They battle petty criminals, evil overlords and alien invaders, but it turns out the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" have another skill which, until now, has been overlooked. It seems Leo, Donnie, Raph and and Mikey, who hail from the storm sewers of New York City and achieved worldwide fame in the late 1980s, are also fluent in Welsh.
Nearly 30 years after the heroes in a half-shell were first created in an American comic book, the story of the four pizza-loving turtle brothers has appeared on television in Welsh for the first time!
The first episode of Nickelodeon's hit CG-animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" premiered on the Welsh-language public-service television channel S4C on Thursday 28th November 2013 and introduced the turtles, which will be known locally as the "Crwbanod Ninja" ("Ninja Turtles"). When Splinter (or Sgyryn as he'll be known in Welsh) allows the Crwbanod Ninja to leave their sewer lair and visit the surface, they get their first glimpse of the real world; a place full of vicious villains and delicious pizza!
To translate Nickelodeon's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" series into Welsh, production company Level 2 sourced the original animation from the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and dubbed a Welsh language audio track over the top of the production.
The team have completed half of the 26 episodes, with the remaining 13 due to be finished in 2014:
Turtle power! The heroes in a half-shell reveal a hidden talent ... speaking WelshAlso, from the official S4/C website, s4c.co.uk:
1 Dec 2013 06:40
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have made their debut on S4C complete with creative translations
Get ready for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ... in WelshGet ready for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ... in Welsh
They battle petty criminals, evil overlords and alien invaders, but it turns out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have another skill which, until now, has been overlooked.
It seems Leo, Donnie, Raph and and Mikey, who hail from the storm sewers of New York City and achieved worldwide fame in the late 1980s, are also fluent in Welsh.
Nearly 30 years after the heroes in a half-shell were first created in an American comic book, the story of the four pizza-loving turtles has appeared on television in Welsh for the first time.
Dubbing director Emyr Roberts, 64, who lives and works in Caernarfon, said: "We were all very excited about the first airing. I hope the viewers will enjoy watching it as much as we’ve enjoyed working on it."
The first episode was aired on S4C on Thursday and introduced the turtles, which will be known as the Crwbanod Ninja. The series follows their adventures, as they learn the art of ninjutsu and leave their sewer lair to get a glimpse of the real world.
Click the pictures below to see how the turtles' trademark phrases have been translated into Welsh
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Welsh
Emyr, who works for production company Level 2, said: "Honestly, during my years working as a dubbing director I can say, hand on heart, that this is the production people have doted on the most.
"Be it as someone who watched the series as a child, or someone who has children himself who think that dad working on the Ninja Turtles is awesome!"
He added: “The story has really captured everyone’s imaginations. I think it's because the turtles are the good guys, but they have a rebellious streak. I have also been struck by the amount of humour in the series.”
The animation had been sourced from American children’s television network Nickelodeon and the Welsh language audio has been dubbed over the top.
Emyr, whose favourite character is Michelangelo, said: “Dubbing is a painstaking and time-consuming process. We have to record one actor at a time to keep the precision and it requires a lot of concentration.”
Emyr added: "Although they are all experienced actors, they had never done anything quite like this before. It can look a bit surreal because they stand in front of a small screen and they really go for it."
The dubbing director has previously worked on other popular children’s series, including Horrid Henry and Dennis the Menace, but said the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still stand out.
The team has completed half of the 26 episodes, with the remaining 13 due to be finished in the New Year.
The huge task of adapting the script into Welsh fell to the Gwynedd-based author and historian Dewi Prysor.
He said: “The New York dialect obviously doesn’t work in Welsh, so I had to give the turtles an urban Welsh dialect, without losing the attitude, slickness and cool factor and without detracting from their personalities, but as a father to teenage sons, it wasn't too difficult.”
He added: "The series is exciting, slick and daring and also visually striking, but more than that, it’s really, really funny. It’s a dark humour with some slapstick elements, which I love. Ask my family and they'll tell you that they heard uncontrollable fits of laughter coming from my study countless time when I was working on the script."
Sioned Wyn Roberts, children's programmes comissionner for S4C, said: "There's no doubt that the Ninja Turtles is one of the most iconic series ever, so we saw this as an opportunity for a new generation to follow the four turtles and their adventures, and to do so in Welsh."
Hold on to your shell – the Ninja Turtles are coming to S4C
— November 26, 2013
This week four rather famous turtles will be settling in to a new home on S4C.
Crwbanod Ninja, a Welsh adaptation of the popular series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles starts on the Channel this Thursday (28 November) at 6.05pm.
The series based on the comic book first created in 1984 follows four mutant turtles, Leo, Donnie, Raph and Mikey, who have been trained in the art of ninjutsu by their rat sensei, Master Splinter.
When Splinter (or Sgyryn as he’ll be known in Welsh) allows the Crwbanod Ninja to leave their sewer lair and visit the surface, they get their first glimpse of the real world; a place full of vicious villains and delicious pizza!
For Emyr Roberts, dubbing director on the series for production company Level 2, the project was one of the most exciting he’s ever worked on.
“Everyone who’s been part of this project are excited by the Crwbanod! Honestly, during my years working as a dubbing director I can say, hand on heart, that this is the production that people have doted on the most. Be it as someone who watched the series as a child, or someone who has children himself who think that dad working on the Ninja Turtles is awesome!” says Emyr Roberts
“It’s a pleasure coming into work when you’re surrounded by such enthusiasm, a fantastic crew, writer and cast.”
The voice cast boasts Llŷr Evans, Rhodri Meilir, Rhydian Lewis, Dyfrig Evans, Rhodri Evans, Aneirin Hughes, Malan Wilkinson and Hefin Wyn.
The huge task of adapting the script into Welsh fell to the Gwynedd-based author and historian, Dewi Prysor.
“The New York dialect obviously doesn’t work in Welsh, so I had to give the Turtles an urban Welsh dialect, without losing the attitude, slickness and the ‘cool’ factor – and without detracting from their personalities of course,” says Dewi Prysor. “But as a father to teenage sons, it wasn’t too difficult.”
“The series is exciting, slick and daring and also visually striking. But more than that it’s really, really funny. It’s a dark humour with some slapstick elements, which I love. Ask my family and they’ll tell you that they heard uncontrollable fits of laughter coming from my study countless time when I was working on the script!”
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