After some rough live-action adaptations of the beloved Ninja Turtles, the boys are back, this time in animated form courtesy of co-writer and co-producer Seth Rogen. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem picks up the baton that was established by Into The Spider-Verse by delivering some fresh and imaginative animation that stands out from the usual fanfare. But is it worth the price of admission?

Mutant Mayhem is an origin story for the boys, mutated turtles who grew up in the sewers of New York City on a diet of martial arts and pizza. They’re fascinated with the world upside, from their concepts of socializing, school and films, but thanks to the lessons instilled upon them by their father Splinter, they’ve learned to fear the humans, for they’d think they are monstrous freaks and would seek to harm them or to study them in a lab. Meanwhile, a supervillain named Super Fly is stealing all kinds of tech with his own nefarious plan in mind, which sets the Turtles out on their very first hero mission with the help of aspirating teenaged journalist, April O’Neil.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Yes, the animation in the movie is great. Is it as good as the Miles Morales Spider-Man movies? No, I don’t think so, but it’s also its own thing. Shapes and outlines are imperfect, bringing to mind haphazard sketches or doodles. The movie can be a little brown and dark, with its dilapidated nighttime setting, but it works. It’s inventive and refreshing considering the last ten-plus years, animated films have all looked the same and only recently have begun experimenting with style again. Some of the mutant creature designs may scare young kids though as a heads up, they’re pretty gross and mortifying and would assume that very young kids would not like the imagery in the final act of the movie.

If there’s one thing TMNT has suffered with over the years is how the boys never really felt like boys. That changes with Mutant Mayhem, thanks to the production actually hiring kids for the roles of Leonardo, Raphael, Michaelangelo and Donatello. They have fantastic chemistry together and felt like a bunch of thirteen-year-old brothers hanging out and pondering about life. They’re immature, funny but kind-hearted. A highlight of the movie by far alongside the animation style.

The movie also has a good message of acceptance and motive for doing the right things in life that I think is great for kids to see. That said, the script, co-written by Seth Rogen, sometimes leaned too hard into Seth Rogen-styled humour, something I’m just not a fan of, which did annoy me a little bit from time to time. This is definitely a comedy and not all the jokes land. Likewise, sometimes the movie leans heavily into exposition that doesn’t feel natural or organic.

Ultimately, this is a brisk 90-ish minute animated feature that’s a fun time at the movies. I think its unique style and important story of acceptance make this a good watch for kids, albeit kids who won’t be traumatized by some of the imagery. It’s also a fun movie for those who grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who are now in their 30s or 40s. I don’t know if I would watch it again, personally, it lacked the emotional calibre found in Across the Spider-Verse, but I still enjoyed myself watching it and have to single out the performances of the four leads.