Adaptations and Avatar: The Last Airbender

     So I have been wanting to write about Avatar: The Last Airbender for awhile now, but I just have not gotten around to it until now. Originally, I was going to write a review and talk about why I love it so much on the 15th anniversary of it release (February 21st 2020) but I procrastinated too much and the moment passed me by. I really love Avatar, it is one of my favorite TV shows and franchises ever. Even now as an adult I rewatch the series from start to finish every few years and I get something new out of each time. So, I should have been delighted when I heard that Netflix was going to make a live-action version of the original series, right?

     Well, I am cautiously optimistic about their adaptation. But I have a number of reservations and just do not think that Avatar really needs an adaptation. Animation was the perfect medium for the story of Aang and his friends. Animation is in many ways more versatile and flexible than live-action and CGI. Animation can be bright and colorful when need be, or more dark and grounded. Additionally, animation is cheaper than live-action and CGI, which means you can do more with less resources. Cheap CGI ends up looking awful and in a show that is full of magic, whether it be spirits, bending, cosmic events, or hybrid animals, getting the look of them in CGI right will be a massive challenge, both financially and artistically. Live-action is (rightfully or wrongfully) often seen as more serious or mature in tone to animation, but the tone of Avatar ranges very widely episode to episode and even scene to scene. The comparatively more flexible style of animation is far more suitable to the diverse tones of Avatar than live-action is. Furthermore, some of the humor in the show is based off of the exaggerated faces and expressions that are really only possible in animation. The aesthetics of the show are also heavily based off of and inspired by anime and Asian art, it may be quite difficult to translate an anime inspired aesthetic into a live-action setting. And those are just some of the surface-level problems that come from adapting Avatar to live action.  

  

   If you think my fears are unfounded, just look at this comparison between the two different Aladdin movies. 

   The original Aladdin is far brighter, colorful, funnier and just more fun than the 2019 version. Much of the humor of the original does not work as well in the 2019 version due to it just not translating well to the more serious live-action format and consequently was not even attempted in the 2019 movie. The 2019 version of Aladdin just comes across as an imitation of the original 1999 version. Netflix's Avatar adaptation will face similar problems as the Aladdin 2019 movie did. 

   When I heard that Netflix was planning on making a live-action remake of Avatar, I just could not help but think to myself that I would be far more excited if Netflix instead commissioned a new series set in the same universe by the original creative team behind Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am just not sure exactly what the point of adapting Avatar to live-action is. Are they trying to appeal to adults? Or have the show be taken more seriously?  The popularity of shows like Rick and Morty, The Simpsons, South Park, Futurama show that there really is not that much of a stigma around adults watching animated TV shows as long as the shows are high quality. Additionally, Avatar when it first aired, and afterwards received tons of acclaim from both audiences and critics alike. Even now after 15 years it still is brought up as one of the greatest animated shows of all time, despite kids being the target audience. I want to see more stories set in the Avatar universe, but they told the story almost perfectly the first time around, so I do not see the value in rehashing the same story but in a different and arguably less suitable format.