Summary

  • Seth Rogen's love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lead to the use of Vanilla Ice's "Ninja Rap" in Mutant Mayhem.
  • The use of "Ninja Rap" in the TMNT movie is divisive among fans, with some finding it dated and others finding it charming and energetic.
  • While it's unclear if Rogen was inspired by the return of the "DK Rap" in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the inclusion of "Ninja Rap" in Mutant Mayhem continues a recent trend for the multihyphenate.

Seth Rogen's love of the franchise is leading to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem bringing back an infamous Vanilla Ice song. Rogen is teaming up with his producing partner Evan Goldberg and The Mitchells vs. The Machines co-director/co-writer Jeff Rowe for the animated reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie franchise, giving the eponymous heroes a tweaked origin story and exploring their early days of crime fighting. Mutant Mayhem will see the Turtles look to put a stop to the mysterious crime syndicate made up of mutants in order to be accepted by the world.

While speaking exclusively with Screen Rant at 2023's San Diego Comic-Con, Jeff Rowe shared some insight on the various Easter eggs for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. The co-writer/director specifically looked to the movie's usage of Vanilla Ice's infamous "Ninja Rap" song from 1991's The Secret of the Ooze, revealing the movie originally had a different track in its place, only for Seth Rogen to step in with his own idea. Check out what Rowe explained below:

It's not my personal touch. I wish it was my personal touch, but the use of "Ninja Rap" is very funny and excellent. That was the thing that — we just had some piece of easy listening music in there for a very long time, and we're like, "It's kind of funny." Then, at one in the morning one night, Seth texts me, and he's like, "It should be Ninja Rap." And I'm like, "Yes, that's perfect. Oh my God, that's the best idea, I wish I thought of it." It's so good though.

Editor's Note: This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and the movie covered here would not exist without the labor of the writers and actors in both unions.

Mutant Mayhem Recreates A Recent Seth Rogen Joke

Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

While it's unclear how the song will be used in the movie, the confirmation that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem will bring back "Ninja Rap" marks an interesting continuation of a recent Seth Rogen trend of reusing an infamous franchise song for a reboot. The most notable example of that prior to the TMNT reboot was that of The Super Mario Bros. Movie, in which the Donkey Kong 64 intro "DK Rap" was utilized in the introduction of Rogen's character for the Nintendo adaptation.

Much like "DK Rap," Ice's "Ninja Rap" has proven largely divisive among fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, with some feeling it to be more dated than the practical suits of the 1990s movies while others have found it a charming and energetic celebration of the characters. The song has found its way into being referenced in other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise installments, including Mikey singing "Go ninja, go ninja, go!" in the 2012 animated show and the lyric being heard in the outro theme for Out of the Shadows.

Given Rogen didn't have creative control over The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and animated features can take years to produce, it's unclear whether he took inspiration from "DK Rap"'s return for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem bringing back Vanilla Ice's "Ninja Rap." Based on Rowe's comments above, it looks to be a similarly humorous reference more than a sincere inclusion, but given Rogen's affinity for the franchise as a whole and dedication to making Mutant Mayhem the ultimate outing for longtime fans, it doesn't seem likely he is aiming to insult said viewers.