MovieChat Forums > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) Discussion > List the pros and cons of each TMNT cart...

List the pros and cons of each TMNT cartoon! Which was the best?

posted 9 years ago by TMC-4
4 replies | jump to latest

With the latest big screen Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles live-action feature, it's a good time to look at the three major animated adventures of the heroes in a half-shell. Each series have their respective pros and cons - something each did better, and unfortunately worse, in each iteration. So, looking at the 1987, 2003 and 2012 cartoons series ...

What do you consider the pros of con of each animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series?

Also, what did one series do better, or worse, when compared to the other two? Better humor, better stories, better action - which versions do you think trumped the others in those regards?

[–] diddly_diddly_swag 9 years ago

80s-

Pros-
Everything except the cons

Cons-
Voice actors changing, to jokey at times

03-

Pros-
Different more serious approach more true to the comics

Cons-
DVD releases, To serious at times (it is a kid show featuring teenagers), Flash Forward

12s-

Pros-
pays respect to different TMNT incarnations and brings in various actors from them (Feldman, Rist, and most of the 80s cast for crossovers), fantastic voice cast (Astin, Cipes, Paulson, Peck, Whitman, Lee, Richardson), brings in great actors (Heder, Tennant, Smoove, Barr, Gottfried, Perlman), seeing the 80s series in HD, has season and series long stories

Cons-
No blu-rays for such a beautiful show

[–] MisterCMoney 9 years ago

TMNT87
Pros
Most of the humor is actually still pretty damn funny.
Several memorable one-shot characters
Possibly the best music of the franchise

Cons
Animation was often horrible even by 1980's-90's standards
Dregg

TMNT03
Pros
Longrunning story arcs that usually had payoff
Good mix of action and humor
Easily the best animation from any animated installment in the franchise

Cons
Bishop veers into 'villain sue' territory a lot
First installment of the franchise to start relying more on toilet humor. Every succeeding version has followed.
Starts getting overly silly with Fast Forward and Back to the Sewers

TMNT12
Pros
This show can have some pretty decent voice actors...

Cons
...that get completely wasted most of the time
Several characters going backward on previously established characterization
Mikey getting turned into a Peter Griffin-like mentally challenged sociopath
Donatello/April/Casey triangle that's so horrendous makes the Twilight romance seem well written
April is now a psychic-powered alien
Awful pacing
Crappy filler constantly dragging whatever tries to pass off as a story in the series
Horrendous animation
The original staff left after season 1 and was replaced with a bunch of hacks who have zero experience with the property. It shows.

[–] nightmanS22 9 years ago

I find it very hard to watch Leonard when Seth Green's squeaky voice is coming out. As a child of the early 90s I've loved this take on the turtles from the villains to the pop references. I even daresay I enjoy this version more than the first cartoon...with the exception of Leo's latest voice actor.

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 9 years ago

I didn't like the Fast Forward arc of the 2003 series, but I liked the dark Batman TAS like atmosphere the show in general had.

Fluttershy loves Discord