I have to be honest and admit that I wasn’t feeling this spin-off project at first glance, as I was afraid it would be a heavily dumbed down version of the hit 2012 series Nickelodeon put out there. But luckily the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past DVD turned out to be cool despite the cute look and the focus on comedy more than the action, making it still just as awesome as the show it’s spun from.
This 40-some minute adventure has our turtle heroes fighting the Shredder’s lackies Bebop and Rocksteady while at a museum. After the battle, Donatello finds out the baddies were trying to steal an ancient stone that happens to be some super power source, leading Donnie to borrow it and use it to power a new invention. When they decide to test out the new invention, a ship that can transform into a turtle robot among things, the power source warps the turtles back into dinosaur times, along with Bebop and Rocksteady who just happened to be clinging to the ship during the test. As the gang tries to find a way back home, they stumble across the alien Triceratons who are busy trying to take over the Earth way back then, and it’s up to the turtles along with their newfound dino buddies to stop them. Oh I forgot to mention Bebop and Rocksteady help out some as well. Yes, you read that right.
As with the more mature 2012 series, I highly enjoyed watching this short but cool spin-off adventure. The simplistic, 2D artwork and animation reminded me heavily of classic shows such as Teen Titans, which somehow seems to work really well for the turtles. The voice cast of the 2012 show reprise their roles here which makes the transition easier, and the bad guys are just dumb enough to be funny pushovers, but serious enough to pose a slight threat to the ninja brothers and their fight to get back home. Not that I’m spoiling anything, but the special ends on a slight cliffhanger that promises another Half-Shell Heroes adventure will be coming our way soon enough.
Thanks to the 2D artwork and animation being done digitally, the video looks pretty good for a DVD release. The audio comes in just as well and makes sure enjoy crazy one-liner and joke is heard. While the DVD itself lacks any special features, the review copy I received came with a bonus DVD featuring the classic Nick show Jimmy Neutron that contains nearly two hours of the series. It would’ve been nice if there was some sort of behind the scenes stuff, interviews, etc, but I’ll gladly take a Jimmy Neutron DVD and relive my love of the show as it’s one of my all-time favorites.
Fans of the CG 2012 Nickelodeon show will love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past DVD, as it tones down things just enough as to not be too silly for older people to enjoy while still catering to kids. Throw in a bonus DVD of a classic Nickelodeon show to relive some memories will making new ones for those watching it for the first time, and you literally have a blast to the past that everyone will enjoy.
