Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returns to Wilmington with live hip-hop soundtrack at Cucalorus Film Festival

WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are returning to Wilmington, North Carolina, for a special screening featuring live hip-hop music.

The 1990 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will screen Nov. 22 during the Cucalorus Film Festival, accompanied by a live soundtrack.

DJ 2-Tone Jones of Shaolin Jazz will mix music throughout the movie, creating a new experience for audiences.

The event is part of the CAN I KICK IT? film series, which pairs classic movies with live DJ performances.

Cucalorus Film Festival, Green Hero Films, 3 Chambers and Memory Lane Comics are presenting the event at Coastline Main inside the Aloft Wilmington.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Returns to Its Filming Location

The screening brings Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back to Wilmington, where filmmakers shot the original movie.

Released in 1990, the action film follows four turtles transformed into crime fighters after encountering a mysterious substance.

Their mentor, Splinter, trains them in martial arts as they battle criminals threatening New York City.

The production featured costumes and visual effects from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.

For Green Hero Films’ Ned Phillips, the screening holds special meaning.

“I am thrilled to be partnering with Cucalorus Film Festival, 3 Chambers, and Memory Lane Comics to bring this film back to Wilmington, where it was lovingly created,” Phillips said.

“It’s an important piece of North Carolina film history and it’s responsible for shaping the long lasting and far reaching legacy of the Turtles,” he added.

Phillips also credited the movie with inspiring his filmmaking career and the name Green Hero Films.

DJ 2-Tone Jones Brings Live Hip-Hop Soundtrack to the Screen

DJ 2-Tone Jones, co-founder of Shaolin Jazz, will create a scene-by-scene soundtrack featuring funk, soul, hip-hop and rock.

Rather than replacing the original audio, Jones will blend music with the film’s dialogue and action sequences.

He will also incorporate sound bites and DJ techniques to complement different moments.

“This isn’t just playing a DJ set during a movie. We incorporate the music with the movie so you can still follow the plot and hear the dialogue,” Jones said.

“You might have one scene using a song with lyrics and another using instrumental beds underneath. It’s weaving music over and under the film audio, just scoring the film, scene by scene.”

The performance continues the CAN I KICK IT? tradition of combining classic cinema with live musical interpretation.

Cucalorus Film Festival Screening Details

The special screening takes place Sunday, Nov. 22, at Coastline Main inside the Aloft Wilmington.

Doors open at 4 p.m., and the film begins at 4:30 p.m.

Tickets cost $15.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the Cucalorus Film Festival ticketing website.