wanted it to go longer! I love the 1987 Turtles & 2012 Turtles together! MORE, NICK! MOOORE!
I love this episode. Hearing the original actors playing their roles was awesome. Even better than their replacements from Turtles Forever.
I thought it was a pretty…underwhelming episode. I mean on one hand it’s nice to get to see the different art styles, but on the other…there’s just so much…wrong in my eyes that it becomes kind of annoying. I know it was all just some excuse to do a crossover, but it makes NO sense that the Krang of the original cartoon was some bumbling idiot banished by other Kraang from Dimension X when his Dimension X is nothing like the one in the newer cartoon and when he was banished to Earth for being an evil warlord that made Dimension X horrible and got his body taken away from him resulting in him being the brain he is in the show. Also doesn’t make sense that, between the old cartoon Turtles and the comic Turtles, neither set would recognize each other from Turtles Forever or vice versa.
Like I said, just some excuse plot to get em together, but really, REALLY lazily done. And the animation in the original cartoon universe is rediculously choppy and boring to look at in this crossover. In fact…no one from the old stuff looks quite right to me. And when they get to the “3rd” dimension Krang just becomes an absolute mess to look at. It’s like a parody of what he’s supposed to look like.
Yeah, and you know something’s wrong when you see “the Four Muske-Turtles” had a clip showing a possibility that Krang might be an Utrom; which would mean you know that something is wrong when you’re making Turtles Forever look like the better Crossover.
I want more trance-dimensional EPISODES!!!!!!!!!! We are missing 80’s version April, Casey, and the other Turtles have friend with including those that only got one shot like Mona Lisa and Mondo Gecko. I am left suspense what happen during the battle with Tiger claw with Donny still have the portal gun. Oh they should meet up the 2003 version. IT WAS TOTALLY RADICALLY AWESOME!!!!
This should be rated 11
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