In honor of the 1990 movie’s 35th anniversary, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be re-released in theaters on August 17 and 20 via Fathom Entertainment, Saga Arts, and Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group.
Book your tickets at Fathom Entertainment.
A new featurette, Turtles Unmasked, will be screened before the movie that includes never-before-seen archival footage, extended deleted scenes, and behind the scenes home movie footage as well as commentary from the film’s director, Steve Barron. Turtles Unmasked was produced in collaboration with the creators of TMNT: Evolution, Mutation & Reboot.
The voice cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – the first live-action movie in the franchise – included Brian Tochi (Revenge of the Nerds, Police Academy 3: Back in Training) as Leonardo, Corey Feldman (Stand By Me, The Goonies) as Donatello, Josh Pais (The Station Agent, A Beautiful Mind), as Raphael, Robbie Rist (Balto, “Doc McStuffins”) as Michelangelo and Kevin Clash (“Sesame Street,” Muppet Treasure Island) as Splinter, the Turtles’ master.
Judith Hoag and Elias Koteas co-starred as the Turtles’ allies April O’Neil and Casey Jones, respectively.
The original Ninja Turtles comic book was created in 1984 by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Turtlemania exploded in the late ‘80s, with the success of the indie comic and subsequent animated series and toyline paving the way for the 1990 live-action movie.
Eastman previously looked back on how the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie conquered Hollywood, telling IGN in 2023:
“I can’t say enough about how gifted and talented Steve Barron the director was. They brought in a writer named Todd Langen who wrote the script. And the icing on the cake could not have been better, Steve Barron’s relationship with Jim Henson, they brought in the Henson Company to create the costumes to help bring these Turtle characters to life. And it was literally a perfect storm of things that lined up and allowed that opportunity to happen the way it did.”
Eastman and Laird maintained creative control over how the heroes in a half shell were adapted for the big screen. “We were inspired by some creators that lost control of their characters through the companies they worked for,” Eastman told IGN.
“Years ago, that was the nature of the business, and we knew how lucky we were to own our characters. So anything that was going to be done with them we wanted full say and approval on.”
For more Ninja Turtle coverage, learn how to read IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics in 2025, get details on the new VR game TMNT: Empire City, and watch the TMNT: Splintered Fate Xbox launch trailer.
