5 out of 5

Directed by: Glen Murakami

Oddly, this kiddie-ized version of the TMNT was more enjoyable than a good chunk of the current CGI Nick version.  And bear in mind I dig that show with wholehearted fan fervor – but the slightly older audience at which its aimed mayhaps needs a bit more loud-sound-whiz-bang-smash-ups than the youngsters this hand drawn variant might be drawing in, and so the forever upping-the-ante mutant-of-the-week formula can get a bit exhausting, while Half-Shell Heroes harkens back to the Saturday morning simplicity of the Fred Wolf ‘toon.  …The good years, that is, when there was some effort to the animation and the gags could actually make you laugh.  ‘Cause laugh I did at this special (…pilot?), as our boys inadvertently travel back in time (whoops) and battle their way first through era-appropriate dinos… and then Triceratons!  That last bit clues you into something that really makes Blast a (sigh) blast: it’s not a do-over.  How many times have we seen the origin of the TMNT?  And thankfully, our writers figured we’re up to speed, and so all the characters from the CGI world are in play, no explanations necessary.  (Which makes me question if that “younger audience” thing is actually the intention here.)  For those doubting of non-computer shows, especially if you’ve gotten used to the kinetic animation of the main series, Half-Shell doesn’t disappoint: there’s a crispness to the art style like flash animation, but none of the stiffness.  It’s clean but energized, and the style allows for a whole bunch of great goofy classic cartoon sound effects to not feel out of place, which just adds to that Saturday morning feel.

A big part of this might be seasoned director Glen Murakami.  At forty minutes, there was room for this to wander or use filler, but the story moves at a good pace, and the several interactions with the dinosaurs always feel fresh.

I understand that turning this into a series might be a recipe for a dimming in quality, but I’d watch the poops out of it.  The special shares that sense of self-awareness the main show has, but, again, loosened up from so many rotating plot gears, the laughs seemed to come easier, and the creativity flowed in kind.  No idea what the purpose of Half-Shell is, but I don’t care: it was an extremely enjoyable 40 minutes of my precious viewing time.