When Animated Worlds Collide

As children, we all had our daydreams about what would happen if our favorite fictional characters were to ever meet. A personal favorite of mine was if all the Saturday morning cartoon shows of the 1980s were to team up in an epic crossover event. You would be hard pressed to come up with a superteam that would be more beloved and rooted for than that of Transformers, He-Man and She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters, GI Joe, Thundercats, Voltron, My Little Pony, Jem and the Holograms, M.A.S.K., DC’s Superfriends, Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Unfortunately, our childhood minds didn’t understand the complexities of intellectual property copyrights, which would stop such inter-promotional stories from happening due to legal battles over which company would get how much of the profits. Thankfully, we’re living in a world where the Avengers movie franchise has grossed over $6 billion across four movies, and now every company wants in on that sweet crossover money. One such example is this pairing of Batman and the Ninja Turtles, which would have completely blown my mind… had I seen it when I was twelve years old.

Based on a story published between DC Comics and IDW Publishing, Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (not the most creative title, but oh well) follows the Ninja Turtles as they travel to Gotham City. It seems the Foot Clan is stealing state of the art technology from various corporations, and it looks like Wayne Enterprises might be next on their list. Of course, no one can venture into Gotham City and dish out vigilante justice without running into Batman, and sure enough, that’s exactly what happens. After the ever important “misunderstanding fight,” both parties team up, as they realize a partnership has been formed between the Shredder and Ra’s al Ghul. Ra’s wants to cover Gotham City with mutagen, and in return, Shredder gets access to the Lazarus Pit. Needless to say, neither one can be allowed to achieve their goals.

Ideally, this would be a mash up between the 1987 cartoon version of the Ninja Turtles and the 1992 version of Batman: The Animated Series, but let’s be honest, that would be too awesome, and a little too jarring in terms of tone. What we do get is something that is close to the ‘92 Batman: TAS, but with Bruce Timm (the producer of that series) versions of the Ninja Turtles from the 2003 cartoon. The designs to the Turtles take some getting used to. All four of them are given all white eyes, which was never a look that I liked, and the shape of their heads varies from one to another. Leonardo and Michelangelo are just fine, but Raphael’s head is too square, and Donatello’s head is too oval. Other than that, no other liberties have been taken; Leonardo is the leader with a pair of katanas, Raphael is the rebel with a pair of sais, Donatello is the genius with the wooden staff, and Michelangelo is the comedic relief with a pair of nunchaku. You can’t say the same about that unwatchable Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series that debuted last year!

In terms of story, it’s more or less what every child would probably imagine a crossover between Batman and the Ninja Turtles would be. We get the “misunderstanding fight,” the Turtles figuring out Batman’s secret identity and discovering the Batcave, Shredder and Batman fight one another, and we even see what happens when Batman’s infamous rogues gallery are transformed into monstrous creatures thanks to Shredder’s mutagen. Basically all the story beats you would expect to happen if you’re a fan of both franchises. Is it predictable? Sure, but you’re really here for the fun ride of it all. And if that weren’t enough, there’s also callbacks to the first two live action TMNT movies, and the ‘87 cartoon series, which brought a smile to my face when I noticed them.

Also along for the ride are Batgirl and Robin, but depending on your level of fandom, you might not like which Batgirl and Robin you're getting. In this case, it’s the latest “millennial” version of Batgirl. In other words, she wants to fight crime and defeat the bad guys, but first, a selfie! Take from that what you will. As for Robin, you’re getting the Damian Wayne version. He’s one of the more polarizing versions of Robin, what with him being a violent pre-teen. I for one agree with the late, great Stan Lee, and think it was always kinda stupid that Batman would have these underage sidekicks that he would bring directly into harm’s way. Unfortunately, Robin is such a staple of the Batman character, you kinda have to have him round. Although, if you must have a Robin around, I guess it makes the most sense if he’s Batman’s son, and that he was originally trained by his grandfather, Ra’s al Ghul. Sorry Ninja Turtle fans, there’s no Splitter, April O’Neil, Casey Jones, Krang, or Rocksteady and Bebop. You do get a mutant fly version of Baxter Stockman though. Take what you can get, I suppose.

I was a little taken aback by how much the movie took advantage of its unrated rating. While produced by Warner Bros Animation, Nickelodeon (the current owner of the TMNT I.P.) did co-produce, and I didn’t expect them to let their child-friendly characters be portrayed from a dark and mature angle. There are some curse words from time to time, but nothing worse than a “hell” or “damn,” and there’s blood during some of the fight scenes. Not buckets of the stuff, but a nose bleed here, a bloody lip there, etc. There’s even a bone breaking scene and a (mock) death scene. This might be a little too scary for some younger viewers, so I can’t fully recommend this being seen by children under the age of 10-12.

Overall, I was entertained by this movie, and it did give me warm and fuzzy feelings of my childhood, as any movie that’s designed to tickle your nostalgia gland will do. Because of this, I give Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles a well deserved four out of five stars. While sort of predictable, it is well made and amusing. You can rent it on physical disk or through on demand services, or buy it outright and add it to your personal collection. Again, I don’t recommend it to younger children, but if you’re a fan of both franchises, this will be a treat for you. It certainly reminded me how much I loved the Ninja Turtles. That concludes this fanpicked review. And remember, when it comes to the media that you consume, be like Indiana Jones, and choose wisely.

Short Version

Pros:

Great animation.

Fun callbacks to TMNT’s overall franchise.

Interesting spins on Batman’s rogues gallery.

Cons:

“Millennial” Batgirl and Damian Wayne Robin might be off putting to some Batman fans.

A little too dark and violent for young children.

TMNT character designs are hit and miss.

Verdict: **** (four out of five stars).