(CONTINUED)

A second film quickly followed in 1991, entitled "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze." The film was rushed into production following the success of the first film, and it shows. The picture is strange and poorly crafted, but still manages to be fun. This time, the plot involves the turtles battling Shredder for the magical ooze that caused them to mutate in the first place. Vanilla Ice also makes his film debut in this sequel. There are so many jokes I could make here, but I'll just allow you to create your own.

The final nail in the coffin was 1993's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III." The film follows the boys as they go back in time to ancient Japan to fight some samurai dude for some very loosely explained reason. The movie is only notable in that it provides a fascinating career arc for Corey Feldman, who voices Donatello, for the final time. The goofy fun of the franchise was no match for the stone-face machismo and big effects of other action movies from that year such as "Last Action Hero" and "Cliffhanger."

Now we have "TMNT," the franchise's first film to reflect the Turtles' new image and to fully incorporate computer animation technology. The film also features A-list vocal talent. There's no Corey Feldman here. Instead, the diverse cast includes Sarah Michelle Gellar, Zhang Ziyi, Patrick Stewart, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Smith and the late Mako. Although the trailer looks promising, audiences will have to wait and see whether the film delivers the big laughs and bigger action promised by the trailer.

Photo Gallery: 'TMNT'

So why does America love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Is it their magnificent green color and their adolescent charm? Is it an extension of our love for talking animals? Do we simply enjoy fighting? The truth is that no one person can explain the mass appeal of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's one of pop culture's biggest anomalies. Think about it. If someone told you 25 years ago that a bunch of talking turtles studying Eastern philosophy and kicking butt was going to take in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales and merchandise worldwide, you'd probably laugh in their face.

Two possibilities best explain the Turtles' unlikely success. First, like all good franchises, the TMNT appeal to a wide variety of age groups: sophisticated kids, childlike adults, college-aged stoners and the confused elderly. In recent years, SpongeBob SquarePants has found gold with the same wide demographic. Second, there's that catchy theme song that is just about impossible to get out of your head.

While writing this article, the first thing I would hear from people when mentioning the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was the theme song. With its high energy, instantly recognizable guitar riffs, the tune ranks up there with "The Brady Bunch," "Green Acres," "Gilligan's Island" and the rest of the best of the best in TV theme-song history.

Finally, in an attempt to end a nearly 25-year reign of confusion and debate: Leonardo wears the blue mask, Michelangelo wears the orange mask, Raphael wears the red mask and Donatello wears the purple mask.

Regardless of whether the film is a blockbuster or a flop, kids and longtime fans will scour the malls of America for new TMNT toys, and our friends Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Donatello will continue to hold their rightful crown as the kings of Saturday morning.

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Which turtle is your favorite? Did you happen to catch the turtles in their early '90s concert tour? Are all your action figures in mint condition in their original boxes? Share your thoughts at heymsn@microsoft.com.

In addition to making regular contributions to MSN Movies, Frank Paiva is a sophomore at New York University, where he studies theatre and writing. His essay "A Prince Charming for the Prom (Not Ever After, Though)" is now available in "Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit and Devotion" (Three Rivers Press).