From Wall Street Journal we got our first image of what the new Turtles will look like! Remember the show is CGI, so this image isn't fully the new look but at least the design.
Viacom Inc.'s Nickelodeon is betting that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still have some fight left in them. The cable channel spent $60 million to acquire the global rights to the franchise and plans to offer a new television version of the series using computer-generated animation in 2012.
[HORIZON] Nickelodeon
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were introduced in 1984.
Ciro Nieli, an executive producer of the new Turtles series, says that the coming computer-animated version will be slightly different than past incarnations. The four turtle protagonists, who previously could only be distinguished by the color of their masks, will each have "more individual attributes," Mr. Nieli says. The show will stress their martial-arts combat abilities, he adds.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were first launched in 1984, and have spawned comics, toys, movies and other products. "The TMNT generation is now of the age where they both have children to share with and look to reconnect with their own childhood," said Joe Wos, executive director the ToonSeum, a Pittsburgh cartoon museum.
Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com's box-office division, says that because the 2007 movie "TMNT" grossed just $54.1 million at the domestic box office, "some of the magic" may have worn off the franchise. However, Mr. Dergarabedian said via email that "I think a re-booted version could still find favor with audiences given the long-time popularity of these characters." Nickelodeon plans to help reintroduce Turtles toys to the marketplace and Paramount has a feature-length movie in development with filmmaker Michael Bay ("Transformers").
This week, Nickelodeon is to announce details about new shows that are planned for the network, including the fantasy cartoon "The Last Airbender: Legend of Korra" (a follow-up to the network's "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series) and "Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness," an animated show made in collaboration with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. that is a spinoff of the blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda" movie franchise. "Kung Fu Panda" will will make its debut later this year, with "Korra" to follow in 2012.
Cyma Zarghami, president of the Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, says Nickelodeon spends $600,000-$700,000 per episode to make its animated shows. The network's computer-animated offerings are "a bit more expensive," she says.
The average viewer of Nickelodeon is 11 years old, but some of the new programs might attract older fans. "Korra" features characters who are in their late teens. "It's kind of like the show has grown up," says "Korra" co-creator Bryan Konietzko. "A lot of the viewers have grown up since the show was last on."
The new programs are part of a broader strategy at Nickelodeon to bulk up its animated offerings, especially on Saturday mornings. "Animation is the life blood of kids television," Ms. Zarghami says. "Cartoons last longer, they play around the globe, and they repeat better than live-action shows."
For more on "TMNT" and "Korra,"
go to the Speakeasy blog
at WSJ.com/speakeasy.
I've attached the image for everyone to get a look! What do you think?
