TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES: An Irreverent, Wacky Take On The DC Universe

The executives at Warner Bros. are currently in the process of re-tooling their DC Films brand, which is perfectly fine by me. DC has a treasure trove of interesting characters, and good superhero movies have proven to be box office bonanzas for Hollywood. When something like Avengers: Infinity War earns the GDP of a small country in three weeks, other studios are going to want a part of that action.

But what if DC just stuck to comedic takes on the superhero genre?

While this sounds like a preposterous idea, it might not seem so outlandish after Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. Following in the satirical footsteps of The LEGO Batman Movie, this feature-length adaptation of the popular Cartoon Network TV show is extremely witty, wonderfully concise, and shamelessly silly. It’s unafraid of gearing its goofy charms towards the youngest of audiences, but it’s also equipped with just enough incisive, clever material to delight parents and superhero fans alike. Even if you’ve never seen an episode of the show (I’ve never been a fan), this movie will win you over with its inspired lunacy.

Robin Wants His Own Movie

The Teen Titans – Robin (Scott Menville), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Raven (Tara Strong), Cyborg (Khary Payton), and Starfire (Hynden Walch) – may be super, but they’re not all that heroic. The Titans spend their days lounging around, while the real heroes like Superman (Nicolas Cage) and Wonder Woman (Halsey) do the hard work. Most of the Titans could care less about their joke status within the superhero community, but Robin is an exception.

In this meta DC world, superhero movies are just as popular as they are in our universe. The Titans are blocked from the star-studded premiere of the new Batman flick, which intensifies Robin’s desire to have a movie of his own. Iconic director Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell) is sending movies about Alfred and the Batmobile into production, but a film about the Titans is just a bridge too far.

If the Titans want their own movie, they’ll have to do something heroic for a change, fighting an arch-nemesis or saving someone in need. Robin finds a villainous foe in Slade (Will Arnett, who voiced the Caped Crusader in last year’s LEGO Batman), a masterful criminal with a shady evil plan. But as Robin devotes his time and energy to the quest for a movie, the young hero slowly finds himself losing touch with his family of misfits. Can Robin push aside his ego before it’s too late?

Superhero Satire For The Younger Crowd

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is the kind of wacky, infinitely energetic bit of animated fun that I would have simply adored as a young kid. It’s so loaded with movie references and unexpected bursts of absurdity, focusing less on concrete narrative logic and more on expert comic sequences. This is Deadpool for the elementary school demographic, and even as the film dips into more serious territory on occasion, it maintains a spirit of unabashed goofiness.

Although Teen Titans Go! gears its jokes towards younger audience members, I have to wonder if they’ll understand much of the humor. After all, unless you’ve seen the extraordinarily violent Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a joke about the infamous Martha connection will fly right over your head. When Deadpool rattles off witty references to the Avengers and X-Men movies, it works because that audience is entrenched in the world of comic books and superheroes. Here, the effectiveness of those jokes is a little more shaky.

Ultimately, Teen Titans Go! includes just enough whip-smart satire to please hardcore fans and adults, while still maintaining the core spirit of the story. Fans will burst out laughing at a Back to the Future-inspired sequence (one that applies the classic Alan Silvestri musical theme), while kids will enjoy the interactions between the Titans. Like Chris McKay did with last year’s LEGO Batman, directors Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Mitchell balance parody and emotional weight with ease.

Zippy Action & Colorful Animation Lead The Way

Plus, it helps when you have a film with this much raw kinetic momentum. Teen Titans Go! lacks the fluidity of something like Brad Bird‘s Incredibles 2, but that’s not necessarily a requirement in this realm. The film often feels like a comic book brought to life, channeling the old-school spirit of the original Batman show with its over-dramatic punching effects and inspired bits of action.

To sum it up in a single word, Teen Titans Go! is zany, and that sense of nuttiness is practically contagious. What could have felt exhausting actually had me grinning from ear to ear. It also functions as a unique kind of eye candy, delivering appealing visuals to go along with the spirited madness. The film convincingly creates its own world; it works as both a twisted rendition of the Warner Bros. backlot and a glorious fantasy of a superhero utopia.

Did I mention it’s also a musical? Teen Titans Go! isn’t content to just feature big time-travel sequences and non-stop jokes about the current state of superhero cinema. No, this is a movie that injects a random musical number every once in a while, solely for the purpose of keeping things unpredictable. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s a brilliant choice by Horvath and Mitchell. Give me more superhero musicals, please.

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies: Conclusion

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies will be overlooked by many because of its kid-centric charms, but it delivers laughs in a pretty significant way. The Titans are dumb and big-hearted, which is a near-perfect combination for this kind of silly animated B-movie. Their idiocy is just plain irresistible, and it’s easy for me to see the rebellious appeal of the show now.

The Titans push lots of buttons on their quest for laughs and superhero legitimacy, and if you’re in the right mood, that bold, sarcastic sensibility will make you fall in love with them.

What did you think of Teen Titans Go! To The Movies? Are you a fan of the Cartoon Network TV show? Let us know in the comments below!

Teen Titans Go! To The Movies was released in the U.S. on July 27. For full release information, click here.