Coming off a wave of strong reviews and some pretty excellent trailers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem may be one of the best animated movies of the year.
Although its animation style may seem innovative, and its storytelling unconventional, there are a few movies you could watch if you want to get ready for Mutant Mayhem, or if you’ve seen it and are hungry for something similar. These are five movies that bear a strong resemblance to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and ones you should watch if you like fun, animated movies.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
The movie that seemed to most directly inspire Mutant Mayhem is almost undoubtedly Into the Spider-Verse, which uses a similar animation style and overall tone as this new release. Into the Spider-Verse felt somewhat revolutionary upon its release in 2018, and its sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, proved that that first installment wasn’t a fluke.
Following a young Miles Morales as he gets his powers and eventually meets Spider-Men from multiple dimensions, Into the Spider-Verse is stylish, trippy, poignant, and pretty close to perfect.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is available to rent or purchase on digital platforms.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)
Another movie that takes advantage of a unique blend of animation styles, The Mitchells vs. the Machines follows a family who discovers they’re the only survivors of a robot apocalypse. As they attempt to win back control from the machines, we hone in on the relationship between the film’s main character, Katie, and her dad, as they attempt to heal a rift that’s formed between them.
The movie is sweet and tender about what it means to grow up, but it’s also jam-packed with more jokes than you could possibly catch on your first time through. Thankfully, this is the kind of movie worth rewatching over and over again.
The Mitchells vs. the Machines is streaming on Netflix.
The Lego Movie (2014)
Another movie that felt like it was breaking new ground in animation, The Lego Movie is set in a world made entirely of Legos in which one regular construction worker is chosen to defeat the evil Lord Business. Like many of the movies on this list, this one is chock-full of great jokes and also has a pretty thoughtful message about the joy of creativity.
Does the movie also do a lot of work to promote Legos as a toy? Of course. But The Lego Movie is about the joy of making something beautiful, even if you do it with little plastic toys that you should avoid stepping on at all costs.
The Lego Movie is streaming on Max.
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
Movies about the internet tend to be either great or terrible, and Ralph Breaks the Internet falls firmly into that second category. The film follows Ralph and Vanellope von Schweetz as they travel into the internet in search of a replacement part for Van’s game.
Once they arrive there, though, they quickly realize that the internet is a much bigger and more wild place than they could ever have imagined. Ralph Breaks the Internet may feature a few gratuitous cameos, but on the whole, it’s exactly the kind of film that Disney should be making much more frequently.
Ralph Breaks the Internet is streaming on Disney+.
Big Hero 6 (2014)
Big Hero 6 is Disney’s only attempt to make an out-and-out superhero movie in its animation department, and for the most part, it was a rollicking success. Following a young boy in the aftermath of tremendous loss as he uses Baymax, his inflatable robot, to help him save his city from destruction.
Big Hero 6 may be the most conventional of the movies on this list, but it’s got a huge heart, and that makes up for any plot conveniences you may encounter as you make your way through it.
Big Hero 6 is streaming on Disney+.
