In the world of animation, few franchises capture hearts like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Our recent collaboration with Mikros and Paramount Animation on ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ has brought these heroes in a half shell to life like never before. In crafting 21 minutes of captivating animation across our Vancouver and Montreal studios, Cinesite takes immense pride in the dedication and top-quality work of its artists.

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies counted on Cinesite’s animation team to mimic Mikro’s style, but also to add their own artistic touch to the project. Under the guidance of Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg from Point Grey Pictures, directors Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, the production radiates excellence, with Barbara Zelinski (Producer) leading the Cinesite animation team.

Central to the film’s allure is its visual style, as Eric Cheung, Cinesite’s Feature Animation Supervisor on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’, explains:

“Our goal was to capture the essence of a comic book through animation techniques. Using animation on twos, infusing motion with a timeless quality. The animation primarily follows a pattern of every pose being held for an additional frame, giving it a more appealing and classic aesthetic. This approach allows animators to concentrate on spacing, breakdowns, and the chosen style. Similar to other contemporary animated films, this technique is chosen to give the movie a traditional and captivating appearance.”

Adding Charm through Imperfections

Eric shares an intriguing anecdote from testing. When precision clashed with the film’s intended style, Animation Director at Mikros, Jacques Daigle, suggested a creative solution – using the left hand or even a mouse. This unique approach aimed to capture the film’s charming imperfections.

Cinesite’s VFX Supervisor, Chris Kazmier, provides additional insight into what distinguishes this film from its previous iterations:

“This version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is notable for embracing a youthful and angsty style. The characters aren’t super skilled; they’re relatable and real, just like the visual style. They’re not portrayed as muscular superheroes, but rather as scrawny turtles with high-pitched voices, truly embodying their teenage identity. This authenticity is resonating with audiences, as seen in the positive response from early reviews.”

Drawing Inspiration from Creative Realism

Eric explains how the team were able to get creative when it came to choreographing some of the action sequences.

“For the Splinter knife fight we worked from storyboards of the actions but were also given some freedom over the choreography. We researched and referenced a lot of Jacky Chan’s movies and took clips from that. We edited them all together to show Jeff and Kyler before implementing them into our shots. For example, Splinter’s very first contact with multiple guards consisted of at least 8 clips from 8 different Jacky Chan movies and the animators stitched those moves together and then tweaked them so they would work for a rat!”

Media Buzz: Making Headlines

Our collaboration’s impact has echoed through the media world. Some noteworthy headlines include:

Cinesite Tapped for ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’, Title Revealed
Jeff Rowe Talks ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’ Teen Boy Tussles
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’ Reviews Roundup: This Franchise Reboot Is A Knockout
New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have the rizz, in a radical teen-focused reboot
Cinesite breaks down its TMNT: Mutant Mayhem fast-track strategy
VANCOUVER STUDIO ANIMATES HEROES IN A HALF-SHELL ‘TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM’

As ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’ anticipation grows, we celebrate Cinesite’s artistic contributions. Media recognition and audience enthusiasm highlight the power of collaboration!

Celebrating cowabunga style

This month, our Montreal and Vancouver Feature Animation teams celebrated a well-deserved victory with exclamations of “Cowabunga!” We treated our exceptional artists and staff to an exclusive private screening of their masterpiece, TMNT: Mutant Mayhem.

Amid cheers and pizza slices, the screen illuminated with their creative brilliance. A moment of shared pride as the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of our team members burst into life.This achievement testifies to the power of teamwork and creativity. To all who poured their hearts into this project, a resounding well done! Your efforts transformed dreams into reality, and for that, we salute you with a victory pizza slice! 🍕