Turtles Forever (2009)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles Forever (2009) (TV)



genre: Animated | Action | adventure | comedy | thriller
duration: 90 min

So, if you're looking for some nostalgia, Turtles Forever is this awesome made-for-TV animated flick put together by 4Kids Entertainment. It was actually Produced in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the TMNT franchise, and honestly, isn't that wild? The whole idea is that they bring together all these different versions of our favorite turtle heroes—you've got the super goofy, kid-friendly crew from the classic 1987 animated series clashing with the much grittier, darker versions from the 4Kids 2003 animated series—all thrown into this massive adventure that jumps through different parallel universes!

They actually showed a rough, almost finished cut of the movie at the San Diego Comic-Con in July 2009. [1 ] It was originally supposed to hit theaters for a special one-night event on October 29, 2009, but things got messy with disputes between 4Kids Entertainment and others, so that whole thing ended up getting canceled according to national CineMedia. But hey, don't worry, because the movie eventually made its way to TV on The CW4Kids on November 21, right after the 25th anniversary Top 10 Countdown. [2 ] They even did an encore run from November 28 to December 12, breaking it down into three 22-minute segments. If you want the full experience, though, an uncut version popped up on the CW4kids website on December 16, which actually includes about 12 minutes of footage that didn't make it to the TV broadcast. [1 ] As for a DVD release? Well, nobody has officially announced a date for that yet, so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed!

Director:

Roy Burdine
Lloyd Goldfine

Cast:

* Michael Sinterniklaas as Leonardo
* Wayne Grayson as Michelangelo
* Sam Riegel as Donatello
* Frank Frankson as Raphael
* Darren Dunstan as Splinter
* Marc Thompson as Casey Jones
* Veronica Taylor as April O'Neil
* Scottie Ray as Utrom Shredder / Ch'rell
* Greg Carey as Hun
* Karen Neil as Karai
* Dan Green as 1987 Leonardo * Johnny Castro as 1987 Michelangelo, Rocksteady * Tony Salerno as 1987 Donatello
* Sebastian Arcelus as 1987 Raphael
* David Wills as 1987 Splinter, Mirage Shredder
* Rebecca Soler as 1987 April O'Neil
* Load Williams as 1987 Shredder
* Bradford Cameron as Krang, Bebop, Mirage Michelangelo
* Jason Griffith as Mirage Leonardo
* Peti Capella as Mirage Donatello
* Sean Schemmel as Mirage Raphael
* Peter Laird as Himself (uncredited)
* Kevin Eastman as Himself (uncredited)

Turtles Forever - Wikipedia
Turtles Forever - IMDb

I'm actually downloading it right now, and honestly, I’m hoping to dive in pretty soon—if not immediately, then definitely tonight! Either way, I'll be sure to jump back on here and give you guys my full take once I've seen it.



My expectations are super high for this one, especially since this animated film is supposed to bring together both the classic and the modern versions of the Turtles, so I am dying to see how they actually pull off that crossover!

So, is this playing the "good old versions" card or the "bad new ones" card?

Richard Wilson4 said:Is this one leaning into the good old versions or just being a bad remake of the new ones?

Honestly? Neither—it’s kind of a mix of both. But if I had to pick, it leans a bit more toward the classic vibe. So, the real answer to your question is pretty much fifty-fifty.

I finally sat down and watched it today, and here’s my take:

It isn't bad at all! It’s actually really cool seeing the classic turtles back together again, jumping into some fresh action.
There are some funny bits too, like when the newer turtles can't believe how goofy the old-school guys are—especially with that whole thing about having their initials on their belts, which they find totally ridiculous. Anyway, I won't spoil too much of the plot or get bogged down in all the tiny details from the movie.

* * *Warning! Don't read any further if you haven't seen the movie yet!* * *

The story and the setup are actually solid, though I felt like the character dynamics were a little off. For instance, there’s this moment where the new Shredder just slaps the old Shredder, and the old guy doesn't even try to swing back! Now, look, I don't follow the modern turtle series closely, so I'm not entirely sure just how powerful this new Shredder is supposed to be, but I remember the classic Shredder being a legit fighter in those early episodes. Sure, he got a bit sillier as the seasons went on, but they really went to extremes here. They made the old version look super goofy, while treating the new Shredder like he's some massive threat, almost like he's Predator or Alien. Is the modern stuff more serious? Maybe. And does the new Shredder seem tougher than the old one? Probably. But man, I just wish the old guy had at least tried to hit him back in that scene, even if he ended up getting beat down later.

Another thing I noticed is that the plot feels like a "greatest hits" compilation from the cartoon mixed with a news report. Like, there's this specific scene where the turtles are hunting for the Technodrome, which is basically a direct callback to an episode from the first or second season of the original show. Only this time, instead of just a few guys, you've got eight turtles—the new crew and the old crew—plus the new Splinter, all searching for the Technodrome and finding the old Shredder waiting there. And speaking of similarities, don't forget how the new Shredder gets giant and fights a giant Krang at the end; we all remember that episode from the 90s cartoon where Krang grew a massive body, right? It's all very reminiscent.

All in all, Turtles Forever is definitely worth a watch, especially if you're a die-hard fan of the franchise.👍

Seriously, is it even possible that nobody has watched this movie yet? I honestly thought people were actually into Ninja Turtles 😢

Look, let's just assume maybe nobody's seen it because their download speeds are dragging—I know we don't all have lightning-fast fiber at home—but still, not a single comment? Not even a quick one like what Richard Wilson4 posted? It's just super weird to me; I was totally expecting way more hype around this, but hey, what can you do, right? 🤷

cosmiclynx57 said:Wait, are you kidding me right now? Is it actually possible that absolutely nobody has seen this movie yet? I was seriously under the impression that people actually liked the Ninja Turtles! 😢

Let me just throw this question out there one more time, because honestly, if nobody jumps in to reply, I’m gonna start feeling like a total nutjob just shouting into the void by myself! 😁

Man, I couldn't catch a wink of sleep last night, just tossing and turning, and while my brain was spinning, I started wondering what I should watch. I ended up rewatching that super fun TMNT movie, and it actually triggered a memory that made me realize I totally forgot I even started this thread! But hey, honestly, can you blame me? It’s pretty normal to lose track of things when nobody has posted here in over three months—it's been, what, less than a hundred days since the last update?

trailer:

TMNT trailer

*

screenshots:

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Use Their Weapons

David Price5 said:The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Use Their Weapons

Pure genius 🤣🤣🤣😂🙏

As far as cartoons go... I've never really been a fan, honestly.

David Price5 said:The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Use Their Weapons

Total classic!

Did you know they actually banned Michelangelo from using nunchucks over in England?
It's wild. They can't even show them in R-rated movies or anything like that...
That’s why he ends up swinging spaghetti later on...

They even swapped out "ninja" for "Hero" because apparently being a ninja was too aggressive for them at first... 👎

Richard Wilson4 said:Top tier stuff!

Did you know they actually banned Michelangelo from using nunchucks over in England?
It sounds totally bizarre, right? Like, they aren't even allowed in R-rated movies or adult films...
That’s why he ends up swinging that spaghetti later on instead...

They even swapped out "ninja" for "Hero" because apparently calling them ninjas was considered way too aggressive at first... 👎

Have you ever checked out this animation about the turtles?

No offense intended, but I honestly can’t wrap my head around who would bother downloading this just to burn it onto a DVD—maybe if I were twenty years younger, I guess—but right now? My five-year-old nephew is the one watching this stuff.
Damn, I mean, props to the Turtles, though—they were my absolute favorites growing up—but these days, I’d much rather just stream something new. 🙂

Look, I don't care what anyone says, the old TMNT show was ten times better than Ben 10 and all that other garbage.

analogpilot16 said:No offense intended, but seriously, who would even bother downloading this stuff just to burn it onto a DVD? Maybe if I were twenty years younger, sure, but right now? My five-year-old nephew is the one watching this kind of stuff.
Man, honestly, hats off to the Ninja Turtles though—they were everything to me when I was a kid, but nowadays I’d much rather just stream a fresh movie than deal with all that old-school hassle. 🙂

Hey, no hard feelings at all, it's really just a matter of perspective, how you see things, your taste, and your whole vibe. 😉

I absolutely live for the Ninja Turtles, and honestly, I'll still be watching them when I'm eighty years old, probably sitting there with my grandkids. 😁
My dad actually bought me this Leonardo tea mug way back in the day, like 1992, and I still keep it in a special spot to this day. Now, get ready, because this might actually blow your mind: I'm throwing a "Leonardo-Turtles party" in 2012 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that freaking mug! I've been planning this bash for a while now and have already given my best friends the heads-up. 😍
To be totally honest, haha, yeah, it sounds a little ridiculous, but I'm not crazy! That Leonardo tea mug is just a wild excuse to throw a massive party. 😉

I ended up putting this on the other day just because I was bored. And honestly? I have to say, the animation really caught me off guard in a good way. There’s way more going on under the hood than what you see at first glance; the whole story feels pretty postmodern, and the way it handles deconstruction actually reminds me a bit of Alan Moore. 🙂 I mean, obviously, on the surface, it looks like your typical show about the Ninja Turtles. So, I guess it works just as well for kids as it does for older fans. Really solid stuff.

Just caught it—and look, the 80s series will always hold a special place in my heart over the 2003 version—but I have to admit, this team-up actually caught me off guard in a good way. 👍