Courtesy of Cartoon Network
When you hear about the announcement of a remake, it’s either the best or the worst day of your life. They always seem to be hit-or-miss: either you’re getting more amazing material for the shows, movies and comics you love, or you’re facing a horrible new take on something formerly fantastic.
Recently, it seems like live-action remakes have become the television and movie-making trend.
It doesn’t matter what the material started out as — comic books, cartoons, video games — as long as it was animated, anything can become live-action.
That’s exactly what’s happening to the “Teen Titans” and “The Legend of Zelda” series.
I have to admit, “Teen Titans” was my favorite show as a kid.
I grew up watching it, so every bit of news about it is exciting for me.
The appearance of “Teen Titans Go!” in 2013 was a devastating disappointment that I will never recover from, having stripped the show of its complex components and reduced it to a two-dimensional gag-reel.
After that, I was left with some doubts regarding remakes in general. After all, why make a new version of something that was already so great? Still, I couldn’t help it; I was eager to learn more once I heard about “Teen Titan’s” newest remake.
“Teen Titans,” which began as a comic series published by DC Comics, has a long history, tons of heroes to speak for and a passionate fanbase.
When it was first announced that the series was getting a live-action remake titled “Titans,” there were mixed opinions.
Would using live-action mean cheap effects? Would it mean bad acting?
There’s a certain charm in animation that you just can’t find in live-action.
With cartoons, things don’t have to be as real, and with that freedom comes a kind of magic that actual people can’t portray.
Fan favorites Robin, Starfire and Raven are confirmed to appear in the new series, though there hasn’t been any news regarding Beast Boy and Cyborg, the other members of the main cast from the Cartoon Network series.
The “Teen Titans” comic series was, as DC’s work tends to be, rather dark and gritty.
The Cartoon Network series that later drew in so many fans was a family show, which meant bright colors, cartoon gags and PG-rated jokes.
What worked for the animated series was how it managed to blend the darker themes of power and control with the lighthearted quirks of the characters.
Moving from animation to live-action will most likely bring back some of the grit that came with the original comics — no complaints there.
With the family audience that both animated series catered to, there was only so much room for darker themes.
Each version of “Teen Titans” has had its own strengths and weaknesses, and each focused on a different overall feeling.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes from this new series, and I hope it exceeds expectations.
A more surprising turn of events is the announcement of “The Legend of Zelda” live-action retelling.
Video game giant Nintendo is known for being protective of its intellectual property, so this was shocking news for fans.
Adaptations are rarely allowed. It seems about as bizarre as making a live-action series for the Mario gang — though that movie did exist and was a complete commercial failure.
The show is to be hosted on Netflix and is still in the earliest stages of development.
Nintendo hasn’t released much information but the corporation has described it as “Game of Thrones” for a family audience — it’ll have a kid-friendly atmosphere with all the magic from the “Zelda” series.
It’s hard to say exactly how the series will turn out.
“Zelda” had an animated series in 1989, which lasted one season and now exists as little more than an inside joke in certain circles of the internet purely by virtue of its awkward absurdity.
Now, however, Nintendo tends not to release too much disappointing content because of its efforts to establish itself as a reliable brand.
The show has a long way to go until it’s released, so there’s plenty of time to perfect it, so one can hope that this go-round will prove more fruitful than the last one.
It’s a big step to take an idea from a two-dimensional space to a three-dimensional one.
It’s been done before, with both huge failures and massive successes.
“Teen Titans” and “The Legend of Zelda” games are close to many hearts, so here’s to hoping that they’ll turn out to be everything we’re looking for.
-By Kelsey Klosterman
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
