Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Animated Movie trailer shows a new April

Earlier this week, Nickelodeon Movies Studio presented its latest creation from the mind of Seth Rogen, self-proclaimed "permanent teenager", the newest remake of the iconic comic book series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Mutant Mayhem!

The movie follows along the adventures of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, voiced by Nicolas Cantu, Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., and Brady Noon (Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael respectively) as they leave their sewer home in New York City to fight against crime and mark their name in history as good guys. They are met, as usual, by April O'Neil, who helps them fight against a notorious crime syndicate in the city.

The cast includes Jackie Chan as Splinter, Seth Rogen as Bebop, John Cena as Rocksteady, Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, Ice Cube as Superfly, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, and Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman.

The animation style in this new creation has got fans excited to watch the movie in theaters, as it is a unique blend of comic book styles and stop motion-esque CGI, made by Mikros Animation, but some viewers have already started questioning the new choice of design for April O'Neill, who is portrayed not only as a black character in the movie, but is also voiced by a black actor, Ayo Edebiri, known for her work in the animated series Big Mouth and The Bear.

Though some fans are critical of the choice, as it is usually the case when a previously white-represented character is remade in a different race, many fans took to social media to applaud this version of April, as over the years her design changed dramatically, including one of the latest versions for the TV animated series, which also shows a black April:

Veteran fans of the franchise also pointed out that April was originally designed after creator Kevin Eastmann's girlfriend and first wife, April Fisher, who was of mixed ancestry and race:

Despite the small amount of criticism regarding the character, the movie has been overwhelmingly met with positive feedback, and will be a very awaited for release in mid-2023.

Watch the full trailer below: