Lily Anne Garcia

I love the show! I think this is a breath of fresh air compared to the previous incarnations of the series. I grew up with the 2003 series, and didn't know what to expect. This series is for a children's audience, and it has a nice focus on family and how they treat and act around each other, and the characters definitely do act like siblings. They bond, they bicker, but they care for each other their own way. For a children's audience, this is very important. And I don't know how many times I've thought "this actually happens" whenever the turts interacted with each other. I can really see the Oldest/Middle/Youngest dynamic. I'm honestly here for the animation. The animation is wonderful, I didn't realize it was Flash! The earlier episodes, in my opinion, felt like a rocky start but the animators definitely get comfortable with the style throughout the season and recent episode and have a lot of fun with the shots that they get. (I especially love the exciting fight scenes) And seeing the storyboard process is such a treat! I was really impressed to see that the storyboarding almost matches the animation to a tee, I can definitely see the dedication and imagination it took to make such dynamic scenes! Do check out the comparisons between animatic and final cut~ I can see that taking this kind of spin on a memorable series is a bit of a risk. But these ninja turtles are teenagers, it's called "Rise" for a reason. And this show is for kids, remember that. They definitely aren't experienced with their new weapons and aren't going to get good the first time (except maybe Donnie, but he's just over-enthusiastic with his inventions, sometimes they don't work, etc.), but in due time, they will. I can't wait to see what they have next!