For those of us who were alive when Steve Barron's 1990 film "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was released, it felt like the culmination of a phenomenon. The Ninja Turtles had taken the world by storm in the mid-to-late 1980s, having moved from their comic book origins to a massive media franchise at a head-spinning pace.
After appearing in a popular animated TV series and spawning multiple video games -- not to mention landfills worth of toys and ancillary merch -- it was finally time for the Turtles to infiltrate theaters. Barron's film realized, for the first time, the quartet of ninjas in live-action. The production employed Jim Henson's Creature Shop to construct lightweight latex full-body costumes for the Turtle actors, as well as complicated masks that would mechanically mouth lines realistically. Four actors would play the bodies and other voice actors (except in one case) would read the dialogue.
After appearing in a popular animated TV series and spawning multiple video games -- not to mention landfills worth of toys and ancillary merch -- it was finally time for the Turtles to infiltrate theaters. Barron's film realized, for the first time, the quartet of ninjas in live-action. The production employed Jim Henson's Creature Shop to construct lightweight latex full-body costumes for the Turtle actors, as well as complicated masks that would mechanically mouth lines realistically. Four actors would play the bodies and other voice actors (except in one case) would read the dialogue.
- 8/19/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The prospect of making a grounded "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film sounds decidedly counterintuitive to the very concept of the franchise. Yet, that's exactly what director Steve Barron did with the Turtles' first-ever live-action film, and with flying colors no less. It's honestly kind of a miracle how real so much of Barron's 1990 "Tmnt" movie feels. Yes, there are human-sized anthropomorphic turtles skateboarding and snacking on pizza in its sewers, yet the film's depiction of New York City is believably scuzzy and lived-in.
Then there are the four heroes in a half-shell themselves, who are brought to life by incredibly textured and emotive animatronic suits designed by the magicians at Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Most importantly for a film with the word "Ninja" in the title, they're able to convincingly perform martial arts in action scenes that are far more exhilarating and visceral than the relatively weightless tussles...
Then there are the four heroes in a half-shell themselves, who are brought to life by incredibly textured and emotive animatronic suits designed by the magicians at Jim Henson's Creature Shop. Most importantly for a film with the word "Ninja" in the title, they're able to convincingly perform martial arts in action scenes that are far more exhilarating and visceral than the relatively weightless tussles...
- 8/13/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
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