Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was one of the best animated features in recent years, and fans are desperately awaiting news of its sequel. It’s coming, slowly, but there is some exciting news that’s tangentially related. Earlier this year, news broke that a short film set after the original movie is coming to theaters very soon, and now, there’s a first look.
The film is called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey, and it’ll be in theaters on December 19 attached to The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. It follows the Turtles as they head across the river to New Jersey, investigating someone who is making toys of them.
“We wanted to honor the Ninja Turtles’ history while asking what would happen if we put them somewhere completely unfamiliar,” director Kent Seki, who was the cinematographer on the first film, told Variety. “New Jersey became the perfect backdrop because it’s so close to New York, yet has its own energy and quirks that challenge the turtles in new ways.”
The trade also revealed the first official image from the film, which you see in full below, along with the previously revealed logo.
What’s great about the existence of this, besides the lovely winks to two 1990s classics, is that it is a nice way to hold over fans until we get the full, proper, Mutant Mayhem sequel. That was originally scheduled for release in 2026 but was recently moved back to October 2027. We can’t tell if Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey will in any way impact that movie, but Seki does think it scratches that itch.
“I think audiences are hungry for new ways to experience these characters,” he said. “We’ll always love seeing them in New York, but throwing them somewhere unexpected opens the door to new humor, new stakes, and new visual possibilities. If people connect with this one, I’d love to keep exploring that.”
Read more about the short over at Variety, and check it out in theaters with SpongeBob on December 19.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
