Nickelodeon is bringing the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, INVADER ZIM and more to life at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2018 through one-of-a-kind virtual and real-world experiences that will have fans saying, “Cowabunga”! Headquartered at its 1,800 square-foot booth (#4113) on the convention floor, Nickelodeon will showcase: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the all-new, reimagined series that follows the band of brothers as they seek to unlock the mystical secrets of New York City; the upcoming INVADER ZIM original TV movie; the return of Double Dare, a reboot of the iconic game show; the hit animated series The Loud House, which follows 11-year-old Lincoln Loud’s life with his 10 sisters; and Reptar from Rugrats, who will tower over Nick’s space.
Select fans have the opportunity to interact with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live,” a virtual reality experience that immerses users in the Turtles’ iconic New York City world and allows them to have a conversation with Mikey or Donnie—voiced live on the scene by Brandon Mychal Smith and Josh Brener, respectively. More details will be available soon for this off-site opportunity.
The “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Live” experience is created by Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab, the network’s division that spearheads research and development efforts around new technologies such as virtual reality, mixed-reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence for Nick and its audience. Nickelodeon’s Entertainment Lab debuted Slime Zone, its first social virtual reality experience at IMAX VR centres globally in 2018, and recently announced a financial investment in Dreamscape Immersive, the location-based VR startup, whereby both entities have committed to produce an experience using Nick’s IP for kids and families.
Each day of the Comic-Con International convention, Nickelodeon’s booth will feature: a towering New York City cityscape, featuring the bright lights, energy and iconic billboards of Times Square; a hidden Turtles lair, housing a gif opportunity; the Double Dare hamster wheel, where fans can take photos with the iconic obstacle course challenge; a photo opportunity with life-size characters from The Loud House; a 23-foot-tall, Reptar hovering above a retail area; INVADER ZIM-themed transaction zone, featuring exclusive Nick-themed collectibles and custom t-shirts and totes; costumed-character appearances; and autograph signings with the voice casts and creators from Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, INVADER ZIM, SpongeBob SquarePants and more.
Nickelodeon will present two panels: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, featuring the new voice cast and a sneak peek at the upcoming series; and INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus!, a reunion with the original voice cast celebrating the new TV movie.
The following is the full rundown of Nickelodeon’s activations:
PANELS
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Thursday, July 19, 1:45p.m. – 2:45p.m. (Room: 6A): Rise up! The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back with Nickelodeon’s brand-new mutation of New York’s half-shell heroes with a panel that celebrates the latest incarnation of Turtles and reinvention of the world famous franchise. Joining the discussion is the new voice cast–Omar Miller as Raph, Ben Schwartz as Leo, Josh Brener as Donnie, Brandon Mychal Smith as Mikey, Kat Graham as April O’Neil, and Eric Bauza as Splinter–along with the co-executive producers Andy Suriano and Ant Ward, and legendary voice director Rob Paulsen. The panel will feature never-before-seen clips from the upcoming series and be moderated by Keely Flaherty (BuzzFeed).
- INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus!
Friday, July 20, 1:00p.m. – 2:00p.m. (Room: 6A): Fans will strap on their tuna-filled jetpack, prepare their bladders for imminent release, and start singing the doom song as their favorite Irken invader returns to San Diego with a panel that dives into Nickelodeon’s forthcoming new movie, INVADER ZIM: Enter the Florpus. Original series creator Jhonen Vasquez, art director Jenny Goldberg, and voice talent–Richard Horvitz (ZIM), Rikki Simons (GIR), Wally Wingert (Almighty Tallest Red) and Kevin McDonald (Almighty Tallest Purple)–will present behind-the-scenes art and exclusive brand-new footage. The panel will be moderated by Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry, Nerdist).
DAILY BOOTH ACTIVITY
- Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Experience: Attendees can step inside the Turtles’ secret lair under the streets of New York City for a gif opportunity.
- Double Dare Hamster Wheel: Fans can take photos with the iconic obstacle course challenge.
- The Loud House Photo Opp. Enter the Loud family’s living room, sit on the couch and take a group photo with Lincoln Loud and his 10 sisters.
- Customized T-Shirt and Tote Station: Fans can purchase a t-shirt and tote from the retail shop and customize it on the spot with characters and art from their choice of seven fan-favorite Nick shows: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Loud House, Double Dare, INVADER ZIM, Hey Arnold! and Rugrats.
- Autograph Signings: Signing opportunities with Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles voice talent and executive producers, SpongeBob SquarePants’ Tom Kenny, INVADER ZIM voice talent and creator, and the Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel cast.
- Costumed-Character Appearances: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel will make appearances at Nick’s booth at select times during the convention.
- Retail: Attendees can purchase Comic-Con exclusive figures and collectibles, the summer edition of the Nick Box, t-shirts, pins and more.
- Giveaways: Enter for a chance to win special prizes over the course of the convention.
Nickelodeon, now in its 39th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number-one-rated kids’ basic cable network for 22 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).
We are now in a new season for the team, and they have started off on the wrong
foot. The team is broken up and Ted has his work cut out for him. The team goes
through a slump, and Ted is now doubting his coaching ability. Ted’s personal life
has also gotten out of control, and he discovers his ex-wife Michelle has started a relationship with their therapist. The wonderkid, Nathan Shelley, the former manager of West Ham has had a change of heart and leaves his job to be with his one true love, the waitress from his favorite restaurant.
She convinces him to return to the Richmond team he started out in and it’s quite evident that
everyone wants him back and held no hard feelings. All of Lawrence’s series he has worked on with others have just that right balance of slice-of-life drama with a little bit of ridiculous comedy that reality dishes us, normal folks, every day.
This all comes to a head in the potential series finale where Ted announced to
Rebecca that he will be returning to the States to his family after his mother tells
him that his son misses him. This puts the Richmond owner into quite a state of denial; doing everything from offering Ted the position of being the highest-paid coach in the league to selling the team after he leaves. The team is also affected by this decision as they perform a number from the musical The Sound of Music that is a more than touching farewell to this family.
This bleeds into their playing as in the final title match the first half is met with
bumbling and possible injuries to their star player Jamie.
After an energizing pep talk and a circle back to the first motivator in the
beginning, a sign Ted made up that said “BELIEVE”, the team dominate the second
half and win with a rousing closing scene that is reminiscent of any 80’s party
movie. It’s a fitting end for this pandemic darling that emotionally carried us through. It is
a must-see series even if you don’t like soccer (football).
If you were born in the ’80s, ’90s, or literally ANY decade after those, you know about Super Mario. A cultural phenomenon was brought to life on the big screen this last weekend. One that has not only stood the test of time but reinvented itself time and time again. This wasn’t even the first time it’s been made into a movie but, well, let’s be honest.. some of us choose not to acknowledge the LIVE action adaptation of the beloved game from 30 years ago.
It was pretty bad… But this was animation. ILLUMINATION animation at that. The Universal company that brought us Gru and his Minions, showed us the Secret Life of Pets, and gave us a reason to SING! Still, I had my reservations and even some concerns, especially when the casting was announced.
Eyebrows were raised. As big of stars as they were on paper, could they really deliver on voicing characters from a staple of our childhood? They did.
Chris Pratt and Charlie Day may not be Italian, and Jack Black may not be a King or Turtle creature from the Mushroom Kingdom, but they make the characters their own all while paying homage to the lore of a video game.
From the jump, the story reintroduces us to the brothers that just want to save Brooklyn one clogged sink at a time. We feel an instant connection and relate to these “underdogs of the plumbing world”. The movie is riddled with easter eggs, each of which tugs on the heartstrings of every generation of Mario fandom. And the soundtrack was beautifully put together to not only make us feel like we’re taking a walkthrough of the game but like an experience all its own with some familiar favorites thrown in.
Every word in the movie is pure eye candy for both those that are casual fans, and those analyzing every frame to see what they’ll catch next. Bowser’s ship, the Mushroom Kingdom, Kong’s arena, and the Rainbow Road.. They’re all meant to give us just enough of a “new” look at these amazing worlds, but stay true to how we remember them.
The movie itself moves along at the perfect pace. Although, if you don’t really know ANYTHING about the Super Mario Bros, you may have gotten a little lost and felt left behind in the green tunnel. But that’s ok! It’s an adventure of the imagination and a classic story of a boy that meets a girl and tries to save the world from a monster that wants to destroy it.
What’s funny is that you could easily say this is a story about two characters who couldn’t be more opposite if they tried, battling to win the heart of a princess. Who would’ve thought that the King of the Koopas was just trying to impress his crush?
And that song? Ohhh THAT song! It’s my new ringtone and deserves the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Back to the movie.
Universal and Illumination clearly understood the assignment. Is it missing some things or could things have been done differently or even better? Absolutely! We’re the worst critics of the things we hold nearest and dearest to our hearts. But if you’re up for going on a 90-minute adventure through amazing worlds, with awesome music, and characters that’ll make you smile and laugh, then this is the perfect movie to spring you into that warm summer feeling.
Plus there’s the whole part with karts and shells, and banana peels and oh my goodness how amazing was that?? It’s enough to make you want to stand up and cheer, then go home and destroy your friends and family on your favorite track haha.
The bottom line, it pays homage in all the right ways to the little guy with the mustache, while giving us something new and exciting. Take the kids and go see Super Mario Bros. You’ll be glad you did!
Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Opening Act Saturday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. on North 200A. Talent confirmed so far to participate in the post-screening panel is Natalie Alyn Lind (Big Sky, The Goldbergs, Gotham) as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince and longtime RWBY cast member Lindsay Jones (Camp Camp) as Ruby, Kara Eberle ( RWBY: Ice Queendom) as Weiss, Arryn Zech (Detective Now Dead) as Blake and Barbara Dunkelman (Blood Fest) as Yang – along with Jeannie Tirado (Soul, Saints Row) as Green Lantern and Tru Valentino (The Rookie, The Cuphead Show!) as a cyborg. Also attending the panel will be producer/director Kerry Shawcross (series RWBY) and writer Meghan Fitzmartin (Supernatural, Justice Society: World War II).
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023 with the big screen debut from DC Animated Films: highlights this year include the world premieres of the highly anticipated Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham and Justice League x RWBY: Superheroes & Hunters Part One the weekend of March 24-26 in Anaheim, California. Both screenings will be followed by panel discussions with actors and creators. Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham premieres at The Arena on Friday, March 24 at 6 p.m. Tati Gabrielle (Kaleidoscope, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Uncharted) as Kai Li Cain, Christopher Gorham (The Lincoln Lawyer, Insatiable) as Oliver Queen, David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) as Grendon, producer/co-director Sam Liu (The Death and the Return of Superman), co-director Christopher Berkeley (Young Justice) and screenwriter Jase Ricci (Teen Titans Go! and DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem Across the Multiverse).
Both films will have encore screenings in the Arena on Sunday, March 26. Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen, Part One will screen at 12:15pm, followed by Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham at 2:00pm
Finally, the Cinderella story of the Richmond Greyhounds has come to an end.
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment returns to WonderCon 2023
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Crunnchyroll presents ‘BOFURI: I don’t want to get hurt so I’ll max out my defense’: You’re not twinking!
No Question Mark Box Here; Super Mario Delivers a 1-Up in Theaters
Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
An Askewed View Episode 7 Jay And Silent Bob Reboot
