Avatar: The Last Airbender will be going through a few changes for it’s new live-action series adaptation with Netflix, and one change to Aang has already sparked a debate among fans of the original animated series! Avatar: The Last Airbender‘s new live-action series faces the major task of adapting the classic animated series into its new eight episode format, and that means a lot of the material from the first season of that original series is likely not going to make it into this version. That’s even more necessary when noting any particular new material that could make it into this upcoming adaptation.
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Avatar: The Last Airbender fans have been curious about what to expect from Netflix’s live-action series adaptation, and the showrunner and executive producer Albert Kim has sparked another debate among fans for revealing a change they’re making to Aang’s journey in the first season. Explaining that to make their serialized drama version of the series, they needed to direct Aang more towards his goals rather than have him trying to explore other detours or adventures. Which Kim explains is necessary when going from episodic to a more condensed narrative.
What Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender Changes About Aang
Speaking to IGN about these changes, “So we decided to make Aang’s narrative drive a little clearer,” Kim began. “In the first season of the animated series, he’s kind of going from place to place looking for adventures. He even says, ‘First, we’ve got to go and ride the elephant koi.’ It’s a little looser as befits a cartoon. We needed to make sure that he had that drive from the start. And so, that’s a change that we made.” Elaborating further on how this change gives Aang more drive into learning the other elements, Kim gave a more concrete example of the change.
“We essentially give him this vision of what’s going to happen and he says, ‘I have to get to the Northern Water Tribe to stop this from happening.‘,” Kim continued. “That gives him much more narrative compulsion going forward, as opposed to, ‘Let’s make a detour and go ride the elephant koi,’ that type of thing. So that’s something, again, that’s part of the process of going from a Nickelodeon cartoon to a Netflix serialized drama.” This has sparked a major debate among fans as those “detours” are what made that first season so intriguing.
The following two seasons are darker, yes, but it’s because that first season does all of the ground work in established its world with a fun dynamic between its core characters. These episodic stories, and Aang’s reluctance to become the Avatar are parts of the main story. While it seems like they are throwaway episodes, it’s how Aang and the others mature to properly face what happens later. It’s something that this new series is eschewing in favor of a more condensed narrative.
It’s yet to be revealed as ot whether or not this will be a great chance, but Avatar: The Last Airbender will be releasing with Netflix on February 22nd. How do you feel about this chance to Aang’s story? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!
