In the dawn of the 90s, the winds of change were blowing hard. The culture barriers were falling, Madonna’s image was evolving into a striking resemblance of Marilyn Monroe, and a quartet of martial-arts-trained, mutated turtles had become the new craze among the young. Following the phenomenal triumph of the original live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, Tinseltown was poised to fast-track the production of a sequel with the enthusiasm of someone shouting “cowabunga!” Yet, bringing TMNT II: The Secret of the Ooze to the silver screen proved to be no easy feat. The film’s development faced a myriad of challenges, including grueling production schedules, creative conflicts with originators, and dubious partnerships. Dive into the backstory to discover why TMNT II emerged as one of the most tumultuous cinematic endeavors of the 1990s.
The Movie Was Hastily Rushed Into Production
These days, franchises choosing to film their sequels back-to-back is not uncommon, with the last two Avengers films and the final chapters of the Harry Potter series being prominent examples. But back in the time of TMNT, it was almost unheard of.
When the first film drastically exceeded its box-office expectations, the financial backers fast-tracked production of the sequel, which came out just under a year after the release of the first entry. Golden Harvest was surprised by the first film’s success and, believing audiences would soon lose interest in the Turtles, decided to strike while the iron was hot.
The Ninja Rap Was Written In Half An Hour
Every once in a while, there comes a piece of cinema whose soundtrack makes as much of a splash as the film itself. Such is the case of Secret of the Ooze. Hot off the success of “Ice, Ice, Baby,” rapper Vanilla Ice was tapped by the studio to create a theme for the sequel, which ended up earning him some substantial screen time in the third act.
While the lyrics of “The Ninja Rap” might be burrowed into your long-term memory even more than the state capitals, the song itself took Mr. Ice a mere 30 minutes to write.
Their Fighting Tools Were Taken Away
Just like the boy bands of yesteryear, each of the Turtles had their own set of characteristics that made them unique. In the comics and animated show that predated the films, the quartet’s karate tools of choice were a big part of what made them individuals.
It wasn’t until their big-screen debut that parents and educators of kids across America started to really take notice. Several childcare specialists, parents, and psychiatrists of the time identified the action in the first film as a catalyst for a rise in aggression amongst children, which appeared to spook the filmmakers into stripping the Turtles of their weaponry in the sequel.
While nobody involved in the making of TMNT II has ever publicly cited parental backlash as the reason, it’s hard not to notice the radical change in both fighting style and tone between the two films.
Safety Wasn’t A Huge Priority On Set
During a Q&A screening of TMNT II, Mark Caso (who played Leonardo in the film) explained that a scene in which the turtles are trapped in a net led to a disastrous accident on set. A safety cable snapped and dropped the actors several feet.
One team member ended up with a strained back, while another suffered a broken ankle. Luckily nobody was seriously harmed, but it did put the cast and crew on edge.
April O’Neil Was Unceremoniously Replaced
When fans of the original film turned up for the franchise’s triumphant return, they were surprised to find that reporter April O’Neil looked a little different this time around. Judith Hoag, the comic actress who first teamed up with the Turtles in 1990, was quietly replaced by Paige Turco for mysterious reasons.
Hoag believes it had to do with her voicing concerns about the strenuous conditions on set, both for her and the stunt team, as well as her opinions about the level of aggression in the film. “Everybody was beating everybody up,” Hoag lamented. “I thought the movie suffered because of that. It was something I spoke to the producers about, I think they thought I was too demanding, and moved on.”
Corey Feldman Was In Rehab During Production
Sharp-eared fans of the TMNT franchise most likely noticed that the voice of Donatello sounded a little different in between the first and third films of the series. This was because Corey Feldman, who originally starred in the role, was in the middle of a rehab stint during the production of the second film.
Unlike fellow absent co-star Judith Hoag, Feldman was asked to reprise his role once the third film went into development.
Vanilla Ice’s Bodyguard Almost Started An Epic Fight
When it came time to film the concert sequence for TMNT II, the on-set chemistry between Vanilla Ice and the rest of the crew wasn’t quite as smooth as filmmakers originally hoped, thanks in large part to an aggressive bodyguard on Ice’s payroll.
Actor Michelan Sisti, who played Michelangelo, tried to welcome the rapper to the set by giving him a friendly hug in full costume before filming began. Before he could reach “The Ninja Rap” artist, one of his bodyguards stepped in and aggressively blocked Sisti. This didn’t go over well with the rest of the stunt team, all 18 of whom had to be stopped from retaliating.
The Mysterious Ooze Was Never Explained
If comic creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman had it their way, the mystery of where the mutant-forming ooze came from would have been a much more interesting origin story. In the final cut of the film, the ooze was explained to be a simple accident that occurred at the TGRI power plant, much to the Turtles’ collective dismay.
However, the mysterious sludge was actually supposed to be a substance created by an alien race known as the Utrom. In fact, Professor Perry, who turned out to be an ally for the Turtles, was supposed to be an Utrom in disguise. Ultimately, the idea was nixed over concerns that the character would be confused with Krang, another alien villain from the original source material.
The Suits Were A Nightmare To Wear
The animatronic suits created for the TMNT franchise were, without doubt, a game-changing improvement on full-bodied creature costumes, but they didn’t come without their pitfalls. Michelan Sisti, the actor who portrayed Michaelangelo, explained that the foam suits created by the Jim Henson Company soaked up their sweat like a sponge, causing them to tip the scales at a whopping 70 pounds at their warmest.
Kenn Scott (AKA Raphael) added that the limited vision and restricted breathing caused by the costume made it easy for tensions to get a little high.