Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 Film)
From Iwe
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | |
| North American release poster | |
| Directed by | Steve Barron |
| Produced by | Simon Fields David Chan Kim Dawson |
| Screenplay by | Todd W. Langen Bobby Herbeck |
| Story by | Bobby Herbeck |
| Based on | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Kevin Eastman Peter Laird |
| Starring | Judith Hoag Elias Koteas |
| Music by | John Du Prez |
| Cinematography | John Fenner |
| Edited by | William D. Gordean Sally Menke James R. Symons |
| Production companies | Golden Harvest Limelight Entertainment 888 Productions Mirage Enterprises Northshore Investments |
| Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
| Release date | March 30, 1990 |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13.5 million |
| Box office | $202 million |
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 1990 American superhero action comedy film directed by Steve Barron, based on the comic book characters of the same name. Released on March 30, 1990, the film presents the origin story of Splinter and the Turtles, their meeting April O'Neil and Casey Jones, and their first confrontation with Shredder and his Foot Clan. It stars Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, and the voices of Brian Tochi, Robbie Rist, Corey Feldman, and Josh Pais as the four title characters. The turtle costumes were developed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop, and was one of the last projects that Henson was involved in prior to his death.
When the New York City Police Department is unable to stop a severe crime wave caused by the Foot Clan, four mutated turtles — Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael — come forth to save the city. Under the leadership of mutated rat, Splinter, and together with their new-found allies April O'Neil and Casey Jones, they fight back and take the battle to The Shredder. The film kept very close to the dark feel of the original comics, and is a direct adaptation of the comic book storyline involving the defeat of Shredder, with several elements also taken from the 1987 TV series that was airing at the time, such as April being a news reporter, and the turtles having different-colored masks, as opposed to the uniform red masks of the comic.
The film became the highest-grossing independent film of all time, the ninth-highest-grossing film worldwide of 1990, and the most successful film in the series until the 2014 reboot. It was followed by two sequels, The Secret of the Ooze in 1991 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III in 1993.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
[edit] Cast
[edit] Live-action actors
- Judith Hoag as April O'Neil, a reporter for Channel 3 News
- Elias Koteas as Casey Jones, a street-wise vigilante and former ice hockey player who becomes an ally of the Turtles
- Michael Turney as Danny Pennington, Charles's teenage son and a member of The Foot
- Jay Patterson as Charles Pennington, April's boss
- Raymond Serra as Chief Sterns, the Police Chief of New York City
- James Saito as Oroku Saki / The Shredder, the founder of a network of runaways-turned-thieves and the main antagonist of the film.
- Toshishiro Obata as Tatsu, Shredder's second-in-command
- Sam Rockwell as Head Thug
Skeet Ulrich and Scott Wolf appear uncredited as members of the Foot.
[edit] Voice cast
- Josh Pais as Raphael, the rebellious and angry Turtle<ref name="hollywoodreporter1"/>
- Robbie Rist as Michelangelo, the fun-loving, party Turtle
- Brian Tochi as Leonardo, the leader of the Turtles and the closest to Splinter
- Corey Feldman as Donatello, the brains of the Turtles
- Kevin Clash as Splinter, the Turtles' master.
- David McCharen as Oroku Saki / The Shredder
- Michael McConnohie as Tatsu
[edit] Puppeteers
- David Greenaway as Raphael (facial assistant)
- Josh Pais as Raphael (in-suit performer)
- Mak Wilson as Michelangelo (facial assistant)
- Michelan Sisti as Michaelangelo (in-suit performer)
- David Rudman as Donatello (facial assistant)
- Leif Tilden as Donatello (in-suit performer)
- Ernie Reyes, Jr. as Donatello in-suit martial arts stunt double
- Martin P. Robinson as Leonardo (facial assistant)
- David Forman as Leonardo (in-suit performer)
- Kevin Clash as Splinter (puppeteer)
- Rickey Boyd as Splinter (facial assistant)
- Robert Tygner as Splinter (assistant puppeteer)
NOTE: All four actors who played the in-suit Turtles also appeared in cameos as minor characters, with David Forman (Leonardo) as a gang member, Michelan Sisti (Michaelangelo) as a pizza delivery man, Leif Tilden (Donatello) as a messenger of The Foot and Josh Pais (Raphael) as a passenger in a taxi. Pais was the only actor to portray a Turtle on screen and provide his voice.
