Where the Ninja Turtles Really Came From

Buckle up for the abridged history of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. From comic books to film, TMNT could do no wrong in the 90's and is still going strong today.
If you need more MwM, our latest video about Greta Gerwig's Barbie is already out right now on Nebula!
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00:00 Intro
00:24 Part 1 - A Rocket in a Snowball
07:22 Part 2 - To the Movies! To the Moon!
15:27 Part 3 - A Radical Resurrection
20:27 Part 4 - Mischief & Mayhem
24:50 Pls support
26:29 Credits
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Opening Titles:
Set it Free by Allrounda Beats ► www.allroundabeats.com/beat-s...
Music sampled from Open Up Your Love by The Whispers

[@archangel1of7]

It literally doesn't matter what I'm doing. When I get an alert for one of your videos, everything stops.

[@geegee2109]

Same... I'm at work watching rn 😂

[@BunchaNothin]

Same here. It's break time!

[@djatlas07]

Big stinking dutty facts!

[@elliotsimon9918]

Amen.

[@MrInfamoustyles]

Same, playing Baldur's Gate 3 rn, these goblins are getting fucked up to this lol

[@Mark_Goddin]

“Does a gravy train run on gravy, or carry gravy?” Not me having an existential crisis over a common axiom. Thanks for asking the real questions, Mikey!

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Mikey was always deep 😂😂

[@xdecatron2985]

My brother once perfectly described the 2012 series as being, “Not exactly like the 80’s series, but exactly the way my brain remembers the 80’s series”

[@vjizzzle1]

I 💯% agree with your brother description. When I went back and watched the 80s-90s cartoon, my memory had some how made the animation and story much better than it actually was!🤷🏾‍♂️

[@StudioInkblot]

That is a perfect description of it, for better and for worst

[@rolfathan]

Also, I think it's worth mentioning that in a world of american animation that has been playing it really safe with simple animations, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has some absolutely bonkers animation, really going against the grain of some modern trends. It also has a lot of heart, reminds me more of the family bond from the first live action movie than anything has since.

[@sararatliff7707]

Agreed! Rise is gorgeous. Once the boys get the hang of combat, the fight scenes are amazing. They also did something very clever in that the presentation is very comical, but as time goes on, bits of darker things start to show, like anxiety issues and generational trauma. It was honestly way better than we deserved.

[@brianhykes2862]

The Ninja Turtles are a rare thing. A franchise that not only tolerates but thrives on being remixed and remade over and over again. It doesn't matter how many 'bad' Ninja Turtles projects get made, another project will come around to get people interested again. I think only Batman has a similar quality, and they two had a rediculous crossover all it's own.

[@NickPiers]

Super glad you mentioned the IDW comics because they're absolutely worth mentioning. Another comic that deserves mention is The Last Ronin. They marketed it as a return of Eastman & Laird working together, but it's largely Eastman taking an old concept he and Laird worked on before they split and expanding it into a comic, with Laird's blessing. But it's a really fun outing, as kind of a "Ninja Turtles by way of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns." It's not a perfect comic, but it's a lot of fun. And now they're doing a sequel with four all new turtles within that futuristic setting.

[@Garwik]

The first movie came out on my birthday way back in 1990 and I went to see wearing a home made Orange Bandana around my face. Fast-forward 33 years later and I go to see the new animated film and in front of me in line is a 8 year old wearing a home made orange bandana around his face. Hit me like a ton of bricks. Sometimes I think they should just let franchises die, but I'm overjoyed that these Turtle fellows keep getting reinvented over and over again and there's always something new there for every generation.

[@strongrudder]

My favorite take on the TMNT remains the 2k3 cartoon (at least until the executives meddled and started trying to retool the show): Peter Laird was heavily involved and it stands beside the 1990 film in its faithfulness to the source material. The show gets to do plenty of its own thing of course (kinda required when comic Shredder is in a grand total of 2 fights), but there are a surprising number of episodes that are straight adaptations of classic comic issues. The continuity is solid - even in "filler" episodes between arcs, characters still reference ongoing events. Dangling plot threads are revisited at the most unexpected times. The character writing for the turtles is also really good, though it doesn't rub that in your face and a lot of people don't clock it. All in all, it takes itself seriously, but without losing the fun self-awareness that TMNT really needs to work. As an aside - I don't know how involved Laird was in Turtles Forever, but I swear I can taste the creator frustration in it. A lot of fans were turned off by the treatment of the '87 turtles in that movie, but it makes a lot of sense if you see it as lashing out for that rocket snowball going out of control.

[@tsoda1]

Perpetual lurker, commenting to show my support: I really love the emotional intelligence that shines through in each of these episodes.

[@JohnnyBRad]

I've watched and listened to and studied the history of the turtles more times than I can count. But hearing it from Mikey makes it so much sweeter!

[@andrea1347]

Fun story, there's a commemorative manhole cover on Union Street in Dover, NH near where the creators were living while writing and producing those early comics (the house itself has since been torn down). The Turtles were conceptualized in Northampton, MA, which last I knew had plans to swap out ALL of their manhole covers despite an ongoing kerfuffle at city hall re: funding. Personally, I hope our two small, warring cities continue to one-up each other until we achieve a kind of Ninja Turtle Mecca here on the east coast.

[@matthewjoy475]

I was introduced to TMNT with the original animated series, and later became a huge fan of the 2003 animated series. The first professional art prints I ever bought to decorate my apartment are stylized turtles that I bought from a local comic convention.

[@Tacom4ster]

This essay completely sidestepped the 2003 series, big disappointment 😢

[@celestialcass]

If you havent seen Rise yet you should! It's my favorite TMNT media of all time, and it has a fantastic movie as well!

[@filmjoy]

We loved it! Just focused more on the films in this video. Based on the comments there's a lot of love for Rise so we should have talked about it more.

[@abigailblackmon1144]

The 2003 cartoon was my introduction to the tmnt. It was the show I was most excited for every Saturday. But we also had some of the older stuff on vhs. The 3rd movie was my favorite. Seeing the turtles time travel was the coolest thing to my little brain. We also had the 2st episode or 2 of Next Mutation, and I remember thinking it was its own movie and I adored Venus. I was so excited when I stumbled across the show on Netflix one day and discovered there was more of it. Only to be devestated when I discovered the show was objectively terrible. Looking into the history of it more I was disappointed to see how many if the problems with that show got scapegoated as "Girl Turtle Bad" It was the news that Sophie Campbell had introduced Venus into the IDW comics that finally got me to read them. And I'm glad I did. They're fantastic

[@BigBadBalrog]

I put Mutant Mayhem on so the kids had something safe to watch while I took a nap on the couch with them, but I didn't sleep a wink. I'm so glad it had so much heart and I was SHOCKED to see Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg on the ending credits 😅

[@TheSchaef47]

16:34 i loved the Imagi movie. It reminded me of the 1990 movie in that it was charming but not afraid to go a little hard. The rooftop fight between Leo and Raph was beautifully animated.

[@elliotsimon9918]

This was beautiful. The Turtles have meant so much to me for the entirety of my cognizant life. They are the reason why I got into comics. They are the reason why I am a collector of toys. They are the reason why I have a Black Belt in Shuri Ryu. They are also responsible for me totally ignoring my childhood friend’s birthday party, because once you get on a roll playing that (utterly incredible) arcade game you can’t just walk away for cake, or a song, or presents. You must persevere! (I still feel about 9% guilty about that, but, I mean, it was a different time then.) In 90, when I saw that movie in the theater, it blew my young mind! It set a cinematic bar for storytelling such as this, that is still so hard to top, decades later. I did not run out to see Mutant Mayhem. (I should’ve.) I knew I’d see it eventually. Oddly enough, when a few friends of mine told me about how much they disliked it, I deep, down knew that their critical decree most likely meant that I would probably dig it, so I finally got around to watching it. I absolutely loved it. It made me laugh quite a bit. It’s a film about seeking acceptance. That is what every teenager, regardless of era, is really looking for. In all honesty, it’s what we are all looking for. I truly enjoyed it. It is currently number two on my list of Turtles movies, though I kinda doubt, any offering would dethrone the masterwork that is the original. Peace.

[@DichotomousRex]

Same same s a m e

[@elliotsimon9918]

@@DichotomousRex now that makes me feel just a little bit better about my general insanity. Thank you!

[@jasonhunter2819]

'mischief is in short supply these days' Yes. Yes that's it. That's what I feel has been largely missing from SO much media anymore, it all is sterilized to be just the major hero story, there isn't enough just little bits of mischief to give things a pop and depth like a squeeze of lime into a pot of beans!

[@michaelpapp5518]

23:36 no mention of Rise of the TMNT? That’s the best new iteration of the Turtles, in my opinion. As much as I loved the Mutant Mayhem film and am looking forward to the series and it’s sequel, I want more Rise content too!

[@madridgab]

Yeah! Especially weird, since Mikey uses the logo of Rise of the TMNT for the thumbnail 😕 Rise is my favorite version of the Turtles as well. Here's to hoping that particular iteration lives on somehow.

[@michaelpapp5518]

@@madridgab hear, hear! Rise will rise again!

[@daveash9572]

I remember my childhood friend Michael asked me to go see the original TMNT film in the cinema, and I remember thinking it was a bit of a childish idea, but was then totally engrossed by the film.

[@cherryquill]

I'm surprised you didn't talk about Rise of the TMNT! I was always vaguely aware of TMNT, I knew their names and watched bits and pieces of the movies and shows, but never got into it. But when I watched the first episode of Rise, I was blown away by the fantastic animation, brilliant redesigns, and general fun energy of the show. I still haven't seen the new movie, though, and I definitely need to get on that.

[@deletedguy123]

I hadnt seen one of your videos in about 5 years, for some reason they stopped getting recommended to me despite being subscribed, and I shamefully forgot about the channel, and I'm so glad youtube decided to recommend this to me, now I have so much content to binge and Im looking forward to it

[@Tiglath-Pileser3]

I won the original TMNT movie, on VHS, by being caller #9 on the local radio station. My back hurts.

[@jetfever]

Coming back to Movies with Mikey after not watching for a while is a bizarre feeling akin to having the feeling return to a previously numb body part only to realize that it was being ailed by a near fatal itch that you only noticed because Mikey himself turned lovingly toward you, whispering "don't even trip, dog. I got you" before expertly curing your ailment and mood over the course of around 27 minutes

[@9clawtiger]

My favourite will always be '03. Extremely comicbooky.

[@JeffStevens]

Forgiveness may be divine, but never pay full price for late pizza. That just made me smile.

[@richteffekt]

Turtles. My grandpa had to take me to the movie theater (yeah, I was a bit young in 1990) and he'd sit through the whole thing with me. ❤. I had a blast. Thanks Mikey!

[@chrislail3824]

My favorite movie in the series is the animated Turtles Forever that had the turtle from the 90’s meet the ones from the more serious animated series.

[@JefferyBlue]

I will forever posit that Set It Free is the best intro song to any KZbin channel ever and an all timer for the internet as a whole.

[@eme.261]

I was a bit too old to surf the Teenage Mutant wave, but i'll always watch your videos, as you're a true essayist. And, you're in possession of a dry whit that is just sentimental enough to leave me feeling as though I spent time with a content creator who genuinely cares about what he's doing.

[@SeanBoyce-gp]

Mutant Mayhem is just so damn solid. I was shocked how much I loved that flick.

[@cbob213]

I can always tell when I’m on 1.25x when the intro kicks in. Always switch it back to 1.00 for that sick song.

[@JadeCryptOfWonders]

When RZA said “Wu Tang is for the children” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a manifestation of that.

[@sammeravi-lewis1730]

How did i go down a TMNT rabbit hole the same night this was posted and not see it until 2 days later? Mikey how did you know this is exactly the kind of content i wanna see right now.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

God this makes me feel old. And holy hell have they had an illustrious 40 years

[@tuckapenguin681]

I'm glad you liked the new Mayhem movie and I agree with how charming it is!

[@danhogan5692]

The legend is back, Thanks Mikey, you just made my day.

[@swashbucklerblue]

This has been sitting on my watch list for a while. Glad I finally watched it!

[@syedsarosh84]

Things come full circle. I found this channel years ago because of its video on the first TMNT movie. It was the only one at the time lovingly covering that movie before it was cool to do so

[@iratibibo2426]

There is something so comforting about your videos. They are filled with empathy and caring about the stuff you talk.

[@aerthreepwood8021]

Hell yeah, I'm always pumped for more Mikey.

[@HaShomeret]

I did infact own a water bottle baby and a ton of ninja turtles. Playmate also made knock off Barbies and Barbie accessories that almost fit regular Barbies but not quite

[@NortherlyK]

I love Beach Sunset. Mesmerizing

[@MichaelCoxMTG]

I watch your videos twice, once on Nebula and then next month again on here. Love 'em.

[@revcofe]

That live action movie was so formative to 9 year old me that I still quote or paraphrase that movie (which I haven’t watched in a couple decades) with no context to my son… who is almost the same age I was then. Hrm… maybe it’s time for a throwback movies night…

[@MattMcT]

Mikey, this means a lot. Thank you so much and amazing work as always ❤❤❤

[@TriuneSystem]

I'm a simple person with simple needs. I see TMNT, I click. I see Movies with Mikey, I click again, like, comment, and subscribe, and make sure the bell is clicked. And I see both of those things, and I click so fast!

[@jr3wx]

I was obsessed with TMNT III the summer it came out. Now just might be a totally tubular time to rewatch it and see how it holds up!

[@Liide12]

Great work as always gang! Always look forward to seeing stuff from y'all.

[@Armakk]

1. The og comic art is amazing and I wanna see a SIN CITY style adaption of the first issues that weren't meant for kids. 2. The graphic at 3:01 is the most anxiety-producing image I have ever seen. 3. The gravy train is a mild misnomer, being a gravy sled that brings gravy to all the good boys & girls driven by Tracy Morgan.

[@gctypo2838]

TMNT was never my thing, I think it was mainly timing, one of the things I "missed" as a kid. But with how people talk about TMNT today, not just what it originally was, but what it is today, I'm really glad to see it's still going strong. Been keeping a keen eye on that Last Ronin game in the works. Here's hoping Black Forest can pull it off.

[@zeroomens9438]

The original 90's movies were never my thing. I lived and died for the Cartoon and the toys. The TMNT just drifted into my unconscious as I saw countless iterations throughout my teen and adult years. I watched the 2012 cartoon and I thought it was pretty good yet nothing to revive my love for the franchise. Then this year I saw Mutant Mayhem and I would be lying if I told you that I hadn't streams of tears running down my eyes, joyful tears from a little kid that once loved these characters and was in awe about how beautiful the movie he was watching was.

[@eme.261]

That's truly lovely. Thank you for sharing with us.

[@calvinsidle6509]

My kid loves mutant mayhem. She loves like three different tmnt animated shows. The turtles are alive in the youth

[@Jaysin412]

Niceeee!!! Glad to hear from ya Mikey!! Also, I had like... all of the tmnt figures back when I was a kid in the late 80s/early 90s. They were just the best! I loved the ones that could store their weapons in their shells!

[@kevinwillems8720]

I was hoping you would say more about turtles 03, then again that's the turtles I'm the most nostalgic for

[@nubbles9431]

Glad you're still making videos!

[@ConekillerConfuzor]

I really appreciate the shoutout the phenomenal IDW comic. It is, no question, my favorite iteration of the TMNT.

[@imunqualified3983]

Your videos bring me back to a warm summer with a beautiful scent in the air and a calmness I can’t explain hell yeah love this

[@PogieJoe]

Damn your peak writing abilities are on full display in this one

[@D3metric]

Exactly what I needed. Just some reverently depressing, critical but good movie vibes. With Mikey

[@ampersand2001]

Back in the day, one of my favorite things was creating mutated animal characters in the TMNT role playing game.

[@Fastswimmer34]

I love this channel, I'm subscribed, and I watch every video. I just had this suggested to me for the first time 5 days after release 😥

[@JakeSpurlock]

As always, most excellent.

[@Aragorn7884]

The first movie is *S-tier* 🐢🐢🐢🐢

[@joshr1476]

always terrific

[@darkecofreak23]

HEROES IN A HALFSHELL! Love TMNT!

[@JimmyDThing]

You can't just say "it does it's own thing" for everything as though that somehow makes it better than it is.

[@renaigh]

Turtles 3 was a film I watched A Lot as a kid.

[@TrueYellowDart]

Way to cut those turtle boys some slack. Great vid!

[@charliechavez9117]

My days are always better with new Movies With Mikey

[@christianarroyog]

Love this channel

[@cafeapaka7501]

Actually, TNMNT is a direct descendant of the Daredevil series, specifically Frank Miller’s run. Eastman and Laird were both huge fans of Miller and the all important series - you can see the homage in many of the characters and villains taken from the Miller’s Daredevil, including Master Splinter from Stick, The Foot from the Daredevil’s The Hand. Millers run was heavily invested in Japanese Martial culture like the Turtles. Of course, Eastman and Lairds comic series would develop its own mythology and lore which is just as compelling. The films and cartoons both pale in comparison with the story lines and progression of the comics.

[@stevenmarshall653]

This is like the splinter version of TMNT history in juxtaposition to the AVGN takes on the series that would be Shredders telling of events.

[@chadjones1266]

Sincerity and originality are due for a comeback.

[@neil5652]

Mikey dropping truths 90s sun low in the sky Right in the feelings

[@Elesario]

Did you know... it was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles in Europe due to the violent connotations of Ninja (stupid I know). Even the theme tune of the cartoon was sung this way. I didn't realise they'd changed it until later when the films and such came out.

[@kevinconn]

Omg, Mikey is a fan of Gunship??? YESSSSSS 💗

[@amyhannon3034]

I grew up on the 2003 turtles cartoon, and i Loved it! But i did get a little whiplash from some older friends who grew up on the 80s movies - apparently the lore in the 2000s was not canon to the movies and it broke my heart 😂

[@nicanyounot]

Notifications on for a REASON hell yeah

[@TrueYellowDart]

Omg I never understood: “what are we on?” “G.” I’m hopeless with cars so figured it was vehicle talk re: what number of tries they were on to get the truck started. That also explains why some of their insult efforts are really lame (but I do like “funkoid”).

[@davidfausel9029]

GUNSHIP reference BAY-BEE! 😁

[@stevelandmartin-khan2430]

5:19 child you predicted the TMNT/ghost busters cross over

[@misterjoshua5720]

Oh perfect!

[@PattPlays]

When I see these turtles acting... its like halo 3 machinima im gettin chills

[@superbunnybun]

you forgot about 3 comic movies before this one and after Howard. Dick Tracey, The Rocketeer, and Batman

[@mbryson2899]

A friend of mine is a big Marvel fan. I'm not into comic books, but I consented to drive him to a comic shop (not common in the mid-80s). To rib him I bought the first two or three issues each of TMNT, Kung Fu Kangaroos from Outer Space, and Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters. Fast forward to the 90s and my TMNT books were worth a LOT (the others not so much). I traded them for store credit on FASA's BattleTech rules and minis. My household and my gaming group got a lot of mileage and joy from BT. It was worth it. We had a LOT of fun for years, plus my kids learned all the 2d6 combos and odds, they ruled at craps tables. Life is strange, you never know what will lead to the other.

[@mbryson2899]

BTW, "ALL HAIL KONAMI!" _Contra_ and _Super C_ were awesome! Those hours were certainly not wasted.

[@kimiyounasarukun]

They've never made my favorite Ninja Turtles. There does not exist a more obvious second generation immigrant metaphor, but (as one might be forgiven for expecting consider who has been writing the stories) none of the adaptations have leaned very hard into this angle, and it carves a little piece of my soul away every time the opportunity to tell that story is missed. There are glimmers of it in the original turtle trilogy, but for my money it's obvious, tell-tale emotional heart of the Turtles, and it's never been front and center where it belongs. Maybe someday they'll make that version of it, I wish I could say I had high hopes.

[@strongrudder]

I really want to see this someday, too.

[@M0Nk32]

Love my movies, especially with Mikey

[@MarioBarrio42]

Happily watched this on Nebula a month ago but am happy to engage here in the YT HellScape to boost it here.

[@Numba003]

I'm happy to have made it to see this video tonight. I recently had the pleasure of seeing the new TMNT movie, and I agree that it was quite good. I would recommend it too. Thank you for the fascinating and informative video. God be with you out there everybody. ✝️ :)

[@RoundHouseDictator]

It's been so long, so many movies without Mikey

[@CheezyTime]

Gotta love TMNT! The latest movie was amazing

[@fafnir491]

I don’t even like TMNT, but I’m watching this because it’s from FilmJoy.

[@BoxheadRoss]

Damn dude, no mention of the Rise of the TMNT movie? OR the show?

[@burgeeburger9328]

Thank you Mikey

[@3playerpolitics]

Ooh, hearing about the Mitchells versus the Machines connection has me interested

[@PattPlays]

18:50 wait loving father gives child to faceless global corporation.. YA novel go brr

[@ty-guy4458]

Little less Howard the Duck, little more Cerebus the Aardvark and lot more Daredevil comics, but yeah.

[@zephron28]

A comment for Algorithmo, the god of the algorithm, may he bless FilmJoy with the most views and recommended spots to facilitate the continued glory of the movies with Mikey!

[@Patrick_Banks]

Great thumbnail.