I positively suppose it could be a little bit bit foolish, and positively an over-exaggeration, to say that the unique animated Avatar: The Final Airbender is a excellent present. It is an unbelievable present, with an strategy to colonialism that feels surprisingly stable each as a result of it is a youngsters present (and an American youngsters present made within the 2000s, as well). To not point out a stellar solid of characters, a enjoyable and well-developed idea, and a story drive that retains you coming again for extra.
Most significantly, although, it was an animated sequence that basically leaned into the strengths of its medium – and I simply do not suppose Netflix‘s dwell motion adaptation actually understands why animation works in any respect.
For few years now, it is turn out to be a little bit of an business development to adapt basic sequence or movies that have been initially animated, and switch them into dwell motion. We have seen Disney do it loads of occasions, and extra just lately the world of anime has adopted go well with with exhibits like One Piece (a fellow Netflix dwell motion adaptation) additionally getting the therapy. However throughout the board, these information takes on beloved tales simply by no means fairly get what’s so interesting concerning the unique. And it is as a result of they’re animated.
Avatar: The Final Airbender | Last Trailer | Netflix
It is irritating, primarily as a result of it comes throughout as Hollywood executives considering individuals solely care concerning the story, and that the visuals might be secondary (as a result of let’s be actual, neither the dwell motion One Piece or Avatar look all that good, or attention-grabbing). Sure, everybody loves Avatar due to the narrative that evolves over the course of three seasons, however in addition they adore it due to how expressive it’s. Take Airbending, for instance.
How do you current one thing as invisible as air? It is a tough factor to do, when you’re taking pictures live-action. Positive, you possibly can possibly do one thing like mud, sand, tiny flecks of this and that, however typically you may actually simply need air. In animation, it is easy! You may merely draw it as white strands, virtually like ribbons of cloud. Who cares if it is sensible; your sense of disbelief has already been suspended as a result of it is animated. In Netflix’s Avatar, although, it by no means actually works. You may’t see air in actual life, and all through all eight episodes, it hardly ever seems to be all that pure until there are dust clouds or related.
What makes it worse is that with airbending, and all the different varieties too, the bodily actions of the actors by no means land that properly both. You may inform they’re not likely shifting something, there isn’t any weight to their actions, which is all the time a problem with needing to make use of CGI – that is nonetheless one thing that may go improper in 2D animation, but it surely’s much less more likely to.
However exterior of the bending itself, certainly one of my largest points with Netflix’s Avatar is the appearing. For essentially the most half, the solid is ok – by no means all that unhealthy, actually – and I even suppose Dallas Liu as Prince Zuko and Paul Solar-Hyung Lee as Uncle Iroh really work very well, notably as a pair.
The issue sadly comes from the primary three, Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Once more, I need to stress that they are not terrible, however they’re additionally human, and precise people can solely be so expressive. Animated people, alternatively, can push their faces previous what’s actual, which the unique Avatar usually does, one thing that provides to the present’s comedy moments.
It makes the primary solid really feel a lot much less charming within the new model, which is a disgrace as a result of that is a giant a part of why individuals love the unique. These characters have been made to be animated, in two literal senses of being drawn body by body, and shifting in a manner that is bigger than life.
Netflix’s Avatar, then, seems like a failure as a result of it does virtually nothing higher than the unique, actively making some components worse, and others simply flat out uninteresting. In the end the present is doing very well, with a stronger debut than the extremely profitable One Piece, so I can solely think about we’ll get a second season.
However personally, I will not be tuning in if it does – why trouble when the unique nonetheless exists, and is on Netflix too? Although I hope that the workforce behind it does take a second to essentially have a look at what made the basic sequence work, and determine a method to do one thing of its personal.