(CBR) “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” celebrated its 30th anniversary last month, dating back to its humble beginnings as a black-and-white independent comic self-published by franchise creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
Of course, “TMNT” became one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons of the late '80s and the early '90s, and continues to endure today — with an animated series on Nickelodeon, a new live-action film imminently arriving in theaters and plenty of toys on shelves. The upcoming documentary “Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” aims to tell the story of “Turtles,” its fans and the property's place in history, and CBR has the exclusive first look at both the film's trailer and box art.
Work on “Turtle Power” first started in 2009, with the producers stating more than a “hundred hours of interviews from every corner of the turtle world” were conducted for the doc. The trailer contains comments from noted “Turtle” authorities including Eastman, Laird, John Handy from long-time “TMNT” license-holder Playmates Toys and comedian Michael Ian Black, who dropped out of college to play Raphael on a promotional tour.
Produced by Randall Lobb, Isaac Elliott-Fisher and Mark Hussey, “Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is scheduled for release on Aug. 12 — four days following the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” reboot film directed by Jonathan Liebesman and produced by Michael Bay.