Avatar AANG: The Last Airbender is Returning to the Small Screen

The Impact of the Last Airbender

Avatar: The Last Airbender has played a significant part in many people's childhood. The groundbreaking animated television series was released and aired from 2005 to 2008. Hailed as arguably the greatest series that Nickelodeon ever greenlit, the show was seen as a successful attempt of taking inspiration from the works of other countries and implementing them into their own creations. Avatar: The Last Airbender was brought back to life in the show, The Legend of Korra which also aired for a couple of years. Fast Forward a little over a decade later, and Nickelodeon is trying their hand at continuing the story of the Last Airbender all grown up, in the form of a movie.

What is Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Like many people around my age range, I was practically obsessed with the premise of the original Avatar series. But weirdly enough, I took a lot of the creative ideas in the show for granted. Given that I was barely into the double digits, my eyes was mesmerized and in awe of the breathtaking character designs trying to understand how two hands can create such beautiful, fluid movements. I was especially intrigued by the unique, instantly recognizable design of the titular character, Aang. From the bald head, to the bright blue arrow in the center of Aang's head, I knew then that I want to make a character as noticable as Aang. What Toy Story did for elevating animation on the big screen, Avatar did as well when it comes to changing the field of animation in television. Starting as a mere idea on paper to becoming one of the most acclaimed and celebrated pieces of art in animation history has to be a gargantuant achievement for the creators.

What Separates Avatar: The Last Airbender From Other Animated Projects?

It is highly ardruous to overstate just how groundbreaking Avatar: The Last Airbender was at the time of its release date. Up to that point, Nickelodeon was on an absolute hot winning streak of successful shows including but not limited to Rugrats, Spongebob Squarepants, Danny Phantom, and The Fairly Oddparents just to name a few. But what they had in common was sticking to a successful formula that contained comedic aspects of the characters at hand. Although many shows resonated with millions, they never went out of their way to take chances and put their characters in unexpecting situations. Enter Avatar. An idea conceived by two ambitious creators, Bryan Joseph Konicteko and Michael Dante DiMartino, was set to permenantly change the perception of TV animation as well as the studio that greenlit such a forward thinking idea. Filled with beautiful hand drawn animation and an extragavant story, Avatar: The Last Airbender was filled with acclaim from the get go. The fact that a duo of creative minds can construct a heart-warming storyline in the span of 61 episodes is astonishing as a fellow aspiring animator.

What to Expect From the Upcoming Avatar AANG Movie?

Avatar AANG leans into the continuation of the story but seen in the eyes of an adult. Aang, the last known airbender in the world, is given a rare power that can potentially save his own kind from total extinction. Along the way, he discovers two siblings, Sokka and Katara , and embarks on a global journey to find out about his ancient power. As far as visual representation goes, "AANG" does not disappoint, with its anime-like influence being undisputedly apparent. Let's hope the film does the enduring franchise justice just like its predecessor.

Photo Credit: Paramount