The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, sometimes abbreviated as The TMNT, is a 2011 American 3D computer-animated superhero comedy film based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman. Written, directed and produced by Mike Moon, directed Ash Brannon, produced by Alexandra Farwell and Doug Sweetland, and written by Farwell and Julie Young based on a screenplay by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film stars the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Ryan Reynolds, Will Arnett, Ben Schwartz, Anthony Hopkins, Jenny Slate, Vin Diesel, Christian Hale, Samuel L. Jackson, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Steve Carell.

In the bustling streets of New York City, crime and chaos run rampant. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo) have been vigilantly protecting their beloved city from the shadows, alongside their mentor, Splinter. However, they face their most formidable foe yet when a new villain emerges to threaten their existence – the legendary and ruthless Shredder. The film was conceived in 2008 after the release of TMNT (2007), and was intended to be titled TMNT 2: Back from the Sewers, with its title based on the video game of the same name. However, in 2009, Viacom bought the rights to the franchise, though the film remained in production, giving it a reboot with a new team and cast. The film was produced by Paramount Animation, Warner Bros. Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, Village Roadshow Pictures and Legendary Pictures, with Sony Pictures Imageworks providing animation services for Paramount Animation.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in Los Angeles on February 4, 2011, and was theatrically released on February 11, 2011 in the United States by Paramount Pictures, internationally on February 17, 2011 by Warner Bros. Pictures, and in Australia and New Zealand on March 1, 2011 by Roadshow Entertainment, in RealD 3D and IMAX formats. Upon released, it received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for its action sequences, animation, visual effects, voice performances by Castellaneta, Reynolds, Arnett and Schwartz, musical score by Christopher Lennertz and stereoscopic 3D visuals, though criticized the plot, runtime, and consistency of the story, while some were divided on the pacing and screenplay.

The film was a box office success, grossing $586.3 million against its production budget of $110 million, becoming the ninth-highest grossing film of 2011, behind The Hangover Part II, and the second highest-grossing animated film of 2011, behind Kung Fu Panda 2.

Plot
Coming soon!

Voice cast

 * Main article: List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters

More coming soon!
 * Dan Castellaneta as Leonardo, the leading member of the Ninja Turtles.
 * Ryan Reynolds as Raphael, the aggressive member of the Ninja Turtles.
 * Will Arnett as Donatello, the tech genius member of the Ninja Turtles.
 * Ben Schwartz as Michelangelo, the carefree party-loving member of the Ninja Turtles.
 * Anthony Hopkins as Splinter, a mutant rat who is the mentor of the Ninja Turtles.
 * Jenny Slate as April O'Neil, a news reporter.
 * Vin Diesel as the Shredder, the leader of the Foot Clan and the main antagonist.
 * Christian Bale as Karai, a member of the Foot Clan.
 * Samuel L. Jackson as Dr. Baxter Stockman, a scientist who works at Sacks Industries.
 * Benedict Cumberbatch as Bebop, a mutant warthog who is of a duo with Rocksteady.
 * Steve Carell as Rocksteady, a mutant rhinoceros who is of a duo with Bebop.

Additional voices
Coming soon!

Development
Coming soon!

Writing and casting
In December 2009, it was revealed that Dan Castellaneta, Ryan Reynolds, Tom Kenny, and Ben Schwartz were casted as Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo, respectively. However, in January 2010, Tom Kenny left the project due to scheduling conflicts, and was replaced by Canadian actor Will Arnett. Castellaneta and Reynolds, who was cast to voice Leonardo and Raphael, expressed faith in the film's success, with Castellaneta saying that "playing the leading ninja turtle Leo was [my] dream in voice acting. Personally, [I] seem perfect for the role". Reynolds said that "as much as [I] wanted to be cast as one of the film's villains, like Shredder for example, [I] am absolutely okay with doing the performance of Raph. He's aggressive, tough, and is not afraid of anything."

In late January 2010, Anthony Hopkins was cast to voice Splinter, a mutant rat and the adoptive father of the Ninja Turtles. Hopkins said in a February 2010 interview that "getting the role of Splinter was unexpected, though I feel like I could do well as him. He's a father, and his voice has to be old-sounding, though not too old." Actress Jenny Slate was casted as April O'Neil, a news reporter in New York City. Originally to be casted by Scarlett Johansson, Slate was casted instead.

More coming soon!

Animation and design
The animation for The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was handled at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Post-production
Coming soon!

Music
Christopher Lennertz composed the score for the film. Originally, the film was to be composed by Klaus Badelt, who composed TMNT (2007). Though after talks with Badelt, he backed out, and Lennertz came to the project to compose the score. The album was released on February 10, 2011, through Varèse Sarabande.

Release
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiered in Los Angeles on February 4, 2011. It was theatrically released on February 11, 2011 in the United States by Paramount Pictures, internationally on February 17, 2011 by Warner Bros. Pictures, and in Australia and New Zealand on March 1, 2011 by Roadshow Entertainment. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for "rude humor, mild language, some peril and ninja action - all involving turtles".

Home media
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was released on Blu-ray (2D and 3D) and DVD on May 30, 2011 by Paramount Home Entertainment and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It was later released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on April 21, 2017. On February 27, 2020, the film was made available internationally on HBO Max, and is now available on the streaming service Max since May 23, 2023. The film was added to Paramount+'s streaming catalog on March 4, 2021.

Box office
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles opened on February 11, 2011 in the United States, February 17, 2011 internationally and March 1, 2011 in Australia and New Zealand. It grossed $217.6 million domestically and $368.7 million overseas for a worldwide total of $586.3 million against its production budget of $110 million.

Critical response
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has an approval rating of 60% based on 194 critic reviews on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 5.85/10. Its critical consensus reads: "With some great action-packed sequences here and there, the animation is astounding and its visual effects is unbelieveable. But, even with that being said, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will most likely bore older audiences of its plot, while younger audiences will admire it for days on end." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore assigned the film an average grade "A-" on its A+ to F scale.