X-Men '97 Brought Back A Key Player To Recreate The Original Show's Opening Titles [Exclusive]
The '90s gave us some of the best kids' show theme songs of all time, from "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" to "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." But even those classic examples couldn't quite match the sheer ear-wormery of the opening titles to "X-Men: The Animated Series." The beloved Fox Kids show didn't even need lyrics to embed itself in the collective cortex of a generation, who can surely recall its dynamic, synthesized tones in a split second.
Now, Disney has decided to tap into that reservoir of nostalgia with "X-Men '97," an animated streaming show that apes the original's distinctive visual style and picks up where its 1997 series finale left off. Everything we've seen in the lead-up to its release points to a faithful revival, with the easter egg-filled "X-Men '97" trailer promising a show that not only feels aesthetically akin to the original but brings back plenty of the OG voice actors. Oh, and that theme song is back, too.
In the 28 years since the 1992 series went off the air, the "X-Men" theme music has lingered in the recesses of every '90s kid's mind, and now it's back. But it wasn't just composer Ron Wasserman's music that made those opening titles so effective (Wasserman also created the aforementioned "Power Rangers" theme). Producer/director Larry Houston storyboarded a masterful title sequence that introduced each member of the mutant team, showing off their individual powers in a brief action vignette set against giant text displaying their names. It's a classic sequence, and one that has also been faithfully recreated for "X-Men '97." In fact, the man responsible for those original titles was brought it to ensure the revival show nailed its interpretation.
X-Men '97 brought in the OG X-Men animated series director
Before his abrupt dismissal from the series, "X-Men '97" showrunner Beau DeMayo seemingly did his utmost to ensure the revival show remained as faithful as possible to the Fox Kids original. That involved asking the surviving voice cast back, though sadly both Norm Spencer (Cyclops) and David Hemblen (Magneto) passed away in 2020. But pretty much everyone else from the original cast returned, alongside several newcomers and "White Lotus" star Theo James, who voices a mystery "fan-favorite" character.
And it wasn't just the actors that returned from the original. Larry Houston was asked back specifically to lend his expertise to the all-important opening titles, and appears to have been indispensable to their creation. Having started as a storyboard artist for Filmation, Houston went on to work on several beloved animated shows from "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" to "Transformers" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." But there's no doubt he's best known for his work on "X-Men," and supervising producer/head director Jack Castorena was eager to tap into his experience.
Castorena spoke to /Film's Ethan Anderton for an episode of the /Film Daily podcast, and revealed that Houston was psyched to help out with crafting a modern version of his original "X-Men" titles. He said:
"I've gotta give a huge shout-out to Larry Houston. We brought the O.G. man himself, brought him back. He storyboarded the original opening titles. We brought him back to see if he wanted to help direct and spearhead these opening titles, and he couldn't have been more happy."
Castorena explained how Houston worked with episodic directors Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura to create the new titles, which, just like the original sequence, introduce each character alongside text of their names.
Bringing back Larry Houston was a no-brainer
Although Larry Houston was the key to nailing the title sequence for "X-Men '97," as Jake Castorena explained, the project was very much a collaboration between himself, Houston, and the episodic directors. The director explained:
"[Chase Conley and Emi Yonemura] worked in tandem with Larry to really deliver and really adhere to the storyboards and just drive the opening titles to get what we got. I was there supervising to overall guide stuff, but at the end of the day, Emi and Chase, with Larry, got their hands dirty to bring us the titles."
Castorena also spoke about his appreciation for the original series, talking up his "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," approach to the show. He added:
"It was always known that we were going to pay homage and do the opening titles right, just because, c'mon, it's the theme song. You can't have the titles without the theme, and you can't have the theme song without the titles. If we don't do that, then we're not the show. In this case, it was a no-brainer."
Interestingly enough, to help steer the creation of these new titles, Houston actually brought in his original storyboards. As Castorena told TVInsider:
"The cool part was that Larry Houston brought in his original storyboards that he did over 30 years ago. Before we even got to work, it was probably about an hour of all of us just, 'Oh my god, I'm touching this, this is cool.'"
There are some hidden details in the new title sequence
On his website, Larry Houston writes that "X-Men" was his "dream project from day one in animation," adding:
"All the years of Marvel trivia I knew since elementary school allowed me to course-correct and guide the series with accuracy. I included cameos/easter eggs of other Marvel characters into the series, just like what Stan Lee did when he first started Marvel Comics."
Houston's love for the project he helped define is obvious. Much like Wolverine voice actor Cal Dodd, who told The Hollywood Reporter leaving his character behind was "like losing [his] right arm," Houston clearly retained his passion for "X-Men" in the years since it went off the air — and hopefully remembered everything about the original "X-Men" series in the interim. Returning to recreate the titles more than 30 years later must have been a genuinely profound moment for him, especially since it provided an opportunity to restore elements of his original vision for the "X-Men" opening sequence.
According to Jake Castorena's chat with TVInsider, Houston initially planned to include extra panels in the '90s series' titles, but due to broadcast restrictions, those panels never made it to air. Thankfully, it sounds like we'll finally get a glimpse of these lost frames in "X-Men '97," with Castorena imploring audiences to "keep an eye out because some new artwork may potentially be coming about."
"X-Men '97" is now streaming on Disney+.