Seth Rogen Talks The Lion King Influencing Production on TMNT

With a unique tone and infectious laugh, Seth Rogen has found a home in voicework and animation. Some of Rogen’s notable voice roles include Frank in Sausage Party, Pumbaa in The Lion King, and Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Later this year, Rogen will provide the voice of Bebop in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. As a producer on Mutant Mayhem, Rogen instituted a recording technique he learned from The Lion King into his work on TMNT.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rogen recalled how he recorded scenes with co-stars Billy Eichner (Timon) and Donald Glover (Simba) on The Lion King. The actors were able to play off each other since they were all in the same room instead of recording their lines separately in the booth. As a natural comedian, Rogen loved this process and made sure to incorporate this process in Mutant Mayhem.

“On Ninja Turtles, it was lovely because we were able to control the process a lot more. For every session, we lumped people together,” Rogen said. “So every time the four turtles recorded, they were together. Me and John Cena were Bebop and Rocksteady, and we recorded together. Ice Cube has a bunch of scenes with the kids, and they recorded together.”

“So we really went out of our way and bent over backwards on Ninja Turtles to try to capture that improvisational energy that you get when a lot of people are in the same place at the same time,” Rogen added. “I actually saw how helpful it was from doing Lion King, and if that’s the tone and style you’re going for, then it is a great thing to chase.”

Nicolas Cantu (Leonardo), Brady Noon (Raphael), Micah Abbey (Donatello), and Shamon Brown Jr. (Michelangelo) provide the voices for the Turtles. Other notable cast members include Jackie Chan as Splinter, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, and John Cena as Rocksteady.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem is scheduled to be released on August 4.

Are you interested in Rogen’s version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Let us know in the comment section below!

Recommended Reading: Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 1

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This affiliate advertising program also provides a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Trending
X