4. Keeping The Original Voice Cast
As previously mentioned, one of the most significant callbacks to the original series was getting the original voice cast from Teen Titans to reprise their roles. Scott Menville (Robin), Hynden Walch (Starfire), Khary Phaton (Cyborg), and Tara Strong (Raven) are all talented voice actors working in the industry today. It is a real treat to see them continue working together on the Teen Titans as an ensemble. Interviews with the cast have confirmed that they became like a family while recording the original series, and have remained close friends ever since. Some of this familial bond can be heard from their performances in the original series. Each actor captured the complexities of their characters so well that they have become synonymous with their role. The inclusion of the original voice cast is deemed a failure on two levels. Firstly, hearing the voices of the characters from the original series speak the dialogue of the new series can be frustrating. A comparable experience would be getting the cast of The Dark Knight to act out Batman & Robin. Secondly, it is clear that these actors enjoy working together. Anyone who follows Tara Strong on Twitter will tell you that on Fridays she posts pictures and Vine videos from the weekly Teen Titans Go! recordings (the picture above is an example). These social media instances demonstrate the bond shared by these actors and the enjoyment they receive from playing these parts. While promoting Teen Titans Go! the main cast reminded fans that they had a lot of fun recording the episodes and encouraged fans to embrace the changes. Greg Cipes even commented that even in comic books there are occasional reboots where stories are presented in a different way. That is a fair point, but nonetheless- if you don't intend to continue the stories from the previous series, stop using the actors who brought those characters to life.