Now, a fair warning before everything- before blood is spilt over the new franchise produced by Michael Bay, it’s a fact that the series has gone downhill! Now, as we cross our fingers and wait with bated breaths over the sequel to the mediocre movie that was TMNT 2014, we can still trace back to the good old days. For it is high time that we seep ourselves in the nostalgic memories of our childhood, before we head into the CGI fest that is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. Sure…there was a lot of references to the popular cartoon, including their undying love for pizza, the repeated use of ‘cowabunga’ and Michelangelo’s surfer banter.
Now, there were a few tweaks here and there that had made the original movie and the preceding cartoon such a huge success. Now, even though there was no CGI back in those days, it sure was hard getting all the practical effects right, so that they could bring the turtle roster to life. And trust me, when I say this, but it sure wasn’t an easy day for the actors and the designers alike.
Now, here is a list of the 12 behind the scenes aspects (consider it a nostalgic throwback) of the movie:-
1. Actor Josh Pais had anxiety about wearing his Raphael mask.
Actor Josh Pais was the only one actor amongst the others, who was supposed to voice his own character, but couldn’t due to a major hindrance. He was really unable to keep wearing his turtle mask because he had claustrophobia himself. So, after each cut, he would immediately take off his mask! That must have been some severe trauma at work!
2. The costumes were incredibly hot, way too big, and fell apart.
Almost 60 pounds of animatronics were fitted into the tight costumes of the turtles, and majority of the movie was shot in the heat of North Carolina. The overwhelming humidity had actually led the actors to lose almost 20 pounds after the shoot. The costumes too didn’t last for long, so they had to keep a stock of replacement limbs so that they could replace it as soon as it was subject to wear and tear. Amidst all of the weight and the fragility of the costumes, there was also the case of the size of the costumes. They had to build larger manholes, since the costumes couldn’t easily fit through them.
