The success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has evidently had an impact
on the animation industry, as it led to DreamWorks Animation taking risks with The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. This new wave of experimentation
has now hit Nickelodeon, with the latest installment in
the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) franchise, Mutant
Mayhem, featuring a unique style not seen before in other TMNT media
or even any major animated films of recent memory. As a TMNT fan whose
entry point was the IDW comic (and whose personal favorite iteration is the
criminally-underrated Rise of the TMNT cartoon), I had mixed feelings on
the announcement due to producer Seth Rogen’s reputation, though the visual
style and premise were interesting enough that I still went to see it on
opening day, ultimately leaving curious to see more.
