Anime
Avatar is not considered an anime because of its American origin; one review has commented that "Avatar blurs the line between anime and (US) domestic cartoons until it becomes irrelevant."[36] Avatar has many features of anime, such as having a different color palette from other animated shows.[37]
Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino confirmed a particular anime influence in a magazine interview:
The best anime balances great action sequences with humor and emotion, something we try to do on Avatar. We love all the films of Hayao Miyazaki, especially Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Both movies deal with spirituality and the environment in an entertaining way. Also, there's a lot of great animation."[1]
According to an interview with the artists of Avatar, Appa's design was based on the Catbus in My Neighbor Totoro, due to the peculiar task of creating a mammal with six legs.[38]
Avatar draws inspiration from the anime works of Shinichiro Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, as well as FLCL (Fooly Cooly) of Gainax. Other various studios from which inspiration was drawn include Studio 4°C, Production I.G, and Studio Ghibli.[39] Bryan has commented that some of his most cherished Watanabe fight scenes were the fight between Bebop's Spike Spiegel and a drug smuggler in "Asteroid Blues," as well as the duel between Mugen and a blind female Jojutsu-user in the Champloo episode "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 2)." Avatar director Giancarlo Volpe also claims the staff "were all ordered to buy FLCL and watch every single episode of it."[32]
Response
Ratings
When the show debuted, it was rated the best animated television series in its demographic,[40] and averaged 1.1 million viewers when new episodes premiered.[40] The one-hour special showing of Secret of the Fire Nation which aired on September 15, 2006 consisted of "The Serpent's Pass" and "The Drill", and gathered an audience of 4.1 million viewers. According to the Nielsen Media Research, the special was the best performing cable television show airing in that week.[41] Avatar is currently syndicated to more than 105 countries around the world, and is one of Nickelodeon's top rated programs. The series is ranked No. 1 on Nick in Germany, Indonesia, Belgium and Colombia,[42] and has a rating of 9.2 on TV.com.[43]
Awards and Nominations
Awards Outcome
2005 Pulcinella Awards:[44]
Best Action/Adventure TV Series Won
Best TV Series Won
33rd Annual Annie Awards:[45]
Best Animated Television Production Nominated
Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production (The Deserter) Won
Writing for an Animated Television Production (The Fortuneteller) Nominated
34th Annual Annie Awards:[46]
Character Animation in a Television Production (The Blind Bandit) Won
Directing in an Animated Television Production (The Drill) Won
2007 Genesis Awards:
Outstanding Children's Programming (Appa's Lost Days) Won
Primetime Emmy Awards:
Outstanding Animated Program (City of Walls and Secrets) Nominated
Individual Achievement Award (Sang-Jin Kim for Lake Laogai) Won
Kid's Choice Awards 2008:
Favorite Cartoon[47] Won
Annecy 2008:
TV Series[48] Nominated
Media information
Promotion and merchandising
Avatar's success has led to some promotional advertising with third-party companies, such as Burger King and Upper Deck Entertainment. Avatar-themed roller coasters at Kings Island and at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America also appeared. During the show's runtime, Nickelodeon published two special issues of Nick Mag Presents dedicated entirely to the show. Various members of the Avatar staff and cast appeared at the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con International convention, while Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko appeared with Martial Arts Consultant Sifu Kisu at the Pacific Media Expo on October 28, 2006. Avatar also has its own line of t-shirts, LEGO playsets, toys, a trading card game, a cine-manga, and two video games with a third to debut September 2008.
The Mattel-produced action figure toy line generated some controversy with its exclusion of any female characters. Mattel came to release information stating that they have taken account of Katara's increased role within the program, and that she would be included in the figure assortment for a mid 2007 release.[49]
Nickelodeon executives have since released highly optimistic plans for upcoming marketing strategies in regards to Avatar. Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami openly stated his belief that the franchise "could become their Harry Potter".[50] They expect consumers to spend about $121 million in 2007, rising to $254 million by 2009.[50] The marketing plans are to be coincided with the release of the first live-action film based on the series in 2010, which will be the first film in a trilogy.[50]
Feature film adaptation
On January 8, 2007, Paramount Pictures' MTV Films and Nickelodeon Movies announced that they have signed M. Night Shyamalan to write, direct and produce a trilogy of live-action films based on the series; the first of these films will encompass the main characters' adventures in Book One.[51] The film was in a dispute with James Cameron's film Avatar regarding title ownership,[52] which resulted in the film being titled The Last Airbender. It is set for release on July 2, 2010.[53] Filming will begin in Philadelphia in May 2009,[54] and it will be shot in Greenland.[55]
Avatar co-creators Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have come forward to voice their opinion within an interview regarding M. Night Shyamalan writing, directing and producing the film.[56] The two displayed much enthusiasm over Shyamalan's decision for the adaptation, stating that they admire his work and, in turn, he respects their material.
References
^ a b c d e DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (2006). "In Their Elements". Nickelodeon Magazine (Winter 2006): 6.
^ "Watch Out For Avatar on September 10!" (HTML) (in English). Nickelodeon Asia. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
^ "The Boy in the Iceberg". Director: Dave Filoni; Writers: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-21. No. 1, season 1.
^ a b "Element of Shyamalan in 'Airbender'". The Hollywood Reporter. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (2007-01-09). Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "BitTorrent Launches Download Platform", worldscreen (2007-02-26). Retrieved on 2007-03-19.
^ Fitzgerald, Tony (2005-06-10). "Aang the Avatar, our kids' newest hero". TV.com Tracking. Media Life. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ "In Brief: Avatar's Big Finish" (December 18 – 24, 2006). TVGuide: 12.
^ a b Carlsbad (2006-01-24). "Article on Launch of Avatar Card Game". PR Newswire. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
^ a b A third season consisting of twenty-one episodes began airing on September 21st, 2007
^ "Avatar: Toys & Games". The Nickelodeon Shop. Nickelodeon, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "Avatar Trading Car Game". Nickelodeon. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Trading Card Game". BoardGameGeek. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Video Game". Nick.com. Nickelodeon. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.
^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Burning Earth" (Flash) (in English). Nickelodeon. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
^ "IGN.com: Avatar: The Burning Earth" (HTML) (in English). IGN. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
^ Jim Cordeira (2006-08-21). "THQ Announces Games Convention". Gaming Age. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
^ Clark, Craig J. (2007-10-17). "It's Elementary -- Avatar: The Last Airbender". Animation World Magazine, Inc.. Retrieved on 2008-05-03.
^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Sneak Peak". Nickelodeon. Retrieved on 2006-12-10.
^ "ANIMATED SHORTS: TEN QUESTIONS WITH AVATAR'S MICHAEL DANTE DIMARTINO".
^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Nickelodeon's Official Avatar: The Last Airbender Flash Site". Nick.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
^ "The Southern Air Temple". Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino. Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-02-25. No. 3, season 1.
^ a b "Bitter Work". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-06-02. No. 9, season 2 (Book 2).
^ a b "The Avatar State". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-03-17. No. 1, season 2 (Book 2).
^ "The Spirit World". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2005-04-08. No. 7, season 1 (Book 1).
^ "Zuko Alone". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nickelodeon. 2006-05-12. No. 7, season 2 (Book 2).
^ "Interview With The Creators". NickSplat.com (2005-10-12). Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
^ a b Mark Lasswell (2005-08-25). "Article On Avatar: The Last Airbender". NY Times. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
^ a b KTChong. "Calligraphy Writing In Avatar". Distant Horizon. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
^ David-Neel, Alexandra. Magic and Mystery in Tibet. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1971 (ISBN 0-486-22682-4)
^ "Distant Horizon: Avatar Calligraphy". Retrieved on 2006-12-09.
^ "IGN: Interview: Avatar's Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino". IGN.com (2007-09-06). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
^ a b c "Audience Questions and Answer Part 2 at the San Diego Comi-con 2006". Flaming June. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
^ "The National Shaolin Information Resource". The Harmonious Fist Chinese Athletic Association. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
^ Miller, Dan (1994). "Advanced Circle Walking: Training to Fight". Pa Kua Chang Journal. The Ba Gua Zhang (Pa Kua Chang) Website of Sifu Park Bok-Nam. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
^ Cartmell, Tim. "An Introduction to Ba Gua Zhang". Shen Wu Martial Arts. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
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^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender Article". Animation World Magazine (2005-02-1 cool . Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
^ Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. (2006, 2006-09-19). Book 1: Water, Box Set [DVD].
^ Mullins, Summer. "Creation Station, an interview with Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino" (39): 74.
^ a b Bynum, Aaron H. (2006-06-30). "Avatar: Season 3". Animation Insider. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
^ Bynum, Aaron H. (2006-09-20). "Secret of the Fire Nation Ratings". Animation Insider. Retrieved on 2006-12-16.
^ "Aang Is Ready to Strike Down the Fire Nation on the Darkest Day of the Year in Avatar's 'Day of Black Sun' Premiering Friday, Nov. 30 on Nickelodeon". Viacom (2007-11-14). Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender". TV.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
^ Ryan Ball (2005-05-03). "Cartoons on the Bay Picks Winners". Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
^ "Annie Awards: Legacy - 33rd Annual Annie Awards". International Animated Film Society (2005-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "Annie Awards: Legacy - 34th Annual Annie Awards". International Animated Film Society (2006-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-04-26.
^ "2008 Nickelodeon ‘Kids Choice Awards’ Winners". BumpShack (2008-03-29). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
^ "Annecy 2008 - Official Selection". Annecy 2008 (200 cool . Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
^ "Live Journal".
^ a b c "Nick pins hopes on Avatar". USA Today (2007-09-20). Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
^ DiMartino, Michael Dante & Bryan Konietzko. JPG with Steve Fritz. The Scenes of Avatar (Transcript). Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
^ Pamela McClintock (2007-01-0 cool . "Shyamalan's 'Avatar' also to bigscreen", Variety. Retrieved on 2007-01-09.
^ Pamela McClintock, Tatina Siegel (2008-04-15). "Nickelodeon, Par team for 'Airbender'", Variety. Retrieved on 2008-04-15.
^ Nicole Sperling (2008-04-20). "Hollywood Insider: Movies", Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2008-04-20.
^ Richards, Olly (2008-04-15). "Exclusive: Shyamalan Talks Avatar", Empire Magazine, Bauer Consumer Media. Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
^ Mike Szymanski (2007-03-17). "Avatar Creators Praise Night", Sci Fi Wire. Retrieved on 2006-03-17.
External links
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[show]v • d • eAvatar: The Last Airbender
Characters Aang · Katara · Sokka · Toph · Suki · Appa · Zuko · Iroh · Azula · Mai · Ty Lee
Universe Water Tribe · Earth Kingdom · Fire Nation · Air Nomads · Spirit World · Bending
Franchise Trading cards · Avatar: The Last Airbender (video game) · The Burning Earth
Episodes Season 1 · Season 2 · Season 3
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