Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
#10: Monstrous Mutation
Top 10 Monstrous Animal Attack Movie Scenes
We see things differently as kids. Parents also have different levels of leniency when it comes to what they do or don’t let their children watch on television. That said, it’s easy to understand how a youngster might not grasp all of the ramifications behind some of the franchise’s various mutations. Specifically, the scene where scientist Baxter Stockman undergoes a mutation feels more than a bit indebted to David Cronenberg’s remake of “The Fly.” This is backed up not only by what’s on screen, but Baxter’s frightened reaction to it; it feels almost like a more toned-down version of Cronenberg’s classic style of body horror cinema.
#9: Spanking the Monkey
If we know anything about the world of children’s programming, it’s that some animators and scriptwriters behind the scenes love to pull a fast one on their audience. It’s almost expected these days that any content aimed at kids is going to have something that’s going to fly over their heads, and land for the adults. This was definitely the case with this otherwise throwaway line from the season four “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” episode, “Turtles of the Jungle.” Here, a lab monkey is misbehaving in a lab, and Donatello asks the scientist in question whether or not the monkey is going to get “spanked.” It’s low hanging fruit, for sure, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that some writer received a chuckle out of getting that one past censors.
#8: Casey Jones: Homophobe?
The live action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” film from 1990 inspired a generation of turtle fans with its grim and surprisingly gritty tone. These turtles were definitely down to kick some shell, while their new friend Casey Jones was along for the ride. However, there’s a line from the film where Jones is portrayed as being a bit defensive about his sexuality, while also coming across a little thick with regards to what Donatello is trying to say. Jones tells the turtle that he’s “never even looked at another guy before” when he’s accused of feeling a bit claustrophobic in his surroundings. Not only does this response make little sense, it also paints Casey Jones in a slightly homophobic light.
#7: Makin’ It With April
For those of you not old enough to remember the live action “Coming Out of Their Shells” tour from 1990: consider yourselves lucky. This bizarre bit of theatrical kid stuff (sponsored by Pizza Hut, naturally) was promoted like crazy at the time, in order to coincide with the first film. As a result, the cast of the tour appeared, in costume, on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” to promote the touring show and pay-per-view event. When asked about how the turtles feel about April O’Neil in human form versus potentially being a turtle, the sexual euphemisms fly way too fast and free for comfort. It’s the sort of moment that somehow made what was already embarrassing feel apocalyptically cringe in scope.
#6: Who Wrote the Theme Song?
Top 10 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villains
The short answer to this question is: Chuck Lorre! Yes, the television producer of such hits as “Two and a Half Men” actually started out his career as a musician and songwriter. Lorre co-wrote the iconic opening theme song to the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” with collaborator David Challen Brown, not long after transitioning from the world of music to script-writing and television work. Are most kids great at reading credits on their favorite programming? Probably not, and to be fair, Lorre wasn’t a household name when “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” hit screens in 1987. Still, it’s a fun bit of trivia for adults to notice, so many years later.
#5: The Renaissance Connection
Top 10 Hidden Details in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mutant Mayhem
Not to come across as old folks yelling at clouds here, but we can remember a time when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were referred to by their full names, dammit! The turtles’ origin story has undergone various changes over the years, but their names being taken from famous painters of the Renaissance Period remains unchanged. This was a cool way of exposing young kids to some art history, although this overarching intent may or may not have been noticed on the first couple of viewings. The fact that the turtles’ names so often get shortened to “Mikey,” “Leo” “Donnie” and “Raph” doesn’t make this Renaissance Connection any stronger in the modern day, either.
#4: Whitewashing April
Deadpool's Ed Skrein LEAVES Hellboy Reboot Over Whitewashing Controversy – The CineFiles Ep. 36
The character of April O’Neil is one that’s been a constant within the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” universe. She isn’t always depicted with that same consistency, however, specifically with the accusations that the character has actually been whitewashed over the years. This stems from April’s original depiction in the comics, which sees her as having African-American features. Co-creator Kevin Eastman has referenced April’s original design as being modeled after a girlfriend who came from a mixed background, although this statement has been contradicted by Peter Laird, who maintained April was always meant to be a redhead. The original comics’ black-and-white design makes it difficult to know for sure, but there are definitely some drastic differences from the comics to the screen.
#3: Megan Fox as a Sex Object
Ok, so this may be perhaps the most obvious entry on this list, but context is admittedly everything. Younger fans watching the films in Michael Bay’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” universe might not immediately catch on to how sexualized Megan Fox’s April O’Neil is in the films…even if we can’t say the same about some of Fox’s co-stars. To be fair, Fox’s portrayal of April isn’t the first to be in command of her sexuality, as Judith Hoag’s portrayal in the first live action definitely got the attention of Casey Jones, but yeah…the Bay films feel like they’re on another level.
#2: Not Using Their Weapons
Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in Teen Movies
This gripe isn’t only limited to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but can also be applied to many other cartoon and television franchises from the 1980s. See how members of The A-Team or G.I. Joe apparently couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, unless plot conveniences required them to do so. The same can be said about the Turtles, only here it’s how neither Leonardo nor Raphael use their edged weapons for stabbing as often as they could. Sure, mousers or robotic Foot Soldiers may get sliced and diced, but the animated Turtles rarely get to use the pointy ends on anything flesh. The comic book versions, however? Well, that’s a whole other story.
#1: All of the Animation Mistakes
Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in Clueless
It’s become something of a running gag for fans of the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” animated series, the fact that there was a seemingly endless number of flubs and animation mistakes. The reasons behind this largely have to do with the rushed production schedule that went into getting these episodes to air. As a result, many errors with the coloring, and scene editing and voice acting matches have gone on to become part of TMNT lore. In fact, there were so many mistakes with the original show, that there are many YouTube compilation videos out there detailing all of the madness!
