Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation

Did You Know?

• The series aired on Friday afternoons on Fox Kids in the United States.
• In the United Kingdom, it aired on BBC from October 1998 to late March 1999.
• The Canadian rights are currently held by Shavick Entertainment.

Plot

Set years after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, the Turtles, now 18, battle the Foot Clan and meet Venus de Milo, whose skills help defeat Shredder. Later, the Rank, led by Dragon Lord, escapes an enchanted mirror to conquer Earth, and Venus aids the Turtles in stopping them. Venus becomes part of the Turtles' family.

Cast and characters

Leonardo, portrayed by Gabe Khouth and Shishir Inocalla and voiced by Michael Dobson, is the blue-masked leader wielding a ninjatō; his mask covers much of his head. Raphael, portrayed by Mitchell A. Lee Yuen and Dean Choe and voiced by Matt Hill, wears a red mask, uses two sai, and is impulsive. Michaelangelo, portrayed by Jarred Blancard and Larry Lam and voiced by Kirby Morrow, wears an orange mask, wields two tonfas, and runs a pirate radio show. Donatello, portrayed by Richard Yee and David Soo and voiced by Jason Gray-Stanford, wears a purple mask, uses a bō staff, and is the group's genius. Venus de Milo, portrayed by Nicole Parker and Leslie Sponberg and voiced by Lalainia Lindbjerg, is a fifth turtle in a light blue mask, mutated at the same time as the others but raised in Chinatown by Chung as a shinobi. Master Splinter, portrayed by Fiona Scott and voiced by Stephen Mendel, is a mutant rat and adoptive father who trains the Turtles and plays chess with his blind friend Andre. Chung, portrayed by Tseng Chang and voiced by Dale Wilson, is Splinter's friend and Venus's adopted father, killed by Dragon Lord. Andre, portrayed by Len Gibson, is a blind man who plays chess with Splinter.

Production

The series was announced in late 1996 on ninjaturtles.com. It introduced a female turtle named Venus and new antagonists, the Rank, led by Dragonlord. Promotional material touted it as a continuation of the 1987 TV series, though it reused set designs from the live-action film trilogy. April O'Neil and Casey Jones are absent; Leonardo states the Turtles are not blood-related. Weapons differ: Leonardo uses a double-bladed ninjatō, Donatello a metal bō staff, Raphael's sai combine into a staff, and Michaelangelo uses tonfa. The series was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Turtles guest-starred on Power Rangers in Space; because of filming in Vancouver, Los Angeles voice actors voiced them. The series was renamed Hero Turtles: The Next Mutation in several European countries.

Home video

A VHS release of the 'East Meets West' five-episode arc was released by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 1998. In the UK and Australia, two additional VHS releases came in 1999. Shout! Factory released DVD volumes on September 4, 2012 and December 4, 2012. The complete 'Hero Turtles' version was released on DVD in the UK by Maximum Entertainment in multiple sets. In 2011, twelve single-release DVDs with two episodes each were released by Walk Distribution. A complete series set was released by Clear Vision on October 6, 2014.