The Reboot Of The Animation Series Was Made By Netflix
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. The four nations once lived in harmony, with the Avatar, master of all four elements, keeping peace between them. But everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked and wiped out the Air Nomads, the first step towards conquering the world.
Hope springs forth when Aang, the last Air Nomad, reawakens to take his rightful place as the next Avatar. Alongside his newfound friends Sokka and Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe, he embarks on a fantastical quest to save the world and fight back against the fearsome onslaught of Fire Lord Ozai and his son, Crown Prince Zuko, who is determined to capture them.
If all this rings a bell, it may be because you grew up watching the original animated show. Netflix picked it up in 2018 intending to create a live-action series based on it. The 8 episodes premiered on the platform today.
The original 2005 series by Nickelodeon has become an animation staple. When the reboot was first announced, it looked promising to fans since the original creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were to participate in the project as executive producers and show-runners. Many were disappointed when they ended up leaving due to “creative differences”.
Both creators were committed to a non-whitewashed casting, a desire clearly respected by Netflix. The original series drew heavily on Eastern and Indigenous cultures and all its characters were people of color. This time —unlike the big screen adaptation released in 2010— it’s also the case for the actors, who are all Asian or Indigenous.
It’s an aspect that early critics are praising. As well as the cast, they valued the costumes, sets and photography very positively. On the other hand, many found the series disappointing in terms of storytelling and pacing.
CREDITS: Malena Cortizo A.
