The initial release of Turtles Forever slipped under my radar. I guess that’s no big surprise considering I haven’t watched much of the 4Kids TMNT series. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against it. From the small bits I have seen it does appear fun and well put together. One of these days I plan to set down and work through the series.
But enough about my too watch list. On to the review:
At first glance Turtles Forever may appear to be a shameless promotional venture. But it is in fact more. Much more. It is a celebration of all things Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. A lovingly crafted, surprisingly emotional nostalgia trip.
Multiverse stories are far from new. But this project is s rarity in that it combines two stand alone interpretations of the same material. If you had asked me years ago if I thought such a crossover could happen I would said no. On a business side there are lot of forces at work:
Mirage owns the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics.
Fred Wolf Films owns the rights to the 1987 series.
4Kids owns the rights to the 2003 series.
At that is to say nothing about the airing rights, which fluctuate with time. With so many companies in the mix it seemed doubtful a crossover arrangement could be worked out. Yet in this case the stars aligned and thank goodness they did because the result is a real treat. I want to extend a thank you to all parties involved. Thank you for putting the fans first. More companies caught up in rights issues should take this approach. In other words, don’t allow profits to overshadow what’s right for the fans. Give the people what they want. The 1960s Batman DVD Release Debacle case comes to mind.
Any way, back to the special. The story is straight forward enough. Worlds Collide. Villains cause havoc. The Turtles team up to stop them. In the last 20 minutes the story takes an interesting twist that increases the scope of the danger. The pacing of the story is great. At no point did I get a sense of drag. It hooked me early and kept me focused.
The interplay between the Turtles is genius. It’s not just a barrage of one liners. The 2 groups act as foils for each other. The ‘87 Turtles are presented as goofy. The 4Kids bunch are more serious. Much fun is made at the expense of both teams but at no point does it break into total mockery. Despite their difference the Turtles band together. In that respect I feel this episode is a commentary on character flexibly. A notion I highly advocate.
My only grip with the special is the voice acting. It’s solid across the board. But none of the 1987 cast returns. From what I’ve read this was due to 4Kids being a non-union company. Having all or at least some of the ‘87 cast return would have lent another layer of meaningfulness. I especially miss Cam Clarke as Leonardo, since he was always my favorite.
If you have at any point in your life enjoyed a Teenage Mutant Mutant Ninja Turtle product then this special is worth watching. You will likely leave feeling the same way I did: thoroughly entertained.