As the 4Kids TMNT animated series (aka the 2003 Series) drew to a close, a very special sendoff was conceived: a crossover movie between different Ninja Turtles universes. It’s a great movie, despite apparently being named after a Joel Schumacher Bat-bomination. This special bit of fan service was devised not only to close out the 4Kids series in grand fashion, but to sate whiny fans of the original 1987 series, some of whom weren’t as happy with the more grounded and comics-based universe of the reboot and constantly clamored for the return of characters like Krang, Rocksteady, and Bebop. After a dozen years off the air, the original series would come back for a special “reunion”.
I’m a huge TMNT fan, and my wife is a good sport about it while not caring for any of it herself. She’s been subjected to some of the movies, anime, etc, because of me, and is generally pretty dismissive of it all. Turtles Forever is the one TMNT movie that she really enjoys, because of its tongue-in-cheek humor and return to the ’87 material.
The events of Turtles Forver are set off when the ’87 Turtles accidentally use the Technodrome’s dimensional transport to send themselves, as well as their villains — Shredder and Krang, henchmen Rocksteady and Bebop, and their army of Foot Soldiers — into the more modern and serious universe of the ’03 Turtles. (For those not in the know, the series was shepherded by Peter Laird who fiercely guarded it against the overt silliness of the original series, over which he had no creative control).
The TV movie plays as a culture-clash between the different versions of the Turtles, constantly but lovingly ribbing the cheesiness of the original series. The silliness of the original Turtles and their Universe is greatly exaggerated, but to fun effect, lampooning not only the goofiness of the four heroes, but the ineptitude of their villains.
The movie plays a bit like a fun diversion but manages to really engage hardcore fans with its revelatory last act. The classic Shredder is clearly outmatched by his more competent, scarier counterpart, who has such contempt for his weaker variant that he decides to take over the entire multiverse and establish himself as the one true Shredder. Yes, it’s basically the same villainous plot as The One. In doing so he discovers that their two universes aren’t the only ones — there are many different TMNT Universes, which are revealed by the dimensional portal and known to the audience as many various comic variants, live action features and animated cartoons, anime, and films.
Shredder determines that the only way to eliminate the Turtles for good is to destroy the original, or “Prime” universe. The film’s climax therefore takes place in the black and white world of the original Mirage comics, now featuring three different Turtle teams working together. Just as the ’87 Turtles were teased for their goofiness, the Mirage comics Turtles are depicted as exaggeratedly grim and humorless. It’s a tremendously fun twist and I love this self-deprecating look at the franchise’s history.
So great is the threat of utter multiversal destruction that Turtles, allies, and foes all combine their efforts to combat the Shredder’s insane plan. From a purely narrative perspective, Turtles Forever isn’t particularly great, exhibiting a lot of tropey scripting and TV cartoon dialogue, but as a crossover event and major helping of tongue-in-cheek fan service, it really shines.
Turtles Forever was released on DVD by Nickelodeon in 2010, but it’s a total botch job. Presented in 4:3 and using the shorter edited-for-television version of the film rather than the longer cut made available online and generally preferred by fans. Even the cover art is poorly used stock imagery which gives no indication of the film’s crossover nature — despite the fact that some great poster and promotional art had been made for the film.
So while I highly recommend checking out the movie, I can’t recommend purchasing the DVD until they come out with an appropriate version, or better yet a complete collection of the 2003 series. (But if you want to buy it, I put a link below anyway.)
A/V Out.
