Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie Review

An entertaining and action-packed mash-up of both Teen Titans (Go?!)

Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans brings the whole gang back together (from both sides of the television spectrum) with our heroes Robin (Scott Menville), Starfire (Hynden Walch), Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), and Raven (Tara Strong) meeting their alternate-dimension selves when the diabolical genius known as the Master of Games (Rhys Darby) pulls the heroes from their respective universes in order to have the characters duke it out and see who will become victorious as the best “version” of the Teen Titans: the original Teen Titans roster must fight the characters (themselves?!) from Teen Titans Go! Epic-ness ensues.

As a longtime fan of both versions of the Teen Titans animated series (having loved the original Teen Titans since 2003 during its initial run on Cartoon Network and having since discovered the hilarious hi-jinks of the more comedic Teen Titans Go!), the concept of a mash-up finally blending together the two different animation styles for these characters is something that I found to be extraordinary. What a great idea for an animated film set within the DC animated universe. (For the record, the more “grown-up” versions featuring Nightwing (Sean Maher) also show up during the film.)

While there is an impressive blend of both animated series to be found here, it's important to note that the film has an emphasis on the Teen Titans Go! characters, their world, and the style and tone of the series. The original Teen Titans character-types get great moments to shine throughout and there are plenty of nice call-backs. Yet this is a production indisputably aimed at the Teen Titans Go! fan-base more-so than the 2003 series.

Go Teen Titans! Go!

There's nothing wrong with the larger emphasis on the newer versions of the characters and the film is sure to please fans of both incarnations. It's great fun hearing the voice-cast performing both versions of the Teen Titans in one story (given that it's the same voice cast which worked on both series). There's even an appearance by Darkseid ('Weird Al' Yankovic) that adds some extra spice to the mix. Fans new or old will find something to enjoy.

The screenplay for Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans by Jeremy Adams (Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island, Lego DC: Batman - Family Matters) and Marly Halpern-Graser (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman Unlimited) does a good job of creating a fun concept from which to zap these characters together. There are good scenes with both versions of the Teen Titans bonding with one another and these scenes add some extra heart to the equation. The script's integration of both the original Teen Titans characters with the versions from Teen Titans Go! is true to their respective personalities and quirks specific to each production.

Jeff Mednikow (Teen Titans Go!) directed the film with a balanced approach which remembered to focus on both the comedic scenes while crafting some exciting action-packed sequences which will thrill fans of either (or both) series. Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans might not be a classic in the same vein of gems like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm or Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker but it's easily one of the best DC animated films made in the last few years (and it's a great companion to the stellar Teen Titans Go! To The Movies). There's enough fun here to entertain the entire family. Make your bets and enjoy the show.

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans is presented on Blu-ray in a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation in the original production aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is such a colorful looking film and as with any of the Teen Titans Go! productions it has a clear vibrancy to the animation style which simply looks beautiful when in high-definition. There is such a wonderful array of these bright colors in the artwork: yellow, purple, blue, and red. The image looks fantastic.

While the picture-quality might fall a bit short of total perfection due to a few sequences with incredibly minor blink-or-you miss it banding, the overall presentation looks superb and is highly satisfactory. The action scenes appear fantastic and as the superheroes fight the baddies there are no issues with encoding anomalies to report. An excellent presentation which is worthy of both Teen Titans Go! and Teen Titans. Fans will be pleased.

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio on this release is presented with a 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound presentation. The quality of the audio track is impressive with exceptional dialogue reproduction and crisp highs allowing for the music score and sound effects to come through with superb clarity and detail. The colorful music songs featured throughout the feature have excellent fidelity which adds to the fun in experiencing Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans.

When the film enters the more action-packed sequences (including the badass finale), the LFE impresses for an animated program and the quality of the track is highly satisfactory. With nice bass reproduction, crisp highs, and an exciting sound-mix which fully engages the senses during the action scenes, Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans is a truly super sound-mix (pun intended). Optional subtitles are presented in English SDH (for the deaf and hard of hearing), French, and Spanish.

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

"Worlogog" Sing-a-long (HD, 00:53) features a short clip from the main-feature with vibrant lyrics added as text-overlay for viewers hoping to sing with the Titans.

"We are Teen Titans" Sing-a-long (HD, 1:43) is another short clip excerpted from the main-feature with vibrant lyrics added as text-overlay for viewers hoping to sing along with the Titans.

Teen Titans Go! Top of the Titans (HD, 32:24) is presented as a special "best of" compilation featuring three unique segments: The Raddest Songs (10:44) showcases some of the best music numbers highlighted throughout the series run, Titans Dance Party (HD, 10:52) includes some more musical moments (featuring the characters busting out their best dance moves), and Best Rivals (HD, 10:47) features some of the most iconic villains the heroes have faced across the series run.

The release also includes a sampling of Teen Titans Go! episodes (HD, Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:05:18): Legendary Sandwich (Season 1, 11:09), Mr. Butt (Season 2,11:04), Cat's Fancy (Season 3, 11:10), Shrimps and Prime Rib (Season 4, 10:43), The Scoop! (Season 5, 10:28), and Chicken in the Cradle (Season 5, 10:41).

The release also includes a sampling of Teen Titans episodes (HD, Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:06:39): Final Exam (Season 1, 21:46), How Long is Forever? (Season 2, 21:42), and Deception (Season 3, 23:09).

Lastly, the release includes trailers for other Warner Bros. Releases: Lego Batman: Family Matters (HD, 1:26), Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (HD, 2:18).

Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are two segments of DC animated universe Teen Titans fans: those who loved both the original Teen Titans animated program from 2003 and Teen Titans Go! and those who thought the retooled reboot (with its extra dosage of comedy) ruined their childhood (as the film even pokes fun at during the stadium-battle). Hopefully the Teen Titans Go! Vs. Teen Titans film will put any remaining debate completely to rest: both Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! are great animated series and are perfectly complimentary to one another.

It's amazing fun seeing this mash-up creation blending together both animation styles in one action-packed event-film set within the DCAU. I was thrilled to see this high-concept unfold. With a excellent presentation (featuring strong video and audio), the release comes highly recommended.