Turtles Forever: The End of an Era
Just a friendly reminder: Turtles Forever, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles anniversary animated movie featuring different versions of the fab four teaming together will air tomorrow, November 21st, at 10am on CW-4Kids. Here is a little preview:
This well and truly marks the end of an era, as Peter Laird has sold off the TMNT property to Nickelodeon. While Mirage Studios retains a limited right to continue to make the Turtles comics within the original continuity, it seems that Laird has no current plans of exercising that right, thus leaving a conclusion to the original Mirage Turtles series in a perpetual limbo.
In addition, the conclusion to the 70+ issue Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic (which was published by Archie Comics back in its day and does not count in the above Mirage clause) titled The Forever War has officially been canceled. It was supposed to come out at the end of the series’ run back in the 90′s, but the book was axed before it came to fruition, despite previews and work being done for it. There was further talk of it coming out, and then more talk for the 25th anniversary of the franchise. And it never came, leaving us with a further lack of closure.
So, the 80′s Murakami Wolf Swenson/Fred Wolf Films cartoon ended in 1996. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures ended in 1995. The Next Mutation ended the same season it began. And in 2009, the 2003 4Kids animated series while the Mirage comic’s writing is on the wall, coming to its end in May 2010.
In essence, with the possible exception of the movies (a new live-action film is slated to arrive in 2012), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as we know them are over. Finished.
Mind, this is not a pessimistic outlook or anything. Nickelodeon may very well do a bang-up job with the franchise and the new computer-generated series they have in the works. But it seems that the days of the Turtles we’ve known for the past 25 years are over, and Turtles Forever may not only act as the apex of those 25 years for many a fan, but also something of an epitaph as we are left to decide whether or not we continue to follow the franchise forward and face whatever may come, or decide to put it to rest in our hearts with all that has come before.
Whatever happens, for better or for worse, I don’t believe things will ever be the same again. Here’s hoping that all we once knew will go out on a high note.
–LBD “Nytetrayn”
November 21st, 2009 at 1:49 am
Hmm Only time will tell if Nickelodeon will do justice to this beloved franchise. I do want to see this movie, it does look entertaining. I have not followed up on it but I do wonder if they were able to get the old voice actors to reprise their roles. My favorite iteration of the TMNT was the Archie Comics series, even the spin off, Mutanimals.
November 21st, 2009 at 11:37 am
New voice actors, I’m afraid, but they do pretty good at impersonating the old crew to varying degrees.
And at least the TMNTA Turtles had a cameo.
–LBD “Nytetrayn”
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Oooh, even if he sounded very similar, I’m super bummed they didn’t get Rob Paulsen to do Raphael again. On the whole, however, I was impressed with the movie. It truly is the end of an era; how sad! It makes me feel old…
December 6th, 2009 at 8:49 am
I was expecting the 87 TMNT cartoon VA cast to relive their roles back in the good old days one last time for TMNT Forever. Though due to union issues, alas, they were not able to be tapped..Pat Fraley, Barry Gordon, Townsend Coleman and the rest; Though the alternative VA’s handpicked did a satisfactory performance, but some characters like 87 Leo seems to be off pitch.
But nonetheless, it was good send off show for TMNT prior to their turnover to Nickelodeon. Seeing TMNT Forever, especially the 87 Turtles brought me back to my childhood days.
Though I pity poor 87 Shredder and Krang. To see the two of them pushed around, backhanded, outperformed and terrorized by the much more dangerous, ruthless, no non-sense and frighteningly more efficient Utrom Shredder and his Foot.
January 3rd, 2010 at 3:29 am
[...] year 2009 has come to its inevitable end, and as we all know by now, so too has the end of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as we knew them [...]