San Diego Comic Con 2011 had some special news in store for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The “Mutation in Progress” event was held to give a behind the scenes look at the new TMNT animated series on Nick. Tickets were limited and only available to a lucky few. Much was revealed about the new TMNT series. Continue reading to hear about the Characters, Vehicles, and more of what we’ll see in 2012.
CHARACTERS/CAST
Leonardo (Jason Biggs) — He is the self-proclaimed leader of the group. However, at the beginning of the series he really doesn’t know how to be that guy yet. He uses the katana!
Michelangelo (Greg Cipes) — He is the “younger brother” of the four. He’s a goofy fun-loving guy, but that’s no cause for underestimating this class clown’s fighting skills! He uses the nunchaku and they extend into kusarigama!
Donatello (Rob Paulsen) — He’s still the techno geek we know and love! Like a real Ninja, he can use his environment to invent great things! He also has a slight crush on April. He uses the bo and it reveals a hidden yari blade!
Raphael (Sean Astin) — He punches first and asks questions later! He’s quick-witted and full of sarcasm! He competes with Leo for leadership of the brothers. He could do it, too, if he weren’t so hotheaded. He uses the sai!
Splinter (Hoon Lee) — Formerly Hamato Yoshi, he’s often depicted as frail and old, this new Splinter is a bit younger so he can be a formidable opponent against the Shredder like he was in the first season of the original show!
April O’Neil — She’s got short red hair, a yellow shirt, black shorts, and sneakers! She’s 16 (to be a peer to the Turtles) and learning to be a kunoichi (female ninja) from Splinter himself! Oh, and she’s in no way “emo” like previous reports might’ve suggested. It’s a big change, but it was better than bringing back Venus DeMilo for a female peer to the Turtles.
Shredder — A no-nonsense ninja master and leader of the Foot Clan, he’s a very competent foe who has devoted himself to the destruction of Hamato Yoshi and his Turtles. He’s the scariest Shredder has ever been! His mask sort of reminds me of this version of him. He has the “black/gray/purple” color scheme of the original cartoon as well as a cape, his shirt is sleeveless, and he’s lightly armored in the torso area. Also, his blades are much more intense than any previous version of the Shredder.
The Kraang — With an android body more similar to the Utroms from the original comics, these brains with menacing ugly faces and squid tentacles out their sides conduct mutagen experiments on random victims they kidnap. They also, like the Utroms, have human disguises that go over their android bodies.
Foot Clan — Some are human, some are mutants, and some are robots! These ninja warriors wear something much more similar to an authentic ninja uniform! They’ll provide a little comic relief, but only to accent Shredder’s seriousness and it won’t take away from the fact that they’re much more difficult to beat than they were in the original show.
VEHICLES
Party Wagon — Remember the Turtle Van from the original TV show? Think of it as a reworked subway train car that has wheels that drop down so it can go onto the street!
Sewer Bike — A three-wheeled Turtle-themed motorcycle that’s armored on the side. However, when it drops into “stealth mode”, the armor makes a Turtle Shell design on the top. It reminded me of a Turtle-esque version of the Tumbler and the Bat-Pod from the recent Batman movies, only the Turtle inside leans back instead of forward.
The Turtles aren’t just ninja in name only in this series, on board the writing staff is a guy who practices ninja-derived arts from the Genbukan Ninpo Bugei. So, while the Turtles will kick butt and while they will eat pizza, the authentic ninja lifestyle will be incorporated into the Turtles’ lives like never before!