“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” returns the famous foursome to the big screen with terrific results.

The movie can be enjoyed by children and their parents or guardians. The screenplay takes a multi-leveled approach to the material. Many of the in-jokes, quips, movie and TV show send-ups and pop culture references may go over the heads of youngsters. Adults may howl with laughter.

Young and older folks should enjoy the bright, rough-hewn, storyboard concept art, freestyle, sketch animation style. If you’re an animation buff, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a must-see.

The movie, which is in lurid color, has the sense of director Robert Rodriguez’s movie adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel “Sin City” (2005), whereby actors were filmed in front of a green screen with CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) added for the backgrounds.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” doesn’t have the adult themes of “Sin City,” and it’s all-animation, including the lead characters, but it conveys the frenetic, immediate, visceral sensation of a graphic novel and comic-book source material.

The style of animation in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is comparable to that of the great animator Chuck Jones (for example: Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, beginning in 1949), but with an even more intentional rough-around-the edges style. A more recent comparison would be the looser style of animation in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018).

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is a work of art. It has Day-Glo colors, exaggerated perspectives, and brilliant contrasts of light and dark.

Look for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” to go head to head with “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023) in the Oscar feature animation film category.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is directed by Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs the Machines,” 2021) and Kyler Spears (theatrical motion picture directorial debut) from a screenplay by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Rowe and a story by Brendan O’Brien and Rogen, Goldberg and Rowe based on characters created in the original self-published 1984 comic book by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

An estimated $1.1 billion of Turtles action figures was sold between 1988 and 1992. An animated TV series premiered in 1987 and ran for nearly a decade. The first theatrical feature movie was in 1990. There are also video games.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” gives a new lease on animation life to the characters, not only because of the superb, boundaries-pushing and thrilling animation, but because of the voice characterizations.

The voice actors for the four turtles brothers are excellent, and this time they are teen-agers: Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo), Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo) and Brady Noon (Raphael). Ayo Edebiri is great as their high school friend April O’Neil.

Outstanding voices characterizations are by Jackie Chan (Splinter, the Turtles’ father) and Ice Cube (Superfly, a mutant housefly and gang leader.

Other voice talents include Maya Rudolph (Cynthia), John Cena (Rocksteady), Seth Rogen (Bebop), Rose Byrne (Leatherhead), Natasia Demetriou (Wingnut), Giancarlo Esposito (Baxter Stockman), Paul Rudd (Mondo Gecko), Post Malone (Ray Fillet) and Hannibal Buress (Genghis Frog).

The score is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (of Nine Inch Nails rock band) is high-energy with snippets of hip-hop songs.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” successfully depicts the Turtles franchise in a new and innovative way that should entertain families.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,”

MPAA Rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested: Some material may not be suitable for children. Parents urged to give “parental guidance.” May contain some material parents might not like for their young children.) for sequences of violence and action, language and impolite material; Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure; Run time: 1 hour, 39 minutes. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Credit Readers Anonymous:

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” has a mid-credits scene that foreshadows a sequel. Much of the credits include color sketches and black and white chalk-on-blackboard drawings of the film’s characters and other representations in the movie.

At The Movies:

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” was seen in the standard format at AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Weekend Box Office,

Aug. 25-27: “Gran Turismo” was No. 1 at the finish line for the weekend domestic box office, opening with $17.3 million in 3,856 theaters, as its race cars nosed out the Corvette of “Barbie,” staying in place at No. 2 with $17.1 million in 3,736 theaters, $594.8 million, six weeks, to become the biggest-grossing domestic movie of 2023, passing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which grossed $574.3 million during its North American run, as “Blue Beetle” dropped from its one-week run at No. 1, with $12.7 million in 3,871 theaters, $46.3 million, two weeks. 4. “Oppenheimer” dropped one place, with $9 million in 2,872 theaters, $300 million, six weeks. 5. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” dropped one place, $6.1 million in 3,145 theaters, $98.1 million, four weeks. 6. “Meg 2: The Trench” stayed in place, $5.1 million in 2,932 theaters, $74.4 million, four weeks. 7. “Strays” dropped two places, $4.6 million in 3,232 theaters, $16.1 million, two weeks. 8. “Retribution,” starring Liam Neeson, opening, $3.3 million in 1,750 theaters. 9. “The Hill,” starring Dennis Quaid, opening, $2.5 million in 1,570 theaters. 10. “Haunted Mansion” dropped two places, $2.1 million in 1,630 theaters, $62.2 million, five weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Aug. 27 is subject to change.

Unreel,

Sept. 1:

“The Equalizer 3,”

R: Antoine Fuqua directs Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning in the Action, Crime, Thriller. Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is back in action in Italy in the sequel.

“The Good Mother,”

No MPAA rating: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte directs Hilary Swank, Olivia Cooke and Jack Reynor in the Drama, Mystery, Thriller. A journalist and his girlfriend try to track down a murderer.

Movie opening dates from Internet Movie Database as of Aug. 27 are subject to change.

Four Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes