February 8, 2003 – March 7, 2009
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Animated Series, is an American animated television series, based on the fictional superhero team. The series is mainly set in New York City. It first aired on February 8, 2003 and ended on November 21, 2009. The series marked the revival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a Saturday-morning cartoon on Fox's Fox Box programming block (later known as 4Kids TV). It also aired on Cartoon Network, Disney XD, and Nicktoons.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was announced in May 2002, series was produced by 4Kids Entertainment, and Mirage Studios, which co-owned rights to the show, and animated by Dong Woo Animation. The series migrated to The CW4Kids in its final season after 4Kids's contract with Fox ended. After buying the TMNT franchise in mid-October 2009, Nickelodeon now owns the rights to the 2003 series.
Storyline[]
Seasons 1–5[]
Unlike the 1987 TV series, the 2003 series more closely matches the tone of the original comics, with a greater emphasis on action and themes of familial bonds. As a result, the 2003 series is more adult-oriented, while still being considered appropriate for younger audiences. The series adapts a large scope of story arcs from the comics, with the Turtles' adventures combining elements of both fantasy and science fiction. They also fight the Foot Clan led by Shredder as well as the Purple Dragons led by Hun and the mad scientist Baxter Stockman. Later seasons have the Turtles contending with Agent John Bishop of the Earth Protection Force. Early on in the second season, the Shredder is revealed to be an Utrom criminal named Ch'rell. Upon his defeat at the hands of the Turtles by the end of the third season, Ch'rell is exiled to the ice asteroid Mor Gal Tal.
During the fourth season, Karai continues to lead the Foot Clan as the very first female Shredder, Hun turns the Purple Dragons into a crime syndicate, and Baxter Stockman works for Agent John Bishop's group. Towards the end of the fourth season and the beginning of the fifth season, the series undergoes a format change as the Turtles would be recruited by the Ninja Tribunal to use new mystic abilities to combat another version of the Shredder where this one is labeled as the original Shredder before Ch'rell assumed his identity. Season five would be the last to use the original character designs and animation style with its plot concluding the series' main story line.
Seasons 6–7[]
The sixth season, subtitled "Fast Forward", would retool the series with a new art style and comedic tone. The season's plot focused on the Turtles being transported about 100 years into the future to the year 2105; where they meet and befriend Cody Jones, the great grandson of April and Casey. They must also contend with futurist enemies like Sh'Okanabo and his minion Viral as well as dealing with the activities of Cody's greedy and ambitious uncle Darius Dun.
The main story would conclude in the seventh and final season, subtitled "Back to the Sewer", while sporting another redesign for the entire cast inspired by the designs from the 2007 TMNT film. After returning to the present day, the Turtles must battle a cybernetic version of the Shredder which was the result of Viral merging with the data of the exiled Utrom Shredder. There is also a running subplot centered on the engagement and wedding of April and Casey.
Turtles Forever[]
The 2009 television movie serves as the actual four-part finale to the 2003 series and centers around the Turtles encountering their 1987 animated counterparts, who have accidentally been transported to the 2003 Ninja Turtles' reality. To make matters worse, the 80's Shredder and Krang as well as their minions Bebop and Rocksteady free Ch'rell from his imprisonment as the redesigned Hun and Karai realign themselves with the released Ch'rell.