Mutation in Progress: Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Video

Just a couple of days after we got our first glimpse of what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would sort of look like in their new animated series, Nickelodeon has released a superfast teaser video of Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo as they will actually appear in the new show, which debuts sometime in late 2012. Dubbed a "Mutation in Progress," the footage is so quick and stealthy, it is itself an expression of the art of ninjutsu!As the previously released character designy pin-up thing suggested, Nickelodeon's new TMNT project is more influenced by the original comic books by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird than the classic animated series most of us remember. The video clip features an '80s-esque logo that is reminiscent of the original, and the turtles themselves look more streamlined and tough, as they did back in the day.

Unfortunately, Entertainment Weekly is being really mean and nasty and won't let us embed the video here, so please enjoy these lovely screenshots before leaving us...

Curiously, Michelangelo and Donatello's weapons have been made more lethal than in any previous version. Mikey's nunchaku have been augmented with some blades, and Don's bo staff has a big ol' knife stuck on the end of it, which seems somewhat out of character for these more peaceful of the four ninja brothers.

Despite the apparently more vicious apparel, Entertainment Weekly reports that the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles show will be "funnier and ninja-ier" than previous incarnations.

[Via Entertainment Weekly]