The Evolution of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in Live-Action (Animated)
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When four turtles are soaked in mysterious ooze, they mutate and are trained in the art of ninja by their rat master and adoptive father. But how have these cold-blooded pizza-lovers evolved in live-action? Let’s dive into the ooze and find out!
warning: spoilers ahead!In the 1990 movie, the Turtles have muted green skin, smooth plastrons, 3-digit hands, and two-digit toes. They have oval heads with rounded beaks and wear coloured headbands, as well as leather safety pads and weapon straps.
• Their leader in blue, Leonardo, holds katana blades.
• The largest turtle, Raphael, has a red bandana, carries twin Sai, and occasionally wears a perfect human disguise.
• The youngest in orange, Michelangelo, clutches nunchucks.
• The brains, Donatello, wears purple, grips a bo staff, and sometimes has a creepy inner mouth.
In this film, the turtles take on the thieving foot clan, and their leader, Shredder.
In the sequel, the turtles have longer more saturated headbands, brighter skin with visible spots, less distinct head shapes, and larger eyes. Thanks to outrage from real-world overprotective parents, their signature weapons are often underused. This time, they take on a mutated snapping turtle and grey wolf. Then, in the climax, they face the gigantic Super Shredder!
The third entry slims down the turtles, and gives them darker, shinier leather accents. Their skin is more sickly, and they have wrinkled ankles and necks, tapered bandannas, and simplified heads. In this film, they’re transported to Feudal Japan and wear time-period accurate armour. They take down a bullheaded daimyo and a corrupt fur trader to save their friend, April. With that mission passed, they then head back to their own time.
For the Coming Out Of Their Shells tour, the on-stage Turtles have pale skin with prominent veins, smaller teeth, and…no shells? Huh? But they wear denim vests and tied sweaters to hide that fact. They also wear leg cozies, initialed arm bands, and white shoes, while rocking plump bandanas, and colourful padding and belts. Plus, each of the turtles perform with their own instrument!
In the backstage promo, their appearance is less sickly, they lose their jackets, gain their shells, have coloured boots, and Leo and Mikey have fun shapes on their bandannas. On occasion, they’re also seen wearing their more typical – but cheaper looking – apparel.
In straight-to-VHS educational videos, these “Musical Turtles”, are modified with less spots, extremely long bandannas, and teeny tiny boots.
Prior to this, Playmate toy-styled turtles appeared in an LA transit promotion, saving the city from the evil Gridlock!
In the Quasi-sequel TV series to the original trilogy, The Next Mutation, the turtles skin is less detailed, and they have more definition. The half shell heroes wear bandaging on their legs and arms, coloured safety pads, thigh bands, initialed sash emblems, and longer bandanas. Their eyes are sleepier with elongated pupils and they have smaller teeth. Leo and Donatello also sport fuller headbands. This show introduces the female turtle, Venus de Milo. She wears light blue, and has no sash, safety pads, or white wrappings. But she does have a braided eye mask, shin coverings, slim wrist bands, and yin and yang symbols on her outfit. Most importantly, Venus has connections to spiritual powers. In this series, our Hero Turtles fight hungry-hungry humanoid dragons!
In the 2014 Reboot, the turtles grow into hulking dump trucks with human facial features. They’re more clothed and have scuffed bandages.
• Raphael has tassels on his belt, brown gators, and sunglasses on his head.
• Mikey has knee pads, a tied sweater, beaded necklaces, and the extreme hots for April O’Neil.
• Donatello is slim and tall, decked out in tech, has armoured flaps and pads, and thick glasses!
• Leo has a bamboo chest plate, shoulder pads, and hand armour.
These roided reptiles are conveniently bulletproof, which helps them in facing a greedy businessman and his secret master!
In the sequel, their skin is softened and brighter, and their masks are more saturated.
• Mikey has more orange throughout his outfit and a new backpack.
• Donatello wears cargo pants, has streamlined tech and armour, with a Super Famicom controller tied to his wrist.
• Leo lacks the bamboo chest plating and shoulder pads, has an updated strap, more forearm wrappings, and longer pants.
• Rapheal has grey shorts, more armour, a new chest belt, a single modified boxing glove, and no sunglasses.
This time, the macho mutants take on a wannabe world-conquering alien!
And that is the totally tubular Turtle Evolution. Wanna see their cartoon versions Evolutionized, or other TMNT characters animated? Let us know on our Youtube video!
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