Before criticism of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for allegedly discriminatory practices became widespread, none other than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles accused the Oscars committee of prejudice in 1991. The Turtles, however, weren't entirely serious — at least to the degree that the Academy's critics would be a few decades later.
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze" premiered in March 1991, and that same year, Barbara Walters visited the Turtles in their former New York subway station home, likely on the set of "TMNT II." All four Turtles appear just as they do in the film — as actors in full-body costumes. Walters explains the interview (via YouTube) airs on the same night as the Oscars. Therefore, she wonders if the Turtles feel like they were snubbed with zero nominations. "I think it's prejudice," Michelangelo — voiced by Robbie Rist in the film and presumably in this interview — responds. "They don't like people who wear green." The other three Turtles voice their agreement. Michelangelo then points out that no reptiles have ever been nominated at the Oscars.
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