Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

Director:

Steve Barron

Writers (WGA):

Kevin Eastman (characters) and
Peter Laird (characters) ...
(more)

Release Date:

30 March 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Family | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Heroes in a half shell!

Plot:

A quartet of humanoid turtles trained by their mentor in ninjitsu must learn to pull together in order to face the menace of Shredder and the Foot Clan.

Plot Keywords:

Turtle | Rat | Ninja | Ninjitsu | Combat

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Josh Pais	...	Raphael / Man In Cab (voice)
Michelan Sisti	...	Michaelangelo / Pizza Man
Leif Tilden	...	Donatello / Foot Messenger
David Forman	...	Leonardo / Gang Leader
Robbie Rist	...	Michaelangelo (voice)
Corey Feldman	...	Donatello (voice)
Brian Tochi	...	Leonardo (voice)
Judith Hoag	...	April O'Neil
Elias Koteas	...	Casey Jones
Michael Turney	...	Danny Pennington
Kevin Clash	...	Splinter (voice)
James Saito	...	The Shredder / Oroko Saki
Toshirô Obata	...	Tatsu (as Toshishiro Obata)
David McCharen	...	The Shredder / Oroko Saki (voice)
Michael McConnohie	...	Tatsu (voice)
Jay Patterson	...	Charles Pennington
Raymond Serra	...	Chief Sterns
Sam Rockwell	...	Head Thug
Kitty Fitzgibbon	...	June
Louis Cantarini	...	Cab Driver
Joe D'Onofrio	...	Movie Hoodlum #1 (as Joseph D'Onofrio)
John Ward	...	Movie Hoodlum #2 (as John D. Ward)
Ju Yu	...	Shinsho
Cassandra Ward-Freeman	...	Charles' Secretary
Mark Jeffrey Miller	...	Technician
John Rogers	...	New Recruit
Tae Pak	...	Talkative Foot #1
Kenn Scott	...	Talkative Foot #2 (as Kenn Troum)
Robert Haskell	...	Tall Teen
Josh Lozoff	...	Beaten Teen (as Joshua Bo Lozoff)
Winston Hemingway	...	Police Officer #1
Joe Inscoe	...	Police Officer #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Curtis Bush	...	Foot Soldier
Kevin Eastman	...	Citizen (uncredited)
Rick Gomez	...	Thug (uncredited)
Curtis Lambert	...	Subway Bystander (uncredited)
Robert J. Maxwell	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
Alex Mugleston	...	Thug (uncredited)
Nick Pernice	...	Central Park Robbery Bystander (uncredited)
Kimani Ray Smith	...	Gangster (uncredited)
Skeet Ulrich	...	Thug (uncredited)

Directed by
Steve Barron

Writing credits (WGA)
Kevin Eastman		(characters) and
Peter Laird		(characters)
Bobby Herbeck		(story)
Todd W. Langen		(screenplay) and
Bobby Herbeck		(screenplay)

Produced by
David Chan	....	producer
Raymond Chow	....	executive producer
Graham Cottle	....	co-producer
Kim Dawson	....	producer
Simon Fields	....	producer
Gary Propper	....	in association with: A Limelight Production

Original Music by
John Du Prez

Cinematography by
John Fenner		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
William D. Gordean
Sally Menke
James R. Symons

Casting by
Lynn Kressel

Production Design by
Roy Forge Smith

Art Direction by
Gary Wissner

Set Decoration by
Barbara Kahn
Brendan Smith

Costume Design by
John Hay

Makeup Department
Beate Eisele	....	special makeup effects artist
Dalaree Goodwin	....	additional makeup artist
Jeff Goodwin	....	makeup artist
Michelle Johnson	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Edwin 'Itsi' Atkins	....	production supervisor
Doug Cole	....	production supervisor
Thomas K. Gray	....	executive in charge of production
David Blake Hartley	....	production manager
Lyda Blank	....	production manager: New York (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Grossman	....	first assistant director
Brian Henson	....	second unit director
Pamela Kuri	....	second assistant director
John Wildermuth	....	second second assistant director (as John Wildermuth Jr.)

Art Department
Robert Beck	....	property master
Michael T. Daigle	....	lead scenic artist
Jerry Hall	....	set designer
Tom Jones Jr.	....	construction coordinator
Brian Kontz	....	plasterer
Carol Lavoie	....	set designer
Brendan McCarthy	....	storyboard artist
James F. Oñate	....	scenic foreman
Gus Ramsden	....	storyboard artist
Kip Bartlett	....	set dresser (uncredited)
John Bromell	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Hank P. Constantineau	....	set sign painter (uncredited)
Jack Cornish	....	construction foreman (uncredited)
Michael J. Hall	....	lead carpenter (uncredited)
Todd Hatfield	....	stand-by scenic artist (uncredited)
General Fermon Judd Jr.	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Mike Keith	....	painter (uncredited)
Joe Lemmon	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Paul Martin	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Jeffrey L. McKay	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Stephen C. Peterman	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Bill Piper	....	plasterer (uncredited)
Chris L. Spellman	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Barry Spencer	....	carpenter (uncredited)
Karen Steward	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Brian Stultz	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Richard Waldrop	....	on-set dresser (uncredited)
Wallace W. Wright	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Bobbi Banks	....	adr editor
Jeff Courtie	....	foley mixer
Victor DiMattia	....	looping
Thom 'Coach' Ehle	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Darrell Hall	....	foley editor
Robert Heffernan	....	adr supervisor
Michael Herbick	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Heslin	....	foley artist
Victor Iorillo	....	sound editor
Gregg Landaker	....	sound re-recording mixer
George Leong	....	boom operator
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kathy McCart	....	sound recordist
Lee Orloff	....	location sound mixer
John Post	....	foley artist
Michael P. Redbourn	....	supervising sound editor
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer
Gary Ritchie	....	sound recordist
Catherine Shorr	....	sound editor
Richard Shorr	....	sound effects
Richard Shorr	....	supervising sound editor
Christopher T. Welch	....	dialogue editor
Al Heath	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)
John Kwiatkowski	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Ken Troisi	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Bill Ward	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Ken Barley	....	mold maker
Chris Barton	....	creature shop
Barry Fowler	....	mold maker
Dave Kelly	....	mold maker
Joe Digaetano	....	special effects supervisor (uncredited)
David Fletcher	....	assistant special effects (uncredited)
John Stephenson	....	creative supervisor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Ray Scott	....	visual supervisor (uncredited)

Stunts
Reginalf Barnes Jr.	....	skateboard stunt double: Donatello (as Reggie Barnes)
Paul Bucossi	....	stunts
Thomas Dewier	....	stunts
Norman Douglass	....	stunts
Dale Frye	....	stunts
Gene Harrison	....	stunts
Pat E. Johnson	....	stunt coordinator
Ip Choi Nam	....	turtles stunt double
Shawn O'Neil	....	stunt double
Shawn O'Neil	....	stunts
Ernie Reyes Jr.	....	fight/stunt double: Donatello
Michael Russo	....	stunts
Kenn Scott	....	turtles stunt double (as Kenn Troum)
Jimmy Lee Sessoms	....	stunts
Chi Wai Chiang	....	turtles stunt double
Deborah Watkins	....	stunts
Mo-Chow Yuen	....	turtles stunt double
Paul Beahm	....	stunts: Casey Jones (uncredited)
Kurt Bryant	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert M. Andres	....	key grip: New York
Mike Brewster	....	camera operator
Ted Churchill	....	Steadicam operator
Tony Cutrono	....	director of photography: second unit
Scott R. Davis	....	key grip
John Ferguson	....	gaffer
Bill Finger	....	second assistant camera
Chip Hackler	....	second assistant camera: 2nd unit
Tommy Hinson	....	rigging grip supervisor
Robert Hoelen	....	best boy
Jeff 'Moose' Howery	....	dolly grip
Jonathan Lumley	....	gaffer
Alan Markfield	....	still photographer
Cristiano Palermi	....	lighting technician
David W. Strong	....	rigging gaffer
Stephen Thompson	....	best boy
Stephen Thompson	....	generator operator
James Tomaro	....	rigging gaffer
Jeffery J. Tufano	....	first assistant camera
Bryan Ashford	....	grip (uncredited)
Joe D'Alessandro	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Lynn Dodson	....	gaffer: second unit (uncredited)
Rusty Edmonson	....	electrician (uncredited)
Russell Hardee	....	rigging grip supervisor (uncredited)
Billy Hendricks	....	electrician (uncredited)
Scott Hillman	....	grip (uncredited)
Dan Karlok	....	best boy (uncredited)
Dan Karlok	....	generator operator: New York (uncredited)
Terry D. Long	....	electrician (uncredited)
Cristiano Palermi	....	electrician (uncredited)
Alan Pickelsimer	....	electrician (uncredited)
Roger Schweitzer	....	video technician (uncredited)
Tommy Ray Sullivan	....	rigging gaffer (uncredited)
Troy N. Wade	....	rigging grip (uncredited)
T.J. Williams	....	Steadicam operator (uncredited)

Casting Department
Andrea Curtis	....	casting
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Libby Featherston	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sara Seidman	....	creature dresser
Alonzo Wilson	....	costume supervisor
Gray Hunter	....	costume dresser (uncredited)
Peter Jacovich	....	costume dresser (uncredited)
Marian Keating	....	costume dresser (uncredited)
Barbara Miller	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)
Michael Nations	....	costume dresser (uncredited)
Patsy Rainey	....	costume crafts (uncredited)
Laura Senters	....	costume dresser (uncredited)
Anna M. Welcome	....	wardrobe assistant (uncredited)
Jean Wesner	....	costume dresser (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Marta Evry	....	apprentice editor
Dennis McNeill	....	color timer
Suzy Elmiger	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Ellen Elphand	....	editorial apprentice (uncredited)
Gina Mittelman	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Janice Parker	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Stu Cantor	....	music supervisor
Murray Deutch	....	music supervisor
Pat Lucas	....	music coordinator
Larry Mah	....	score engineer
Larry Mah	....	score mixer
Katherine Quittner	....	music recording supervisor and music editor
John Richards	....	orchestral recording (uncredited)
Shirley Walker	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Neil Hyman	....	transportation coordinator
Doug DuRose	....	driver (uncredited)
Anthony Forester	....	transportation captain (uncredited)
Bobby McMahon	....	driver (uncredited)
David Outlaw	....	driver (uncredited)
John Silvia	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Sheila Allen	....	production accountant
Will Alovis	....	production assistant
Rickey Boyd	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Splinter"
Mary Bridges	....	production coordinator
Mike Casey	....	unit publicist
David Greenaway	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Raphael"
Sandra M. Haskell	....	script supervisor
Brian Henson	....	chief puppeteer
Pat E. Johnson	....	martial arts choreographer
Amy Krell	....	assistant to producers and director
Mike Repeta	....	production assistant
Martin P. Robinson	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Leonardo"
David Rudman	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Leonardo"
Elizabeth Shea	....	location assistant
Peter D. Steinbroner	....	production associate
Robert Tygner	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Splinter"
Anne Wilson	....	assistant production accountant (as Anne Moosman)
Mak Wilson	....	animatronic puppeteers: "Michaelangelo"
Adam Alphin	....	office production assistant (uncredited)
Richard Arsenault	....	video technician assistant (uncredited)
Xenia Beith	....	suit designer (uncredited)
Xenia Beith	....	suit fabricator (uncredited)
Xenia Beith	....	suit maintainer (uncredited)
Linton Bocock	....	foam lab technician (uncredited)
Scott Buckwald	....	production assistant (uncredited)
C.F. Burton	....	medic (uncredited)
Fiona Cazaly	....	suit designer (uncredited)
Fiona Cazaly	....	suit fabricator (uncredited)
Fiona Cazaly	....	suit maintainer (uncredited)
Grady Cooper	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Jamie Courtier	....	mechanical supervisor (uncredited)
Eileen Eichenstein	....	production office supervisor (uncredited)
Cathie Hegler Godwin	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Robert G. Goodwin	....	martial arts trainer: New York (uncredited)
Verner Gresty	....	mechanical supervisor (uncredited)
Vick Griffin	....	location scout (uncredited)
Dave Housman	....	computer and electronics supervisor (uncredited)
Jamie Jackson-Moore	....	mechanical fabricator (uncredited)
Alan Lasky	....	video Assist: puppeteer (uncredited)
Lesja Liber	....	suit designer (uncredited)
Lesja Liber	....	suit fabricator (uncredited)
Lesja Liber	....	suit maintainer (uncredited)
Geoff Paige	....	mechanical supervisor (uncredited)
Olivia Patton	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Randall Pickett	....	craft service (uncredited)
Marlene Pivnick	....	production executive (uncredited)
Quentin Plant	....	computer and electronics fabricator (uncredited)
Quentin Plant	....	computer and electronics maintainer (uncredited)
William Plant	....	project supervisor (uncredited)
Daniel Remer	....	project coordinator (uncredited)
Jim Sandys	....	mechanical fabricator (uncredited)
Neal Scanlan	....	mechanical supervisor (uncredited)
Brad Stephens	....	publicist (uncredited)
John W. Stuart	....	production controller (uncredited)
Neal Thompson	....	title designer (uncredited)
Tak Wai 'Billy' Liu	....	assistant martial arts consultant (uncredited)
Kenny Wilson	....	mold supervisor (uncredited)
Venus Wong	....	production associate (uncredited)

Production Companies

• 888 Productions
• Golden Harvest Company (as A Golden Harvest Presentation)
• Limelight Entertainment (as A Limelight Production)
• Mirage Productions
• New Line Cinema
• Northshore Investments Ltd.

Distributors

• Alliance (1990) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Filmauro Distribuzione (1990) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Forum Distribution (1990) (France) (theatrical)
• Toho-Towa (1991) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• Alliance Releasing Home Video (1990) (Canada) (VHS)
• Family Home Entertainment (FHE) (1990) (USA) (VHS)
• Lauren Films Video Hogar S.A. (1990) (Spain) (VHS)
• New Line Cinema
• New Line Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Roadshow Entertainment Video (Australia) (VHS)
• Roadshow Entertainment (Australia)
• Roadshow Home Video (1991) (Australia) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. (Germany)

Special Effects

• Jim Henson's Creature Shop

Other Companies

• Creative Casting  casting
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• North Carolina Film Office  filmed in
• Surge Licensing  characters: exclusively licensed by
• William F. White International  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie" - USA (long title)
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Original Movie" - USA (DVD box title)
"Mutant Turtles" - Japan (English title)

Runtime:

93 min

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:10 (original rating) | Iceland:12 (video rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Finland:K-14 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Spain:T | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Italy:T | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (cut) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2003) (uncut) | USA:PG (No. 30181) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Nova Scotia/Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Castle Hayne, North Carolina, USA

Company:

888 Productions

Trivia:

All three newswomen seen or mentioned in the film have the name of a month: April, May, and June.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: Towards the beginning of the movie when the young kids are bringing stolen goods to the foot soldiers in the large cargo van, the foot soldiers close the double doors at the back of the van and the sound of the doors latching is nowhere close to the time that the doors actually close.

Quotes:

April:So, what do you guys like on your pizza?
Michaelangelo:Oh, just the regular stuff: flies, stink bugs... It was a joke.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Nostalgia Critic: Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows (#4.47)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

TEQUILA

I remember them! Long live the "TMNT"!

I recently bought an old VHS copy of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie" and I must say that this movie is still great even after 14 years. Now first let me that this is the only faithful film in the "TMNT" trilogy of movies released during the early '90s.

This film, released at the height of "Turtlemania" in the summer of 1990, raked in $133 million at the box office, quickly making it the highest grossing independent film of all time. That's good considering it also faced heavy competition from another comic book adaptation that year, "Dick Tracy," which was directed by Warren Beatty and was quite groundbreaking, on its own terms of course.

Though the film is more in touch with the toned-down animated series of the same title, its roots are squarely in the original comics created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. This film is violent (it DID push the limits of its "PG" rating in some spots, especially with some intense moments, many of which dealt with teenage crime and alienation, and some particularly brutal fight sequences) and is quite dark and actually kind of scary. This is by far the most mature, moving, and tense film in the series and we should thank director Steve Barron for making sure his vision of the Turtles did not stray off course (unlike the sequels).

I was a huge Turtle freak growing up, and I still have many of my original action figures and other memorabilia. I only recently purchased Eastman and Laird's line of graphic novels from First and I must say that they're quite excellent and they take me back to the Turtles' roots. It is quite obvious that this line of graphic novels served as the main source of inspiration for the film. One particularly big difference between the comics and the film is that the literary source material is quite violent (and not to mention very bloody in some spots).

Many people may look at this film today (in 2004) and they might say this film has not aged well. All I can say is that they did not have CGI taking control of every single action sequence to make up for lack of real stunt work. The performers inside the Turtle costumes acted quite excellently considering what they went through to become our four, high-kicking reptilian heroes.

I remember reading a little while back that Hong Kong director John Woo had expressed interest in remaking the Turtles movie. I hope not for two reasons: 1) If the Turtles were to be remade, it would most likely be based off of the current running "TMNT" cartoon series, which is crap and 2) The original 1990 film is fine the way it is and does not need to be touched by the greasy hands of today's Hollywood.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie" is the best adaptation of the comics so far, and I loved it. It is one of the best comic-to-film adaptations of all time and should be preserved. "TMNT" forever!

10/10