OH MY GOD!!!!

Stephan, I must tell you how much I LOVE YOU MAN!!! I just got off the phone with one of my all time, life long idols ROB PAULSEN!! He’s such an awesome guy. Very genial and willing to take time out of his busy schedule to chat with a fan of his work.

When Stephan told me that he’d ask Rob to call, at first I was skeptical (didn’t stop me from coming up with a list of questions, which incidentally went straight out of my brain when I was actually on the phone with him.)

We talked about his career and other voice over artist, like Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, and fellow Turtles cast mate Pat Fraley. I asked how he got his start and he told me he started on stage, then on the screen in some cheesy films, like the infamous Stewardess School and then branched out into animation in the 80’s with GI Joe, Transformers, and of course our very own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

I then of course asked the toughest question that I could come up with…”Which is your favorite character?” Though he did say it was like asking which of his children he loved the most, he did say that Pinky would probably win, since it was the role that helped cement him in the industry, and even won him his Emmy.

We even discussed his small roles in the Thumb! films by Steve Oedekerk (which required having his head strapped into a medieval style torture device) and Elvira’s Haunted Hills (a film I owned even before I realized he was in it, now I could never get rid of it.) All in all it was an exciting and informative 30 minutes.

So Stephan thank you, and Rob, THANK YOU! You took the time out of your probably very busy schedule to chat with a flighty fan for his birthday. I couldn’t ask for a better gift. Thank you both soooo much. Crap! I forgot to ask him how he would answer the ultimate question: Are you pondering what I’m pondering? (that and some thing about that TMNT 25th DTV movie doo-dad.)

Totally Random Turtle Related Movie Nugget

So, as part of my video manager duties, I watch new release movies so if some one asks, “How’s this one?” I can give them my opinion before they totally disregard it and rent it anyway. That said I noticed a weird trend in the last couple of weeks (bear with me, this is a only mildly interesting nugget)

2 weeks ago I was watching Two Lovers and who should I see but good ole Elias Kotaes, in a small role.

The following week (last week that is) I watched a movie called Flying By with Billy Ray Cyrus, Heather Locklear and our friend Judith Hoag.

This week the first film I previewed (as it was the only one I remember seeing a theatrical release) was The Haunting in Connecticut in which Elias shows up again.

This has been a totally pointless slightly Turtle related anecdote.

TOTALLY POINTLESS UPDATE: The second of the 5 movies I’m previewing this week is Horseman with Dennis Quaid and CG Karai voice actress Ziyi Zhang.

Tonight I dine on Turtle Soup…Issue 1.

Man, I’m punny.

Hello all Jester here. It’s been a while since I’ve done any thing for GGM, and I apologize. But I’m back to talk about the 4 issue Turtle Soup series. Featuring a 4 part Mike Dooney story as well as other short one shots by various artists and writers, Turtle Soup is a fun read for the ADHD suffer in all of us. The stories are at most six pages long and loaded with action and humor like you’d expect from the Turtles. It is however very, and I mean VERY non-canonical. So with that exposition out of the way, on to issue one!

The first short story is a “continuation” I guess of the TMNT movie parody comic Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles, which I haven’t read…sue me. This short stars Toyoduh (Like the car company…I’d guess…HELP ME!!) and is called Naked City. In the short comic, Toyoduh is singing in the shower when the Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles archenemy…um…a giant kazoo…offers to clean his glasses only to give him x-ray specks and hilarity ensues as he sees everyone as to quote Mikey from TMNT 3, “bare butt naked!” and he  is arrested for being naked himself…I don’t get it. tOkKa…I need your help!

Next is the Dooney segment. (Hooray!! I love Dooney’s art style.) The Turtles are out and about, looking for food. Dooney even puts in an old toon jab by having Leo chide Mikey for suggesting pizza in favor of “real food.” Take that Fred Wolf! Meanwhile in an alternate time line and dimension…I’ll refrain from Dimension X reference…wait…CRAP!!!…we meet a nerdy alien named Henry who is working on a time travel wrist gauntlet when he is interrupted by a random date by the name of Betti Clane. In an attempt to impress her, Henry shows her the gauntlet and she presses a button and they accidentally travel to “our” dimension and they encounter the Turtles. When Betti freaks out about the green “monsters” Henry activates the gauntlet to return home and instead causes dinosaurs to be pulled into the quiet streets of Florence, Massachusetts. TO BE CONTINUED…

Next is a story about Leonardo and Splinter that takes place…close to midnight…and something evil’s lurking in the dark…er…um…sorry. This story and the last in this anthology are the reasons I wanted to review these books. It also proves that these stories aren’t canon. You see as I’ve mentioned before the Turtles in the old toon weren’t called brothers or sons much but students and friends. Here, Splinter calls Leo a friend, but goes one further that kills me. He calls him “Leo.” I know…small potatoes, but it’s weird to me (and I’m sure you don’t like this, do you Amy?) Leo does call the others his brothers though. Oh, and he and Splinter talk about the purpose of fear…

The next story is called The Ring and it’s a Donatello solo story that has him hiking in the woods, falling down a cliff and chipping his shell. Uninjured he continues his meditation and is met by a large turtle…it think…he may have imagined it…I can’t be sure. Rick McCollum’s art is awesome though.

Next is a Rick Arthur short about Raphael and a girl named Lucindra who get together to spar. Simple as that. Raph’s name is abbreviated Raff which bugs me as a Raphael fan, but now I’m just picking nits.

And now for my favorite story, TURTLE POWER!! By Rich Gehhen and Tom McWeeney. Why is it my favorite? Because it has Krang in it. Krang…in Mirage comics. Again, so not canon, but I don’t care. It’s Krang. The story has our heroes flying the Turtle Blimp in an attempt to stop Krang’s evil schemes and his wolf mutant. Rahzar is that you? In the end out heroes rule the day and we find out, in St. Elsewere fashion, that it’s all a little boy named Bart playing, and rather roughly at that, in his living room with his Turtle action figures. I hear this story was based loosely on Stephan’s real life…true story!

So there’s Turtle Soup issue 1. Stay tuned Turtle Fans, for the other servings of Turtle Soup.

Happy Father’s Day, Splinter…er….Yoshi…er…you!

So today is Father’s Day, and as such I felt I should write a blog for this occasion, talking about a a certain paternal anthropomorphic rat. I know it’s been done before, but I’m gonna take a stab at it too. To be fair, I know next to nothing about the original Mirage Comics source material, so it will not appear in this article. I will be looking at the Father/Son dynamics in the original toon, the 4 movies and the new animated series.

In a paragraph that’s sure to basically be me beating a dead horse, in the original 90’s TMNT animated show, Splinter was more a mentor than a father. Seldom did the call the Turtles “my sons.” The only time I can actually point to specifically is in Enter the Shredder where he says, “Head upward, my sons. Find a way around all this.” In fact the Turtles and Splinter are more like a group of buddies than a family in the old series, referring to each other as friends or turtles collectively and using the full names (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo) when referring to each other. Though the OT, as it’s called in fan circles, may be them most well known it is the least familial of the TMNT incarnations. To be fair, my favorite incarnation, the Archie Comics, based on the original toon’s universe did revive the Turtles family dynamic in it’s run.

The movies take the family aspects and kick it up a notch, at least the first live action film and the recent CG film. Splinter as a father is played up quite a bit and is used as a counter for not only the Shredder and Tatsu’s relationship with their Foot “children” but Charles Pennington and his son Danny. Splinter lectures his son, in one of the most poignant scenes in all of TMNT, feels true pain from being separated from his sons, and in the end is joyously reunited with them. The second and third movies still have the family aspect, but toned down in favor of the story, though in Ninja Turtles (90) the family aspect was part of the story. Again in 2007 the Turtles were on the big screen and the family aspect took center stage, this time as a foil to Max Winters and his Stone Generals. This time however the family relationships, in my opinion, were tacked on and felt hollow.

When it comes to the Turtles as a family probably no element of the franchise has made it the corner stone (aside from maybe the original Mirage source material.) than the 2003 TMNT reboot series. There is not just the father/son dynamic of the Turtles and Splinter, but Splinter and Yoshi and Yoshi and the Ancient One. Splinter feels like a real father here, disciplining the Turtles when necessary, and experiencing joyous occasions with them as well. To a lesser extent, Yoshi and the Ancient One play roles as father figures not just to Splinter, but to the Turtles as well. If you want to see the Turtles and Splinter as a real family, demonstrating a strong familial bond, look no further than the new series.

So there it is, not quite what I had in mind when I first decided to pen this article, but t’will serve I guess. Though the original retro Turtle toon has a nostalgic feel to it, the family element just isn’t there as much as it is in the movies and new TV series…and don’t even get me started with the live action vomit that is Next Mutation. “We’re not brothers. We’re pet shop turtles born and bred on a turtle farm, so are you.” Give me a break. What a lame excuse for the turtles to try to, pardon the pun, get some tail.

“Peter Laird answered my questions!” A Testimonial

So since our illustrious boss asked Peter a question, I figured I would too. (tOkKa, that’s your cue to re-post you’re questions and response too…;)) So here it is:

Peter,

It’s never too late. You could try something new artistically. It’s not like you don’t have the talent. Why should Mirage only have one major property. Create something great that has nothing to do with the Turtles. Just make sure it’s not like Howard the Duck. (If that came out unclear, here’s the reasoning: Lucas produced the film Howard the Duck…and Stephan referenced Lucas earlier…you know what…you’re adults you can read.)

My question is if you had it all to do over again, is there anything you would have changed? Would you have kept the Turtle toon grittier earlier? Would you have ever given the “green light” to Coming out of their Shells, Turtle Tunes/We Wish You A Turtles Christmas, and NT:TNM? Would you have pushed for movies more inline with Barron’s 1990 film?

If you’ve answered these before then…PASS!!

And as quick as I posted it (I seriously only posted this this morning,) Mr. Laird responded:

My question is if you had it all to do over again, is there anything you would have changed?

Absolutely.

“Would you have kept the Turtle toon grittier earlier?”

I think so.

“Would you have ever given the “green light” to Coming out of their Shells,”

Yes — I actually liked that music!

” Turtle Tunes/We Wish You A Turtles Christmas,”

Maybe not… to be honest, I don’t remember what those were like!

” and NT:TNM?”

No.

” Would you have pushed for movies more inline with Barron’s 1990 film?”

Yes.

As the old saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” What is important to keep in mind is that when the crazy licensing boom began, Kevin and I had ZERO experience in any of this stuff. We were artists, not businesspeople. The business stuff we learned (or tried to learn) as we went. If we HAD been more savvy about it, perhaps the deals we made could have been structured better, allowing us to retain the character of the comics in the licensed material.

However…

… it could be argued that doing so might not have resulted in the huge success that the TMNT had starting in 1987 in the world of animation, toys and related merchandising. Maybe a grittier TMNT which hewed more closely to its comic book roots wouldn’t have touched the nerve that the goofier, more kid-friendly version did. Who knows? It’s one of those imponderables.

Another VERY important point to consider is that back in 1986, when we made the deal with Playmates, they might very well have balked if we had demanded that they do it exactly the way we wanted it done. After all, they were the ones sinking millions of dollars into this effort, and the were the ones with the knowledge of the toy business. And the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. That iteration of the TMNT was a gigantic success.

Would it have been as successful if it had been done “our way”? That’s something we will never know. — PL

And to be honest, I agree with the man. I mean, it would have been a cool “what if?” is Peter and Kevin could have kept the Turtles all hard-core and Mirage style, but I for one know I came to the Ninja Turtles through the “goofy kids stuff.” If it weren’t for the original animated series, the Playmates toys, and the Archie comics, I think I wouldn’t be a fan today. So thank you Pete, for creating a franchise that could appeal to the many stages of my development. You the man!

On TMNT and Irony

So, I was watching the movie Marihuana as part of my recent MCubed theme of 1930’s anti-drug films, and it made me think of Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, and also the extreme irony of it.

You see, in the bonus features to the new season 7 DVD set, David Wise put one of my TMNT conspiracy theories to rest: Michelangelo’s voice is loosely based on Jeff Spicoli from the film Fast Times at Ridgemont High, played by Sean Penn who was an obvious recreational user of marijuana. So what? (If you don’t see the obvious, then read on.)

When Cartoon All-stars was released, they picked characters from all the major cartoons of the day, including the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And which Turtle did they pick? Why Mikey, of course. The one Turtle who’s voice in the toon was inspired by a character from a movie who used drugs. Talk about irony!

Book Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Exposed w/ Saturday Morning Mind Control

Hello, as you know I’m Jester and I’m a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I’m also a Christian. Why do I start this review this way? Well, because according to the authors Phil Phillips (If that’s his real name…doubtful) and Joan Hake Robie I can’t honestly be both. You see the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as well as practically any TV cartoon of the late 80’s and 90’s were agents of the Devil and are meant to turn kids from Jesus Christ and to the Dark Lord! MUHAHAHA!!! Yeah…right.

The first book I got by these two was of course Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Exposed which is called a “critical analysis” of the TMNT. I’ll admit, it wasn’t that critical. At only 75 pages, the book is more a basic over view of the Turtles and why your kid likes them. They give a stripped down origin story as well as what made the Turtles so popular during their heyday in the 90’s (that parents just don’t get them). It also touches on other points in Turtle Mania, like the movies, action figure line, and even the Coming Out Of Their Shells tour (because we all know that rock music is of the DEVIL!!!!) The one section that could be considered even a tad critical is the chapter called The Philosophy of the Turtles. It discusses the ninja part of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle equation, with far more seriousness and forethought than I’m sure Eastman and Laird ever did. At the end of the chapter, as a way of wrapping it all up, the author writes (All quotes will be in yellow, so they are easier to separate from my comments.  ):

“Crime – The Shredder, is said to be ruthless and vengeful and has a brilliant criminal mind. Should we teach our children that crime pays?”

Um….Shredder in the TV shows is a bumbling loser always bested by the Turtles and pizza, in the movies was crushed first by a garbage truck and then by a pier, and in the comic was blown up. Yes kids, crime does pay.

“Eastern Religions – Krang is the spiritual leader to Shredder. Krang speaks from his middle (stomach) where a demonic-like figure is visible.”

When was Krang ever Shredder’s spiritual leader? And would you consider an effeminate disembodied brain demonic-like?

“Sex – In the Archie Comics April O’Neil is seen as a voluptuous and sexy female. In the movie O’Neil’s skirts are so short (or she is wearing shorts that they reveal her legs almost to the top of the thigh). Should our children see women as only sex images?”

So the fact that April is a driven and career oriented woman, that is nothing. She’s only a sex object. And when in the Archie comics did they make April overly sexy? Help me out here.

“Darkness - The movie (which is rated PG and is recommended for 4-12 year-olds) takes place in the darkness where “night action” occurs. Children are prone to be scared of the dark. Many evil deeds take done in the darkness. The Bible says…men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil (John 3:19)”

Ok, this is rediculous. They have a beef with the movie being done mostly (though there is quite a bit done in the light of day as well.) in the darkness? The Turtles are “monsters” for lack of a better term. To appear in broad daylight is a mistake they cannot make. They foil many of the “evil deeds” that are done in the dark. And the John 3:19 quote is a stretch of scripture. It’s spiritual darkness not literal darkness.

“Weapons – Names of ninja (lethal) weapons, their descriptions and use are incorporated into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle series.”

Ah yes, in the pilot episode…for all of 5 seconds.

“Meditation – The Ninja uses meditation to obtain physical power and “inner strength.” Meditation is a religion that does not accept Jesus Christ, The Messiah, as the one true God.”

Yes, Ninjas do use meditations, but the Turtles seldom meditate. They did in the first movie, and Splinter does in the series, but meditation is seldom used to gain special powers aside from perhaps foresight. That and Meditation isn’t a religion, it’s a religious act. Ok, there is the Transcendental Meditation Movement, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a religion. And heck, Christians are called to take time to pray and meditate on the scriptures. Is that not accepting Jesus as the one true God.

That again is the most critical portion of this book, but I remembered reading in school a book (I had to do an annotated bibliography and a pal and I thought these books would be fun) that was much harsher than TMNT: Exposed. So I tracked it down. That book, Saturday Morning Mind Control.

Dig the front cover. See how evil the Turtles are! The passages are small yet biting, and riddled with inaccuracies about the TMNT which shows how much “research” went into this stuff. Here are some quotes:

“The current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series averages 34 violent acts an hour.”

Yes, but mostly slapstick pizza-pie to the face stuff. Nothing you wouldn’t see in any Three Stooges short.

“The most common social group depicted on Saturday morning TV is the gang…
What Distinguishes a gang from a normal group of friends?
First, identity with and loyalty to the gang overrides any other loyalty, specifically to family or society as a whole.
Second, gang members are all within a fairly narrow age range, whether they are teens or preteens.
Third, the older wizard for the group, whether it is a street-smart teenager leading children or an aged friendly scientist, is never a family member.
Forth, the gang is identified by wearing a common uniform or emblem. Slogans and secret code words are often employed.And fifth, the gang has a turf. With the turf comes the obligation to defend it at all costs, even the cost of life.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles falls nicely into the long legacy of gang profiles, which has as its origin the programs of the 1970s:  Yogi’s Gang, Superfrinds, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and even the animated version of Lassie.
The basic plot line for Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles is the four ordinary turtles are accidentally dropped into a sewer manhole, where they encounter a radioactive goo that causes them to grow to human size and gain the power to speak.  The mutated turtles are adopted by Splinter, a similarly mutated rat.
Splinter had been the pet of a ninja warrior, and he continues to battle against his former master’s nemesis.  Splinter names his adopted sons Leonardo (the leader), Raphael (the rebel), Michaelangelo (the prankster), and Donatello whiz with anything technical).  He drills them to become ninja warriors, which they are by the time they teenager status.
As a gang of four, they have a look, a code language and mutual love of pizza, a share religion (ninja), and a wise older guide who is not part of a true family unit.”

I know, big chunk there.  I love how he uses the comic/movie origin and not the series. He calls the Turtles Splinter’s adopted sons, yet goes on to say that he is not a true part of their family unit. Remember that children of adoption, you aren’t a true part of the family unit. The Turtles aren’t a gang, they are a family. Splinter is their father and leader. In fact in the TMNT movie, Splinter decries the Foot “gang” as not a true family, which one would assume that he and the Turtles would be a contrast of. Later in the book the author lists shows that are appropriate and inappropriate for children. TMNT isn’t on any of those lists and listed as acceptable is…are you sitting down?…Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Not that I think that it’s bad, but it’s listed as in the same evil gang promoting vein as the TMNT. WHAT THE HECK MAN!? Ok…lets move on before I have an aneurysm.

“In the animated series, Splinter frequently is shown in a classic lotus position, with a large Yin/Yang symbol behind him on the wall, as he counsels the Turtles. Ninja is based on an ancient religious practice called Kung pau in the cartoon. In history, this early religion, which employs one of the earliest mind control techniques known, is called “kujucurry.” Splinter often lays his hand on his head as he communicates with the Turtles, indicating a mind control technique at work…”

Ok…lets dissect this shall we. I won’t dispute Splinter’s meditation and the yin/yang. It’s there, whoopie. It hasn’t made me want to sit in the lotus position and chant mantras. Second, the Kung Pow technique was used in one episode, Cowabunga, Shred-head! as a way to keep Michelangelo from eating pizza and to keep Shredder from reverting back to himself. It was a form of hypnosis, but I guess that’s mind control, right?

“Early episodes of the Turtles were violent but rather campy in their story lines and uses of language. Increasingly over the years, however, the religious undertones of the ninja belief have become more obvious…”

Really? I’ll have to tell fans of the series that then because the series got even more campy as it went on. The 7th through 10th seasons made it a little more serious, but for the most part it was still slapstick silliness and the ninja philosophy was nearly nonexistent.
“The turtles recent movie was rated PG, but the day I saw it it in a theater outside Dallas, at least half the audience was in the three to six year old range. The movie is filled with curse words, has a reporter who dresses like a hooker, and is extremely violent…”

“Filled with curse words.” Raph says “damn” 3 maybe 4 times as well as “bitchin’”, Mikey says “damn” once. Donny says “damn” once and you’d have to have the captions on to even notice. so that’s what…6 to 7 swears in a movie that’s over 90 minutes long. That’s less than one every 15 minutes. And when was April dressed like a hooker? Answer me that. If a reporter dressed like a hooker, would she be a reporter for long? And again the violence of TMNT was slapstick at best. There is no blood shown and they squirt water at guys for Pete’s sake.

So there’s my review of these two wonderful works of fiction. I’ll see all you fellow Turtle fans in H-E-Double Hockey Sticks.

MCubed: TMNT (2007)

So here’s my review of TMNT as part of the 25th Anniversary. Apologies to Turtle fans everywhere….:P

Classic Toon Season 7 DVD Review

Not long ago (I guess about a week ago, considering that’s when the DVDs hit) Stephan said to me, “Why don’t you do a review of the Season 7 DVD releases?” I agreed as we both thought it would be something I could have loads of fun with. So here we are, typing away a text review. Something I rarely (read: never) do, since I started doing video reviews of bad movies. But this felt like a good chance to stretch my verbal muscles. So onto the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season seven’s four DVD slices.

Let’s start with the packaging, as you have to deal with it to get to the disks themselves anyway. For some weird reason, unknown to even myself, I have this weird habit of trying to remove the DVD top label and if successful, taking that sticker and placing it on the inside of the plastic DVD case. Recently I’ve noticed, as video manager at our local grocery store, some DVD companies have gone to an eco-friendly case that uses 20% less plastic and exposes 90% more of your disk to the elements. You see, the plastic case itself has a giant recyclable symbol on the front and large “pie piece” holes under the disk itself.

This means the only thing protecting the bottom of the disk from damage if the thin, clear, plastic, window and the paper DVD slip page. The lack of extra plastic makes the case ultra flimsy and squishy. Not only that, but the recyclable symbol is a hindrance to my OCD tick. That said, with the TMNT DVDs themselves, they seem like a waste. Hear me out on this. The DVD’s come cased in the new 20% less plastic DVD cases, BUT that case is further encased in a cardboard box, with a cardboard insert to support a small plastic action figure, which to some people just wanting the DVDs (not myself, they’re sooo cute.), is in itself a further waste of plastic. In essence, the waste of the cardboard and the figures plastic has to overreach any benefits the eco-friendly cases bring to the table. Oh well. The power is YOURS!!

Now onto the DVDs themselves. Leo and Mikey’s slices are “meh”. They hold the oft disliked European Vacation episodes, which were meant to air much earlier than season 7. These episodes range from the afore mentioned “meh” to “oh, my God, what is this?” My biggest problem with the European Vacation episodes is the whole premise of it. Not only are the Turtles touring Europe, but April (and sometimes Irma and Vernon) are also traipsing across the “old country.” If that weren’t bad enough, for some reason Shredder and Krang’s plans land them right in the same European country as the Turtles. You’d think they’d realize the Turtles were out of New York and finally “take over the City.” But, no. They have to go where the Turtles are, or there’s no show. One thing about this whole conceit got me in the 1^st two episodes on the Leonardo slice. In the introduction episode to the vacation arc (Tower of Power), Shredder encounters the Turtles in Paris, but in the very next episode (Rust Never Sleeps), he is shocked to learn the Turtles are in Paris. You just saw them in Paris, but now you’re suffering from amnesia, Tin Grin? There is one other thing to say before jumping to the Donatello and Raphael slices and that is that Rob Paulsen, one of my all-time favorite voice actors, is AWOL as the voice of Raphael for the entire European trek, and we are treated to Hal Rayle’s Rob Paulsen impression. It’s better than it was in Ninja Sword to Nowhere but it’s just not the same. James Avery is also missing in all but one episode as Shredder, replaced by the incomparable Jim Cummings, and Barry Gordon misses one episode and is replaced by Greg Berg as always. (Sorry, the voice actors are why I love the Original Turtle Animated Series.)

Moving now to the Donatello and Raphael slices. They feature the better episodes of the “season” and also see the return of David Wise as lead writer. The stories are slightly darker and more action packed, and also very, very well written. Some of my personal favorite episodes of the series are on these disks including The Legend of Koji, Night of the Dark Turtle, Night of the Rogues, and Dirk Savage: Mutant Hunter. These stories kept the humor and wit of the previous seasons, but also brought back the action of the first two. It’s sad that this paragraph is so much shorter than the last, since these two disks feature such great episodes, but maybe it’s because I tend to be critical, and I can’t be critical of these episodes. The only gripe I could have is that again James Avery is gone (thanks Fresh Prince) and is this time replaced by Michelangelo voice actor Townsend Coleman. Now, I by no means mean any disrespect to Townsend, but I prefer James Avery as Shredder, and if not him Jim Cummings did a stellar job as Shredder. Often when I hear Townsend as Shredder, I hear the Rat King just pitched a hair lower. Not that that’s bad, but there are other actors I prefer.

I guess if this is going to be a true DVD review we must discuss the bonus features. Each disk “shell-abrates” (gah, I loathe that pun) an aspect of the TMNT’s 25 years: Leo’s slice has a feature on the toys, Mike’s has new interviews with the creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, Don’s slice talks about the TV show’s success, and Raph’s disk has interviews with 3 die-hard fans, one of whom is such a freak he has turtle tats. What a spaz. (Love you, Stephan. In that totally plutonic Leo & Raph in the first movie after Raph recovers from his Foot beating kinda way) The content isn’t that great. They seem rather thrown together and rushed, but it’s better than a sharp stick in the eye, right? As a fan of the series cast, I hoped to find the Donatello Slice’s feature the most interesting, but they mainly interviewed David Wise, which was cool, but not as cool as interviews with Barry, Cam, Townsend, Pat, Renae, and of course Rob. (Man, I have an unhealthy man-crush on that man, but he was a huge part of my childhood, and for that I’m thankful.) Of the features I found myself liking the fan segment the best, probably because I “know” the 3 fans featured, and they seem cool. It was also nice to see Michelle Ivey not made to look like a total loon, and I’m sure she appreciated it too. Though that tattooed guy…wack-o city.

So there it is, my review of the TMNT Season 7 slices. All in all I’m glad I picked these up. (Ok, so even if the episodes were mind numbingly moronic (I got a plug in, hooray!) I’d have still bought them…I LIKE TURTLES!) The first two disks were a little iffy, but the later two more than make up for it. So Turtle fans, get them…get them while you can. Ok, at least get the Donnie and Raphie slices. They’re the ones that are worth your $9.96 + tax at your local Wal*Mart.

MCubed Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

The Turtle movie that I’m sure is least loved by fans the world over, TMNT III is actually my second favorite of the four. “Why?” you may ask. Well it has the Ninja Turtles and Time Travel, 2 of my favorite things in the world (Archie’s Future Shark Trilogy practically makes me faint.) So here’s my video review of TMNT III.