Celebrating 'Turtle Power'

25 Jul, 2014 By: Chris Tribbey

---

SAN DIEGO — Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, laughs when he thinks about how what would become a huge franchise got off the ground 30 years ago with a bizarre concept for a comic.

“When we did the first issue, we were positive we wouldn’t sell a single copy,” he laughed, speaking during a July 24 panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International.

The documentary Turtle Power: The Definitive History of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, out on disc and digital Aug. 12 from Paramount Home Media Distribution, celebrates the evolution of the turtles, delving into the franchise’s origins and worldwide popularity.

“We wanted to tell an awesome story, and I hope we did that,” said Turtle Power writer and director Randall Lobb. Turtle Power executive producer Mark Hussey said even he was surprised at the results of the production.

“They have stuff here I couldn’t believe,” he said. “Documentaries are so hard to make and distribute. These guys worked and worked and never stopped working, and they made it amazing. It’s a great piece of work.”

The 96-minute run time was the result of hundreds of hours of footage shot, and nearly six years worth of work. The producers didn’t finish until May.

“It’s touching and it’s beautiful,” Lobb said, adding that there were challenges. “It was trying to do something opposite of what the world wants you to do. If you want to do something, do it.”

Bookmark it: