Stop-motion is becoming a really popular technique that permits filming new things in a unique manner, as well as breathing new life into old things, as is the case with this TMNT intro.
As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of the cartoons that I grew up with, so each thing that is related to them brings back really nice memories and manages to put a smile on my face. This time, it’s the opening sequence of the cartoon, reimagined in a manner that is probably more modern than the original from 1987.
The video starts simply, with a man leaning over his desk to draw some TMNT-related images. Suddenly, he decides to ingest the content of a mysterious envelope, along with what appears to be coffee. The suspicious substance leads to hallucinations, so our cartoonist here starts seeing moving pictures instead of drawings, pink turtles (Is that how baby turtles look like? Don’t think so). Now, if you are going to tell me that the envelope did not contain any illegal drugs, you had better have some consistent proof for that statement.
Kyle Roberts is the main author of this stop motion clip, but he did not do this alone. A whole bunch of other people, whose names you can see at the end of the video, when the credits start rolling, contributed to this. However, this stop-motion intro has been brought to us by The Awesomer. The Toy and Action Figure Museum is the sponsor of this video, more precisely curator Kevin Stark, who has been involved in designing the original TMNT toys, more than 20 years ago.
According to the authors, the project included more than 4,000 images. The action figures that are seen later in the video had a background composed of more than 60 vibrant drawings made by artist Nathan Poppe. There is no doubt that the clip involved a lot of effort and took a lot of time to make, but I really think that the music could have been better. It sounds mockingly childish, at best, and it takes away a bit from the beauty of the entire project.
If you liked this post, please check these terrifying TMNT portraits and this TMNT cake.
