New TMNT Toon Direction decided (Update: Early designs revealed)

FYI, Darth, Krang made a gag cameo in an episode of the current TMNT cartoon, and in another episode, Gen (a rhino from Usagi Yojimbo) dressed up like Rocksteady and chased after a pig-type guy who looked like Bebop. I think I'm good for Fred Wolf TMNT characters in the 4Kids series. Be interesting if they tried to work Irma into the series, though.



Batman had been a major character in comics for over a quarter of a century befor the Adam West series. The Adam West series didn't make Batsy a super-star in quite the same way the Fred Wolf series made the TMNT big names.



Actually, on I believe the first B:TAS single DVD, Timm said he wanted the show to have elements of the West series (as well as elements of other incarnations of the Dark Knight), but still being distinctly different from the West series and other Batman incarnations. And Tim Burton admits to loving the Adam West series.



Seems a bit cruel to treat it as the black sheep as the franchise, especially when there's TMNT-related stuff like this: http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0708/, and Next Mutation, as well. Speaking of Next Mutation, I bet Laird doesn't hate the old cartoon half as much as he hates a certain female turtle (As the 2K3 show has quite a few obvious nods to the old show, whereas Kevin Munroe said Peter would even let Venus be so much as joked about in the recent movie).

As, for what I feel the direction of the current show should be? Well, can't keep adapting existing issues, storylines and characters from existing Mirage TMNT comics?
 
The new designs for April and Casey are ok I guess. I actually like the previous ones better, but these are a lot better than what I was expecting.
I liked April's belly shirt though, and this Casey looks more like Bruce Wayne with long hair. They look good, but I prefer the other ones.
 
As I remember it, Grayson said that notices had been sent out to all four turtles’ VAs, as well as Marc Thompson (Casey, Serling), Veronica Taylor (April), Scottie Ray (Oroku Saki/The Shredder), and Greg Carey (Hun, Leatherhead). Unmentioned were Darren Dunstan (Splinter), Scott Williams (Baxter), Karen Neill (Karai), David Zen Mansley (Bishop, Darius Dun), and Christopher C. Adams (Cody). However, their absences may not mean anything, given that there has been precedent for so-called regulars to be less prominent than guest stars.

In any case, here’s what we know. Casey and April have confirmed appearances, and will most likely become regulars again. Serling, it has been confirmed, will be prominent, as he returns to the 21st century with the guys. Splinter will be missing for most of the season, his essence spread across the cyber-ether; this would explain why Grayson didn’t mention Dunstan. At least part of the season will take place in a Cyber-realm, which makes the appearance of some version of the Shredder possible (given that the real one remains in exile, as far as we know). The Foot will almost certainly be returning, which means Karai will probably be as well, particularly since she was also in the movie.

I thought “Pete Capella” was an alias for VA Matthew Charles. However, Charles doesn’t play Cody—Christopher C. Adams does (as seen in the credits after every episode). They are not the same person, since the credits for season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh GX credits shows both Charles (who plays Jaden) and Adams (who plays Jesse).
 
I hope they continue with the 26 episode seasons.

Only thing that worries me now is the animation, I agree, if it looks WORSE than FF's style...what the hell will this show look like?
 
I think the first 3 were a total joke. Especially #3. What the shell? Did they change the title to "Teenage Mutant Ghetto Booty" or something? Will the new Turtle van have rims? No thank you.

#2? As Strongbad would put it, it beats us over the head with the blunt end of the premise. No way. I'd like to watch the show and not have to be reminded a hundred times of what's happening in the series.

4Kids should be barred from rap music, especially after the One Piece theme song.

But I think 4-6 are pretty well done. #4 fits the theme of the series with the electronica (not techno). If they just said TMNT over and over instead of mentioning character names, it would be perfect.

Numbers 5 and 6 are the best of the bunch. I really think either one, especially 5 should be the new theme song. Perfecto.
 
It didn't make him a superstar, but it did establish the prevailing public perception of the character for an entire generation of television watchers, a perception that stayed in still-wide effect just about until B:TAS came along. Television watchers who saw the Adam West Batman but had absolutely no experience or interest in the comics believed that Batman was the lightly-colored, swashbuckling, POW-BAM-ZAP character that the West series portrayed him as, and television watchers always have and always will outnumber comic book readers exponentially. For many watchers who saw the West series as a younger individual and then aged, that was the only real exposure they had to the Batman character.

The Turtles' primary public exposure was the 80s series and therefore it established the prevailing public perception of the characters, one that still remains for individuals who watched it as a younger individual and then aged. I've enjoyed the new series immensely over the seasons and it's certainly popular, but I don't kid myself into thinking it's anywhere near the cultural phenomenon that the 80s series ended up being.

See the comparison?
 



Not gonna happen. After all, the new business model is to shrink the end credits to the size of a nickle (on a big screen TV that is), and air ads for everything else on TV, because of people with TIVO missing the ads for them.

I also want to bring to your attention that Terror of Death is badgering people on other boards to vote for the same song. This member is also badgering a Power Rangers board. I really wish that 4Kids would have proofed the site so only one vote per person would count.
 
Okay, here's Capella's real deal: he played Chazz on YGO GX, as well as Silver in StH. However, he's moved to LA, and Chazz is now voiced by Marc Thompson (Casey/Serling), hence why he may sound a bit different. No one would let me fix that online, but that is most certainly the truth as far as I see it.
 
My exact words:
"Please somebody help me vote for #3. I know alot of people dont like it but I really want it to win. I've been voting for it for the past four hours. Even one vote would help. I have nothing to offer but I would be eternally grateful."

Definition of Badgering:To harass or pester persistently.

I have only said those words in boards that have tmnt threads. And I have not emailed or private messaged anyone saying you should vote for #3. I am merely asking for aid on boards I frequent that have tmnt discussion like rabroad. And I asked for help on those boards once and once only. If you can find any times where I was asking for help like a maniac then I will gladly shut up and apologize to you and anyone else I badgered.

If you dont like what I'am doing thats fine. But please dont start spreading lies about me badgering people over the net.

On a side note it seems I am getting a reputation as a bad guy. But hey, my name is The Terror of Death afterall. Maybe I should just sit back and let people continue to disrespect and hate me over the net. Disrespect and hate just because my taste in music is different.
 
Lower quality than Fast Forward animation? Oye...

The premise sounds solid though. Looks like Playmates wanted some heavy duty vehicles so they found a way to implement them without messing with much else.

Nice to hear they'll be fighting the Foot again and I wonder what their other villians will be up to.

Most of all it's good to hear that 2K3 may actually get it's lose ends tied up.

I wonder what they'll call this...

TMNT: Return to New York?

Nice homage but since it was an episode title I guess they'd use something else.
 
What I find so funny is that you spend 4hours voting for #3...u are weird..but think about it..4Kids is still gonna chose #5 because it fits and is more marketable for them..Not to mention their not stupid..they have ways of filtering things out.
 
A lower budget doesn't mean terrible animation, I doubt the TMNT will come out looking like stick-figures. :p

4kids is doing this to cut their costs obviously, but I can't see what else it might look like.
 
Interesting spoilers. First, I'm quite glad that Fast Forward won't be swept under the rug after the guys return. While definitively a mixed bag, I thought some of the concepts and characters introduced there have too much promise to be abandoned.

The second interesting thing: the return of Scottie Ray and Greg Carey as (I assume) regulars. Scottie's return is interesting, because unless he's playing a new character, it means we won't be quite done with the Shredder yet(although I hope that's not the case--he's far too overused by this point). As for Greg, the last thing I heard that he had dissapeared for some unexplained reason--hence the replacements for Hun and Leatherhead in the last three seasons--so it's good to see that he (and, I assume, Hun) will be back. Also interesting is the fact that Karen Neill (Karai), Scott Williams (Baxter), or David Zen Mansley (Bishop, Darius Dun), are not mentioned with the others. I can see the creators retiring Baxter and Bishop for a while (there futures have been somewhat set in stone), but not Karai, particularly since a) she's still the head of the Foot, and b) the movie introduced the character to a wider audience, so I'm interested in seeing what exactly the status quo with her will be. Still, given that the main credits haven't always been accurate (Ray managed to keep his "Starring" credit for season 4 despite appearing in only two episodes, while Neill, Mansley, and Carey were still relegated to "Also Starring", despite being regulars in anything but name), it may be best not to get too ahead of ourselves with the speculation.

As for that other thing...

I think more information is needed before any teeth gnashing begins. It could work, or it could not--right now I'd say the odds are about even. Personally, I think it has a good chance of working, particularly since it seems his stay won't be completely involuntary: with Cody still at risk, and with the Turtles and Turtle X Mk. II absent, he (Cody, not Splinter) needs some protection and guidance, which Splinter can provide; he'd have a specific role, something he didn't really have in Fast Forward. Plus, didn't Splinter do something like this in the comics--living alone with Shadow once he'd concluded that he had taught the turtles everything he had to teach? Isn't this the same thing, with Cody instead of Shadow? While I'm not sure what role Serling would play in 2008, I think Splinter staying in the future (but still able to contact the turtles) and having some sort of direction is good for the character.
 
Hey. Episode's still my favorite...even though they had the alternate Krang voice (which almost ruined the episode for me). While most of season 3 was hit or miss, we got some great stuff like Usagi Yojimbo and Casey Jones. Both, sadly only in 2 episodes.



Seems to me he didn't hate the old series. Both him and Kevin created and designed characters like Bebop and Rocksteady. Seems he just wanted to go a different direction. If you think about it, this is pretty much the direction of all the other TMNT products outside the animated series. All three movies and the live action series had that tone. In fact, I think they based most of the personalities in the new series off the movie versions of them. Especially at the beginning. Don and Mike were really palling around in the early episodes, much like they were in the movie ("Ninja kick the damn rabbit!")



I have to say. It looks both good and bad. I do not like the pupils, and their heads seem that they will still be triangular in shape. I do like the body direction though. If they can just find a medium between the FF style head and the 2k3 style, throwing in more movie style they'd have something.
 
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