Nickelodeon and Paramount Animation President Ramsey Naito Discusses ‘TMNT: Mutant Mayhem’, Animation, And Women In Animation

The current President of Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation Ramsey Naito recently sat down with Deadline for an exclusive interview regarding her position and how it relates to the world of animation and women’s place in the field.

Regarding the highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Naito proudly stated that she is “confident” about the film. When presenting it at this year’s Annecy, Naito noted that “because of their love of animation and inspiring the community and really picking topics that are meaningful, all the majors go and show their wares and bring talent to talk about their wares and the making of… The thing I really love is the real audience are the students, so all of this adds up to connecting the world and inspiring animators which is the next generation of makers.” To further add to this idea of wanting to inspire future artists of animation, Naito discussed that the film’s unique art style was found and eventually established in doodles that one typically associates with teens in school, which is on-theme given the turtles’ ages.

Naito also shared her experience as a woman in the animation field. Due to her involvement in the Women in Animation World Summit, her passion for giving women support and a voice is apparent. This is especially true when one considers that she “was often the only woman in the room let alone Asian American woman in the room.” Naito explained, “I feel like there’s more support for women in our industry than ever before. I’m so glad I can be a part of it because when I was younger that support wasn’t there, the dialogue wasn’t there.”

Toward the end of the interview, Naito did not shy away from her praise and general love for animation as a medium. She revealed that the first animated film she saw was Fantasia and that it left such a big impression on her due to its ability to tell complete and beautiful stories all without actual dialogue. Naito notes that that was potentially the film’s strength in its ability to appeal to adults and children. She ends this point with “In some weird way there is a beauty to animation that can [appeal to multiple types of people] all the time.”