Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Series, 1987, The 1987 cartoon, Set in New York and Dimension X
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is #1 of 16 in release order and #1 of 16 in chronological order in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The story
Four turtles fall into the sewers and are befriended by Hamato Yoshi a Japanese man sent to New York who was forced to live in the sewers. One day he sees a strange green glow which transforms the four turtles into human-like creatures. Hamato (now Master Splinter) changes into a giant rat from the green glow and teaches the turtles the skills of the ninja as they team up with news reporter April O'Neil to battle against Yoshi's arch enemy Shredder and Krang, an alien warlord from Dimension X.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles recap
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) follows four pizza-loving turtle brothers fighting the Shredder and the alien brain Krang from the New York sewers. Produced by Fred Wolf Films, the cartoon opened as a five-part syndicated miniseries in December 1987, added CBS Saturday mornings in 1990 and ran until November 1996: ten seasons and 193 episodes. Splinter is Hamato Yoshi (Peter Renaday), a human ninja master turned into a rat by the same ooze that mutated Leonardo (Cam Clarke), Donatello (Barry Gordon), Raphael (Rob Paulsen) and Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman). Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil (Renae Jacobs) becomes their closest ally, while Oroku Saki, the Shredder (James Avery), schemes with Krang (Pat Fraley), Bebop and Rocksteady to bring the Technodrome to the surface. The early seasons play the villains for laughs, and season 7 adds a European vacation side-season. From season 8 the "Red Sky" years turn darker: the brothers banish Shredder and Krang to Dimension X, then face Lord Dregg, an alien warlord who turns the public against them, along with fresh mutations and a new human ally, Carter. This is the first screen version of the Turtles and stands alone; its characters return in Turtles Forever and in crossover episodes of the 2012 series.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ending explained
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987) ends with "Divide and Conquer" (November 2, 1996), in which Lord Dregg absorbs the power of several super-beings and Michelangelo and Donatello travel to the wrecked Technodrome in Dimension X to fetch Krang's android body. Using it, the Turtles defeat Dregg and banish him to Dimension X, and Splinter tells them he has nothing left to teach: they are now his equals. Shredder and Krang had already been sent back to Dimension X for good a few episodes earlier. Compared with the Mirage comics, the show makes Splinter a mutated Hamato Yoshi, plays the brothers for comedy and invents Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady.
Where to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is streaming on Paramount+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.9/10
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
- Chronological order: first, before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
What to watch before Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Nothing. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is the first of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Cam Clarke as Leonardo (voice)
- Barry Gordon as Donatello (voice)
- Townsend Coleman as Michaelangelo (voice)
- Peter Renaday as Splinter (voice)
- Renae Jacobs as April O'Neil (voice)
- Rob Paulsen as Raphael (voice)
- Pat Fraley as Krang (voice)
- James Avery as Shredder (voice)
- Tony Jay as Dregg (voice)
- Bumper Robinson as Carter (voice)
- Michael Gough as Raphael (voice)
- Bill Martin as Shredder (voice)