Search - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 7, Pt. 4 - The Raphael Slice on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 4/26/2023...

Fun Ninja fun for the whole family!

The 25th Anniversary of TMNT

Lee DeWald | Nebraska | 03/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE SHOW

The seventh season of this series aired in the second half of 1993. It is notable for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that it marked the end of an era in terms of the overall tone and look of the show. Starting with the show's eighth season, which aired the following year, nearly all the hallmarks of the show - all the touchstones that made the series what it was - would be gone. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let us break down the seventh season of the show.

The first 13 episodes of the seventh season are what fans have dubbed the "European Vacation" shows. These episodes have always been a bit of a mystery among fans, if only because, in some aspects of the story, they seem to be out of place in the seventh season. During the first episode of the fourth season, the Turtles find out that they have won a vacation to Europe. So, it would stand to reason that the first leg of season four would be the Turtles' adventures traveling across Europe. This they do; some of the storylines take place in France, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Turkey. Along the way, familiar characters (Shredder and Krang), and some not so familiar (Erik the Red Eye, a modern-day Viking), attempt various nefarious schemes at taking over the world. Many theories abound as to why this fourth season storyline did not see the light of day until the beginning of the seventh season (animation and/or scheduling problems being the most popular), but at least fans can rest easy that all of the "European Vacation" episodes have finally made it to DVD.

That being said, however, the end of the "European Vacation" episodes and the "beginning" of the seventh season can be a bit jarring when viewing the shows in succession. While the aforementioned episodes run parallel to the themes, tone and overall look of the show during its third and fourth seasons, the remaining 14 episodes mark a stark contrast to them.

By the time 1993 rolled around, Saturday morning cartoons were changing. Light and fluffy were out; dark and edgy were in. The "beginning" of the seventh season (after the "European Vacation" episodes) marked a trial run into this territory. Episodes were a bit darker in theme than they had been in seasons past, but not so much that what made the show great in the first place - humor, pizza references, and terrific characters - was lost. It wasn't until the eighth season that the show went whole hog and introduced a completely revamped (darker and edgier) premise, virtually dropping everything fans had come to know and love about the series.

The first foray in this experiment was "Night of the Dark Turtle," a fabulous episode that sees Donatello temporarily explore a darker side to his personality. Everything about this episode works: terrific humor, great action sequences, outstanding animation, and rocking background music. "Night of the Dark Turtle" is not only a highlight of the seventh season, but it represents one of the best episodes of the entire series.

Something that is not a highlight, however, is the loss of James Avery ("Fresh Prince of Bel Air") halfway through the season as the voice of Shredder. From the beginning of the series, James Avery managed to make Shredder a three-dimensional character, as opposed to a run-of-the-mill, one-note, cardboard cutout that most villains on cartoons encapsulate. Shredder could be scary, for sure, as a typical bad guy; but he could also be quite hilarious, and Avery breathed much life into the role. Many fans view Shredder and Krang as a married couple because of the amount of bickering they do with each other. The improvisations that both actors brought to their roles created lasting characters that fans loved, even though they were villains. After Avery left the show for reasons unknown, the voice actor who replaced him did absolutely nothing with the Shredder role except to play it as a stereotypical, one-dimensional bad guy. To say that James Avery was missed as the seventh season came to a close is a vast understatement.

THE DVD SET

To celebrate the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th anniversary (somehow, Young Adult Mutant Ninja Turtles doesn't have quite the same ring to it), Lionsgate has decided to do something a little different with the release of the seventh season. It has been broken up into four parts, or slices, and each Turtle has one. When combined the four slices fit together to create one scene on your DVD shelf.

But the surprises don't stop there. Each DVD slice will also include an original Ninja Turtles toy from Playmates, the toy company that produced the classic Turtle toys all through the show's run. I may not always like the DVD releases Lionsgate comes up with for this show, but the fact that they have pulled out some major stops to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary is commendable and has me eagerly anticipating May 12, 2009.

THE SPECIFICATIONS

Amazon.com has not listed this, so here at the specifications for each slice in the DVD set. These are subject to change before May 12, so take them for what they are.

Season 7, Part 1: The Leonardo Slice

-- It's party time, dudes! It's been 25 awesome years (whoa!) since the four turtles fell into the sewers and were transformed into radical human-like creatures. Join the shellebration as the superhero turtles save the Eiffel Tower, stop a glacier meltdown, ride a wild tidal wave and much, much more in six outrageously exciting adventures!

-- Running time: 132 minutes for 6 episodes.

-- EXTRA: A Shellebration with Points of Articulation: A Look Back at the Most Turtletastic Toys.

Season 7, Part 2: The Michelangelo Slice

-- It's radical! Get ready for more totally tubular Turtle excitement! Whether they're battling monster sheep, sleuthing with Sherlock Holmes, or putting the freeze on a deadly heat ray, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles take adventure to the max in these seven shredding episodes.

-- Running time: 154 minutes for 7 episodes.

-- EXTRA: A Shellebration of the Turtles Creation: New Interviews with TMNT Creators.

Season 7, Part 3: The Donatello Slice

-- Cowabunga! Can the Turtles stop a dangerous threat from Dimension X? Will Shredder and Krang activate the dreaded Technodrome? Has Donatello lost his senses - for good? Grab some pizza and find out all the answers in these action-filled adventures starring everyone's favorite kung-fu fighting turtles!

-- Running time: 154 minutes for 7 episodes.

-- EXTRA: A Shellebration of the TV Sensation: New Interviews with the Hit Show's Creative Team.

Season 7, Part 4: The Raphael Slice

-- Bodacious! Hang on for an awesome adventure ride as the Turtles face some of their gnarliest challenges yet - a vengeful fly who wants to change all humans into insects; a Mutant Hunter who's target the Turtles; an army of explosive robots and more - in this bodacious collection every Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan will love.

-- Running time: 154 minutes for 7 episodes.

-- EXTRA: A Shellebration of a Fan-Nomenon Sensation: Devoted and Die-Hard TMNT Fans Speak!

Side note: only the most die-hard of fans will notice this, but it is worth pointing out: in the original cartoon series, the Turtle with the orange bandana was always known as Michaelangelo. When the new cartoon aired in 2003, the spelling was changed to Michelangelo. It looks like Lionsgate has decided to go with the second spelling of Mikey's name for this DVD set. Even though I find this annoying, it's a minor quibble."

Ninja Pizza

T. Barker | Salt Lake, Utah | 10/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Good for any hardcore TMNT fan such as myself, because of the collector boxes and mini figures. But now they have released it in a simple box instead of these 4 different ones that are at way more the price than just the one set of season 7 that they have just come out with. Basically if you are a hardcore TMNT fan, and you want your collection simply to look good and pay some more, then this is for you, if not, save money, time, and shelf space and buy the simple season 7 one that isn't in 4 huge boxes."