Get Teeny Turtles! “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” Is Ready For Action…and Pizza

There are stories that, no matter how many times they are retold, reimagined and refreshed, are able to seamlessly retain the spark and heart of what their first iteration achieved.

Just reading that opening has probably already flooded your mind with images of a great many classic tales and characters from over the years.

And while there is unquestionably a long list of series that can proudly position themselves among them, I think we need to give credit to one that is more than deserving of such an accolade—none other than “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

What started as a comic in the 1980s has undergone transformation, evolution and change throughout the more than four decades the series has existed. From feature films and video games to animated series, toys, collaboration goods and, naturally, even more comics, fans of all ages have followed the various adventures of this foursome of brothers as they work together to keep the city safe—and always make time for pizza.

Because there is nothing that says saving the day quite like a massive slice of pie with all the extra toppings.

Since their arrival, these four brothers have undergone their own waves of change, adapting for the time, tone and audience each new iteration is hoping to reach. While this has opened seemingly endless opportunities for storytelling, it has also allowed the Turtles to connect with generation after generation of fans.

And, perhaps most excitingly, it always leaves the door open to wonder just what these Turtles will do next.

The answer? Simply go back to their roots—but this isn’t your typical origin story.

This time, we get to see younger versions of our favorite characters as children in the newest entry, “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

And, for the record, it is about as adorable as you would imagine.

First launched this summer, this new take on the classic brothers finds them living inside a dojo where they train, play and, naturally, eat pizza in between keeping the city safe. There is plenty of personality, humor and absolute charm packed into these short, under-four-minute episodes native to the Nick Jr. YouTube channel.

While short-form storytelling has plenty of advantages for viewers of all ages, there can also be challenges when you have such a small allotment of time to tell a satisfying story. But the team behind “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” seems to have landed on the perfect formula.

In the course of a single webisode, we see the full dynamic between our four brothers on display, both during and outside of their missions. We get a great taste of each Turtle’s unique personality and, naturally, because they are heroes, plenty of opportunities to see them in action.

Sometimes that means saving a friend. Other times, it means stopping a pizza-napping or preventing the entire city from becoming covered in mustaches. Each adventure ends with a well-earned victory and some genuinely great character moments.

Their wins aren’t earned because they are already pulling off highly complex strategies or displaying high-caliber fighting skills. They are still developing those abilities at their young age. At this point in their lives, they are still training and aren’t yet facing feats that require them to be the seasoned pros audiences know they will eventually become.

Instead, their victories come from something else: counting on one another, communicating during their missions and using some clever problem-solving to accomplish what needs to be done.

The backbone of all of this is the characters themselves.

Mikey, Leo, Raph and Donnie each have their own unique personalities that we see right from the start. Not only through how they act inside the dojo, but through the way they speak, interact and relate to one another.

Even though he is still young, for example, the foundation of Raph is already there. He simply hasn’t had the experiences yet that will fully shape him into the older version audiences know.

But that is the case with any characterization when you are retelling a story from an earlier point in someone’s life. You can’t have a character be exactly the same as their older self when that self still has to be grown into.

Even though we are seeing younger versions of these characters, not only are their cores already there, but so is their brotherly bond.

And that has always been the heart and glue of why this team—and even the series itself—works so well.

There are endless stories about superheroes. And while the hook of TMNT has always been the fact that our heroes are mutated turtles who double as ninjas, it’s the heart of the series that keeps fans coming back. Regardless of their ages or which versions we meet, that bond is a large part of why fans have become so deeply attached to the legacy this franchise has built.

It is something that sits at the very heart of what the team behind “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” set out to explore, as Co-Creator and Co-Executive Producer Maxwell Beaudry explains:

**Maxwell Beaudry, Co-Creator and Co-Executive Producer **

Ninja Turtles has first and foremost been about family — the close relationship between the brothers and their dad. With our series set in their childhood days, we get to explore the very beginning of this bond and how they will grow into the teenagers we know and love. Through their turtley awesome battles against young Bebop and Rocksteady, Karai and her Foot Ninjas, and even each other over the last slice of pizza, we highlight the thing that matters most to them — being a family!

And in this new age of Turtles, we have a new group of young heroes in the making voicing these great characters.

You can tell how much fun and passion these young performers are pouring into their roles. They sound like kids, but that is exactly who these versions of Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are supposed to be. They are young heroes just starting their journey—not unlike the talented voices behind the microphones.

With fun, upbeat stories, great visuals and talented voice acting, this new entry into the legacy of the Turtles is moving forward full steam ahead.

While the series is intended for young viewers who stand closer in age to our principal cast, it keeps things fun and enjoyable for older fans coming back for more Turtles. It also makes for a great co-viewing experience for parents who grew up alongside older versions of this team and can now introduce these beloved characters to another generation.

The decision to embrace short-form storytelling and YouTube also makes “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” incredibly accessible. With episodes lasting less than four minutes, it is easy for young viewers to fit an adventure into their day while allowing Nick Jr. to meet its audience on a platform already built around easily accessible video.

At the same time, we can’t help but hope Nick Jr. eventually ushers in some longer stories with this next generation of Turtles.

Because if there is one problem with “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles,” it might simply be that these little heroes leave you wanting to spend more time with them.

There is plenty of room for this incarnation to grow alongside its characters, allowing for bigger adventures, deeper character moments and even more opportunities to explore the brotherly relationship that already works so well within these bite-sized stories.

More than four decades after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first arrived, Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey have once again been reimagined for a new generation. They may be younger, their adventures may be shorter and they still have plenty of training ahead of them, but the spark at the heart of TMNT remains unmistakably intact.

Four brothers. Plenty of adventures. And, naturally, enough pizza to go around.

Be sure to catch “Teeny Mutant Ninja Turtles” on Nick Jr’s YouTube channel today!