If there is one universal truth about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it is that everyone has their version of what TMNT is supposed to be—and Emmy Award-winning art director, designer, and animator Jon Likens is very confident about his. His answer comes in the form of a striking new animated short titled Raphael Unleashed, and it is exactly as intense as that name implies.
Likens, whose credits include Deadpool and Iron Man, describes the project as “the version of the Ninja Turtles I’ve always wanted to see on the big screen.” According to Likens, this is TMNT pushed into darker territory—a world where brotherhood is strained, violence carries real consequences, and Raphael’s rage is both his sharpest weapon and his most dangerous flaw. The short leans hard into visceral action, brutal martial arts, and grounded emotional stakes, framing the Turtles less as Saturday-morning icons and more as the stars of a gritty prestige action thriller from the early 90s.
Likens is not subtle about his ambitions. He calls Raphael Unleashed a love letter to the iconic roots of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, reimagined through a darker, cinematic lens. It is chaotic, dramatic, and unapologetically intense (Raph taking a barrage of bullets to the shell, for instance), while still feeling deeply respectful of the characters fans have loved for decades. And in case the message was not clear enough, Likens openly states that a long-standing goal of his is to create a TMNT film or episodic series—ending his statement with a very direct “Paramount Pictures, if you’re listening… let’s talk.”
This short also marks the third piece of “Test Footage” Likens has released on YouTube. Donatello came first, followed by Leonardo, and now Raphael has finally been unleashed. That leaves only Michelangelo, and if the current release cadence is anything to go by, fans probably should not expect that final piece until around 2027—assuming Likens decides to complete the full set.
On a personal level, this series hits me especially hard. As someone who has seen more movies than is probably healthy, the original 1990 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film remains my all-time favorite movie. There is something irreplaceable about those clunky, expressive rubber suits built by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop—something that modern studios seem terrified to attempt again, even though they absolutely should. While Likens’ work is fully CG, he somehow captures the same weight, grit, and emotional sincerity that made that 1990 film timeless.
Do I still prefer the rubber suits I grew up with? Absolutely. But if Hollywood refuses to go back to that, then a strong Plan B is whatever Jon Likens wants to do next. His animated TMNT shorts prove that with enough dedication and genuine passion, you can resurrect the spirit of a childhood classic without sanding off its edges. Thirty-five years later, the 1990 Turtles still hold up—and in Likens’ hands, they feel dangerous, emotional, and alive in all the right ways.
