Avatar: The Last Puppet Bender - Hot Air

“Created for presentation at the 2008 New York Comic Con Avatar Fan Panel, I slapped this skit together with a short deadline mostly taken up by building the puppets.

It’s just after episode 311’s cliffhanger and Zuko is about to catch up with our heros! If you like & know about Avatar, you’ll get the humor. If you don’t… Probably not. XD

But hopefully you can still get a kick out of the puppet craft.

A very big thanks from me to Dave Roman, Alison Wilgus, and Johane Matte for letting me participate in their panel. I had a blast!

And of course many props to the insanely funny & talented Luliandfishy for coming up with and writing many of the jokes for me!
http://www.youtube.com/user/LuliandFishy

I do indeed fully admit & acknowledge that this is a take-off on the far more superior “Potter Puppet Pals” and no claims are made of it being wholly original in concept. ”

Avatar: The Last Puppet Bender - Coming Attractions

“Okay, here it is! A sort-of new Puppet Benders video. Things have been keeping me so busy with the San Diego comic con coming up that the bigger, better stuff keeps getting delayed. But so many of you have kept asking when the next video will be finished, something had to be done!

This is a special thanks to everyone who sent a message and commented on ‘Hot Air.’ More is on the way… And hopefully before the real series finale airs. ;P ”

Avatar: The Last Puppet Bender - It Aint Over Till The Plush Lady Sings

“Who says there aren’t any girls in the Avatar universe? Certainly not us anymore! A new video for ya. Hope ya’ll likey. This one was a nightmare to get done.

Lemmie also give a big shout-out & thanks to cwutieangel, the talented artist who painted our Western Air Temple backdrop! Be sure to visit her gallery page at: http://cwutieangel.deviantart.com/”

A “Very Special” Episode of Puppetbenders

“Our full length video made for & shown at Anime Central 2009 for our fan panel, “Avatar the Last Airbender: Beginning and Beyond.” With the help of a special guest star, Toph leads us in a discussion of a very important and culturally sensitive issue. Let’s all learn and grow shall we?”

The latest pan-Asian, anime-inspired series, “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” has generated a lot of early buzz despite the fact that the first film— of a possible three — won’t be released until July 2010.

Why? One reason may be because “Avatar” isn’t just a cartoon. As an Emmy-award winning series, “Avatar” has, in the blink of 61 episodes, become a huge franchise, where fans invest in action figures, trading cards, and stuffed animals.

The other reason for the buzz — which is mainly debated online — is due to “Avatar” fans being critical of the recent news that three of the four principal characters will be played by white actors despite the obvious use of Asian characters in the original series.

The casting directors initially planned to use four white actors to play the main roles; however, Variety magazine reported earlier this month that singer Jesse McCartney dropped out of the movie, and he was replaced by Dev Patel (“Slumdog Millionaire”).

Paramount, Nickelodeon, and the movie producers have yet to release a statement about their casting choices.
The silence hasn’t stopped a group of dedicated fans from protesting what they believe is the studio’s attempt to “whitewash” the film.
A step in the right direction

“[Patel is] an excellent young actor and well-qualified for the role. And we’re glad to see an Asian actor join the cast,” read the latest post on “Aang-Aint-White” (AAW), the online group protesting the cast of “Avatar.”

Despite the praise, the group also criticizes Patel’s casting as ethnically incorrect, as the role he will portray has cultural roots more closely related to China than Patel’s Indian background.

“[Patel’s casting] is a sign that the cast is not set in stone,” said Michelle Ikemoto, a member of AAW.

As an Asian American student majoring in animation in San Jose, Cali., Ikemoto said she hoped the “last decade of Hollywood’s rediscovery of Asian culture and the remakes of Asian classics” would provide more roles for minority actors in the film industry.

She found the film’s principal cast to be “especially loathsome.”

Ikemoto isn’t alone in her disgust.

With nine official postings, AAW has generated more than 1,600 comments so far — all in the span of two months.
AAW was created a few days after initial casting decisions were made public, in an attempt to “provide info and basic points to help set the tone of the protest and discussion of the cast in ‘Avatar,’” said Lee, the co-creator of AAW, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Lee works for the “Avatar” franchise. She said revealing her full identity may put her job in jeopardy.

The group’s message has generated national and international support from fans. The group’s name refers to the protagonist of “Avatar,” Aang.

What began as an attempt to provide basic information for those interested in the casting has quickly turned into a formalized letter-writing campaign. According to Lee’s estimates, about 600 letters have been sent to Paramount Pictures objecting to the casting. A few hundred more were sent to the producers of the movie.
A complicated issue

To be sure, the cast of “Avatar” is much more complicated than a simple racial debate. The original series showcases an array of talents not exclusive to Asian Americans. The show’s creators, Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, are both white. Many of the voice actors are white as well.

M. Night Shyamalan, one of the few high-profile Asian American producers, is spearheading the film, which leaves some thinking that an all-Asian principal cast is irrelevant.

If two white creators can create such a well-researched beloved series, why can’t a white actor have an equally authentic performance with proper research?

Fans on both sides of the argument have tossed these points back and forth.

“It would be like taking ‘Lord of the Rings’ — a very Eurocentric story — and casting Asian people in the heroic lead roles,” said Loraine Sammy, a video game developer in Vancouver, B.C. “‘Avatar’ is culturally specific,” she added.
What’s the big deal?

As Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami said to the San Francisco Chronicle, “[‘Avatar’] could become our ‘Harry Potter!’”

Like “Harry Potter,” “Avatar” is a profiting machine. The show’s franchise generates a good portion of Nickelodeon’s annual $250 million revenue, according to the Chronicle.

But to many, “Avatar” is more than a commercial success. To some, it’s a world where fans can follow character development, form an “Avatar” lexicon, and become deeply entrenched in the storyline.

Sammy said “Avatar” is a rare case where “a well-done American cartoon was immersed in Asian and Inuit influences.”

“It’s another perfect opportunity,” she said, “to showcase minority actors to an American audience.”

Sammy said she believes the show’s popularity among children is an important factor in reconsider the casting, as kids could learn more about Asian, Inuit, and Hindu cultures.
Spreading the message

As the first “Avatar” film is in its early production stage, no one is more surprised at the support for AAW than its creator.

“It just exploded in a way I never saw coming,” said Lee. “I was excited to see other people, who weren’t hardcore fans of the show, protest the cast, too.”

She said it’s an indication that people are no longer turning a “blind eye” to Hollywood’s “irresponsible decisions.”
Another AAW site organizer, Marissa Lee, agreed.

“The lack of diversity is a big deal,” said Marisa Lee, who is not related to AAW’s creator. “The public has demanded that the studio should seriously consider their casting decisions.”

If casting decisions have not changed in a year, the creator of AAW said that the group will “help whoever is organizing a boycott.”

“We want to make sure they aren’t financially rewarded for these decisions,” said Lee.

Source: NW Asian Weekly

Other than, of course, the 21 episodes of the phenomenal season, the DVD set will also have several bonus features, such as Inside Sozin’s Comet: Exclusive Four-Part Audio Commentary by Creators, The Women of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 3 Finale Pencil Test Animation, and Into the Fire Nation at San Diego Comic-Con.

If we’d remember, Avatar Book 3 saw Aang facing new challenges as he and his friends go undercover and enter the Fire Nation in order to find and defeat Fireload Ozai. On the way there, Aang his posse discover that Ozai plans to use the massive power of Sozin’s Comet to lord over the four nations. Trying to learn a lot of bending in a limited period of time, he is surprised to find some friends in the heart of the Fire Nation. We need not tell you how exciting the finale is, as Aang must fulfill his destiny of becoming a full-pledged Avatar or fail, and let the world fail with him.

Prior to the success it enjoyed on the small screen (now seen in over 105 countries complete with action figures, costumes, video games, even Lego products, the whole shebang), Avatar: The Last Airbender will not spare the big screen, as it is scheduled to be made into a trilogy of live-action movies by no less than M. Night Syamalan himself, which is slated for a July 2010 release.

First pitched to Nickelodeon in 2002, Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Mike DiMartino didn’t realize it was going to be this big, they said in a prior interview.

That being said, The Last Airbender is set for release on July 2, 2010, with filming beginning in Philadelphia in May 2009. It will also be shot in Greenland. Meanwhile, the working title had the word “Avatar” stricken out so as not to be confused with the James Cameron project of the same title. With Cameron proclaiming that the upcoming Avatar movie will dwarf Titanic, even an M. Night Shyamalan feature better stay away from it.

As you may know, the first movie will be part of a trilogy of live-action films based on the series, with the first one tackling the main characters’ adventures in Book One. It is a joint venture by Paramount Pictures’ MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies.

Considering the massive 19 million viewers who tuned in during Avatar: The Last Airbender’s finale, the movie will most likely be a hit.

In other news, Avatar is proving to be a very marketable franchise, with a wide array of games inspired by the series.

“It was just the story. I just loved the story,” Shyamalan said. “I loved the characters in the story and I felt like I could be me inside this larger canvas of this very long-form movie. I think it inherently had kind of family issues and serious larger topics–at the center, genocide–all kinds of stuff. Cultural differences at the center. It has Buddhism, Hinduism, things I’m interested in. It does have martial arts in a way that’s not bang bang bang, but more about the person mastering yourself and the things that I love. I took martial arts for a long time. A ten-year-old at the center. T hat point of view felt good, like I could do my thing.”

Source: Nickelodeon

NEW YORK, July 25 /PRNewswire/ — Fresh off of its highest-rated performance ever on TV, Nickelodeon will treat Avatar: The Last Airbender fans to a unique experience this September with a brand-new, multiplayer global online game. In the game, Avatar: Legends of the Arena, which will serve as a prequel story to the series, players can create their own Avatar character and test their skills against players from around the globe in several 3D online arenas. Each game level will introduce and unlock new content, challenges, custom character outfits and more on an ongoing basis. The global game will live on a dedicated website http://www.avatarlegends.com and the beta version of the game http://www.tinyurl.com/5j6j6j* will be unveiled at Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25.

“The launch of this multiplayer online game gives Avatar fans the opportunity to immerse themselves in the storylines during and beyond its tenure on-air,” said Jason Root, Senior Vice President of Nick.com. “This property has always had a deep online connection with its audience and the game offers a natural extension of the franchise to keep fans engaged with the property indefinitely.”

The global gaming event, which represents Nick.com’s (http://www.nick.com) first 3D multiplayer online role play game, will take place in 81 markets in ten languages, including: the United States; United Kingdom; Australia; New Zealand; India; Southeast Asia; Canada; Mexico; Argentina; Spain; Italy; France; Korea; Japan; Israel; Holland; Northern Belgium; Germany; Brazil; and Portugal. A total of 77 countries will launch the game on Sept. 15, with the remaining markets launching through the following months (non-domestic territories will vary).

Each 3D online arena within the game will host battles featuring up to four players at a time, but combat isn’t the only focus of the experience. Players will also be able to engage in role play, building their characters through training and arena duels. As players advance, they can upgrade their characters, unlock new bending moves, and acquire outfits and other exclusive equipment to make them the envy of others.

The animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, has inspired M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender”, a live-action epic adventure from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies which will debut in domestic theaters July 2010. Series’ creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will serve as executive producers on the film.

This fall, Nicktoons Network will serve as the on-air home for Avatar: The Last Airbender, and will feature a Sept. Avatar event and season three episodes of the series throughout Sept. and Oct. Additionally, Nicktoons will offer fans a chance to get in on the Avatar game, asking them to tune in on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. for episode-specific hints that will unlock exclusive content in Avatar: Legends of the Arena.

Available on DVD July 29, Avatar: The Last Airbender - Book 3: Fire - Volume 4 features the kid hero’s return to the Fire Nation to prepare for a final confrontation with Firelord Ozai. Fans will also have a chance to get their game on with Avatar The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno, a new action adventure video game from THQ, in stores this fall.

Launched in February 2005 on Nickelodeon in the US, the epic story of Avatar: The Last Airbender follows the journey of Aang (Zach Tyler Eisen), a 12-year-old boy torn between fulfilling his fate as the long-awaited Avatar and just wanting to be a regular kid. The Avatar season three finale, Sozin’s Comet, recently earned the series its highest ratings ever. The previous week’s season three new premiere episodes reached a total of 19 million total viewers (P2+). Avatar is a top ranked show on Nickelodeon’s international channels, and is number one on Nick in Holland and Germany.

DiMartino and Konietzko serve as executive producers of Avatar: The Last Airbender. DiMartino is an award-winning filmmaker and has worked on the prime-time animated series King of the Hill, Family Guy and Mission Hill. Konietzko was a character designer for Family Guy, assistant director on Mission Hill and King of the Hill and a storyboard artist and art director for Nickelodeon’s Invader Zim.

Last Saturday’s finale, “Sozin’s Comet”—actually the series’ last four episodes shown together—was praised for its balance of fun for children and adults, much like how its main character Aang attempts to keep balance in the world. “This is complicated stuff, the reconciliation of religion and violence, and it’s beautifully rendered,” The New York Times said. “[It's] simple enough for Nickelodeon fans and subtle enough for their parents, with humor to puncture the pomposity inherent in the heroic genre.”

Also applauded is the sense of finality that the finale has conveyed to viewers. “[It] provides a powerful sense of closure to Aang’s story,” website Toon Zone thought. “This tale is finished. Those dangling plot threads aren’t an invitation to more direct follow-ups as much as they’re just reminders that life is messy and we don’t always get answers to the questions that we have.”

In an interview with Malaysian newspaper The Star, Avatar co-creator Mike DiMartino reasserted that the show’s third season is its last. “Since our initial pitch in 2002, Bryan and I have always envisioned Aang’s story having a beginning, middle and an end,” DiMartino said. “We wanted the characters to grow and mature along their journey and not do a series that goes on and on with no end in sight. To make a satisfying epic story, you really need to have a definite end.”

But the two creators still hope to see future incarnations of Avatar, although perhaps having a different storyline than the original’s. With some questions still unresolved at the end of “Sozin’s Comet,” there’s still a lot of room for a spin-off, perhaps. We might expect answers when DiMartino and fellow show creator Bryan Koneitzko appear in Avatar’s own panel at the San Diego Comic-Con this Friday night, where they are expected to show the last half of the program’s finale.

Source: Buddy TV

In an incredibly short span of time, Dos Santos has built up a sizable reputation as one of the top action animation directors working today (his skill has even led us to nickname him “Dr. Fight” here at the Toon Zone News Bullpen). We were able to speak with Dos Santos via e-mail about his time on Avatar and his brand of action-adventure animation shortly before the “Sozin’s Comet” season finale aired on Nickelodeon.

Note: There are spoilers for Book 3 of Avatar throughout this interview.

TOON ZONE NEWS: Just to make sure, you’re not the Joaquim Santos who does insane motor racing, right?

JOAQUIM DOS SANTOS: If that were me you would probably be see the crowd running in fear as I stuck my head out the window and projectile vomited all over them.

TZN: How did you join the staff of Avatar?

Cover art to video game ‘Avatar: The Burning Earth’ by Joaquim Dos SantosDOS SANTOS: I had been over at Warner Brothers directing on Justice League Unlimited, and I had heard rumblings that there was a pilot floating around about a little monk kid who did martial arts and used the elements to fight. Everyone in the industry who saw the thing was raving about how good it looked and how cool the characters moved. Some time went by and I was so busy at work that I just sort of forgot about it.

Then one day (months later) I come into work and everyone is talking about this show Avatar that premiered on Nickelodeon the day before. From what I could gather the animation and style was some really “next level” stuff — a real hybrid of anime visuals with Western story sensibilities. But again I was so busy and I did not have a TiVo at the time, so I just sort of let it pass me by. Finally, some time later (about a month I’m guessing), my wife (who was then my girlfriend) calls me up and says “I’m watching this show about a little monk kid with an arrow on his head. He and his friends are on this adventure with a giant bison and a little cute monkey thing…” I knew that the show had to be special if my wife, who does not work in animation, was calling me up to tell me about it.

That night I came home and watched the show for the first time (we had bought a TiVo by then). I remember it was the “Jet” episode and, needless to say, my mind was completely blown. I wondered who the heck are these guys Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko? I thought I pretty much knew all the guys that worked in action-adventure animation and these guys come out of nowhere and raised the bar way high!

By that time one of my co-workers (and the guy who happened to get me into the animation industry), Michael Chang had left WB to start working on the show. I called him up along with another buddy of mine who was working on Danny Phantom at the time and asked if they could give me the hookup with the powers that be over on Avatar. They happened to be looking for a storyboard artist at that time and they gave me a test.

I can remember my ego telling me at the time “You shouldn’t have to test for this show, you’re a big shot director.” My wife was working as a producer on a TV show that was filming in Vegas for a week. So I flew out to visit her and brought the test with me. While she was working during the day, I just locked myself in the hotel room, ordered a whole lot of room service and stayed hunched over my little light box for hours on end. I finished the test that weekend and turned it in on Monday. I heard from them the next week and they said the job was mine if I wanted it.

This acupuncture technique really sucksTZN: Avatar is a show where an episodes may need to rely on the script, the storyboards, and the fight choreography by Sifu Kisu to tell the story. Can you talk about how those things come together?

DOS SANTOS: The whole process is very organic. The writers will be very specific about choreography if it is important to the story, like in the finale when Aang hits his scar on the rock triggering the flashback and his transformation into the Avatar State. Moments like that are “beats” that you have to hit within a sequence to move the story forward, so the writers will call those out in the script specifically. Or sometimes Mike or Bryan will have a very specific idea of what they want to see in a sequence after the script has been finalized and those ideas will usually come up in the “start-up” meeting we have before we go into pre-production on a new episode. Those ideas will then get refined in our choreography meetings with Sifu Kisu.

But I’d say the brunt of the choreography is realized when we pitch our rough storyboard concepts. Once those are approved and most of the staging and shots are figured out, we have a second meeting with Sifu Kisu, where he will look over the action in the rough story boards and spell out the beats on film giving each movement the proper form. The board artists then take what has been filmed and use it as a point of reference when they create the final “clean” storyboard. The animators overseas also use this film as a point of reference to create the most authentic animated kung-fu on TV!

TZN: “Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos” is usually a good indication that the episode of the show is going to have some pretty incredible action sequences. Is this something that you’re drawn to naturally, or is that something you feel you have to work at?

DOS SANTOS: Thanks! I do love action! Growing up as a kid I watched a lot of action/adventure and martial arts films, so I think it’s something I gravitate toward naturally, but it never really comes easy. Keeping it new and fresh and exciting is something that always seems to challenge me, especially on a show like Avatar. It’s a simple equation: More Action (in the show) = Less Sleep (for the artist), so it can be sort of a double edged sword that way. Luckily, I don’t need that much sleep.

TZN: In a lot of your action scenes, we often get information about a character through the way they fight. Is that something you try to do deliberately?

DOS SANTOS: Wow! Thanks for noticing! I personally feel that you can gain a lot of information about a person or a character by studying the way they fight. Kind of like body language I guess. I find that “story within the story” aspect of a fight sequence very interesting. Even though it may not always come across to the viewer I think the effort put forth by the artist to get inside the combatants head usually makes the scene that much stronger.

Good form on Chit Sang’s Ippon Seoi NageTZN: Do you do a lot of research into fighting styles and fight choreography to stage your scenes, either as a storyboard artist or as a director?

DOS SANTOS: I am already a huge fan of combat sports — mixed martial arts specifically — and I’ve been training Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu for some time now, so I think that sort of helps with understanding how the body mechanics of a punch or a throw work. That kind of gives me a little bit of a leg up in the choreography of a sequence. I’m not preoccupied with the “how do I draw this or that.” It’s more worrying about the cinematography of the sequence, and for that I study a lot of film. I’ve got a huge DVD collection so if a scene I’m working on does not feel right I’ll pull out some film I feel is relatable to the scene I am working on at the time and study why those scenes work. That not only pertains to action sequences, but to all sequences with in a story.

TZN: What’s the difference between doing a giant sized, epic-scale battles and doing the one-on-one duels on Avatar?

DOS SANTOS: Both have their challenges, but I’d say the biggest difference is having to try and keep track of where everyone is from scene to scene in those big epic battle sequences. That can sometimes drive a director to the breaking point. Keeping a sense of scale can also be a bit tough especially when you do not always have the time to give a scene the length of time is deserves. In other words, fitting “Epic” into 22 minutes can be a challenge.

TZN: You directed one of the most memorable episodes of Book 3, “The Puppetmaster,” which introduced the idea of bloodbending. Where did you guys get the idea of bloodbending from?

DOS SANTOS: I think the bloodbending was something that Mike and Bryan came up with along with the writing staff, but to be honest I’m not quite sure. The mechanics of how it actually worked is something we worked out in one of many Sifu Kisu sessions. It creeped me out though.

Creepy, creepy Hama, the PuppetmasterTZN: Looking back on that episode, what would you do differently knowing what you know now?

DOS SANTOS: That is an evil question to ask. I am my own worst critic, as I think most artists are. To be honest with you, the list is way long on that one. Don’t get me wrong, I think it was a solid episode and super creepy to boot, but there are a bunch of little technical things that I would want to change that probably only I would notice. Overall, I wish we had given more time to the conclusion with Katara learning and mastering the bloodbending, since it seemed to wrap up a bit fast. It sort of seemed like the last 10 minutes were in fast forward.

TZN: You directed episodes 3 and 4 of the massive four-part season finale of Book 3. What was the hardest thing about assembling such a big production? Did you need to interact with the other two directors a lot to coordinate things?

DOS SANTOS: There was a ton of coordination that had to be done for the 4-part finale, and luckily for us a lot of it was done in the writing! Once each director is focused on his or her episode, they tend to go into their own little universe for about a month or so. I did not see a lot of anything except my episodes while I was working on them. Every now and again, I would hop into (finale directors) Giancarlo Volpe or Ethan Spaulding’s storyboard pitches to see what they had going on, but TV schedules are so tight that you really don’t have the time for big meetings on this. We all really relied on Mike and Bryan to catch things that would slip through the cracks, since they were overseeing the big picture.

Cover art to Nicktoons Magazine, by Joaquim Dos SantosTZN: Is there anybody’s work in animation or some other medium that you study or admire and aspire to?

DOS SANTOS: Oh man, there are way too many to name to be honest. I can say that I have been fortunate enough to have worked with a lot of the people I grew up admiring. And so many of the talented people I meet in the industry make me aspire to be a better artist every day.

TZN: What’s the one thing that you wish you could do better as a board artist or a director?

DOS SANTOS: Honestly, everything. I think I still have so much room to grow in all aspects of directing and storyboarding.

TZN: What are you working on now that Avatar has wrapped up for the time being?

DOS SANTOS: I have moved on from Avatar, although I still keep in contact with Mike and Bryan. I am now working as a Supervising Director/Art Director on G.I. Joe: Resolute, a micro series that will be released sometime in 2009 (read Toon Zone News’ coverage of it here — ed). Watch out for it — it is going to rock your socks off!

Toon Zone News would like to thank Joaquim Dos Santos for taking the time to answer our questions, and Maria Poulos at Nickleodeon for arranging the interview. Dos Santos will be a participant on the Avatar panel at this year’s San Diego Comic Con International, and fans should also visit Joaquim Dos Santos’ DeviantArt account to check out his artwork (including full-sized versions of some of the art above) and keep up to date on his latest news.

Source: Toon Zone

If you’re going to wrap up a series this is definitely the way to do it. There wasn’t a stone left unturned, there wasn’t a character left out, whether they were actually there or just mentioned in passing, they were there. We even got to see a whole slew of past Avatars. Bringing closure to everyone’s story lines that were left unresolved, like the imprisonment of King Bumi. Holy Christmas was that an incredible scene.

The stylized art, from the popping eyes, to the whole dark tone was gorgeous to look at. From the beginning with its bright colors lent itself nicely to the pre-battle calm. Throughout the episode the colors began to darken, guiding us towards a very dark time, a very dark battle. The most incredible part of the animation wasn’t the battle sequences, which were perfect and looked great, it was the art of the Lion Turtle. He was just visually stunning to look at; it had that classic anime-look that I’ve always loved to see when watching old anime movies. The story through the animation was perfectly done.

Whether there have been some story problems in the past (which were few and far between) doesn’t make any kind of difference during this movie. Emmys are great but if television shows could get Academy Awards for writing, then this movie deserves nothing less. From the heartwarming (I shed a tear or two) reunion with Uncle Iroh and Zuko, to the humor that Sokka holds onto throughout (I will get to the action in a minute), and the severe character realization of Princess Azula with her terrifying cries after her capture, I couldn’t possibly fathom how perfect each character would pan out. Everyone had a voice; every creature had a purpose and meaning. Nothing was thrown in that didn’t need to be there. This story moved and kept us moving right along with it from beginning to end.

The choreography, and the direction of each and every action sequence was perfect to say the least. With the opening beach party battle between Aang and Zuko you could feel the tension in the air and got a little taste for things to come. Toph’s Iron Man battle suit was perfect, and that whole sequence was brilliantly written. Between Toph, Sokka, and Suki I didn’t know who was more exciting to watch; I was literally cheering during the whole fight.

When the inter-cuts with the Ba Sing Se took over, Zuko/Azula, and Aang’s battle with the newly named Phoenix Lord Ozai I hardly could take it! Every beat timed perfectly, each time we cut between a battle we were thrust right into the middle of something incredible.

Hands down two of the greatest battles I’ve ever seen — animated or not — were Zuko’s battle with his sister, and Aang’s with Ozai. They were both equally mind shattering. There is a certain beauty in violence in Zuko’s battle, accompanied with a brilliant score. Watching the siblings duke it out was one of the most moving and visually stunning sights I have ever seen. If you taped or TiVo’d it, go back and really pay attention to the score during this battle, you can literally close your eyes and see what is happening just by listening. That is magic in-and-of-itself. The slow motion flows with the music as the action sounds are muted down as the two put on a display of Firebending unlike any I have ever seen. Azula’s insanity mixed with her crazy blue fire, against Zuko’s newfound confidence, it was a symphony of fire to rock the ages.

Watching Aang and Ozai fight was the very definition of Yin and Yang, Davey and Goliath, the young Airbender versus the all-powerful Phoenix Lord. Besides the obvious, a testament to Aang’s character was that he really did give him a chance to do it without fighting, and in the end even redirected Ozai’s lightning strike. Aang is pure of heart, and I am most definitely contradicting myself, but in a world filled with scumbags and untrustworthy people, at the end of the day it is great to see someone on screen as pure and genuinely kind as Aang. I don’t know if it comes from a naive youth mentality, or if he is inherently a nice person, but the final character decision for Aang was the right one by the writers. Now on to the obvious — OMFG, Elemental Avatar Aang was un-goddamn-real! From him going into the A-State to the ensuing battle and onto the taking of Ozai’s bending ability I was on the edge of my couch throughout the wild ride. That’s writing, that’s action, and that’s Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Aang’s journey was an incredible one from a young unfocused boy to a powerful young man; Aang has been through it all. With the help of some friends, and some great storytelling, Avatar is sure to go down in history as one of the greats. Let’s just hope M. Night doesn’t screw up the franchise with his upcoming live action feature, Airbender (yes, it has a name change thanks to James Cameron’s CG film Avatar).

Not much more needs to be said, but I will give honorable mention to the White Lotus Crew, The Katara/Azula Fight, and Momo and Apa.

I leave you with this… Airbender SLICE! Airship SLICE! Bye, Space Sword, and I don’t think Boomerang is coming back.

Source: IGN