View source for Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

{{short description|2019 animated crossover superhero film}}
{{For|the source material miniseries|Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
| image          = Batman Ninja Turtles Cover.png
| caption        = Official cover
| director       = Jake Castorena
| producer       = Ben Jones
| writer         = Marly Halpern-Graser
| based_on       = {{Based on|[[Lists of DC Comics characters|Characters]] from [[DC Comics|DC]]}}<br />{{Based on|[[List of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters|Characters]] from [[Nickelodeon]]}}<!--Please do NOT add the Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series as that was an ''Inspired by'' credit.-->
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Troy Baker]]
* [[Eric Bauza]]
* [[Darren Criss]]
* [[Kyle Mooney]]
* [[Baron Vaughn]]
}}
| music          = [[Kevin Riepl]]
| cinematography = 
| editing        = 
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* [[Warner Bros. Animation]]
* [[DC Entertainment]]
* Nickelodeon
}}
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros. Home Entertainment]]
| released       = {{film date|2019|3|31|[[WonderCon|WonderCon Anaheim]]|2019|5|14|[[Digital media|Digital]]|ref2=<ref>[http://www.dccomics.com/videos/batman-vs-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-official-trailer Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Official Trailer]</ref>}}
| runtime        = 87 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
}}
'''''Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles''''' is an American animated [[superhero film]] directed by Jake Castorena and written by Marly Halpern-Graser. Inspired by the [[DC Comics]] and [[IDW Publishing]] comic book [[Miniseries (comics)|miniseries]] ''[[Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' by [[James Tynion IV]] and [[Freddie Williams II]], the story focuses on [[Batman]], [[Robin (character)|Robin]], and [[Batgirl]] teaming up with the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] in order to save [[Gotham City]] from chaos at the hands of both [[Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Shredder]] and [[Ra's al Ghul]]. Produced by [[Warner Bros. Animation]] in association with [[DC Entertainment]] and [[Nickelodeon]], the film features the voices of [[Troy Baker]], [[Eric Bauza]], [[Darren Criss]], [[Kyle Mooney]], and [[Baron Vaughn]].

''Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' was produced for the direct-to-video market, and was released on both Blu-ray and [[Digital copy|Digital HD]] on June 4, 2019. It received positive reviews and grossed over $3.3 million from home video sales.

==Plot==
While touring Powers Industrial, [[Barbara Gordon]] witnesses a power generator being stolen by the [[Foot Clan]] and also spots four mysterious and elusive creatures during the robbery that she refers to as Metahumans. She reports this back to Batman, who decides that if the culprits want high tech, he will set a trap with it. The Foot Clan then attacks [[Wayne Enterprises]] to steal an experimental [[cloud seeding|cloud seeder]] machine, but are ambushed by [[Batman]], who fends off the Foot and their leader, [[Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Shredder]]. Meanwhile, it is revealed that the four 'Metahumans' Batgirl sighted are actually the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]], currently tracking the Shredder's nefarious actions to Gotham City, having learned he has allied with an unknown party. After defending Wayne Enterprises from the [[Penguin (character)|Penguin]], the Turtles encounter and fight Batman, as each side believes the other is the enemy. Batman is able to overpower the Turtles, who then retreat.

[[Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Donatello]] researches Batman and his sighted locations, and uses this information to figure out the location of the [[Batcave]]. After a brief scuffle with [[Damian Wayne|Robin]], Batman and Batgirl arrive, and the Turtles introduce themselves and explain their reason for coming to Gotham. The two groups agree to work together against their common enemies, and Robin reveals that Shredder and the Foot Clan are working with [[Ra's al Ghul]] and the [[League of Assassins]]. Shredder and Ra's meet and strike a bargain: Ra's will give Shredder access to the Lazarus Pit to become immortal, in exchange for Shredder building a machine that will spray the Techno Cosmic Research Institute (TCRI) mutagen over Gotham, transforming the citizens into monstrous mutants that will destroy the city. With Shredder's failure to steal the cloud seeder, Ra's hires the Penguin to intercept it, while he and Shredder go to [[Arkham Asylum]] and release the [[Joker (character)|Joker]]. The two trade The Joker a vial of the TCRI mutagen for the Joker Venom formula, which combined with the mutagen will drive the mutated completely insane, and Joker uses the mutagen on Arkham's inmates.

The Bat-Family and the Turtles are alerted about an alarm at Arkham by [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner Gordon]] and investigate. After fighting their way through various mutated members of [[List of Batman family enemies|Batman's rogues gallery]], they confront [[Harley Quinn]] and Joker, mutated into a [[spotted hyena]] and a [[king cobra]]. Joker injects Batman with a mixture of Joker venom and mutagen, transforming him into a deranged mutant [[vampire bat]] who instantly proceeds to violently maul [[Mr Freeze]] and attacks the others in a frenzy, throwing Two-Face out a window. The heroes are able to inject Batman with an anti-mutagen and restore him, and subdue Harley and Joker. Batgirl learns about the cloud seeder's theft by Penguin, and they realize the incident at Arkham was a distraction. Aware that Shredder and Ra's will be using Joker venom, they deduce they will be at Ace Chemicals to create it.

At Ace Chemicals, the Bat-family and the Turtles fight through the Foot Clan and the League of Assassins with the [[Batmobile]] and the Turtle Van. While Batman fights Shredder and [[Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Leonardo]] engages Ra's, Donatello and [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]] sabotage the cloud seeder as it launches. Leonardo subdues Ra's, and Batman is able to defeat the Shredder with a distraction from [[Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Raphael]]. The cloud seeder crashes into the facility and explodes, knocking the Shredder into a vat of Joker venom and destroying Ace Chemicals. At the Batcave, the Turtles prepare to return to New York until Batman reveals a surprise pizza party to celebrate their victory. In a post-credits scene, Shredder emerges from the rubble of Ace Chemicals, now possessing a Joker-like appearance and laughing maniacally.

==Voice cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Troy Baker]] as [[Batman|Bruce Wayne / Batman]], [[Joker (character)|The Joker]]
* [[Eric Bauza]] as [[Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Leonardo]]
* [[Darren Criss]] as [[Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Raphael]]
* [[Baron Vaughn]] as [[Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Donatello]]
* [[Kyle Mooney]] as [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]]
* [[Ben Giroux]] as [[Damian Wayne|Damian Wayne / Robin]]
* [[Rachel Bloom]] as [[Barbara Gordon|Barbara Gordon / Batgirl]]
* [[Brian George]] as [[Alfred Pennyworth]]
* [[Jim Meskimen]] as Commissioner [[James Gordon (character)|James Gordon]], Dr. [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Jonathan Crane / Scarecrow]]
* [[Andrew Kishino]] as [[Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|The Shredder]]
* [[Cas Anvar]] as [[Ra's al Ghul]]
* [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]] as Dr. [[Baxter Stockman]], [[Two-Face|Harvey Dent / Two-Face]]
* [[Tom Kenny]] as [[Penguin (character)|Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin]], [[League of Assassins]] Ninja
* [[Tara Strong]] as [[Harley Quinn|Harleen Quinzel / Harley Quinn]], [[Poison Ivy (character)|Pamela Isley / Poison Ivy]], Pizza Delivery Girl, Woman
* [[John DiMaggio]] as [[Mr. Freeze|Victor Fries / Mr. Freeze]]
* [[Carlos Alazraqui]] as [[Bane (DC Comics)|Bane]]
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Development and writing===
In February 2019, it was announced that an animated adaptation of the miniseries ''[[Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' was in development, as a collaboration between [[Warner Bros. Animation]] and [[Nickelodeon]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Matthew |date=13 February 2019 |title=Exclusive: Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meet in first animated movie crossover |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/exclusive-batman-and-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-meet-in-first-animated-movie |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230309000851/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/exclusive-batman-and-the-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-meet-in-first-animated-movie |archive-date=9 March 2023 |access-date=18 March 2019 |website=[[Syfy]]}}</ref> In May 2019, Jake Casterona was announced to be directing from a screenplay by Marly Halpern-Graser, with Ben Jones producing; he previously worked on both ''[[Batman: The Brave and the Bold]]'' (2008–11) and ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012 TV series)|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' (2012-17).<ref name="auto" />

Early during production, Jones wanted to omit the interdimensional aspect of the original comics, due to both his love for crossovers such as ''Superman vs. Spider-Man'' that established both properties as existing in the same reality, as well as simplifying the story.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Dar |first=Taimur |date=April 30, 2019 |title=Striking Hard and Fading into the Night with the Cast & Crew of BATMAN VS. TMNT |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/batman-vs-tmnt-wondercon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203173731/https://www.comicsbeat.com/batman-vs-tmnt-wondercon/ |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |access-date=July 4, 2023 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref> Due to this, Halpern-Graser sought to instead stay faithful to the comic's tone and structure while incorporating these changes to the story, with multiple lines and panels being adapted verbatim to the film.<ref name=":1" /> Regarding the portrayals of Batman and the Turtles, Casterona wanted to contrast them by portraying Batman as more serious and the Turtles being more lighthearted and fun-loving. However, he wanted to avoid portraying them in a goofy light similar to the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)|1980s series]], so he and the crew instead drew inspiration from the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film)|1990 film]] and how it portrayed the Turtles in a lighthearted manner while still being serious in tone.<ref name=":1" /> Producer Ben Jones and screenwriter Mary Halpern-Graser expressed interest in a sequel that centers on Batman interacting with elements from the ''Turtles'' franchise, expressing particular interest in featuring characters such as [[Krang]] and [[Bebop and Rocksteady]].<ref name=":1" />

===Casting===
The initial announcement revealed [[Troy Baker]] would reprise his roles as both [[Batman]] and the [[Joker (character)|Joker]] from previous DC properties, making Baker the first actor to portray both characters in the same property. The film features [[Darren Criss]], [[Eric Bauza]], [[Kyle Mooney]] and [[Baron Vaughn]] as the four Turtles: [[Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Raphael]], [[Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Leonardo]], [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]] and [[Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Donatello]]. [[Rachel Bloom]] voices [[Barbara Gordon|Batgirl]] and [[Cas Anvar]] voices [[Ra's al Ghul]]. In addition, [[Tom Kenny]], [[John DiMaggio]], [[Carlos Alazraqui]] and [[Tara Strong]] reprise their roles as the [[Penguin (character)|Penguin]], [[Mr. Freeze]], [[Bane (comics)|Bane]], [[Harley Quinn]] and [[Poison Ivy (character)|Poison Ivy]] from various DC properties.<ref name=":0" /> Other key cast members of the film were revealed a month later, which consists of [[Ben Giroux]] as [[Damian Wayne|Robin]], [[Andrew Kishino]] as the [[Shredder (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Shredder]], [[Keith Ferguson (voice actor)|Keith Ferguson]] as both [[Baxter Stockman]] and [[Two-Face]], [[Brian George]] reprising his role as [[Alfred Pennyworth]] from ''[[Batman: The Killing Joke (film)|Batman: The Killing Joke]]'', and [[Jim Meskimen]] as both [[James Gordon (comics)|Commissioner James Gordon]] and the [[Scarecrow (DC Comics)|Scarecrow]].<ref name="auto">{{cite magazine |last=Romano |first=Nick |date=March 12, 2019 |title=Animated worlds collide in exclusive 'Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' trailer |url=https://ew.com/trailers/2019/03/12/batman-vs-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-trailer/ |url-status=live |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230206061943/https://ew.com/trailers/2019/03/12/batman-vs-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-trailer/ |archive-date=February 6, 2023}}</ref> Voice recording had begun by the time the film was announced.<ref name=":0" /> Both Warner and Nickelodeon were involved in the casting process, while Gene Vassilaros serves as casting director, after working on that role in previous animated ''Turtles'' media.<ref name=":1" /> According to producer Ben Jones, Nickelodeon executives mandated for none of the cast members from the then-current series ''[[Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]'' to be brought back to reprise their roles.<ref name=":1" />

==Release==
The first trailer was released on March 12, 2019.<ref name="auto" /> The film had its world premiere at [[WonderCon]] Anaheim 2019 on March 31.<ref>{{cite web |date=9 March 2019 |title=NickALive!: Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Meet in First Animated Crossover Movie [Updated] |url=http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2019/02/batman-and-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417101014/http://www.nickalive.net/2019/02/batman-and-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles.html |archive-date=April 17, 2023 |access-date=18 March 2019 |website=NickAlive!}}</ref> The film was later released to Digital on May 14, and on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] and [[Blu-ray]] on June 4, 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McGloin |first=Matt |date=2019-03-14 |title=Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Release Date Announced |url=https://cosmicbook.news/batman-vs-tmnt-release-date-info |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118091544/https://cosmicbook.news/batman-vs-tmnt-release-date-info |archive-date=2022-11-18 |access-date=2022-11-18 |website=Cosmic Book News |language=en-US}}</ref> The film earned around $609,000 from domestic DVD sales and $2.7 million from domestic Blu-ray sales, bringing its total domestic home video earnings to $3.3 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Numbers Listing |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-Vs-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-(2019)#tab=summary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418041843/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Batman-Vs-Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-(2019) |archive-date=April 18, 2023 |access-date=October 20, 2020 |publisher=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' was released to positive reviews. Based on {{RT data|count}} reviews collected on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an [[List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes|approval rating of {{RT data|score}}]] with an average rating of {{a or an|{{RT data|average}}}}.<ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=batman_vs_teenage_mutant_ninja_turtles |title=Batman Vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|type=m |access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.dccomics.com/movies/batman-vs-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles DC page]
* {{IMDb title|9775360|Batman vs Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}

{{Batman in popular media}}
{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in film}}
{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}
{{DC Comics animated films}}
{{Warner Bros. animation and comics}}
{{Nickelodeon Original Movies}}

[[Category:2010s animated superhero films]]
[[Category:Animated Batman films]]
[[Category:Animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films]]
[[Category:Animated crossover films]]
[[Category:Animated superhero crossover films]]
[[Category:2010s English-language films]]
[[Category:Nickelodeon animated films]]
[[Category:Ninja films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. Animation animated films]]
[[Category:2019 martial arts films]]
[[Category:2019 direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:Animated teen superhero films]]
[[Category:American direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:2010s American animated films]]
[[Category:Joker (character) in other media]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. direct-to-video films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films]]
[[Category:Animated films about turtles]]
[[Category:Animated films about brothers]]
[[Category:Nickelodeon original films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sam Register]]
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