You can’t keep a good turtle down! Nickelodeon has a new animated series premiering sometime in 2018. The new series is Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with an all new voice cast starring Kat Graham (April O’Neil), Josh Brener (Donatello), Omar Miller (Raphael), Brandon Mychal Smith (Michelangelo), Ben Schwartz (Leonardo) and a returning favorite Eric ‘Tiger Claw’ Bauza (Splinter). The 26 episode 2D-animated series will be voice directed by Rob Paulsen (Donatello 1987 TMNT series) who has over 2,000 half-hours of animation voice-over experience that he will use steering the new cast. Rounding out the team is co-executive produced by Andy Suriano (character designer, Samurai Jack) and Ant Ward (supervising producer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) at Nickelodeon in Burbank, Calif.
“I used to sing the TMNT theme song daily on the bus on my way to elementary school and Raphael was my favorite Turtle. To get to voice this fictional character who had such a giant positive impact on my childhood is an honor. And to boot, I’m being directed by the man who voiced Raphael in my childhood.”, Omar Miller (Raphael)
The new cast have major comedic chops so will bring a new energy and direction to the characters personalities and sound! In the new series Raphael will be the big bro leader; Leonardo is the rebel with a heart of gold; Donatello a skilled ninja that knows his way around a motherboard; Michelangelo the renaissance baby brother of many talents; April O’Neil the BFF who always has their back and Splinter the daddy and sensei of the bunch bestowing wisdom and dropping knowledge.
“I’ve watched TMNT since I was a little girl. I’m so proud to be playing the first African-American April O’Neil. What an incredible honor for me and milestone for this iconic cartoon. I’m excited for all the adventures the Turtles and I will have!”, Kat Graham (April O’Neil)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles follows Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo on all-new adventures as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City. From the tallest skyscraper to the dankest sewer drain, the Turtles will encounter absurd new mutants and battle bizarre creatures all while enjoying their favorite slice of pizza. Tapping into mystic, ninja powers they never knew existed, the four brothers must learn to work together and navigate the perils of the modern age and hidden realms in order to fulfill their destiny to become a team of heroes.
“This incredible roster of voice actors provides a fresh take on these globally recognized characters, and they are going to bring this version of the Turtles to life in a whole new way,” said Chris Viscardi, Senior Vice President, Production and Development, Animation. “We have reimagined the series to be filled with humor, loads of action and a dynamic look, and it’s packed with all new heroes, villains and cityscapes for the Turtles to explore.”
Andy Suriano is an artist, illustrator and performer, and an Emmy and Annie Award-winning character designer and storyboard artist. His past credits include: Star Wars: Clone Wars, The Fairly OddParents, Duck Dodgers, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends, Disney’s Mickey Mouse shorts, Samurai Jack, and The Powerpuff Girls, among others.
Ant Ward is an animator, writer and producer best known for his work as supervising producer on Penguins of Madagascar and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Emmy Award-winner was integral to developing Nickelodeon’s CG-animation pipeline.
Considered one of the most popular kids’ television programs of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a classic, global property created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It first debuted as a successful comic book series and then became a hit animated TV show, a live-action television series and later spawned numerous blockbuster theatrical releases. The property is a global consumer products powerhouse, winning in every category that has hit shelves to date—with toys, apparel, video games, DVDs and more—and generating billions of dollars at retail. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has been the number-one action figure for the past three years and the franchise is a previous recipient of the Toy Industry Association’s top honor for Property of the Year at the TOTY Awards.
Follow @TMNT for more Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reveals and Turtle Power updates.
About Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon, now in its 38th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visithttp://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
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