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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. 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 Teenage superheroes, their mutual friendships, and their limitations.1 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. Unlike the comics, Jinx reforms and becomes a member of the Teen Titans. 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 Japan ese, sung by the J-Pop duo Puffy (called "Puffy AmiYumi" in the United States to distinguish it from Sean Combs ). Andrea Romano revealed in an 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 declined to order further episodes. 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 canceled because new Warner Bros. Feature Animation executives decided not to renew the series based on the pitch for the sixth season. Wil Wheaton’s Rabio Free Burrito Episode 4 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 02, 2005 After the series's cancellation, Warner Bros. Animation announced a feature called ''''. 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 6th, 2007. Warner Bros. announced that they plan to make more ''Teen Titans'' direct-to-DVD films, depending on how the ''Trouble in Tokyo'' DVD sells. Though the animated series' future in any format is currently up in the air, ''Teen Titans GO!'' continues publication and carries on the spirit of the series. Since the cancellation of ''Teen Titans'' in November 2005, fans of the show have started an online petition to try and bring the show back for a sixth season. This campaign has had little effect so far. EPISODES See Also: List of Teen Titans 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. Robin was even shown sleeping in his costume. In particular, some fans debated which of the comic book Robin s 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 clip of two acrobats falling from a trapeze, a reference to how Dick Grayson became Robin.
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!", (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 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. 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. Indicating separation from the DC Animated Universe, series producer Bruce Timm stated the series would not 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'll meet them someday'' " 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. 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 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 Some fans of the comics criticized the series for having a "childish nature". "Teen Titans": Robin the Cradle by Geoff Duncan, ''teevee.org'', October 31, 2003 Some Cartoon fans disliked the series for its hybrid of western and Japanese-style animation. Teen Titans review , ''Anime Boredom'', May 23rd 2004 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: The episode "Revolution" was of considerable upset to audiences. The episode centred on villain Mad Mod transforming Jump City into a surreal world portraying Great Britain like a sketch from '' Monty Python's Flying Circus ''. Many viewers, particularly British ones interpreted this as alleged stereotypical prejudice, and this episode has received the most criticism on websites like TV.com and others.http://www.tv.com/teen-titans/revolution/episode/349307/reviews.htmlhttp://www.bcdb.com/bcdb/review.cgi?helpful=1&ID=68274&ReviewID=4525&yes=yes. CAST LIST Heroes Teen Titans
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