The sequel to the surprise animated hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem may still be shaping up, but that’s not stopping the heroes in a half shell from embarking on new adventures. An upcoming animated short film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey, will take them out of their comfort zone and into New Jersey, far away from their New York roots, to investigate a mysterious toy company who are exploiting their newfound fame.
There are no details on runtime, but it’s slated for a theatrical release on 19 December, attached to The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Kent Seki, who has worked across both live action and animation, is directing the project, which marks a crossover between Home Alone and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the title is a portmanteau of both, after all).
The first-look image of the beloved characters was also revealed:
Speaking to Variety, the filmmaker shared the reason for the change in setting, “We wanted to honour the Ninja Turtles’ history while asking what would happen if we put them somewhere completely unfamiliar. 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.”
“Whenever you work with characters as iconic as the turtles, you have to give fans the personalities they love — Leonardo’s discipline, Michelangelo’s humour, Donatello’s tech obsession, Raphael’s temper — but then ask, ‘How do we surprise people?’ For me, the surprise came from the setting and the way we used the animation style to heighten those contrasts,” he added.
Visually, the short film will feature a blend of art styles, which Variety describes as combining “stylised character design with photorealistic backgrounds”. It also represents a shift to newer territory, a direction Seki hopes his outing can be a part of.
“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 humour, new stakes and new visual possibilities. If people connect with this one, I’d love to keep exploring that.”
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Chrome Alone 2 — Lost in New Jersey hits the silver screen on 19 December, serving to tide over the wait for the Mutant Mayhem sequel, originally set to premiere in 2026. It has been pushed back to 17 September 2027, with screenwriter and director Jeff Rowe teasing the appearance of Shredder, the franchise’s most popular villain.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
