TMNT Writers Think April O’Neil Needs To Be Ugly

The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie is out, and April O’Neil is stealing the show. Unfortunately, it is not for the reasons you might think. Since it was announced that Seth Rogan would be working on an all-new movie, fans of this long-standing IP have been worried. By now, most are aware of the changes the show has decided to make. The most contentious change for the show was April O’Neil. Writers and designers are putting a new spin on her, bewildering many fans. This topic is always very contested, with people split down the middle.

On the one side, you have fans who are upset with the changes; on the other, you have those who believe the redesign is fine. The obvious elephant in the room is that April went from a red-headed white girl to a black girl. For this movie, they decided to do the classic race swap. My opinions on race-swapping have always been consistent. If the story remains good, I can learn to live with it. I do not hate race or sex swapping; I hate bad writing. Often, writers with no talent fail to generate hype for their work. This is because they are not very good.

To garner attention, they make controversial decisions that capture the headlines. When there is eventual blowback, they call everyone bigots. The question is, do the changes made to April O’Neil hinder the story? This question is complicated, considering how well the movie is rated. Both critics and fans praise the film online, giving it over 90% on rotten tomatoes. Considering these high scores, we must ask ourselves if people genuinely care.

The Redesign Of April O’Neil

First, we must examine the redesign before considering the divided opinions regarding April O’Neil. The designer for this movie spoke out regarding the changes on Twitter and showcased a few ideas. From the start, it is clear that the showrunners had a specific vision for April. They made her shorter, scrappier, and a lot less attractive. It is that last part that is causing the most controversy. On the one side, you have those who argue that her looks do not matter. They state that this is a cartoon character, and thus it is weird that you must find her attractive.

Some state that she is only a teenager, and thus sexualizing her is weird. Others argue that she is an adult in most series and movies. Therefore being attractive should not be an issue. It should also be noted that attractiveness is not sexualization. If, by this point, you are uncomfortable with the direction this argument is headed in, you are not alone. Ultimately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is for kids; thus, this should not be a debate. The truth is that most adults will not be watching this movie. It is not meant for them.

However, it should be pointed out that April’s attractiveness is not the issue here. Instead, it is her design overhaul that is making people upset. Despite my opinions, most people do not like drastic changes to classic IPs they grew up watching. Even if they do not watch the reboot, as they might have outgrown the series, many will focus on the principle of the matter. You might disagree with this mentality, but most are sick of reboots that have nothing to do with the original. Not that this movie is an example of that.

Why Does April O’Neil Need To be Redesigned

The creators behind the rebooted Teenage Ninja Mutant Ninja Turtles series are apparent in their motives. They state that April O’Neil needed redesigned to make her more relatable and grounded in the real world. What part of April was not grounded in the real world is unclear. Although they want to make her more relatable, they do not specify what made her previously unrelatable. She has always been a fan favorite; thus, I am still determining what they mean. They are free to do so if they want to make the changes.

However, the reason provided needs to make more sense. The only conclusion I can draw from that statement is that skinny women with breasts are not relatable. In their quest for inclusion, they are busy with other rising women naturally built like this. Once again, they can highlight any body type they want. This is a children’s cartoon; thus, this conversation should not even be a topic of discussion. However, you make it a matter of debate when drastically overhauling a beloved character. When you make statements such as she needs to be more relatable, you are making all of this matter.

The traits that they list are all personality based. If you wanted her to be more grounded, you would have focused on her character, not her design. This is not the reason you are doing this. You went out of your way to completely overhaul her, which was done for only one reason. You needed the media attention that comes along with making these changes. No one would have known about this reboot if it was not for this issue.

The Argument From Both Sides

I am not a fan of playing both sides of any argument. I will once again make my opinion clear. Race swapping does not bother me as much as it does other people. I am primarily focused on the story. If that is good, it does not bother me. I am also a fan of allowing new audiences to choose what their characters look like. I grew up watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. No one can ever take the original away from me. Thus if you want to make changes for the new generation of viewers, you are free to do so. I will not watch it if I dislike the changes and rewatch the original.

However, I will not pretend these changes are made for noble reasons. You know what you are doing when you do this. You are trying to provoke an emotional response. Once people respond, you get on your high horse and pretend that people are perves or bigots, which is why they dislike the changes. I am willing to be more lenient in the case of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There is a straightforward reason for this.

Those who watched this movie seem to genuinely enjoy it. Too many times, people do these things to make up for lousy writing; in this case, that might not be true. The end goal is to ensure that people enjoy your product. If you manage to achieve that, then your work is complete. I am still determining how this movie will affect numbers, but the early signs are positive. The budget for this movie is hefty at $70 million. However, current box office numbers have them exceeding expectations.

Conclusion

The movie will likely break even at $43.1 million in its five-day opening. However, based on current box office trends, they might even make a profit to warrant a second movie. It is still early days, but thus far, most are enjoying their experience. The fact that the film competes against giants like Barbie and Oppenheimer makes their success at the box office even more impressive. They do have big names, such as Jackie Chan, John Cena, and Mr. Beast, carrying the film. Ultimately, only time will tell what the future holds for the new April O’Neil and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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