Teen Titans (animated series)
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Teen Titans is an American animated television series created by Sam Register and Glen Murakami, developed by David Slack (writer)|David Slack, 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. DC Comics currently publishes the comic book Teen Titans Go!, which is based on the series.
Contents |
Series run
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. While it is an action cartoon, the series is also character-driven, with a focus on the main characters’ struggles with being teenager|teenage superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations. A major difference between the animated series and the comic book is that while the comic portrayed the characters as being in their late teens to early 20s (resulting in the comic series at one point even dropping the word Teen from its title to reflect its older characters), the animated series characters are all depicted as being children or in their early teens.
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 series for the first time as well as the Doom Patrol heroes and villains. Unlike the comics, Jinx eventually reforms and becomes a member of the Teen Titans.
The Titans resides in a giant T-shaped tower that is part high-tech command center, part dormitory, and part ultimate teen hangout. The Titans are based in an unnamed West Coast of the United States|West Coast city, referred to as "Jump City" in the "Teen Titans Go!" spin-off comics. Also, their home which resembles a T may come to mean their name.
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, sung by the J-Pop duo Puffy AmiYumi|Puffy (called "Puffy AmiYumi" in the United States to distinguish it from Sean Combs). Andrea Romano revealed in an Easter egg (virtual)|easter egg on the season 3 DVD that the Japanese theme song means it will be a silly episode, while the English theme songs means it will be a serious episode. This can be accessed by going to the special features menu on disc 2 and selecting the + sign on Más' chest; examples are then shown.
In mid-November of 2005, TitansTower.com first reported the news that the prospects of a sixth season were looking extremely unlikely and fans were urged to express their support for the show to Cartoon Network. Several days after this initial posting, the word came that Cartoon Network had officially terminated the show.Teen Titans' Sixth Season Looks Unlikely, Titans Tower Monitor blog post, November 15, 2005 According to Wil Wheaton, the actor who provided the voice of Aqualad, the series was terminated as a result of new Warner Bros. Feature Animation executives decision not to renew the series based on the pitch for the sixth season. interview transcript His story was contradicted by series story editor Rob Hoegee who stated that the decision not to renew the series came from Cartoon Network, not WB, being that the fact was that there were never any plans for a sixth season.Transcript of TitansGo.net's interview with Rob Hoegee Reports of layoffs at the WB studios in late 2005 were also speculated to be a factor in the show's cancellation.Warner Bros. Lays Off 400, AWN Headline News, November 2, 2005
After the series's cancellation, Warner Bros. Animation announced a feature called Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo. The film premiered at San Diego Comic-Con and was shown on Cartoon Network first on September 15, 2006. The DVD was released on February 6, 2007. Warner Bros. announced that they may plan to make more Teen Titans direct-to-DVD films, depending on how the Trouble in Tokyo DVD sells.
Episodes
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. The Titans have even been seen sleeping in their costumes.
In particular, some fans debated whether Robin leads the Teen Titans, although it was recently revealed in Teen Titans Go! #47 that Robin's secret identity is in fact Dick Grayson. Many times throughout the animated series, it is implied that Robin is Dick Grayson. For instance, in "Fractured", Robin's alternate dimensional counterpart Larry gives as his real name Nosyarg Kcid ("Dick Grayson" spelled backwards). In another episode where Starfire is thrust into the future, Robin has taken on Grayson's identity of Nightwing. Also, in the episode "Haunted" when Raven goes into Robin's mind, there is a clip of two acrobats falling from a trapeze, a reference to how Dick Grayson became Robin. Also in episode 2 ("X") of season 3, Robin's life is displayed on a chart by Beast Boy and it shows Robin as Nightwing.
The series briefly alludes to Batman: When Slade attempts to make Robin his protege, Slade says "Who knows? I might be like a father to you". Robin then 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!", (after a stream of bats go by) a crook asks, "Aren't you supposed to be with-" but then is interrupted by Robin. Another allusion occurs in the season 3 episode "Haunted," in the same sequence that featured the falling acrobats. It depicts Robin accepting a costume and taking an oath in what is assumed to be the Batcave. The sequence is in silhouette, and very brief. Also, Batman's silhouette is mostly obscured—even hiding the bat ears, however, his distinctive cowl design can still be made out when the sequence is paused.
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 on-screen 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 (though the mainstream continuity Teen Titans Vol. 3 has shown she has taken the name Rachel Roth as a secret identity).
The comic series Teen Titans Go! has recently been going into the background of the characters further:
- #45- Beast Boy and Cyborg's origin.
- #46- Starfire's origin.
- #47- Robin's origin
Continuity
Teen Titans has never been established explicitly to be a part of the larger DC Animated Universe or The Batman, a source of fan controversy. Series producer Bruce Timm stated the series would not crossover|cross over with Justice League Unlimited. There was a reference to the Teen Titans in one of the later episodes of Static Shock where Batman guest starred. The main character Virgil Hawkins asked Batman where Robin was, Batman answered " He's with the Titans." When Virgil asked who they were Batman replied " You might meet them someday ". In the episode "Apprentice, Part 2", Slade has Robin steal a piece of technology from a Wayne Industries building. Batman himself makes a very small cameo in a Teen Titans Go! comic, but is done in such a way that it is impossible to identify which version of him it is. In addition, Speedy, who first appeared in Teen Titans as a member of the tournament of heroes episode along with Aqualad and others, appeared alongside his mentor, Green Arrow, in Justice League Unlimited. Perhaps most notably, Kid Flash was voiced by Michael Rosenbaum in his appearances in the show - the same actor who voiced the Flash in Justice League Unlimited and plays Lex Luthor in Smallville.
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 "The 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 HIVE academy and ends with the creation of the Titans East team, based on the East Coast of the United States|East Coast. The fourth season adapts the "Terror of Trigon" arc, showcasing Raven and her relationship with her father, the demon 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.
Criticism
Some fans of the comics criticized the series for having a "childish nature".Some cartoon fans disliked the series for its hybrid of western and Japanese-style animation. The Teen Titans were based on their DC Comics literations, but the animation was mainly of a Japanese style which did not sit well with many viewers. In addition, there were complaints as to why Jump City was chosen as the Teen Titans home whereas New York City New York was the base of operations in many of the Teen Titans comics.
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:
Cast list
Heroes
|
Titans East
| Role | Actor |
| Bumblebee | T'Keyah Keymáh |
| Speedy | Mike Erwin |
| Aqualad | Wil Wheaton |
| Más y Menos | Freddy Rodriguez |
Honorary Titans
| Role | Actor |
| Argent | Hynden Walch |
| Bobby | None |
| Bushido | None |
| Gnaark | Dee Bradley Baker |
| Herald | Khary Payton |
| Jericho | None |
| Hot Spot | Bumper Robinson |
| Lightning | Quinton Flynn |
| Melvin | Russi Taylor |
| Kid Flash | Michael Rosenbaum |
| Jinx | Lauren Tom, Tara Strong ("Titans Together") |
| Killowat | None |
| Kole | Tara Strong |
| Pantha | Diane Delano |
| Red Star | Jason Marsden |
| Teether | Tara Strong |
| Terra (Later becomes a villain and works for Slade) | Ashley Johnson |
| Thunder | Scott Bullock |
| Timmy Tantrum | Russi Taylor |
| Tramm | Dave Coulier |
| Wildebeest | Dee Bradley Baker |
Villains
Major villains
| Role | Actor |
| Slade | Ron Perlman |
| Brother Blood | John DiMaggio |
| Trigon | Keith Szarabajka ("Nevermore") Kevin Michael Richardson ("Birthmark" "The Prophecy" "The End - Part 1" "The End - Part 2" "The End - Part 3") |
| The Brain | Glenn Shadix |
| Monsieur Mallah | Glenn Shadix |
| Madame Rouge | Hynden Walch |
| General Immortus | Xander Berkeley |
| Blackfire | Hynden Walch |
H.I.V.E Five
| Role | Actor |
| Jinx (later becomes an Honorary Titan) | Lauren Tom, Tara Strong ("Titans Together") |
| Gizmo | Lauren Tom, Tara Strong ("Revved Up," "Titans Together") |
| Mammoth | Kevin Michael Richardson |
| See-More | Kevin Michael Richardson |
| Private HIVE | Scott Menville |
| Billy Numerous | Jason Marsden |
| Kyd Wykkyd | None |
Trivia
The main cast all appeared together in the Justice League cartoon episode Wild Cards providing the voices of the Royal Flush Gang
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.
List of minor characters in the Teen Titans animated series
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, Puffy Ami Yumi featurette and music video, Comic Creations: From Comic Book To Cartoon |
| The Complete Second Season | September 12, 2006 | 13 | Catching Up With Teen Titans |
| The Complete Third Season | April 10, 2007 | 13 | Teen Titans: Know Your Foe |
| The Complete Fourth Season | November 20, 2007 | 13 | Access Top Secret Files from the Teen Titans: Know Your Foes Featurette Gallery |
| The Complete Fifth Season | July 8, 2008 | 13 |
International syndication
- United States: Kids' WB Block on The CW Network and Cartoon Network
- Croatia: HRT
- Brazil: SBT
- Bulgaria: Nova Television
- France: France 3
- Germany: RTL II
- Ireland: TG4 (Irish language|Irish dub)
- Portugal: RTP 2
- Hungary: Cartoon Network
- Romania: Cartoon Network
- Poland: Cartoon Network
- Thailand: Cartoon Network
See also
- List of Teen Titans episodes
- Teen Titans
- List of minor characters in the Teen Titans animated series
- Teen Titans GO! comic book series
- Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo
- Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
External links
- Official site
- Teen Titans at TitansGo.net
- Teen Titans at TV.com
- Teen Titans at Internet Movie Database
- Teen Titans at World's Finest
- Teen Titans at Wikia
- Movie Project at CGCoast
- David Slack Interviews:
Categories: 2000s American television series | 2000s American animated television series | 2003 television series debuts | 2006 television series endings | YTV shows | Animated television series | Superhero television programs | DC animation | Kids WB shows | Television programs based on DC Comics | Anime-influenced animation | Teen Titans
