TMNT Summer Shorts

[[Category: with short description]]Template:SDcat

Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox television TMNT Summer Shorts is an American animated anthology of shorts that was released on Nickelodeon's YouTube channel from 2016 to 2018. Produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio, the shorts present different takes on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise and its characters, and were helmed by various creative teams and animation vendors.

Production and release

At the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) in August 2016, Nickelodeon unvieled three Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated short films, each set in a different continuity and helmed by a different creative. This first batch included "Don vs. Raph" directed by Sung Jin Ahn, written by Jhonen Vasquez, and animated by Titmouse, Inc.; "Turtles Take Time (and Space)" written and directed by Rie Koga and Brandon Auman, and animated by Studio Mir; and "Pizza Friday" directed by Paul Jenkins, written by Jenkins and Kevin Eastman, and animated by House of Cool.

in June 2017, a new batch of shorts was released, and them along with the SDCC 2016 shorts were placed under the retroactive title, TMNT Summer Shorts. These included "We Strike Hard and Fade Away into the Night" written and directed by Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander, and animated by Titmouse; "Teenage Mecha Ninja Turtles" written and directed by Matt Youngberg, and animated by DNA productions with additional work by Peter Chung; five "TMNT Team Up!" shorts written and directed by Gary Doodles and Tommy Sica, and animated by Doodles (including an SDCC 2017 bonus episode); and "Boulangerie". Both AIPT and MiscRave noted that several shorts in Nickelodeon's 2017 promo have remained unreleased.

Titmouse co-founder Chris Prynoski described the shorts they worked on for the project as a "labor of love", and one they took on simply because it appealed to them. Each short took approximately 20 to 25 weeks for Titmouse to produce. Responding to the question of whether any of the shorts would be adapted to a full series Pryonski stated: "I think the style will be too difficult to execute on a regular basis as a series".

Reception

Mark Pellegrini of AIPT thought of the shorts as a fun throwback to the guest artist issues of the original Turtles comics, though largely felt that the 2017 batch was a letdown compared to the 2016 one due to its lack of variety. He hailed "Don vs. Raph" as his favorite of the 2016 shorts for its kinetic pace and Jhonen Vasquez's trademark humor and visuals, and "We Strike Hard and Fade Away into the Night" as his favorite in 2017 for its similarly fast pace and stylish animation. MiscRave praised "Turtles Take Time (and Space)" for its lighthearted tone, action, and designs, and highlighted "We Strike Hard and Fade Away into the Night" and "Teenage Mecha Ninja Turtles" as additional favorites.