Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

Somehow, the animated reboot Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is less cartoonish than its big-screen predecessors — an approach that finds the title characters haven’t aged a day.

With style and attitude to spare, this playful and affectionate tribute to the quartet of pizza-craving heroes in a half-shell hits all the nostalgic notes while freshening the material — which dates back to a 1980s comic book — for the social-media age.

It’s essentially an origin story involving the four sibling turtles — Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael — who gained superpowers as babies through contact with radioactive “ooze.” Since then, they’ve mostly been sequestered in the New York sewer by their surrogate father, Master Splinter (voiced by Jackie Chan), a wise rat trained in the martial arts who harbors a severe distrust of humans.

Nevertheless, his rebellious proteges have an appetite for adolescent hijinks, and ultimately for becoming normal kids. But can they survive on teamwork and optimism in a contemporary world of intolerance and paranoia?

Their first test comes during an encounter with April (Ayo Edebiri), an aspiring young journalist who likewise hopes to make a name for herself. Not fully convinced of the turtles’ legitimacy, her curiosity persuades her to team up in an effort to stop Super Fly (Ice Cube), a giant insect whose criminal enterprise includes several mutant creatures of other species.

This reimagining is the brainchild of longtime producing partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, plus director Jeff Rowe (The Mitchells vs. the Machines), each of whom contributed to the quirky script. The clever dialogue is peppered with pop-culture zingers filtered through a slightly cynical worldview.

In re-creating its grungy urban landscape, the inventive film mixes stop-motion with other animation styles, accompanied by a vintage pop and hip-hop soundtrack. The voice cast is stellar.

Youngsters will appreciate the lively pace and mischievous antics of the masked terrapin protagonists while absorbing lessons about brotherhood, loyalty, and courage. It’s a shame the film doesn’t take the time to fully develop their individual personalities.

The central mystery is less compelling but takes a backseat to the journey of acceptance and self-discovery. The darker and more chaotic second half funnels toward an inevitable high-stakes final showdown that sets up a sequel.

Appropriately cheesy and amusingly self-deprecating, it strikes the right balance between silly and sweet. Turtles might be notoriously slow, but Mutant Mayhem is frenetic and fun.

Rated PG, 99 minutes.