Avatar: The Last Airbender Will Use CG Animation in New Films

In the last year, Avatar: The Last Airbender has enjoyed a surge of growth like never before. The hit animated series has long been considered one of the greatest Nickelodeon shows to ever debut, and its resurgence has given the franchise new life. Now, the team at ViacomCBS wants to bring Avatar back to the forefront at Nickelodeon, and its first films will adopt a new style of animation along the way.

Recently, fans were given this important update on Nickelodeon’s plans for Avatar when Brian Robbins, the president and CEO of the network, spoke with ViacomCBS in a public interview. It was there the executive confirmed plans for the Avatar Universe are in working behind the scenes. And when it comes to the movies, Avatar will adopt CG animation this time around.

“One of the other big projects that we’re working on, on the theatrical front is Avatar,” Robbins shared. “We signed a deal to bring the original creators of Avatar back into the studios. They started Avatar Studios, and they’re well on their way in development on a series of CG films and a new Avatar series.”

Continuing, Robbins went on to discuss the talent being brought in for the expansion of Avatar. Not only is Avatar Studios being headed by the story’s co-creators, but many animators who worked on the original show have shown interest in returning to the series. Robbins says Nickelodeon wants to be a place that fosters such loyalty, and animation remains a key concern for any of its shows in development.

“We really pride ourselves in making sure that Nick is a place people want to work, that creative people want to work, especially in the animation studio. Ramsay Naito, who is the president of Nick Animation, she’s just somebody that is really loved in the animation community and people actually really love Nick,” he shared.

“They have something in their heart where they really do want to work here on the animation side or on the live-action side for this brand. People grew up on certain shows. They have fond memories of the brand and they want to do business with us.”

As you can see, Nickelodeon has plenty of plans in store for its future slate, and Avatar is an important piece of it. So far as movies are concerned, the Avatar Studios team will delve into CG animation as a first, and fans are eager to see how the crew handles this shift. After all, Avatar‘s anime-inspired aesthetic is still widely praised, but even anime itself has embraced CG animation. So for now, fans will have to cross their fingers for the best!

What do you make of this Avatar update? Do you mind the shift to CG animation…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.