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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.
Development of 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. While it is an action cartoon, the series is also 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 team 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 a unnamed West-coast city, referred to as "Jump City" in the "Teen Titans GO!" spin-off comics. 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 (called "Puffy AmiYumi" in the United States to distinguish it from Sean Combs). 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 declined to order further episodes. 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. His version is unsupported by any comments or press releases from either WB Feature Animation or Cartoon Network. Reports of layoffs at the WB studios in late 2005 were also speculated to be a factor in the show's cancellation. 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 15 September, 2006. The DVD is scheduled to be released on February 6th, 2007.• 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). 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 short scene in where two acrobats are doing a show in a circus, one of the main refrences of how Dick Grayson became Robin. Producer Glen Murakami commented on secret identities:
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. 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. 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, 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 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 Despite being popular with many viewers, 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 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:
Heroes
Villains Major villains H.I.V.E Five 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 International syndication See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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