TMNT immediately assumes you know what the letters stand for, and why wouldn't it? If you don't already know about the late '80s/early '90s story-franchise fad "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," you'd assuredly have little to no interest in seeing this animated movie. If you're one of the rest of us, you might be a casual fan or passerby who's wondering why there's suddenly this new movie coming out, over a decade after their peak as a mainstream cultural phenomenon.

Maybe the Turtles are poised for a comeback, after suffering from the usual symptoms of fame overexposure. Originally a comic book by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, they exploded onto the toy and TV scene before fading out, but, apparently, they had never quit, continuing to appear in various, less publicly-aware TV series. Their more recent adventures were reportedly more serious, and it's this edgier tone that this new movie satisfactorily adopts.

The timing for TMNT works extremely well in at least one aspect -- the Turtles are especially well-suited to take advantage of the current 3-D animation technology. Back in the early '90s they were either drawn tradtionally in Saturday-morning quality, or, as in their earlier movies, played by people in costumes for live-action features. But because of their unique look -- not human, yet very physical and muscular in terms of appearance and movement -- they seemed to be made for computer animation.

In TMNT, the four brothers move and express themselves with fluidity and dynamism. They benefit, of course, from trails blazed before by previous 3-D animated work and computer-enhanced action movies; in particular, the film borrows stylistically from The Incredibles and is enamoured of various New York rooftop shots that might remind one of any number of superhero movies, from The Matrix to Spider-Man. So although it may not win points for total originality, TMNT makes good use of proven techniques.

Watching TMNT feels a lot like munching on comfort food. The story is very pop comic-book, not much more complex than, say, a three-episode animated mini-series, but at the same time we might feel silly for expecting any more than what we're given here. Even so, the movie goes for deeper characterizations of two of the Turtles, a welcome development that actually achieves a notable emotional weight. Still,  the comic relief is there as well, perhaps seeming like the only part trying too hard, but those of us who remember the gang from a decade ago also remember  this is what the Turtles were like all along. Overall, the effect is one of fitting familiarity that's a notch more professionally and respectfully delivered (that old theme song, for instance, is nowhere to be heard).

I'd also like to give credit where credit is due -- it's very much a relief to see all four Turtles voice-acted by actual voice actors, and not celebrities. The famous people get to do the side characters, and they're the ones with billing, but the makers of the movie had the confidence that Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello could achieve their best performances with the use of voices we might not otherwise recognize immediately. They did a great job too, so to James Arnold Taylor, Nolan North, Mikey Kelly, and Mitchell Whitfield, thank you, and I hope this kind of trend continues.

(Released by Warner Bros. Pictures and rated "PG" for animated action violence, some scary cartoon images and mild language.)

Review also posted at www.windowtothemovies.com.