This past weekend at New York Comic Con, I had the pleasure and honor of meeting Rob Paulsen! He was kind enough to record this special message for our readers. Please check it out!
The train kept rolling this week, as we got answers to many of the questions from last week’s episode. “Heart of Evil” showed us where Shredder’s heart has been all this time, who has it, and what it means to the larger crime channels of New York. We also received a larger show of the cracks forming between Kavaxas and Tiger Claw. There is definitely more to the Shredder’s resurrection than meets the eye.
We were also treated to a very different side of Donatello. Overall, there has been consistently good character studies in this show, and it’s really interesting to take a look at what Donnie becomes when he’s angry. Obsessed even. Pulling this out of the trauma he received from Don Vizioso the last time we saw him was a perfect opportunity. Turns out, Donnie can be a real badass when he has a really good reason. It had the extra effect of showing more cracks in Leo’s role as sensei, and we had a nice touching moment between them at the end of the episode.
Don Vizioso and his mafia continue to be interesting additions to the show. It’s a great foil to see how the normal criminal elements of the city react to ninjas and mutants and demon dragons. Still, Vizioso isn’t quite normal, which makes him a fun character. The constant eating, the M.O.D.O.K. like flying chair, and his exaggerated gangster speech all add up to a humorous send up of movie mafia culture.
The family also gave the creative team the opportunity(?) to show just how evil Kavaxas is. He was killing people left and right in the ambush scene! I’m definitely going to miss The Hammer. What a ridiculous character.
The whole episode was a triple threat battle for the heart of Shredder. Don Vizioso took it after Shredder’s death, as a show of power in the city. I enjoyed how his enforcers all thought it was gross that he just kept it on the table while he ate (which is all the time). Vizioso’s line about gaining the power of your enemy by consuming their heart, really made it sound like he was going to eat it, but apparently even he’s not that gross. The episode even joked about this later on with Bebop riffing on him.
It was also interesting to see just how the Turtles are trying to deal with Tiger Claw and Kavaxas. Normally, any reconnaissance mission the group does is just a way for the writers to get the heroes in  a place for a battle. This time, however, Raph and Mikey (of all people) were actually successfully spying on the bad guys. They never gave away their position! It’s hard not to feel proud of both of them.
No, this time the conflict came squarely from Leo and Donnie, and Donnie’s desire for revenge. I spoke to this a little before, but it really is fun watching these two bang heads. Donnie is angry, but his analytical mind is still there. He’s got a grudge, but he wants to get rid of the anti-mutant weapons. When Leo tries to get him to focus, he just looks at it as multi-tasking. It’s a different kind of anger than Raph, and it’s just another example of how well this show really gets each turtle. Plus, did you see that grin on Raph when Leo was scolding Donnie? That’s some comedy gold, right there.
There was also the subplot of figuring out how to stop Kavaxas. The fight over the seal was really well done. Kavaxas wanted the seal for his freedom. April, Karai, Raph, and Mikey, wanted it to try to control Kavaxas. Tiger Claw needs it to maintain control. It was a visually interesting fight, with clear stakes. Mikey’s injuries at the end only highlighted those stakes, and reminded us how formidable Tiger Claw is. Plus, it’s setting up April for a big moment down the line, when she finally figures out how to harness her abilities and the seal in tandem.
“Heart of Evil” was another solid episode in the Kavaxas arc. With Shredder’s revival at the end of the episode, the stakes couldn’t be higher. It’s obvious now that Kavaxas’ own plan relies on Shredder’s resurrection as well, and it will be interesting to see what actually steps out of that coffin. Will it be Super Shredder? The original Shredder pre-mutation? Maybe it’s a vessel for Kavaxas himself? Obviously there is power in Shredder, and Kavaxas has a great interest in it. “Heart of Evil” did a great job of boiling that interest, and setting us up for what will hopefully be an explosive episode next week!
I’m ashamed to admit that this video flew under my radar last week, but it’s time to make up for that. Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman have a habit of posting some pretty interesting behind-the-scenes footage on their social media pages. Sometimes these posts can even reveal information that won’t be shared with the general public for several months, so it’s definitely nice to get a sneak peek. That being said, it wouldn’t be fair to characterize this video as something you will definitely see in the animated series at some point. Instead, take it as read that this was just a fun little side project that Nieli and his team created for themselves and the fans.
With that out of the way, can we talk a little bit about Apritello? For those who haven’t been paying attention to this animated series, it might be surprising to learn that Donatello and April have had an on-again, off-again “thing” for each other. Of course, this being a show aimed at younger audiences, they never really pushed the concept too far. At best, we’ve seen Donny pining over April and getting rejected pretty much every time. Whether it be the fact that the censors most definitely would not allow this kind of relationship or the likelihood that parents might not want their kids watching such a show, there are several reasons that this “ship” has never fully developed.
Until now.
You see, now that we know the series is coming to an end, it would seem that the animators and creators behind Nickelodeon’s TMNT can finally play with the concept a little bit behind the scenes. One look at the video above will show you exactly what happened when Apritello officially became a thing in the studio. The reaction is priceless, and the results definitely made my jaw drop. If you were worried that we might never see what would happen between these two, now you can rest easy knowing that the team behind this cartoon has definitely explored the possibilities!
Say what you will, but this has definitely been a long time coming. Personally, I don’t think the world really needs to see this actually come to fruition – but I suppose it’s a possibility that we’ll see this either at the very end of the series or as a DVD extra at some point. Whatever happens, I’m glad Nieli decided to share this video with the world.
Is this the moment you’ve been waiting for? Are you happy to see Apritello finally develop, even if it was just the product of the animators having fun behind the scenes? Share your thoughts either in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter.
One could easily make the case that Rob Paulsen represents the voice of a generation. One look at his IMDb profile will show that he has lent his voice to just about every project imaginable. Although shellheads will know him best for his roles as Raphael in the original animated series and Donatello in Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, he has done a lot of notable work throughout his career. His voice is instantly recognizable to most as that of Yakko Warner from Animaniacs, and he also provided the unique vocal stylings for a lovable little lab rat named Pinky.
Fan art created to show just a handful of the characters that Rob Paulsen has helped bring to life.
Knowing there would be questions, Rob quickly went about the business of answering as much as he possibly could. He stated that he didn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want his fans to worry about him when there are children out there going through far worse situations. The very idea that someone would feel upset about his predicament seemed to upset him a little, as he felt he had lived a long and happy life – that his situation was far more preferable to that of a child who might not see their next birthday. That being said, it was clear that he was very appreciative of everyone who has supported him over the years and he owed a lot of his success to his fans.
Near the end of the episode, Rob became a little choked up when he thought about how lucky he had been and how much he loves meeting his fans. The irony of getting throat cancer was not lost on him, but he was just happy to have received the care necessary to save his life. Unfortunately, the chemotherapy he underwent has had the affect of making it more difficult to produce saliva, and his taste buds are apparently out of order as well. Although he can’t taste very much right now, he still had enough of a sense of humor to suggest that cheez-its are among one of life’s greatest joys – among other significant experiences such as kindness and passion.
Rob Paulsen hanging out with Donatello.
As shocking as this news is, I’m sure we’re all happy to hear that Rob has officially beaten the disease. During the special episode, he expressed a desire to bring on more guests and retool the Talkin’ Toons podcast. I’m legitimately excited to see what he does next, and I’m so happy to hear that he is alright. Despite his struggles, Rob keeps moving forward and making plans for the future. Perhaps we could all learn a lesson from him and try our best to keep moving forward as well.
If you want to hear the entire podcast for yourself, please click here to listen to the entire 26 minutes of harrowing humility. Trust me – you won’t regret it.
Are you happy to hear that Rob Paulsen is still with us? Will you be listening to his podcast more frequently during the coming year? Share your thoughts and feelings either in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter.
I know what you’re going to say: “Haven’t we seen this already?” The answer is yes – you have probably seen this 90’s Donatello figure many times. That won’t stop NECA from showing off their latest TMNT collectible in a variety of different poses.
To be fair, these images give the fans a much better idea of the posability of this new Donny figure. In addition, we now have some of our first shots of this merchandise in its actual packaging. Previously, we had only seen the packaging design, but now we know exactly what the item will look like on a shelf.
This 90's Donatello Figure will look quite good on any shelf. Image Source: NECA.
This side view of the 90's Donatello Figure reveals all of the additional accessories that will be included with the collectible. Image Source: NECA.
Although he won’t be posing in the package, it’s clear that there’s a lot that Donny will be capable once you take him out of the box. Some of you may not want to do that because this is a collectible, but you’ll be missing out on a lot of fun if you decide to keep your 90’s Donatello figure in its packaging.
According to NECA, this action figure has 30 points of articulation which will allow you to pose him pretty much any way you want. Heck, it looks like even the fingers are bendable, so you can make your favorite turtle give a thumbs up every day of the week!
Donny's giving a thumbs up for this slice of pizza! Image Source: NECA.
It looks like Donny is trying to figure out where he's seen this canister before. Image Source: NECA.
As you can see from the latest batch of images, this 90’s Donatello figure also comes with a few awesome accessories. Not only will he have a canister of TCRI ooze, but he’ll also have a slice of pizza.
Whether you want him ready for action, investigating the ooze, or chowing down on some delicious Italian cuisine, NECA’s latest Donny figure can pull off just about any action. These are the kind of details you might expect from a much more expensive collectible, but at a price of about $100 each, these amazing new action figures are sure to please a lot of TMNT fans.
According to NECA, their 90’s Donatello figure will begin to ship next week. It’s been a long time coming, but it looks like the fans can expect their Donny figure to potentially arrive just in time for the holidays! Raphael will be the next collectible released this spring, and it looks like Mikey will follow suit shortly thereafter.
Donny is ready to join Raph in a fight against the evil Shredder! Image Source: NECA.
If you’ve been waiting for these action figures to hit the market, it’ll be nice to know that you can finally get your hands on them very soon. Until then, let’s just sit back and appreciate the effort that NECA has made in recreating these fan favorite adaptations of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.