Teen Titans (TV series)
| Teen Titans | |
|---|---|
| File:TeenTitansLogo.JPG Teen Titans Logo | |
| Created by | Sam Register Glen Murakami |
| Starring | (see below) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | July 19, 2003 – January 16, 2006 |
Teen Titans is an American animated television series created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It premiered on Cartoon Network on July 19, 2003. Its last episode, "Things Change", premiered on January 16, 2006. The series lasted five seasons with a total of 65 episodes. DC Comics publishes the comic book Teen Titans Go!, which is based on the series.
Teen Titans is based on the DC Comics superhero team, the Teen Titans, primarily the stories told in the early-80s The New Teen Titans comic book series by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. The series revolves around main team members Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven. The series is character-driven, with a focus on the main characters’ struggles with being teen-aged superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations.
Seasons two and four are based upon two of the most popular New Teen Titans arcs, "Judas Contract" and "Terror of Trigon" respectively. Many characters from the comics, including Aqualad and Speedy, appear throughout the series. This is especially true in the final season which introduces many Titans from the comics into film for the first time as well as the Doom Patrol heroes and villains.
The Teen Titans currently reside in Jump City which Cyborg indicates is far from Gotham City, and in the episode "Homecoming P1" it is shown to be on the West Coast. The team uses Titans Tower, also from the comic books, as a headquarters.
Teen Titans frequently uses self-referential humor, and its animation style is heavily influenced by anime. On different episodes, the series' theme song's lyrics alternate between English and Japanese (The alterartion usually distinguishes between plot-relevant (english) and nonsenical (Japanese) episodes.), sung by the J-Pop duo Puffy (called "Puffy AmiYumi" in the United States to distinguish it from Sean Combs). Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Sample box end
Criticism
Despite being popular with many viewers, some fans of the comics criticized the series for having a "childish nature".[1] Some cartoon fans disliked the series for its hybrid of western- and eastern-style animation.[2]
The series' creators stated that younger children were the intended audience for the series. Executive Producer and Cartoon Network V.P. Sam Register responded to such criticism:
"Justice League is awesome and Samurai Jack is awesome and we buy a lot of anime shows that're great, but those shows really are directed more towards the nine to fourteen age group and the six and seven and eight year olds, were not gelling with the Justice League and some of the more of the fanboy shows... The main mission was making a good superhero show for kids. Now if the fanboys happen to like the Teen Titans also, that's great, but that was not our mission."
— Sam Register, CBR News interview May 8, 2003
Secret identities
Unlike most other superhero television series, the Teen Titans characters maintain their superhero identities at all times, though the series hints at the concept of an alter-ego or secret identity but rarely explores. Robin was even shown sleeping in his costume.
In particular, some fans debated which of the comic book Robins leads the Teen Titans. While the series never explicitly states that he is original Robin Dick Grayson, this identity is often implied. For instance, in "Fractured", Robin's alternate dimensional counterpart Larry gives as his real name Nosyarg Kcid ("Dick Grayson" spelled backwards).
Producer Glen Murakami commented on secret identities:
"It was really important to me that little kids watching it could identify with characters. And I thought that the minute you start giving them secret identities then kids couldn’t project themselves onto the characters anymore. And that was important to me. I know it’s kind of important to have secret identities and stuff like that but we wanted everything to be really, really, iconic. Like, 'Oh, there’s the robot guy. There’s the alien girl. There’s the witch girl. There’s the shape-changing boy.' There's the we (sic) just wanted it really clean like that. We wanted it like old Star Trek. We just wanted it simple... ...And the whole 'Who’s Robin?' controversy is really kind of interesting to me. My big concern is just trying to make Robin cool. And just really set Robin apart from Batman. So if it seems like I’m avoiding the question, I sort of am. Because I don’t think it’s really important. My concern is how do I make Robin a really strong lead character without all that other stuff. And I feel that way about all the characters. How can I keep all the characters really iconic and really clean."
— Glen Murakami, Drawing Inspiration: An Interview with Glen Murakami, April 2004
The series briefly alludes to Batman: When Slade attempts to make Robin his protege, Robin remarks, "I already have a father," and a shot of bats flying through a dark sky is shown. This same episode also features a Wayne Enterprises building. In "Go!", a crook asks, "Aren't you supposed to be with-" but then is interrupted by Robin. In the episode "How long is Forever?", in the future, Starfire meets Nightwing, Dick Grayson's superhero identity after he gives up being Robin.
This "policy" is broken in the fifth season, in which Doom Patrol members refer to Beast Boy by his real name, Garfield; however, the Titans continue to call him Beast Boy. Starfire's and Cyborg's backgrounds and real names are alluded to in earlier seasons: Cyborg chooses the alias "Stone" in the episode "Deception", a nod to his name Victor Stone in the DC Comics, while Starfire's name, Koriand'r, is spoken aloud onscreen amidst a line of Tamaranian language in the episode "Betrothed." (The fifth season origin-episode "Go!" mentions that Starfire is a translation of her Tamaranian name.) The policy is never an issue with Raven, who never had a secret identity.
Cancellation
According to Wil Wheaton, the actor who provided the voice of Aqualad, the series was canceled because new Warner Bros. Feature Animation executives decided not to renew the series based on the pitch for the sixth season,[3] although reports of layoffs at the WB studios may have also contributed to its cancellation. [4]
In 2005, Warner Bros. Animation announced a direct-to-DVD feature called Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. The film premiered at San Diego Comic-Con 2006 and is planned for release on DVD later in 2006. Also announced at the convention was an in-development second film called Teen Titans: The Judas Contract slated for release sometime in 2007, with input from New Teen Titans (and original "Judas Contract" storyline) creators Marv Wolfman and George Pérez. The film is based on the comic series with no basis in the animated continuity whatsoever.[5]
Continuity
Teen Titans has never been established explicitly to be a part of the larger DC Animated Universe, a source of fan controversy. Indicating separation from the DC Animated Universe, series producer Bruce Timm stated the series would not cross over with Justice League Unlimited. However, it has been said that he had considered it,[citation needed] but decided against it due to the differences in style and presentation. Series creator Glen Murakami echoed Timm, saying the inspiration for the series is the 1980s The New Teen Titans comic book series, not the Justice League animated series. Additionally, while Batman mentions the Titans in the Static Shock crossover episode "Hard as Nails," nothing indicates it is the same team represented in Teen Titans.
Despite all this, there are gentle nods to the DCAU in Teen Titans. Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Wally West, the Flash, on Justice League, performed the voice of Kid Flash in several episodes of Teen Titans, the two characters portrayed similarly. And in the Justice League Unlimited episode "Flash and Substance", a similar Kid Flash costume is on display in the Flash Museum. The Justice League Unlimited episode "Patriot Act" features Speedy in a design strikingly similar to the one used on Teen Titans, though seemingly older. He is voiced by Mike Erwin, the same actor who voiced the Speedy of Teen Titans.
While most episodes are not connected with a central plot, each season features several episodes devoted to the series' mythology. The first season introduces Slade, an arch-rival of Robin and the Titans. The second-season adaptation of "Judas Contract" introduces Terra, who eventually betrays the Titans to Slade, just as she had in the comic books. The third season focuses on Brother Blood and the H.I.V.E. academy and ends with the creation of the Titans East team, based on the East Coast. The fourth season adapts the "Terror of Trigon" arc, showcasing Raven and her relationship with her father, the demon-god Trigon. Lastly, the fifth season focuses on the Brotherhood of Evil, longtime enemies of the Doom Patrol, the superhero team to which Beast Boy once belonged.
Cast
Heroes
Teen Titans
|
Titans East
| Role | Actor |
| Bumblebee | T'Keyah Keymah |
| Speedy | Mike Erwin |
| Aqualad | Wil Wheaton |
| Más y Menos | Freddy Rodríguez |
Honorary Titans
Villains
Major villains
| Role | Actor |
| Slade | Ron Perlman |
| Brother Blood | John DiMaggio |
| Trigon | Keith Szarabajka Season One |
| Kevin Michael Richardson Season Four | |
| Brain | Glenn Shadix |
| Monsieur Mallah | Glenn Shadix |
| Madame Rouge | Hynden Walch |
| General Immortus | Xander Berkeley |
H.I.V.E Five
| Role | Actor |
| Jinx | Lauren Tom |
| Gizmo | Lauren Tom |
| Mammoth | Kevin Michael Richardson |
| See-More | Kevin Michael Richardson |
| Private H.I.V.E. | Greg Cipes |
| Billy Numerous | Jason Marsden |
| Kyd Wykkyd | None |
Others
Before season 5, the series used a "villain-of-the-week" format, with most villains appearing in only one episode, while others appear as a main villain in multiple episodes. In the fifth season, however, most villains join the Brotherhood of Evil, making appearances in the season opener and the last three episodes before the season finale.
DVD Releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | February 7 2006 | 13 | "Finding their Voices", Toon Topia Bonus Cartoons, Puffi Ami Yumi featurette and music video, Comic Creations-from comic book to cartoon. |
| The Complete Second Season | September 12 2006 | 13 | (No Bonus features) |
| The Complete Third Season | TBA 2007 | 13 |
Teen Titans in other languages
- In Ireland, Teen Titans is broadcast in Irish every Thursday at 4.10pm on TG4
- In Germany on RTL II
- In Poland on Cartoon Network(Toonami), fully dubbed in Polish
- In Latin America, Teen Titans is broadcast in Spanish on Cartoon Network
See also
- List of Teen Titans episodes
- Minor characters in Teen Titans (animated series)
- Anime-influenced animation
Notes
- ^ "Teen Titans": Robin the Cradle by Geoff Duncan, teevee.org, October 31, 2003
- ^ Teen Titans review, Anime Boredom, May 23rd 2004
- ^ Wil Wheaton’s Radio Free Burrito Episode 4 interview transcript
- ^ Warner Bros. Lays Off 400, AWN Headline News, November 02, 2005
- ^ Warner Bros. Press Release