Ninja Turtles: Secret of the Movie

What made the turtles a success in the past?

Ninja Turtles were a huge hit with children in the late 1980's. The concept of a "ninja" was very exciting and still relatively new to American culture. Ninja Turtles had everything a child would want to see all wrapped up into one show, ninjas, mutants, pizza, skate boards, and funny jokes. In contrast, shows like GI-JOE were more true to life. The superhero genre had not yet taken off in the way it has over the last decade as a result, the audience was not as spoiled by special effects and big budget productions as they are today.

In 1990 the first live action movie was made for the relatively small price of 13.5 million and grossed a little over 200 million worldwide. It was the first successful live action movie that began as an animated series. People were excited to see their Saturday morning heroes come to life on the big screen. However, as Ninja Turtles grew more popular, more hands went in the decision making pot. Passion and creativity were slowly replaced by a committee of businessmen. It was unfortunate that the next three films did not find the same success as their predecessor.

Our challenge is to bring back the fire and excitement that people had for the first live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Why did that level of success not continue?

Very simply put, the people that are writing for Ninja Turtles now, have a vision that is completely out of touch with the audience and most especially the fans.

The movie that we have created is not targeted at the current generation of children. We wrote our movie for the children who grew up with Ninja Turtles in the 80's and 90's. Children of today will not fall in love with Ninja Turtles of the 80's, they need an upgraded version. A better example is, kids don’t want a Nintendo game system anymore, they want a Nintendo Wii or and X-Box, they need an upgrade from what children of the 80’s found awesome.

We have worked very hard to make our movie darker without loosing touch with the teenage spirit of the turtles themselves. In our movie, you will laugh harder, be on the edge of your seat, and understand the inner struggles each turtles must face in order to become the heroes you have come to know and love.

The audience of the late 80's had much lower expectations for special effects and life like realism. Today's generation have been spoiled by every conceivable trick in the book with movies like Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, and Batman Begins. These movies are awesome because they got the upgrade. You cannot get away with a weak storyline, poorly conceived special effects, or bad acting anymore. Thanks to movies like these, the audience is more educated and expects a better product.

What can we do to make Ninja Turtles a success again?

Ninja Turtles are part of American culture. Almost anyone under the age of 40 knows who the Ninja Turtles are. With a more educated audience, and movies like Batman Begins taking the spotlight, everyone can expect the next Ninja Turtles movie to be bigger and better

The only way to accomplish this is to delve into parts of the Ninja Turtle world that have never been fleshed out before. Batman Begins took a practical approach, everything Batman wore was not just for show, but served a very specific purpose. It is important to think practically about the Ninja Turtles as well. For example, here are a small sampling of questions that if answered, would bring a whole new dimension to the individual character of the Ninja Turtles.

• How does Splinter teach the turtles about the world around them?
• Why is the Shredder so evil?
• What if the turtles were never born and never fought crime in NYC?
• How do the turtles survive from day to day?

The turtles of 1987 were very one dimensional, which was okay for a cartoon and an unspoiled audience 20 years ago. The writers for the 2007 TMNT film tried to add depth to the turtles by giving them jobs, monetary problems, and a disconnected house-mother-rat. It tried to be epic by bringing back monsters from the past. This was a step in the right direction, but horribly executed.

Our movie adds depth, context, and an epic feel in a more realistic and practical way. It begins about 40 years ago in Japan with the story of Splinter's master, Hamato Yoshi. This is important because his lifestyle and teachings are the foundation of everything the turtles will become.

Instead of making the turtles like us by giving them jobs, we decided to bring the audience into the sewers where these unwanted mutated freaks of nature have grown up and lived their entire lives.

If these issues are not addressed in the next turtles movie will be made, seen and forgotten thereafter. We passionately spent our time over the last 4 years perfecting our vision because we believe the next movie can be great! If the studios ignore what we have done, they will be four years behind the curve and out of touch with the people who have been faithful to the Ninja Turtles.

The studio has the money, the rights, and the capability to make the next movie fantastic. We have already finished the vision and story. It would be an honor and a pleasure to be a part of the TMNT 5 team.

Luke & Steve