Tales of the Teenage Mutant Terminators - Renegade Animation #157
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru share their thoughts on Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Terminator Zero!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, alongside my esteemed co-host, The Animation Guru! What’s cool about this episode of the podcast was discovering all of the similarities and differences between our two subjects as we were preparing to record. It’s not often that we find such striking comparisons like this completely on accident, but that’s what I love about this medium. So, without further ado, please tune into the podcast to hear the full discussion.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
If you were a fan of last year’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, then this 12-episode animated series should whet your appetite before the sequel is released in October of 2026. The art style has been shifted to 2D animation, and yet the humor and charm of the film largely carries over to the series. I loved the idea of giving each of the four turtles their own adventures within the two mini-arcs of the season. It may not be my favorite animated series of the year, but it’s one I can comfortably recommend.
“While it has some pacing issues and some decisions I don't agree with, This new continuation of Mutant Mayhem builds upon and continues the charm of the film with great action and fun character dynamics.“ -The Animation Guru
Terminator Zero
To say that the Terminator franchise has had diminishing returns since Judgement Day would be putting it lightly. However, I would argue that Terminator Zero would be great with or without any connection to a larger intellectual property. Co-produced by Skydance and Production I.G., showrunner Mattson Tomlin and director Masashi Kudo created an 8-episode miniseries that would not feel out of place during the OVA boom of the late 80’s/early 90’s, with plenty of R-rated action sequences and exploring heavy themes.
“Terminator Zero is a thrilling throwback to the earlier films in the franchise, we get a great mix of sci-fi, horror, and action that results in the best Terminator experience in decades.” -The Animation Guru