When Nickelodeon released “Avatar: The Last Airbender” in 2005, they unlocked a world that the entertainment industry thought was nonexistent. The show came just as Nickelodeon’s “golden age” of the late ‘90s came to a close, and anime, the first “serious cartoons,” gained extreme popularity in the US. A cartoon that had such complex storylines and world-building was unprecedented in Western media. Nickelodeon shows such as “Fairly Odd Parents” and “SpongeBob” were popular, but lacked the sincerity and maturity of “The Last Airbender.” The ratings echoed this sentiment as fans became quickly enthralled with the series. The show still reigns today with a staggering 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an eternal place in fans’ hearts as one of the best series ever made.
The series is stylistically similar to Japanese anime. The animation style, storytelling, and world-building draw inspiration from a variety of East Asian cultures. The series broke many molds of American cartoons and opened up a greater realm of possibility for storytelling in Western animation.
The series follows Aang, a twelve-year-old boy tasked with saving the world. The world is divided into societies based off of the four elements: air, fire, earth and water. Certain individuals can “bend” the elements of their respective societies. Aang is unique because, despite being an air nomad, he is also the Avatar, a divine being who can bend all four elements.
The setting is dreamlike and whimsical, and each part of the world is crafted with the utmost attention to detail. It is so different from the world that the audience knows, but still has a feeling of familiarity. The world of “ATLA” has its own set of rules, making the idea of “bending” not only tangible, but sensible.
Some of the most memorable episodes are those where story explores more about the nature of the characters. Some fan-favorites like “The Tales of Ba Sing Se” and “Zuko Alone” center around intimate character arcs.
The show concluded after three fulfilling seasons, ending as a shining accomplishment for Nickelodeon. The subsequent Avatar sequel “The Legend of Korra” was continued to satiate fans.
However, everything changed when live-action adaptations attacked the industry. The “Avatar: The Last Airbender” 2010 live-action film suffered one of the grandest failures to date. It did everything wrong — It cast white actors to play indigenous American and Asian characters. The movie replaced the lighthearted humor of the original with deadpan seriousness. The only laughs from the audience stemmed from the absurdity of the special effects. The dreamy and colorful setting of the series looked like it had been converted to a cardboard replica. The costumes of the live-action version looked like they were plucked from The Last Airbender section of the local Halloween store. It veered away from the beloved plot of the original, and to top it all off, characters mispronounce Aang’s name throughout the entire movie.
The live-action movie earned a generous 5% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie scarred fans who shunned its existence. Fans adapted the popular quote, “there is no war in Ba Sing Se,” to “there is no live-action movie in Ba Sing Se.”
Nonetheless, the original series has since retained its viewership and reputation. In May of 2020, during the peak of covid quarantine binge-watching, it entered the Netflix streaming catalogue for the first time. It broke the record for the longest number of days — 61 in a row — atop the 10 most popular list on Netflix, a feat no other series had accomplished.
The success of the show inevitably lit Netflix’s eyes up with dollar signs. It wasn’t long before rumors of a new live-action Avatar, produced by Netflix, began to circulate the fandom. Originally, the creators of the 2005 “Avatar: The Last Airbender” were on board and working on the new live-action adaptation. Fans were hungry for more content but also wary after the 2010 flop. When the original creators left the project due to “creative differences,” however, fans feared history would repeat itself.
Despite the drama, most of the information regarding the series has been positive. The cast consists of actors matching the ethnicities of the original characters, and most of the creatives working on the show love and respect the original series (a vast contrast from the 2010 live-action crew). Netflix spent a reported $120 million on the first season of the show, and has taken time in production. They recently released a “first look,” featuring pictures of the main characters in costume and a 53-second teaser.
The live-action won’t be the last of “The Last Airbender” franchise. Paramount, ATLA’s original producer, announced in 2021 that it would be creating an entire studio dedicated to creating more content in the beloved universe. With the original creators at the helm, fans are bubbling over with excitement as new projects are announced. So far, an Earth Avatar series, set about 100 years after “The Legend of Korra,” is in the works for 2025. An adult Aang movie is also being produced, along with a Zuko movie, both set to release in 2027. Maybe fans of the cartoon will finally find out what happened to Zuko’s mother.
“Avatar: The Last Airbender” fans have high hopes for the upcoming series and movies. The creators of the new projects seem to understand that the new series and movies have a lot to live up to with the near-perfect original. With a dedicated creative team and a lot of luck, they just might fulfill the legacy of the Avatar.
