80s favorites 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' return to bring animated fun, mayhem to big screen

HOLLYWOOD -- "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" have been a part of pop culture since the late 1980s. The pizza-loving teens named after Renaissance artists, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo, have starred in several TV series and movies. They're back for another round of fun for a new generation with "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem."

Micah Abbey, Nicolas Cantu, Brady Noon and Shamon Brown Jr. lend their voices to the sewer-dwelling heroes on the half-shell.

"It is kind of like the jumping on point for new fans for turtles. But the people that have been following the turtles all these years are going to find little bits and pieces and Easter eggs that they're really going to love," said Cantu.

"We're gonna be somebody's first intro into the turtles," said Brown. "So it's a beautiful thing. And it's a lot of fun."

"Whenever I see like a Ninja Turtles lunchbox, it brings back such good memories," said Abbey. "We're gonna be that for the kids of this new generation, which is really cool."

Director Jeff Rowe recorded the actors who voiced the turtles together... which is rare. It might have driven his postproduction team a little crazy, but it allowed the four young men to really act, hang out and sound like teenagers. The guys also had the chance to work in the recording booth with their animated on-screen nemesis Superfly, voiced by Ice Cube.

"It felt more real and natural to have us all together," said Ice Cube. "You know, speaking over each other, cutting off each other's lines, but not to the point where you can't understand what's going on. So it was a nice dance that we were doing."

Ice Cube says his kids were big "Ninja Turtle" fans when they were young, so he was very familiar with the franchise.

The film also features the voice work of Jackie Chan as the turtles' adopted dad, Splinter. Seth Rogan voices Be-bop and is also one of the film's producers and writers. It's in theaters Wednesday, Aug. 2.