Someone at Seth Rogen, Evan Golberg and James Weaver’s production company Point Grey Pictures, which brings us “Teenage Mutant Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” is a big fan of the “Spider-Verse” movies. This new TMNT film, directed by the talented Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”), is computer-animated. But it is also designed to recall the glorious stop-motion style known as Claymation of the venerable studio Aardman Animation (“Shaun the Sheep”). The character visuals also recall the work of the great outsider pulp artist Richard Corben.

“Mutant Mayhem” is an origin tale with flashbacks to the time when the lonely New York City rat and martial arts master-to-be Master Splinter (a marvelous Jackie Chan), who does not like being called “Ratatouille,” adopts little Leonardo (Nicolas Cantu), Michelangelo (Shamon Brown Jr.), Donatello (Micah Abbey) and Raphael (Brady Noon) as they emerge from “the ooze” that transforms them into humanoid reptiles, who then turn themselves into a formidable, ninja-armed, fighting team.

The “boys,” who are known to take in a nighttime outdoor movie event (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) in Brooklyn, are real teens tired of hiding in the depths and the shadows of the sewer system and yearn to emerge into the light. Some of them even long for romance in their lives. After meeting a young college journalist-to-be named April O’Neil (Ayo Edebiri, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), who has a habit of projectile vomiting on camera because of nerves, but is calm enough to meet the mutant ninja turtles after they retrieve her stolen scooter. April and the guys hatch a plan to make the ninja turtles into heroes and thereby making humans, who normally fear and despise mutants, love them.

In pursuit of this outcome, they find themselves of the trail of another mutant named Superfly (a terrific Ice Cube), a giant, winged creature whose mutant gang of thieves have been stealing high-tech equipment and power sources. Also involved in the wonderfully-animated action is a mysterious Dr. Mabuse-like super-villain named Cynthia Utrom (Maya Rudolph), the Edith Head of crime.

The screenplay by Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe, Dan Hernandez (“The Addams Family 2”), Benji Samit (“Pokemon: Detective Pikachu”) and Brendan O’Brien (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”) is a constant delight.

You can hear the artists in the writer’s room trying to outdo one another in sarcasm, wisecracks, wordplay and hip/sentimental cultural references. Someone calls the guys “Little Shreks,” and the tag sticks. Among the names we hear are the inevitable Beyonce, Adele and lamentably Guy Fieri. The young turtle men love pepperoni pizza. They refer to Master Splinter as “Dad” and for the most part do as he says, except they risk being detected by humans against his wishes.

Master Splinter, who once had a roach friend, but ate “him,” despises humans for very good reasons, including the fact that they are destroying the planet. One of the fight scenes is an homage to “Blaxploitation films” of the ’70s. Among the supporting characters, the standouts are Ray Fillet (Post Malone), Mondo Gecko (Paul Rudd), Wingnut (a hilarious Natasia Demetriou), mutant alligator Letterhead (yes, Rose Byrne), mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Giancarlo Gianini) and Genghis Frog (Hannibal Buress).

In early scenes, April refers to the guys as “sus” (suspect). Superfly warns an underling not to “cuz” him, and a big chunk of action is played against the backdrop of the 4 Non Blondes 1992 culturally-definitive hit “What’s Up?” Just as the boys are being “milked” for their blood, one of them regretfully declares that he, “should have tried frozen yogurt.” The overlapping dialogue is delivered at such high speed that replaying scenes is certain to become a thing. Yes, “Cowabunga.”

(“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” contains violent action and suggestive language)

Rated PG. At the AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay and suburban theaters. Grade: A-