NICKELODEON REVEALS FIRST-LOOK OF CHARACTERS IN BRAND-NEW
RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ANIMATED SERIES
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Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Pictured (clockwise): Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and April O’Neil.
BURBANK, Calif.—Feb. 1--Nickelodeon today revealed a first-look of the characters in its brand-new animated series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which follows the band of brothers as they discover new powers and encounter a mystical world they never knew existed beneath the streets of New York City. The 2D-animated series debuts later this year on Nickelodeon.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reimagines the characters in a fresh new way, featuring jagged-shelled Raphael as a snapping turtle, wielding twin tonfas as his weapons; Leonardo as a red-eared slider, using an ōdachi sword; Donatello as a soft-shell turtle, sporting a tech-bo staff; and Michelangelo as a box turtle, arming himself with a kusari-fundo. Along for the adventure is the Turtles’ most trusted ally, April O’Neil, a street savvy native New Yorker and Splinter, father figure and sensei to the Turtles.
The series stars the voice talent of Omar Miller (Ballers) as Raphael, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Josh Brener (Silicon Valley) as Donatello, Brandon Mychal Smith (You’re The Worst) as Michelangelo, Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries) as April O’Neil and Eric Bauza (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Splinter. WWE Superstar John Cena lends his voice as villain, Baron Draxum, an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants.
The Turtles’ hold distinct personality traits and skills, including: Raphael, as the oldest and biggest brother, he is the leader full of enthusiasm and bravado; Leonardo, the self-professed ‘coolest’ brother possesses irreverent charm and a rebel heart; Donatello, a mechanical genius and tech wizard whose ninja skills are second only to his coding; and Michelangelo, the youngest brother, a skateboarder and artist who is wild and imaginative.
Viewers can visit the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles page on Nick.com for more information and follow @TMNT for Turtle Power updates. The character art was revealed today on Facebook Live.
The new 26-episode series is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank. Veteran animation industry voice actor Rob Paulsen is voice directing the series.
Kat Graham voices April O’Neil in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Josh Brener voices Donatello in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Ben Schwartz voices Leonardo in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Omar Miller voices Raphael in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Brandon Mychal Smith voices Michelangelo in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Eric Bauza voices Splinter in Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Pictured (L-R): Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice cast; Kat Graham (April O’Neil), Josh Brener (Donatello), Omar Miller (Raphael), Brandon Mychal Smith (Michelangelo) and Ben Schwartz (Leonardo).
Considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date—with toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more—and generating billions of dollars at retail. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been the number-one action figure for the past three years and the franchise is a previous recipient of the Toy Industry Association’s top honor for Property of the Year at the TOTY Awards.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 38th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
Original post:
Nickelodeon has unveiled a Turtley Awesome first-look at the networks upcoming brand-new 2D-animated TMNT series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Booyakasha!
Nickelodeon will offer up a new animated series about the crime-fighting crew with emerging ninja powers later this year. Right now, though, you can get a peek at the characters who are voiced by some familiar names — and they come with a few twists...
Donatello - Soft-shell turtle and tech hero Donatello (Josh Brener) rocks a tech-bo staff and impressive coding skills.
Leonardo - Leonardo (Ben Schwartz) is a red-eared slider who boasts "irreverent charm and a rebel heart." Weapon of choice: ōdachi sword.
Michelangelo - Box turtle/skateboarder/artist Michelangelo (Brandon Mychal Smith) is the youngest brother — and dangerous with a kusari-fundo.
Raphael - Raphael (Omar Miller) is now the leader and oldest brother, a snapping turtle who brandishes twin tonfas as his weapons.
Splinter - Splinter (Eric Bauza) is part father figure, all sensei to the turtles.
April O'Neil - The first African-American April O'Neil — a savvy New Yorker and first human ally of the turtles — is played by Kat Graham.
Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries) stars as April O’Neil; Josh Brener (Silicon Valley) plays Donatello; Omar Miller (Ballers) voices Raphael; Brandon Mychal Smith (You’re The Worst) is Michelangelo; and Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) stars as Leonardo. In addition, Eric Bauza plays Splinter and John Cena voices villain Baron Draxum, an alchemist warrior mutant who aims to transform all humans into mutants.
During Nickelodeon's Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Facebook Live reveal on Thursday, February 1, Nick revealed that:
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be pumped up with even more comedy, whilst keeping the action fans know and love!
- Each Turtle brother will be of a different species.
-- Raphael will be a snapping turtle.
-- Donatello will be a soft-shelled turtle, and has built a range of interchangeable Battle Shells, with one hinted as having its own personality. Donnie will also be dry-witted. Donnie in this version of TMNT will be completely different from any other versions of the character.
-- Splinter will be a mutated Russian blue dwarf rat.
-- Leo will be super intelligent and be very quippy. Leonardo will be a red eared slider turtle.
-- Leo will take Mikey under his wing, and will be the first to come up with a catchphrase.
-- Michelangelo will be the youngest turtle. He'll have a innocence about him, be full of energy and be fun loving. He'll be a buck shelled turtle. Mikey can go completely inside his shell.
- COWABUNGA is back in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will feature dimensions, allowing fan-favorite characters from past series, such as Ice Cream Kitty, to come back!
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo on all-new adventures as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City. From the tallest skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the Turtles will encounter absurd new mutants and battle bizarre creatures all while enjoying their favourite slice of pizza. Tapping into mystic, ninja powers they never knew existed, the four brothers must learn to work together and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfill their destiny to become a team of heroes.
The voice cast of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will star: stars the voice talent of Omar Miller (Ballers) as Raphael, Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) as Leonardo, Josh Brener (Silicon Valley) as Donatello, Brandon Mychal Smith (You're The Worst) as Michelangelo, Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries) as April O'Neil, and John Cena as Baron Draxum.
The highly comedic voice cast shapes the team in a fresh way and breathes new life into the characters' distinct personalities, including: Raphael, as the oldest and physically biggest brother, he is now the leader and his enthusiasm and bravado puts him front and centre for most of their bizarre adventures; Leonardo, the self-professed ‘coolest' brother possesses irreverent charm and a rebel heart; Donatello, an unflappable mechanical genius and tech wizard whose ninja skills are second only to his coding; Michelangelo, the youngest brother, an artist and awesome skateboarder with a wild colorful, and imaginative personality; the Turtles' most trusted ally, April O'Neil, a street savvy native New Yorker who is always ready to join in the fun; and Baron Draxum, an alchemist warrior mutant who seeks to turn all of humanity into mutants. Additionally, Eric Bauza (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) joins the cast as Splinter, both father figure and sensei to the Turtles.
Veteran animation industry voice actor Rob Paulsen is voice directing the series. Paulsen most recently voiced Donatello in Nickelodeon's CG-animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and voiced Raphael in the 1987 original series. With over 2,000 half-hours of animation voice-over to his credit, Paulsen's versatility is heard in many series.
The new 26-episode series is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif.
Andy Suriano is an artist, illustrator and performer, and an Emmy and Annie Award-winning character designer and storyboard artist. His past credits include: Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Fairly OddParents, Duck Dodgers, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Disney's Mickey Mouse shorts, Samurai Jack, and The Powerpuff Girls, among others.
Ant Ward is an animator, writer and producer best known for his work as supervising producer on Penguins of Madagascar and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Emmy Award-winner was integral to developing Nickelodeon's CG-animation pipeline.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is set to debut on Nickelodeon USA and Nickelodeon UK later this year.
More Nick: Nickelodeon Reimagines The Iconic "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" In All-New 2D Animated Series, "Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"!
Original source: EW.com; Additional source; ComicBookMovie.com; H/T: ToonZone Forums /@Frontier.
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