The stars of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem brought “real teenage energy” to the movie, Micah Abbey (Donatello) told J-14 exclusively in our September 2023 issue.
“We are playing a version of ourselves in the characters,” the young actor continued, teasing the movie, which hits theaters on Wednesday, August 2. “Because we are actual teenagers, the characters will feel more authentic.”
Micah is joined by Brady Noon (Raphael), Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo) and Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo) as the four main superheroes. “After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts,” the film’s official description reads. “Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.”
Seth Rogen (Bebop) and Ayo Edebiri (April O’Neil), among others, also voice various characters in the animated film.
“During the recording process, all four turtles got to record together. We mixed our fun and spontaneous energy with the talents of amazing director, writers, and producers, and, we were able to create a very funny movie,” Micah recalled, noting that the crew allowed them to “be normal teenagers” during the filming process. “This is very much shown throughout the movie, which our peers will love because it’s more realistic.”
Nicolas agreed with his co-star, sharing that “there’s never been real teenagers playing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and teenage is the first word in that title so it’s gotta be important.” As for what he thinks viewers will like the most?
“People are gonna like the focus of adolescence in the movie, it has a really cool feel that’s different from other iterations of the Turtles,” he added. “The animation is crazy and the movie looks incredible!”
Shamon made it clear that the stars were “still paying homage to the previous versions” while creating their own versions of the iconic heroes. He noted that there are “little modern day Easter eggs and references” sprinkled throughout the movie.
Overall, Brady is “honored to be part of the TMNT franchise” with this new iteration of the heroes.
“As teenagers, we can all relate to the content of the story,” the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers actor added. “I believe [viewers] will be laughing from start to finish.”
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