There’s a new movie coming that I’ve been tasked by Paramount Pictures to share with you. It’s only difficult because for me, the initials TMNT bring up fond memories as well as a few tears. You see they take me back to when my kids were small. Very small. My boys fell in love with the four anthropomorphic turtles the first time they saw them on TV back in the 1990s. The “Heroes in a Half Shell” became a part of our life as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took over our home.

TMNT Logo

The boys owned every imaginable item that was produced by retailers. From toys, to bedding, and even breakfast cereal. They slept in PJ’s covered in TMNT icons, played with figurines, read books, and lived the TMNT lifestyle.

Sure, we had some questions about the Turtles at first, like why all the weapons, and what about violence. But after watching a few episode we realized it was all in good fun and there was something to be learned from the characters. We encouraged the boys to be more like Donatello, the turtle who was loyal and true, but preferred to resolve conflicts with words and wisdom instead of brawn. It opened up a way for us to talk to the boys about right and wrong and different ways to handle a situation.

For them it was pure comic entertainment and they would endlessly quote lines from the show (usually the ones that made us cringe), act out scenes, and generally roughhouse and have fun. Of course it also meant they wanted to eat pizza, a lot!

They also couldn’t wait to meet the Turtles in person at Walt Disney World. The TMNT’s performed a small show in the New York section of the Disney-MGM Studios for a few years. It was there that my two boys sat on benches in the hot sun, waiting patiently for the show to begin. The Turtles arrived in their van and they danced among the benches before heading to the stage. Oh yes, the boys were in heaven. Afterward the Turtles posed for pictures with the boys and oh how I wish cameras were digital back then, because somewhere in a stack of thousands of prints, I have the most adorable photos of the boys meeting their heroes. It was amazing.

But like most childhood things, the boys grew out of them. The toys went untouched and they moved on to other shows. But even now in their late 20’s, you can catch them watching one of the old TV episodes on Nick at Night. The TMNT fever lives on.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie

Now there’s a new generation that loves the boys, each named after a Renaissance artist, and they’ll get the chance to see them in a new film alongside the “original” fans. The film is being released into theaters on August 8th, 2014. This new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie is rated PG-13 and stars Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, K. Todd Freeman, Danny Woodburn, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, and Minae Noji.

The film is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Characters that were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The screenplay was written Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemed, and Evan Daugherty. The producer is Michael Bay from the popular Transformers franchise and directed by Jonathan Liebesman.

Like all good TMNT stories, this one involves Shredder up to no good. He and his evil Foot Clan have taken over the city and control everything from the politicians to the police. Of course, that means the Turtles will come out of the sewer to put it all right.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Trailer #2

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

Theatrical Release Date: 8/8/14 in RealD 3D

Find out more about this new film on the Official TMNT Movie Site, or via their Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Plus you can TMNT Yourself!

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This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Paramount Pictures blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.