''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' is a 1991 American
superhero film
A superhero film (or superhero movie) is a film that focuses on the actions of superheroes. Superheroes are individuals who possess superhuman abilities and are dedicated to protecting the public. These films typically feature Action film, ac ...
directed by
Michael Pressman
Michael Pressman is an American film and television producer and director.
Early life
A native of Manhattan, Pressman was born into a theatrical family. His mother, Sasha, a modern dancer, was an original member of Martha Graham's renowned fi ...
and written by
Todd W. Langen
Todd W. Langen is an American screenwriter and former engineer, best known for his work on ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''.
Early life
Langen was born in Detroit and earned a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Michig ...
. The sequel to ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'' (1990), it is the second installment in the
original ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' film trilogy. The film stars
Paige Turco
Jean Paige Turco (born May 17, 1965) is an American actress, best known for her role as April O'Neil in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III''. Other notable roles include Melanie Co ...
and
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
with the voices of
Brian Tochi
Brian Tochi (born Brian Keith Tochihara; May 2, 1959) is an American actor. During the late 1960s through much of the 1970s, he was one of the most widely seen East Asian child actors working in U.S. television, appearing in various TV series a ...
,
Robbie Rist
Robbie Rist (born April 4, 1964) is an
American actor. He is known for playing Cousin Oliver in ''The Brady Bunch'', Martin in '' Grady'' and "Little John" in ''Big John, Little John''. Rist is also known for voicing assorted characters in te ...
, Adam Carl, and Laurie Faso.
The film follows the adventures of the four Turtles,
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate ...
,
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...
,
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
,
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
, and their
Master Splinter
Splinter, often referred to as Master Splinter or Sensei by his students/sons, is a fictional character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics and all related media. A mutant rat, he is the grave and stoic wikt:sage, sage of the Turt ...
. Resuming from the events of the last film, the villain,
the Shredder
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, returns to take back command of the
Foot Clan
The Foot Clan is a fictional ninja clan in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media and are the main antagonist faction. It is led by the devious Shredder and his second in command Karai. The Foot Clan was originally a parod ...
, and work towards getting revenge on the Turtles. When he learns the secret behind the Turtles' mutation, he becomes more dangerous than ever. The film sheds some light on the origins of Splinter and the Turtles, as well as introduces two new villains,
Tokka and Rahzar
The following is a list of characters in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise.
Overview
* This table shows the recurring characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
* A dark grey cell indicates the c ...
. Unlike the first film, it differs in the use of the Turtles' weapons. They instead fight bare-fisted for much of this film, as part of an attempt to tone down the violence of the previous installment.
The film was released theatrically in the United States on March 22, 1991, by
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
. It received mixed reviews from critics, who felt it departed from the much darker tone of the original 1990 film. However, it was financially successful, grossing $78.7 million against a budget of $20 million, becoming the thirteenth highest-grossing film domestically in the year of its release.
The film is dedicated to
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
, who died less than a year before this film's release. Henson's
Creature Shop
Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Burbank, California, United States.
History
Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally ...
created the animatronic creature costumes for the film, like the first film.
A sequel, ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' is a 1993 American superhero film written and directed by Stuart Gillard. It is the sequel to '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' (1991), and the final installment in the original ' ...
'', was released in 1993.
Plot
In
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, a young
pizza delivery
Pizza delivery is a service in which a pizzeria or pizza chain delivers a pizza to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone, or over the internet, in which the customer can request pizza type and size, and other items to be ...
boy named Keno inadvertently encounters
burglars
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
on his route and tries to stop them. The burglars attack Keno, who proves to be a skilled
martial artist
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
, but he is soon overwhelmed before the arrival of the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
. They vanish after rescuing Keno, tying the burglars up, and taking the pizza he was delivering, leaving behind the money to pay for it.
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate ...
,
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...
,
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
and
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
, along with their master
Splinter
A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
, are currently living with
April O'Neil
April O'Neil is a fictional character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. Her main love interest in the series is Casey Jones.
April made her first appearance in the Mirage comic ...
while looking for a new place to live following the events of their
last adventure. Splinter wants to remain in the shadows, while Raphael thinks they should live out in the open. At a
junkyard where the remnants of
The Foot The Foot can refer to:
* An episode of the first season of '' Six Feet Under''.
*The Foot Clan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
*The Foot Book
*The Foot of Cupid
*The Foot can refer to the 4 Grey Goose Bottles that are blocked on a back bar.
* The F ...
and
The Shredder's second-in-command Tatsu are hiding out, they are met by their master, who has been disfigured by his previous defeat and vows revenge on the Turtles.
April interviews Professor Jordan Perry of Techno Global Research Industries (TGRI) about a possible
toxic waste
Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...
leak. He assures her that everything is fine, but their scientists secretly discover
dandelion
''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...
s which have been mutated by the leak. Freddy, a spy for the Foot posing as April's cameraman, discovers this and reports it to his master, who decides to have Perry interrogated. Back at April's apartment, Splinter reveals to her and the Turtles that the canister of mutagen (dubbed "Ooze" by the Turtles) which mutated them 15 years prior was created by TGRI, and they too decide to talk to Perry. The Foot gets to Perry first and kidnaps him, salvaging the last canister of ooze in the process. The Turtles attempt to get the canister back, but ultimately fail. Afterward, Keno gets into April's apartment under the guise of delivering pizza and discovers Splinter and the Turtles.
At the Shredder's hideout, Perry is forced to use the remaining ooze on a
snapping turtle
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and '' Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are '' Acherontem ...
and a
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
, which mutate into
Tokka and Rahzar
The following is a list of characters in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise.
Overview
* This table shows the recurring characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
* A dark grey cell indicates the c ...
, respectively. With the imminent threat to April's safety by the Foot, the Turtles start to actively look for a new home. After an argument with Leonardo, Raphael breaks off from the group, while Michelangelo discovers an abandoned subway station and deems it a perfect hideout. Raphael and Keno defy Splinter's orders and implant Keno into the Foot Clan to find their hideout. However, they are caught and Raphael is captured, while Keno escapes to warn the others. When they come, they are ambushed by the Shredder and the Foot; Splinter saves the group, but leaves as they face Tokka and Rahzar, who prove too strong to defeat. Donatello finds a bound and gagged Perry after being tossed into a building by Tokka, and the five of them make a tactical retreat. Once back in their hideout, Perry explains that the creation of the ooze was an accident, disheartening Donatello, Leonardo and Raphael, who saw a higher purpose for their existence.
The Shredder unleashes Tokka and Rahzar into a nearby neighborhood to cause damage. The next day, Freddy sends a message to April that Tokka and Rahzar will be released into
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
if the Turtles don't meet the Foot Clan at the construction site. Perry develops an antidote to the mutations, but it must be ingested to work. When the Turtles confront the Foot at the site, they try using donuts to trick Tokka and Rahzar into eating the antidote. They discover the trick and brutally attack, throwing Raphael into a public dance club where
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
is performing. A big fight ensues among hundreds of witnesses and eventually the Turtles revert Tokka and Rahzar back to their natural state. The Turtles fight with Shredder on the dock, who has transformed into a Super Shredder after consuming the last of the ooze. The heavily-mutated Super Shredder is too strong for the Turtles to fight, but is defeated when he rips the dock apart in his rampage, causing it to collapse onto him.
In a press release, April reads a note from Perry, thanking the Turtles for saving him. When they return home, the Turtles deny being seen by the humans, but Splinter holds up the evening's newspaper on which they are front-page news. He then orders the four of them to do 10 flips as punishment.
Cast
Live action
*
Paige Turco
Jean Paige Turco (born May 17, 1965) is an American actress, best known for her role as April O'Neil in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III''. Other notable roles include Melanie Co ...
as
April O'Neil
April O'Neil is a fictional character from the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' comics. She is the first human ally of the Ninja Turtles. Her main love interest in the series is Casey Jones.
April made her first appearance in the Mirage comic ...
, a news reporter, and the human companion of the Turtles and Splinter. Turco replaced
Judith Hoag for this film and the
following film. According to Hoag, she was not approached to reprise the role because the producers thought she complained too much during the first movie about the strenuous shooting schedule and amount of violence.
*
David Warner David or Dave Warner may refer to:
Sports
* Dave Warner (strongman) (born 1969), Northern Ireland strongman competitor
* David Bruce Warner (born 1970), South African alpine skier
* David Warner (cricketer) (born 1986), Australian cricketer
Oth ...
as Professor Jordan Perry, a scientist who works for the TGRI company as head scientist. He works with the Turtles to create an antidote for the mutated
Tokka and Rahzar
The following is a list of characters in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise.
Overview
* This table shows the recurring characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
* A dark grey cell indicates the c ...
.
*
Ernie Reyes Jr.
Ernie Reyes Jr. (born January 15, 1972) is an American actor and martial artist, known for his acting work in films such as ''The Last Dragon'', ''Red Sonja'' (1985), as Donatello's stuntman in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', '' Teenage Mutan ...
as Keno, a pizza delivery boy, and martial arts expert who meets the turtles in the beginning of the film and befriends them. Reyes was the in-suit performer and stunt double for Donatello in the previous film.
*
François Chau
François Chau (born October 26, 1959) is a Cambodian American actor. He is known for his roles as Dr. Pierre Chang in ABC's ''Lost'', Quick Kick on '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', Dr. Chang in the film '' 21 & Over'', The Shredder in '' Te ...
as
The Shredder
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, the Turtles and Splinter arch-nemesis who survived the battle with Splinter from the first film, and wishes to get revenge on Splinter and the Turtles. François Chau replaced
James Saito
James Tomio Saito (born March 6, 1955) is a Japanese-American actor of stage, motion pictures, and television.
Saito is best known as the original Shredder in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'', Dr. Chen in the ABC series ''Eli Stone'', Harry Kim i ...
in this film.
*
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash (born July 9, 1959) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legends contract. He is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) where he performed under his r ...
as Super Shredder, a mutated version of Shredder.
* Toshishiro Obata as Tatsu, Shredder's right-hand man and temporary leader of the Foot Clan in Shredder's absence.
* Mark Doerr as Freddy, a Foot Clan member who poses as April's camera operator.
*
Michael Pressman
Michael Pressman is an American film and television producer and director.
Early life
A native of Manhattan, Pressman was born into a theatrical family. His mother, Sasha, a modern dancer, was an original member of Martha Graham's renowned fi ...
as News Manager
*
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
as Himself
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 ...
makes an uncredited cameo as an audience member that joins the Foot Clan with Keno.
Voice cast
*
Brian Tochi
Brian Tochi (born Brian Keith Tochihara; May 2, 1959) is an American actor. During the late 1960s through much of the 1970s, he was one of the most widely seen East Asian child actors working in U.S. television, appearing in various TV series a ...
as
Leonardo
Leonardo is a masculine given name, the Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese equivalent of the English, German, and Dutch name, Leonard
Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname.
The given name and surname originate ...
: the leader of the Turtles. He wears a blue bandana and carries two
ninjaken on the back of his shell.
*
Robbie Rist
Robbie Rist (born April 4, 1964) is an
American actor. He is known for playing Cousin Oliver in ''The Brady Bunch'', Martin in '' Grady'' and "Little John" in ''Big John, Little John''. Rist is also known for voicing assorted characters in te ...
as
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
: the most light-hearted of the Turtles. He wears an orange bandana and carries dual
nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...
on each side within his belt.
* Adam Carl as
Donatello
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Republic of Florence, Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sculpture and use ...
: the brains of the Turtles and is known for his technological expertise and joining in with Michelangelo on their jokes and pratfalls. He wears a purple bandana and carries a
bo on the back of his shell. Carl replaced
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for roles in the 1980s in films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), ''Gremlins'' (1984), ''The Goonies'' (1985), a ...
as the voice of Donnie for this film.
* Laurie Faso as
Raphael
Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...
: the more aggressive and rebellious of the Turtles. He wears a red bandana and carries two
sai in his belt, Troum and Faso replace Josh Pais in this film.
*
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
as
Splinter
A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
: a wise mutant rat who is the master and father figure of the turtles.
* David McCharen as
Oroku Saki/the Shredder
*
Michael McConnohie
Michael McConnohie is an American voice actor, writer and director who has provided many voice roles in movies, anime, and video games. He and fellow actress Melodee Spevack run a production company called VoxWorks. Some of his major works includ ...
as Tatsu
*
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
as
Tokka and Rahzar
The following is a list of characters in the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise.
Overview
* This table shows the recurring characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
* A dark grey cell indicates the c ...
: a mutated
alligator snapping turtle
The alligator snapping turtle (''Macrochelys temminckii'') is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is native to freshwater habitats in the United States. ''M. temminckii'' is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in ...
and a mutated
wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
created by Professor Perry under orders from the Shredder using a canister of ooze stolen from the TGRI company.
Puppeteers
* Mark Caso as Leonardo (in-suit performer)
** Rob Tygner as Leonardo (facial assistant)
** Larry Lam as Leonardo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
*
Michelan Sisti
Michelan Sisti (born May 27, 1949) is an Puerto Rican-born American actor, puppeteer, director and musician who played Michelangelo in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and its sequel '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze''. H ...
as Michelangelo (in-suit performer)
**
Mak Wilson
Mak Wilson (born 3 September 1957) is an English puppeteer, writer, CG animation director, and mocap artist. He is also known as Mac Wilson and Malcolm Wilson.
Early life and career
Wilson was born in Consett, England, but grew up in nearby Stanle ...
as Michelangelo (facial assistant)
** Nick Palma as Michelangelo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
*
Leif Tilden
David Leif Tilden, known as Leif Tilden, is an American actor, puppeteer, director and writer. He was the costume actor for Donatello in ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' and its sequel as well as playing Robbie Sinclair and Richfield in the sit ...
as Donatello (in-suit performer)
** Rob Mills as Donatello (facial assistant)
**
Steven Ho as Donatello (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
*
Kenn Troum as Raphael (in-suit performer)
** David Greenaway as Raphael (facial assistant)
**
Hosung Pak as Raphael (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
*
Kevin Clash
Kevin Jeffrey Clash (born September 17, 1960) is an American puppeteer, director and producer known for puppeteering Elmo on ''Sesame Street'' from 1984 to 2012. He also performed puppets for ''Labyrinth'', '' Dinosaurs'', '' Oobi'', and various ...
as Splinter (puppeteer)
** Rickey Boyd as Splinter (assistant puppeteer)
** Sue Dacre as Splinter (assistant puppeteer)
* Mark Ginther as Rahzar (in-suit performer)
** Gord Robertson as Rahzar (facial assistant)
** Hamilton Perkins as Rahzar (in-suit stunt double)
* Kurt Bryant as Tokka (in-suit performer)
**
Rick Lyon
Richard Lyon (born February 25, 1958) is an American puppeteer, actor, and puppet designer and builder. He has worked for The Jim Henson Company as one of the operators of Big Bird. He appeared on Broadway originating the roles of Trekkie Monster ...
as Tokka (facial assistant)
** David Rowden as Tokka (in-suit stunt double)
Production
Due to the massive success of the first film, it was generally expected that a sequel would follow.
The film was produced on a budget of US$25 million, nearly twice the budget of the 1990 film, which was $13.5 million.
Like the first film,
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...
distributed ''The Secret of the Ooze''. Both the voice actors of Michaelangelo and Leonardo reprised their roles in the second film, while
Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for roles in the 1980s in films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), ''Gremlins'' (1984), ''The Goonies'' (1985), a ...
did not voice Donatello in the second movie after pleading no contest to a drug possession charge in December 1990. Also, a different actress was cast for the role of April O'Neil, with
Paige Turco
Jean Paige Turco (born May 17, 1965) is an American actress, best known for her role as April O'Neil in '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' and ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III''. Other notable roles include Melanie Co ...
replacing
Judith Hoag from the first film. The character of
Casey Jones
John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi.
Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...
, who was prominent in the first movie, did not appear here (though he did return in the following movie). Ernie Reyes Jr., who was Donatello's fight double in the first film, was cast as a new character, Keno, as the producers admired Reyes and his performance in the first movie so much they asked him to join the sequel. Todd W. Langen returned from the first film to write the screenplay.
The characters of
Bebop and Rocksteady
Bebop and Rocksteady are a fictional duo of a mutant warthog and mutant rhinoceros that have made appearances as characters in various media releases of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. The two characters are henchmen who follow the ...
, which were popular villains in the
1987 animated series, could not be used due to
Kevin Eastman
Kevin Brooks Eastman (born May 30, 1962) is an American comics artist, comic book artist and writer best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Peter Laird. Eastman was also formerly the editor and publisher of the magazine ...
and
Peter Laird
Peter Alan Laird (born January 27, 1954) is an American script (comics), comic book writer and comics artist, artist best known for co-creating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with writer and artist Kevin Eastman.
Early life and career
Laird wa ...
objecting, with the latter stating that "their constant one-note shtick in the first animated series
asextremely annoying and silly to the point of being stupid.” As a result, Tokka and Rahzar were created. The abandoned subway station, which serves as the new lair for the Turtles, is based on the real-life decommissioned
City Hall station of the
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, an affiliate agency of the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Opened on October 2 ...
, built by the former
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT) was the private operator of New York City's original underground subway line that opened in 1904, as well as earlier elevated railways and additional rapid transit lines in New York City. The IRT w ...
. The station is not completely abandoned, as it appears in the movie. Trains pass through the station daily as they turn around to head uptown, passengers are allowed to ride through the station, but the train does not stop and so they cannot disembark. During filming of the scene where the Turtles are trapped in the net and fall to the ground, one of the stuntmen broke an ankle. Some filming took place in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, much like the first, where the New York City skyline was created at the North Carolina Film Studios.
The building used for the entrance to April's apartment is the office of the New York location of
Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Jim Henson's Creature Shop is a special/visual effects company founded in 1979 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The company is based out of Burbank, California, United States.
History
Jim Henson's Creature Shop was originally ...
, which did the animatronics work for the film as well as
its predecessor. The film is dedicated to the memory of
Jim Henson
James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notice as the creator of The Muppets and '' Fraggle Rock'' (1983–1987) and ...
, who had died the previous May. This made it the first movie dedicated to Henson, the second being ''
The Muppet Christmas Carol
''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' is a 1992 American Christmas musical comedy drama film directed by Brian Henson (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Jerry Juhl. Adapted from the 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'' by Charles Dic ...
'' (1992). This is also the first TMNT film to include a dedication; the second would be ''
TMNT
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after ...
'', which was dedicated to the late
Mako
, better known by the mononym name Mako (sometimes stylised MAKO), is a Japanese voice actress, singer and a member of the band Bon-Bon Blanco, in which her prominent role is as the maraca player. She has also performed in a Japanese television d ...
, the voice actor for
Splinter
A splinter (also known as a sliver) is a fragment of a larger object, or a foreign body that penetrates or is purposely injected into a body. The foreign body must be lodged inside tissue to be considered a splinter. Splinters may cause initia ...
in that film.
Music
An original motion picture soundtrack was released alongside the film in 1991 by SBK Records.
The soundtrack featured 10 tracks from the film, and music from artists such as Magnificent V11 produced by Troy Duncombe and Mickey Mahoney of Cat and Moose productions
Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K (born Manuela Barbara Kamosi Moaso Djogi, 26 January 1972) is a Congolese–Belgian hip hop recording artist. She was the rapper for the dance/house act Technotronic. Her sister is Karoline 'Leki' Kamosi.
Early life
At the age of 11 ...
,
Cathy Dennis
Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was the vocalist for D Mob, which had the su ...
and
David Morales
David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer.
David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including Ma ...
,
Tribal House and
Dan Hartman
Daniel Earl Hartman (December 8, 1950 – March 22, 1994) was an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Among songs he wrote and recorded were " Free Ride" as a member of the Edgar Winter Group, and the solo hits ...
. The most famous song featured on the soundtrack was "Ninja Rap," written by
Frank Miller
Frank Miller (born January 27, 1957) is an American comic book writer, penciller and inker, novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer known for his comic book stories and graphic novels such as his run on Daredevil (Marvel Comics ser ...
and performed by rapper
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...
.
The song featured prominently within the feature film, as Ice makes an appearance as himself, and begins to freestyle a ninja rap song when the turtles end up fighting Tokka and Rahzar within the club where he was performing. In terms of the plot, this song was to trick the audience into believing the fight was a harmless "show" and thus not to panic.
A music video was also produced for "Ninja Rap" at the time of the film's release. The soundtrack also features two original pieces from the Orchestra On the Half Shell. The original music was composed by
John Du Prez
John Du Prez (born Trevor Jones; 14 December 1946) is a British musician, conductor and composer. He was a member of the 1980s salsa-driven pop band Modern Romance and has since written several film scores including ''Oxford Blues'' (1984), '' ...
, who won a BMI Film Music Award for his work.
Release
Home media
The film was originally released on
VHS in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
on July 31, 1991. It sold 5 million units.
The film was later released to
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
in Region 1 on 3 September 2002; it contained only minor special features and interactive menus.
On 4 August 2009, the film was included in a special 25th-anniversary boxset, released to both DVD and
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
formats. It contains ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...
'', ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II'', ''
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'' is a 1993 American superhero film written and directed by Stuart Gillard. It is the sequel to '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze'' (1991), and the final installment in the original ' ...
'', and the animated release, ''
TMNT
''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael, four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (named after ...
'' (2007).
Reception
Box office
''The Secret of the Ooze'' was released in theatres on March 22, 1991, in the United States, and subsequently in other countries from June through to August. The film was number one in North America on its first weekend of release, taking in over
US$
The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
20 million, and eventually making $78,656,813 in total,
generating
theatrical rental
A box office or ticket office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a wicket. By extension, the term is freq ...
s of $41.9 million.
[ The film was a success at the U.S. and Canadian box office, but made less than the first film,] becoming the second highest-grossing independent film ever, behind the original. Overseas, the film did not do so well, with 20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
acquiring the foreign rights for $25 million but the film only earning them rentals of $12 million. In total, the film had worldwide rentals of $54 million. Some fans noted that there was also a reduction in the use of weapons by the turtles in the film, perhaps due to violence in the first film. (Leonardo and Raphael only use their weapons once each in the movie, for example.)
Like its predecessor, the second ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' installment was censored in the UK due to usage of forbidden weapons (the nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks (traditionally made of wood), connected to each other at their ends by a short metal chain or a rope. It is approximately 30 cm (sticks) and 1 inch (rope). A person wh ...
), most notably during the opening credits sequence where Michelangelo imitates their use by swinging a pair of sausages. The edits were waived for the DVD release in 2002. The German version was not censored visually; as with the first film, funny cartoon sound effects were added to the fight scenes to soften the violence.
Critical response
The second film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the film has a rating of 35% based on reviews from 43 critics, with the consensus: "Not only is the movie's juvenile dialogue unbearable for adults, but the turtles' dopey and casual attitude towards physical violence makes them poor kids' role models". On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, the film has a score of 45 out of 100 based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Dave Kehr of ''The Chicago Sun Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide v ...
'' calls the film "a fast, funny, engagingly unpretentious 88 minutes that, moving between martial-arts dustups and random satirical jibes, achieves a more successful mix of action and humor than the first. There is plenty for adults here as well as children".
Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' notes that "the Turtles fight less, clown more and stray too far from their beloved sewers" and calls it an improvement, and is relieved that they have at least made a mainstream movie. Maslin stated that the Turtles "clean up their act" in the movie and also praised ''Secret of the Ooze'' for containing scenes referencing then-growing popular culture trends which were considered major competitors to the TMNT franchise's "greatest assets," such as rap music
Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...
and Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' ...
. Lloyd Bradley of ''Empire Magazine
''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989.
History
David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other title ...
'' gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "This lacks the darkness and subtlety that makes the first film so good, and so adult, but its simplified plot and gags will appeal to the under tens".
Gene Siskel at ''The Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' was just as unimpressed by this film as the first, calling it "a martial-arts movie in rubber uniforms". Siskel considers that he is an adult "forgetting the sort of mindless entertainment that he himself enjoyed as a child" but rejects the idea and calls the fight scenes "more depressing than joyful". Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of ''The Chicago Sun Times'' complains that the Turtles look essentially the same, and suggests they are an "emblem of our drab and dreary times" and that they are "an example of the hazards of individuality". He says kids are getting a bad deal and compared to the comic book heroes he grew up with they are being robbed of "a sense of wonder".
Toys
The ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' franchise was arguably at the height of its popularity around the time that ''The Secret of the Ooze'' was released in theatres. A number of tie-ins were brought out alongside the release of the film. A new line of toys were introduced for the release of the film, including "Movie Star" toys of all four turtles, with the box art depicting stills from the film, as well as a cartoon rendition of the turtles gathered around a canister of ooze in the top right corner of the package. In contrast to the usual Turtles' figures, the film series figures were softer and more rubbery, to better reflect the look of the animatronic
Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions.
It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy a ...
costumes used in the films. They also featured ball joints at the neck, shoulders, and hips, and each figure came with a small, plastic canister with a sticker of "Ooze" wrapped around them. An official film adaptation was also released by Eastman and Laird.
Figurines of Super Shredder, Tokka and Rahzar were also available, though they were not as closely aligned to the film as the four turtles were. The Playmates company produced the figurines. The Turtles franchise had by now also immersed itself into the food industry, with characters from the franchise appearing on numerous food products. Royal Gelatin Desserts adapted the "Ooze" name into their product, and featured the Turtles on the packages. The boxes
included various recipes involving ooze in some form.
Sequel
A third film, titled ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III'', was released 1993 to a smaller box office take and is the last of the original trilogy of films.
References
External links
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{{Portal bar, Film, United States, 1990s, Speculative fiction, Comedy
1991 films
1990s English-language films
1991 action comedy films
1990s science fiction comedy films
1990s superhero comedy films
1990s superhero films
1990s teen films
1991 independent films
1991 martial arts films
20th Century Fox films
American action comedy films
American independent films
American sequel films
Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department
Films about the New York City Police Department
American films about revenge
Films based on American comics
Films directed by Michael Pressman
Films scored by John Du Prez
Live-action films based on comics
Films set in New York City
Films shot in New York City
Films set in New Jersey
Films shot in North Carolina
Golden Harvest films
Hong Kong action comedy films
Hong Kong independent films
Hong Kong sequel films
Martial arts comedy films
Martial arts science fiction films
New Line Cinema films
Ninja films
Slapstick films
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film series)
Secret of the Ooze
1990s American films