Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation
Genre	Action Adventure Comedy Drama Science fantasy Superhero
Developed by	Dan Clark
Voices of	Michael Dobson Kirby Morrow Jason Gray-Stanford Matt Hill Stephen Mendel Lalainia Lindbjerg Christopher Gaze Lee Tockar
Theme music composer	Jeremy Sweet
Composer(s)	Larry Seymour Jeremy Sweet Shuki Levy Kussa Mahchi
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Haim Saban Lance H. Robbins
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	Saban Entertainment Mirage Studios
Distributor	Saban International
Release
Original network	Fox (Fox Kids)
Original release	September 12, 1997 (1997-09-12) – March 20, 1998 (1998-03-20)

Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation was a live-action TV show from America. It was made by Saban Entertainment and aired on the Fox Kids network from 1997 to 1998. The show is based on the famous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles superhero team.

This series brought many new ideas to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles world. It introduced a new female mutant turtle named Venus. She was named after the famous Venus de Milo statue. The show also featured new main bad guys called "The Rank." These were an army of human-like dragons led by the mean Dragon Lord.

Some people thought this show was a follow-up to the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. However, it actually loosely followed the story of the live-action movies from the 1990s. For example, the Turtles lived in the same abandoned train station as in the second and third movies. Also, Shredder's face had claw marks, just like in the first movie. Splinter's ear was also slashed, similar to the first film. But there were differences too! Shredder was alive, and April O'Neil and Casey Jones were not in the show. Unlike other TMNT stories, Leonardo says in the second episode that the Turtles are not blood brothers. Other versions usually say they are.

The Turtles' weapons were also different in this show. Leonardo used one double-bladed sword instead of two katanas. Donatello had a metal staff, not a wooden one. Raphael's twin sai weapons could join together to make a staff. Michelangelo used a pair of tonfa. His usual nunchucks are not allowed in some places. In some European countries, the show was called Hero Turtles: The Next Mutation. This was due to different rules about what could be shown on TV.

This TV show was partly based on a fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie that was never made. It was going to be called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: The New Mutation. The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

In 2011, Saban got the rights to the show back from Disney. Disney had bought Saban's old shows in 2001. In 2018, the rights moved to Hasbro. This happened when Hasbro bought the Power Rangers brand, which included these old shows. The original characters' rights have been owned by Nickelodeon since 2009.

Story of the Show

During a fight against the Foot Clan, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet a new turtle. Her name is Venus de Milo. She uses her special skills to beat Shredder. This also causes the Foot Clan to break up. After this, Venus helps the Turtles when the Rank escapes. The Rank is led by Dragon Lord. They want to take over the world.

Who Are the Characters?

The Turtles

• Leonardo (played by Gabe Khouth and Shishir Inocalla, voiced by Michael Dobson) – He wears a blue mask and uses two katanas. Leo is the leader of the Ninja Turtles. His mask covers more of his head in this show. He often looks for new ways to fight enemies like the Rank.
• Raphael (played by Mitchell A. Lee Yuen and Dean Choe, voiced by Matt Hill) – He wears a red mask and is very impulsive. Raph uses two sai weapons. He sees Simon Bonesteel as his personal enemy.
• Michelangelo (played by Jarred Blancard and Larry Lam, voiced by Kirby Morrow) – He calls himself the "Prince of All Media." Mikey runs a pirate radio show from the Turtles' jeep.
• Donatello (played by Richard Yee and David Soo, voiced by Jason Gray-Stanford) – He wears a purple mask and uses a bō staff. Donnie is the genius of the group. He is a big fan of Dr. Quease. Donnie tried to work with him to send the Rank back into their magical mirror.
• Venus de Milo (played by Nicole Parker and Leslie Sponberg, voiced by Lalainia Lindbjerg) – She is the fifth Turtle and wears a light blue mask. Venus was in the same bowl as the other Turtles when they were mutated. But she ended up in Chinatown and was found by Chung I. She was trained as a shinobi, which is a mystical ninja. Venus often mixes up common sayings.

Friends of the Turtles

• Splinter (played by Fiona Scott, voiced by Stephen Mendel) – He is a mutant rat and the Turtles' adoptive father. Splinter taught them ninjitsu. He usually gives advice or yells at them for making noise. He often plays chess with his blind friend Andre.
• Chung I (played by Tseng Chang, voiced by Dale Wilson) – He was an old friend of Splinter and Venus's foster father. He trained Venus as a Shinobi. The Dragon Lord killed him after using Chung to bring his forces into the real world.
• Andre (played by Len Gibson) – A blind man who plays chess with Splinter in the park. He stayed with the Turtles after being evicted. He accidentally caused some trouble for them.
• Bongo – This giant gorilla was hiding in an abandoned house. Raphael and Bonesteel had to work together to escape. Raphael later became friends with Bongo.

Enemies of the Turtles

• Foot Clan – The Foot Clan in this show are clumsy and not very smart. This makes Shredder very annoyed. They had fought the Turtles for many years. Venus de Milo used her Shinobi magic to defeat Shredder. This made him lose his evil mind, and the Foot Clan broke up.
  • Shredder (played by Patrick Pon, voiced by Doug Parker) – Shredder appeared in the "East Meets West" episodes. Venus de Milo used her Shinobi powers to defeat him. Later, as Oroku Saki, he was found by Dragon Lord's soldiers. They wanted a ninja amulet called the Golden Shuriken. He got the amulet and seemed to unlock its power.
• Rank – The Rank is a group of evil dragons. They were trapped in a magical glass until they escaped.
  • Dragon Lord (played by Gerald Wong, voiced by Christopher Gaze) – He is the leader of the Rank and the King of all Dragons. He and his forces were trapped for years. Dragon Lord was the first evil dragon. He convinced other dragons to join him, which led to his whole race being banished.
  • Wick (played by Adam Behr and Bill Terezakis, voiced by Lee Tockar) – A small dragon who is Dragon Lord's helper. He once drank a power potion by accident. This gave him a deep voice and new powers for a short time.
  • Rank Lieutenant (played by Andrew Kavadas) – He is the head of Dragon Lord's army. You can tell him apart by his purple hood.
  • Good Dragon – This dragon from the Rank has a kind heart. He saved Venus from an attack. He decided to go back into the enchanted glass. He plans to return when Dragon Lord is defeated or when he has an army of good dragons.
• Dr. Cornelius Quease (played by Simon Webb) – A famous scientist who knows a lot about mutation. Donatello is a big fan of his. Dr. Quease tried to create weapons to defeat the Turtles. But Dragon Lord's pride often made them fail. He is also a bit crazy and thinks he's the best.
  • Clones Turtles - These are robot copies made by Dr. Quease.
  • Clone Leonardo (played by Gabe Khouth and Shishir Inocalla, voiced by Michael Dobson) – Dr. Quease's robot helper.
  • Clone Raphael (played by Mitchell A. Lee Yuen and Dean Choe, voiced by Matt Hill) – Dr. Quease's robot helper.
  • Clone Michelangelo (played by Jarred Blancard and Larry Lam, voiced by Kirby Morrow) – Dr. Quease's robot helper.
  • Clone Donatello (played by Richard Yee and David Soo, voiced by Jason Gray-Stanford) – Dr. Quease's robot helper.
  • Clone Venus de Milo (played by Nicole Parker and Leslie Sponberg, voiced by Lalainia Lindbjerg) – Dr. Quease's robot helper.
• Silver (played by Garry Chalk) – He is the last of the Yetis. Instead of living on a mountain, he runs a crime business. He leads a gang of humans who think he is very smart. He can't spell, but he is clever in other ways.
  • Monkey Thief Mick (played by Michael Dobson) – One of Silver's gang members.
  • Monkey Thief Dick (played by Ronnie Way) – One of Silver's gang members.
  • Monkey Thief Clarence (played by John Tench) – One of Silver's gang members.
• Simon Bonesteel (played by Scott McNeil) – A crazy hunter who hunts rare animals. He considers the Ninja Turtles rare because there are only five of them. Bonesteel is a bit paranoid and talks to his weapons. He got smarter over time, learning the Turtles' habits and setting traps.
  • Animal Dealer (played by Linden Banks) - Simon Bonesteel's friend who gives him animals to sell illegally.
• Heavy Duke (played by Travis MacDonald) – He is the leader of the Unknowables Street Gang. They controlled the 8th Street neighborhood. He tried to crash Mikey's rave and steal money meant for animal rights. He and Bonesteel ended up being embarrassed in front of the crowd.
• Vampires – These human-shaped creatures steal life energy. Since it was a kids' show, they used the word "plasma" instead of "blood."
  • Vam–Mi (played by Kira Clavell, voiced by Saffron Henderson) – A 10,000-year-old female vampire from China. Chung I defeated her long ago and took out her heart. Her helpers, Bing and Chi Chu, woke her up. She needed her heart back in 96 hours or she would turn to sludge. The Turtles defeated her with sunlight.
    • Bing (played by Justin Soon, voiced by Colin Musback) – A male vampire with a deep voice. He is one of Vam-Mi's helpers. He seems like a child but is almost 2000 years old.
    • Chi Chu (played by Lauren Attadia, voiced by Sherry Thorson) – A female vampire with a high voice. She is also one of Vam-Mi's helpers. She also seems like a child.

Episodes

The show had 26 episodes in one season. Here are some of the main stories:

Crossover with Power Rangers

The Turtles also appeared in an episode of Power Rangers in Space. The end of the "Save Our Ship" episode leads right into "Shell Shocked." In this episode, the evil Astronema brainwashes the Turtles to fight the Power Rangers. The Rangers break her control, and the Turtles team up with them. They fight Astronema's forces together. Before going back to New York, the Turtles ask the Rangers for one thing: to go space surfing on their Galaxy Gliders!

Venus de Milo: The Fifth Turtle

The most famous new thing in this show was Venus de Milo. She was a fifth mutant turtle and a girl. Her original name was Mei Pieh Chi. She was skilled in the mystical arts of the shinobi. Venus wore a light blue mask that looked like a ponytail. She often didn't understand modern culture or sayings. Nicole Parker played Venus, and Lalainia Lindbjerg did her voice.

Venus de Milo only appeared in The Next Mutation. In a 2007 interview, director Kevin Munroe talked about rules for the movie TMNT. He said that Peter Laird, one of the creators, had a rule: "there’s absolutely no mention of Venus de Milo, the female Turtle." Laird really disliked the character.

Why the Show Ended

The show was cancelled in the summer of 1998. This was the first time the Turtles were not on TV for a long time since the 1987 cartoon started. A new animated series eventually began in 2003.

The show's ratings were not high enough for Fox to keep paying to make it. Fox did not own the Ninja Turtles characters. So, they didn't make as much money from airing the show as they would from a show they owned.

Home Video Releases

The full "Hero Turtles" version of the series was released on DVD in the UK in 2004. Other countries like Germany, France, and Italy also released the full episodes. Shout! Factory released the first volume of Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation on DVD in the US on September 4, 2012. They released the second volume on December 4, 2012.

VHS Releases

DVD Releases

Region 1 (North America)

Region 2 (Europe, Japan, etc.)

Region 4 (Australia, New Zealand, etc.)

See also

In Spanish: Las Tortugas Ninja: Next Mutation para niños