TMNT: The Next Mutation (film)

TMNT: The Next Mutation is a 1995 American-Canadian action comedy film based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It acts as a semi-sequel to the 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.

It suffered from a very small budget (CAD$1 million, courtesy Sanford Productions' almost-cost cutting troubles), the mouths barely moving at all on the Turtles' normal forms' animatronic suits (the same ones used in We Wish You a Turtle Christmas/Turtle Tunes), a hefty price-per-shooting day for the Turtles' "next mutation" forms animatronic suits (created by Gerry Anderson of Thunderbirds fame), IATSE Canada problems (due to normal Shredder's voice actor, Eric Stuart being a non-union actor who usually appeared in anime dubs, so he went under the Alan Smithee name), and hammed up acting.

Plot
The Turtles go through their next mutation, and have a dimension-hopping adventure.

Also, there's a new turtle, Kriby.

Live actors

 * Margot Kidder as April O'Neil
 * Florian Schneider as Casey Jones
 * Sofia Rotaru as The Shredder/Super Shredder
 * Arnold Schwarzenegger as Talbot (uncredited)
 * Eric Idle as Bugman
 * Kathleen Barr as Evil April
 * Owen Gleiberman as Fang (wearing a muscle suit)
 * Frank Welker as Lawson
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Spyder
 * Leonardo DiCaprio and Glenn Hughes as Nano Spyder

Voice cast

 * Brian Tochi as Leonardo
 * Robbie Rist as Michaelangelo
 * James Eric Anzalone as Donatello
 * Robert F. Paulsen III as Raphael
 * Rich Little as Kirby
 * Peter Renaday as Splinter

Puppeteers

 * Karen Prell as Leonardo (face performance)
 * John Charles MacKenzie as Leonardo (in-suit performer)
 * Ernie Reyes, Jr. as Leonardo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
 * Joey Mazzarino as Michelangelo (face performance)
 * Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Michaelangelo (in-suit performer)
 * Dai-won Moon as Michaelangelo (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
 * Bruce Lanoil as Raphael (face performance)
 * Phil Nibbelink as Raphael (in-suit performer)
 * Jinichi Kawakami as Raphael (in-suit martial arts stunt double, credited as Giorgione Smithee)
 * Jake Sanford as Donatello (face performance)
 * James Eric Anzalone as Donatello (in-suit performer)
 * Stephen K. Hayes as Donatello (in-suit martial arts stunt double)
 * Caroll Spinney as Splinter (principal puppetry)
 * Members of the Ottawa Puppetry Club as Splinter (assistant puppetry)
 * César Rodríguez Luna as Splinter (in-suit martial arts stunt double and peformer for scenes as "super mutant rat")
 * Robert Stainton as Splinter ("half-suit" performer in some scenes)
 * Bob Bejan as Kirby (face performance)
 * Marie Forleo as Kirby (in-suit performer, credited as Marie F. Smithee)
 * Hiroshi Fujioka as Kirby (in-suit martial arts stunt double, credited as Thomas Spelvin)

Production
In addition to the problems stated way above:
 * The Splinter puppet was really hot due to being made of euthanized dog skin (and a real dog's nose) donated by a local pet hospital.
 * The early "next mutation" Raphael suit used for the first couple of scenes with the second mutation Turtles was so stiff Phil Nibbelink had to take it off before resting.
 * Kathleen Barr's Evil April dentures were so painful she had to take them off her teeth quickly after takes were finished or before lunch breaks.