INTERVIEW: Rise of the TMNT Is A Comic-Styled Reverential Reinvention

Nickelodeon's latest animated series had a shocking start to its life when the first previews of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles proved a hotly debated departure from stories past. But as the producers and stars of Rise tell it, the series is less a change from Turtles shows of the past and more a deepening of the franchise in a way that draws inspiration from both the TMNT's animated roots and its comic book origins.

CBR caught up with executive producer Andy Suriano, Turtles icon and current Rise voice director Rob Paulson and stars Eric Bauza (Splinter) and Brandon Mychal Smith (Mikey) for an inside look at the series as it prepares for its regular series debut with multiple episodes airing tonight at 6:30 PM on Nick.

"We always say 'Be respectful, not reverential.' We wanted to be respectful, but we never wanted to be hindered by that," said Suriano who holds years of experience both in comics with projects like IDW's Cosmic Scoundrels and in animation such as the recent run of Mickey Mouse shorts. The creator sees the version of the Turtles on Rise as no different than past takes at their core...this series just digs into new facets of the classic personalities.

"They've always had the same basic ingredients since 34 years ago when Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman came up with them. At its heart, we took those elements and said 'How can we add a little dimensionality to it?' We just went from there and kept adding layers and layers, and anything that didn't feel true to the inherent nature of the character, we yanked it out," Suriano said.

If there are notable differences in the new series, the producer says, they are in terms of the timeline (the show presents the Turtles much younger in their crimefighting career than when they face the Shredder) and in an injection of humor into the show that fits the modern sensibilities of the cast. "One of the things we looked at was that in other versions, typically Mikey was the only funny one. And we felt that people in general have more facets to them than a one note thing. It's not 'I'm the angry guy! I'm the leader!' We're also seeing the Turtles at a different point in their career. We asked what they'd be like just before we've seen them in previous versions."

Smith noted that part of that humor comes from his castmates' comedy backgrounds and their ability to play off each other in the recording booth. "The dynamic aspect of each one of us plays out in each character every week. Each one of us is a rock star," he said shouting out Josh Brener (Donnie), Omar Benson Miller (Raph) and Ben Schwartz (Leo). "There's so many unique colors that are very different from each of the brothers that stand out in the series. That is highlighted by the unprecedented writing that Andy and Ant are doing week in, week out. They're really putting in the work, and it's become easy for us to go in there and knock home runs every week."

Suriano agreed that the changes made were more updates than revisions. "The biggest change is that Donatello is not the meek wallflower. As our other producer Ant [Ward] says 'Coding is cool now.' It's cool to be a geek! Our Donatello as voiced by Josh Brenner is very confident."

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Bauza himself is a franchise veteran having appeared as Tiger Claw in the last Nickelodeon series. But taking on Splinter was a new challenge for him. "I remember what I loved about the character in the original, and so you'd be a moron to mess that up," he laughed. "How man versions have we seen? Having watched the pilot for this one, it's so familiar. It absolutely is the characters you grew up with, but they're giving it new dimensions and you accept it. We know there are multiple dimensions in this universe."

Paulsen is settling into his new role after starring as Raphael in the '80s version and as Donatello in the last series. But he credits the new series' ability to connect with the franchise on the fact that most of the creators and cast grew up with the TMNT.

"Everybody that works on the show grew up watching it. That's a big deal. When you're talking about something that comes from literally a clean sheet of paper to what it has become and everybody knows that story, you better turn it over to somebody that loves it. And as the franchise has grown over the years, you can argue that it's kept adding layers – even things that Peter and Kevin never would have thought of. They obviously created it, but what it's turned into has becoming something so much bigger than two guys sitting in Maine. You have people who have utter respect for the franchise, but they're also bringing a new take on it. It's not dissimilar from Doctor Who."

STORY CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

One of the areas in which the show has marked itself out is in the visual style – a distinctly "2D" series in an era where almost all animation is done completely with computers. "Animation-wise we have to bring our A-game," Suriano said. "Kids today are so savvy that they know the difference between CGI or Flash Animation. We decided to go 2D, but we're really pushing the envelope of the visuals."

"I'm just an actor. To be able to bring these things to life with your computer is amazing," Paulsen said. "I'm old enough that I saw Bambi and was transfixed by it, but these guys are 50 or 60 years down the road. My son is 34, and he was thrilled there would be a 2D version because his kids have see so much CGI stuff that they're going, 'I like The Lion King!' It was very smart to go back to that style."

Bauza noted that eagle eyed fans will be able to see the depth of detail in this series like none that have come before. "It's like a moving comic book. Andy is an established comic artist and publisher, and it has really translated to this."

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles debuts tonight on Nickelodeon.