The Teen Titans hit Cartoon Network with a dynamic style in
2003, fusing traditional animation with a Japanese manga style. In the first
full season release of the series, Warner scores points by fitting 13 half-hour
episodes onto two discs, while striking out with terrible DVD architecture and
underwhelming extras. Many fans of the series will be happy to add the first
season to their collections, but others will wince at the fact that the entire
season is already available in two stand-alone single disc releases, with the
same set of extras. While fans of the show know the level of entertainment to
expect from the series, they’ll be disappointed with the lack of effort
put into this release.
Loosely based on the Teen Titans comic book which has been
published on and off since the 1960s, the animated version takes its cues from
the 1980s era “New Teen Titans” comics created by Marv Wolfman and
George Perez. Both characters and storylines have been adapted from classic
Wolfman/Perez stories, updating them for the current decade.
THE SERIES
The first season of the Teen Titans animated series features
classic episodes form the recently cancelled (the week before the DVD was released,
in fact) Cartoon Network show that ran for five seasons. Within the first season,
episodes follow the trials of five teenage superheroes: Robin, of Batman fame;
Cyborg, a teenager who was turned into a human/robot hybrid after being involved
in an accident; Beast Boy, a green vegetarian who can transform into a variety
of green animals; Raven, a brooding, empathic girl who can only control her
dark past by exercising complete control over her emotions; and, Starfire, and
alien warrior princess who can fly, shoot energy beams from her hands and eyes,
and has a limited grasp over human customs.
Episodes in the season flip between traditional superhero fare and humorous
episodes with a superhero twist. For example, in an episode called “Masks,”
Robin goes undercover in an attempt to capture the series main villain, Slade,
while “Car Trouble” follows the team’s attempts to recover
Cyborg’s stolen car from inept criminals.
Like most kid-friendly cartoons, every episode features a message, but one
of the best aspects of the series is its ability to subtly weave the messages
into the story. For example, when Robin goes undercover in “Masks,”
he never informs the team of his plan. When the episodes end, Robin discovers
that he lost his friends’ trust by not trusting them to properly execute
his plan. While everyone will eventually forgive him, the episode doesn’t
end with the group laughing with Robin as they forgive and forget.
The first 13 episodes of the series include: “Divide and Conquer,”
“Sisters,” “Final Exam,” “Forces of Nature,”
“The Sum of His Parts,” “Nevermore,” “Switched,”
“Deep Six,” “Masks,” “Detention,” “Car
Trouble” and “Apprentice Parts I & II.” Within these episodes,
fans are introduced to brand new villains including Mumbo, Thunder & Lightening
and Mad Mod. Of course, these episodes also serve up a healthy dose of classic
Titans baddies including Plasmus and Gizmo. These episodes also establish the
animosity between the Titans and Slade, the main villain through the first four
seasons.
Of course, each episode features the Tokyo-pop Teen Titans
theme song, which inspired the Cartoon Network show, Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi.
SOUND & VISUALS Teen Titans Season One is presented in its original Full Screen
format. As expected the digital animation to DVD transfer is flawless, and the
colors are as perfect as the TV they’re viewed on. While there are language
tracks in English, French and Spanish, this release suffers from Warner’s
decision not to invest Surround Sound tracks, offering all three in Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo only. English, French and Spanish subtitles are also included.
PACKAGING & LAYOUT
The DVDs are packaged in a traditional black plastic snapcase with a black plastic
insert tray that offers easy access to both discs. What really surprises is
the new artwork included on the case, featuring new images of all five Titans.
Inside the case, a double-sided page insert leads you through the contents of
both discs. Additional artwork of Robin and Raven offer some extra flair to
the piece.
Unfortunately, this presentation falls apart once the DVD is in the player.
With a series known for interesting animation, animated menus are expected.
Warner missed the point on this one, leaving standard stills of the characters
that intermittently switch between different characters, while the Teen
Titans theme song plays in the background.
It only goes downhill once the episodes are playing. For some reason, Warner
decided to format the DVD so that each episode is a single chapter. While the
show’s theme song is a fun piece of music, many viewers may want to skip
over it when watching 13 episodes in a row. This architecture prevents that.
It also prevents viewers from skipping back and forth between scenes if they
want to see something they may have missed.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The bonus materials included on the disc range from mildly interesting to downright
unimpressive. Some of the features suffer from the fact that they’re direct
transfers from the earlier versions of the DVDs, making them extremely dated.
While the features include a look at the creators of the ‘80s comic, descriptions
of the character personalities and a look at the voice talent, Warner missed
the opportunity to showcase the process behind the animation. Special features
in the series include:
• Finding Their Voices – This entertaining featurette, provides
a glimpse into the creative process of the show through interviews with the
shows producers, writers and the voice talent. In an interesting twist, the
featurette discusses how the voice actors influenced the characters’ personalities
and the way the writers handled the characters. (7½ minutes)
• Comic Creations – While comic geeks and Titans devotees will enjoy
this featurette, casual viewers will be bored to tears. Using interviews with
the show’s creators and interviews with the 1980s comic team of Marv Wolfman
and George Perez (who created most of the characters appearing in the Teen Titans
animated series), Comic Creations focuses on the process of creating the Titans’
world and the characters inhabiting it. The feature runs into some interesting
territory, briefly touching on the unique animation style used in the series’
run. For anyone wondering, the style is called Murikanime. While the content
is interesting in a comic geek way, the feature is rendered nearly impossible
to watch due to the amateurish camerawork which features low points like shooting
from the floor up to Marv Wolfman who is seated across the room. Another low
point is a series of extreme close-ups on George Perez, which cut off his head.
In an attempt to dress up the shoddy camerawork, several more mistakes are made
as the scenes are placed off-center with a comic panel frame. (22 minutes)
• Sneak Peek at Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi TV Show – As mentioned, every
special feature included on the disc is transferred directly from the original
release of these episodes. Therefore, the DVD is saddled with a sneak preview
of a show that airs regularly on Cartoon Network. It’s a complete waste
of time (45 seconds).
• Puffy Ami Yumi Featurette – In this disaster of a special feature,
previous Teen Titans animation is used to interview Ami and Yumi. This feature
is easily the worst special on the disc, since Ami and Yumi don’t even
speak English. Basically, the Titans ask questions in English, and the answers
come in Japanese with English subtitles. Just when you think it can’t
get worse…it does. The animation regularly freezes before the frame moves
to the live action Ami and Yumi answering. (13 very long minutes)
• Puffy Ami Yumi Music Video – The video to the unique Teen Titans
theme song features a longer version of the tune than is heard throughout the
episodes in the series. This version tacks on nearly 3 minutes of extra music.
That said, the video is nothing special. It actually feels like an ‘80s
video from the dawn of MTV, and not in a good way. It’s the type of video
with glowing neon lights and a guitarist who performs air kicks. Continuing
the trend of several of the included features acting as an add for the Cartoon
Network Show Hi Hi Puffy Amy Yumi, the video dovetails into a commercial for
the band’s new album. (3 minutes, 30 seconds)
• Toon Topia Bonus Cartoons – The Hiro’s are two short bonus
cartoons that follow the adventures of a husband and wife team. It was supposed
to be funny, but missed the mark. (7½ minutes)
Trailers and previews included on the disc are: DC Comics Kids, Justice
League Season 1, Batman Beyond Season 1, Batman Volume 4, Superman Volume 4
and the Teen Titans Game Trailer. The DC Comics
Kids trailer features a preview for The Batman and
a preview for Teen Titans The Complete First Season.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While the actual episodes contained on the Teen Titans Complete First
Season DVD are fun to watch (and have solid plots), the DVD falls flat
due to shoddy architecture and sub-par special features. Fans of other DC Comics
inspired series (Batman The Animated Series, Justice League,
etc.) might want to pick up a copy to complete their collection, and animation
lovers will be very interested in the animation style and quality. Anyone looking
for unique special features, or real insight into the making of the show will
be disappointed. And, anyone who owns either of the other Teen Titans
DVDs should avoid this at all costs as it only repackages the two half season
releases.
DVD Film Score: B+
DVD Audio/Video Score: C+
DVD Packaging and Layout Score: C+
DVD Special Features Score: C Overall Score: C+
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