Oh, sweet merciful pepperoni! 🍕 The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, those pizza-guzzling, sewer-dwelling reptiles, are apparently slumming it in New Jersey this holiday season. Because, you know, what better way to celebrate than with toxic waste and questionable accents?
A brand new short film, because who needs a full-length feature when you can just give the people a taste of turtle-y goodness (or badness, depending on your tolerance for green things), based on 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, will see our “favorite” mutated, teenage turtles (because who else would be anyone’s favorite?) hit the Garden State to solve a mystery later this year. A mystery! In New Jersey! I’m sure it involves more than just figuring out where to find decent pizza outside of NYC. 🙄
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey” – yes, because the first one was such a cinematic masterpiece, we NEEDED a sequel – will follow Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michelangelo as they bravely venture across the Hudson River after a mysterious toy company decides to exploit their “heroic” image. Heroic? More like hilariously inept, but hey, who am I to judge? 🤷♀️
“We wanted to honor the Ninja Turtles’ history while asking what would happen if we put them somewhere completely unfamiliar. New Jersey became the perfect backdrop because it’s so close to New York, yet has its own energy and quirks that challenge the turtles in new ways,” director Kent Seki told Variety about the upcoming animated short. Oh, the sheer audacity! New Jersey’s “energy and quirks” will challenge the turtles? As if dodging Shredder and the Foot Clan wasn’t enough, now they have to deal with… *checks notes* …the Turnpike? The horror! 😱
As for the tone of the film, Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey will combine the franchise’s action-packed martial arts and zany comedy with the chaotic, heartwarming nostalgic spirit of ‘90s family films, such as Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Because what the world really needs is a TMNT/Home Alone mashup. I’m sure Macaulay Culkin is just THRILLED. NOT! 😒
“I grew up loving both Home Alone and the Ninja Turtles, and this project became a way to smash those influences together. The turtles are constantly in survival mode — but here, survival means figuring out the Jersey Turnpike,” Seki explained. Oh, the wit! The genius! The sheer brilliance of comparing fighting crime to navigating the Turnpike! I’m dying of laughter over here. 😂 NOT!
Plus, according to the director, the short could potentially open the door for more Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stories in locations outside of their New York City stomping grounds. Because, you know, the world is just clamoring for TMNT in… *shudders* …Ohio? Or maybe even… *gasp* …Florida? 🤢
“I think audiences are hungry for new ways to experience these characters. We’ll always love seeing them in New York, but throwing them somewhere unexpected opens the door to new humor, new stakes and new visual possibilities. If people connect with this one, I’d love to keep exploring that,” Seki shared. Oh, I’m sure people will “connect” with it. They’ll connect with it the same way they connect with a root canal. 😬
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey will play in theaters before The SpongeBob Movie: The Search for SquarePants, which hits theaters on December 19. So, if you’re really desperate for some pre-SpongeBob entertainment, you can subject yourself to this Jersey-fied turtle fiasco. Enjoy! (Or don’t. I won’t judge… much.) 😈
A sequel to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is currently scheduled for release on September 17, 2027. Mark your calendars, folks! Four more years to prepare yourselves for another onslaught of turtle-powered “mayhem.” I can hardly contain my excitement. (Spoiler alert: I can.) 🙄
