“we’re taking out this problematic aspect because showing characters doing things the audience might not like could be uncomfy” “we’re taking out unnecessary side plots & making everything more mission centric” “these characters were pretty flawed in the original incarnation of this work so we decided to make them more palatable & the story more straightforward”

I could never forget someone criticizing that wretched live action because aang’s actor is gonna obviously get older and that the original show only takes place in under a year. and the root of their criticism was that “kataang is gonna look less weird” 😭

when aang very obviously matures faster (both physically and emotionally) than the average 12 year old boy between seasons 1 and 3. (like you’re gonna tell me season 1 aang on kyoshi island and finale aang look the same to you??)

because, newsflash, aang is NOT a real human boy.

he exists in a fantasy world where people bend the elements.

and expecting a live action to realistically portray a fantasy cartoon child god correctly was your first and biggest mistake.

If you don't know what qualifies as "original ATLA fan," it's in reference to when the show first came out. So if you started the show after July 19, 2008, you're not in the "original fan" category.

so about the new atla show coming out

while still reserving judgement for when i've actually seen it in its entriety (or at least a first season), based on what i've seen so far

i think the likelihood is that it'll be good (e.g. competently made, well shot, well acted, good effects, hits the same beats of the original show).

I'm more skeptical that it'll be great (e.g. actually ads something fundamentally new an interesting that the original didn't get to do)

that said, i hope it does amazingly well, if only so

my girl Korra gets the top-down re-write she DESERVES

Sick of Live Action Remakes

As much as my interest is piqued by the ATLA live-action, I don't think I will ever really care about it. I will say that the imagery from the trailer looks good though.

Why do people feel the need to replace animation with live-action? You have so much more freedom to explore fantasy elements with animation.

If Harry Potter is being rebooted, it should be rebooted as an animated series. We could see exaggerated facial features, unique wizarding clothing that's more than a Victorian era rip off, and epic magic battles. And even better you don't have to worry about the child actors ageing or having bad/wooden acting skills. You just have to find good voice actors.

Speaking of ageing kid actors, let's mention Gordon - the guy playing Aang. The Katara actress is like 17 now, right? I don't know how long this series is filming for. But let's say that Gordan reaches puberty before the filming ends. It detracts from the story of this little kid being forced to save the world. And it obfuscates the issue with Kataang about Aang starting a relationship with a mature Katara before he hit puberty.

Even if the LA offers a brand new twist on the story, I don't care. I am sick of LA remakes. I wish the idea of LA being superior to animation would die already.

OH AND ANOTHER THING ABOUT THE ATLA REBOOT

the sexism thing??? we all know it's fucking stupid and purely performative to take out sokka's feminism arc, but can we talk about the fact that He Is Still Sexist????? he still thinks that what he does (running the village's defenses, which they've never needed) is vastly more important than what she does (wash the clothes, cook, etc). and yk what?? the live action reboot AGREES with him. it doesn't show or even mention katara doing any work around the village. all we see katara doing is practice waterbending - the only interesting thing that original episode 1 sokka seems to think katara ever does.

the live action show depicts sokka "doing all the work", fulfilling his traditionally masculine role of warrior/protector, and COMPLETELY DISMISSES whatever "women's work" katara does, as if she does nothing. seems pretty clear to me that the showrunners would love to absolve themselves of sexism by not talking about sexism, while in actuality being pretty sexist themselves

and don't even get me started on sokka not wearing the dress/makeup of the kyoshi warriors' uniform

hot take: even if the atla live action show wasn't a flaming bag of garbage, I would still tell people not to watch it because you need to stop encouraging them to REMAKE AND REBOOT THINGS.

make something fucking new. stop stewing in nostalgia. look to the future. if you can't leave the past, then die there.

Hey kids! Do you love the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender?

Do you wish there were more original shows like it instead of just endless live-action reboots? Good news!

The Dragon Prince on Netflix is an original animated series and spiritual successor to Avatar from many of the same minds behind the beloved Nickelodeon series!

Dragon Prince co-creator Aaron Ehasz was executive producer and lead writer on the original Avatar!

Protagonist Prince Callum is voiced by Jack DeSena, better known as the voice of Sokka!

Love the deep, mysterious voice of Koh the Face-Stealer? That’s Erik Todd Dellums, who voices principal antagonist Aaravos (who happens to be a hot, sparkly elf by the way).

There are lots of fun ATLA Easter eggs sprinkled throughout, without ever feeling like they draw away from the story!

And that’s just the Avatar connections! There are so many reason to love The Dragon Prince, and the fact it hasn’t done numbers on Tumblr is unbelievable!

So when you’re done watching the reboot (or if you want something better to watch instead), consider The Dragon Prince!

ik it’s been forever in internet time but i’m gonna die mad abt the way the live action atla show got a good amount of backlash and criticism from the fanbase meanwhile the pjo show was THAT horrendous and the fanbase treats critics like they’re out to kill their mother. as someone in both fandoms am i crazy bc i keep fucking seeing people say yes 💀 like!! these shows, whose original series were both about a 12 year old boy born with godlike powers going on quests with his friends to save the world, released in the 2000s, and had a shitty movie adaptation, now reboots released within weeks of each other, both committed nearly identical crimes of character assassination, exposition dumping, dumbing down their source material, sanitizing “problematic” elements (that the characters originally had to overcome), and wasting actor potential (also at least live action atla had good action scenes CANNOT say the same for the pjo show)—and i’m seeing like mainstream(ish) social media coverage of new atla show critique by people with millions of followers all across different sites, but nothing even close to that for the pjo show?? if that coverage exists for the pjo show somebody fucken send it to me bc like!! the pjo series is Not an unpopular series, i get it’s a book series and not a tv series so i didn’t expect the popularity to be exactly the same, but Damn! i feel like i need an hours long video essay comparing the two audience reactions to these series’ first season releases bc they were WIDLY different

well that awful atla live action reboot has renewed my interest in avatar so I am yet again suggesting an avatar au for eryn. Eryns the avatar, Martin is the previous avatar, odahviing is her animal guide, etc etc etc etc

I think ab it so much actually

atla live action animated twilight percy jackson tv show hunger games prequel mean girls musical wonka musical barbie movie wizards of waverly place reboot moana 2 inside out 2 frozen 3 harry potter hbo max how to train your dragon live action

Idk if it has been said yet (it probably has) but I feel like when it comes to ATLA ships almost everyone feels the same way about Katara ending up with Aang we’re happy they did but we would have rather seen Katara with Zuko. Also Aang and Toph could have been a power couple too there could have been some cute moments with them. In the epilogue we could have seen him with Toph. Or Aang could have been with Ty Lee honestly they low-key have the same cute but deadly personality. Idk just my two cents it’s okay if you don’t agree. 🤷‍♀️.

Also was a Hardcore Zutara shipper when I was a kid watching the show and now I feel so validated seeing all this Zutara fan-art everywhere with the live action reboot.😍☺️🥰🌊❤️🔥

I hate that these YouTube videos complain and moan about how the Netflix live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender was a 'failure'...I mean, if that was the case, then why had it been renewed for not one, but TWO seasons, huh?

And like...I doubt the Avatar Studios stuff is gonna be anything groundbreaking. I don't even think Avatar Studios' content will be any good. Really, it's like, why is this even a thing? Just leave the franchise alone, Bryke, and just let people who can write and make your story a lot more enjoyable (Netflix's Avatar).

It just reeks of desperation and Bryke trying to be relevant. Avatar is not the next Star Wars, I'm sorry. It's a Nick cartoon that should've been an epic four-season (maybe five seasons, who knows?) show, but it shrunk to three, to make a failed shitty trilogy movie that the first movie bombed at the box office, thanks to the creators 'SUPER WISE' decision of canceling the fourth season because they want that trilogy movie series, and honestly? That itself was a bad idea. Bryke tries too hard to make their product the next Star Wars(which I think they're fans of, which says a lot), and it painfully shows. They try too hard. REALLY hard.

Like with Legend of Korra, they try to be super edgy with their 'story' and 'characters', but they just miss the mark on what made ATLA great. I mean, they don't even care about how the bending looks anymore in Korra. Really, there's a reason why they put the final season online, and it was just a bad show. Don't deny it, everyone. I'm certain it would've been good...but it was executed poorly and made not only a mockery of the characters in that show but the OG characters of ATLA(especially Katara). Well, maybe Zuko is the only one who's doing alright...but that just reeks of sexism doesn't it? Toph is all alone in the Swamp, and Katara is...not who she is...always sad about Aang's death...like get it together girl, you're mother-effin KATARA. Get with it!

And another thing, what more is there to tell? What is the next series even going to be? The Avatars are cut off after Korra, right? So...what now? And if you put the setting in some lame-ass futuristic steampunk or cyberpunk world and have bending in it, then...well, that's not really Avatar, is it? It's just its own thing at this point. And really, I don't want any new characters...I never wanted Korra's characters either if the writing they have for them was that bad.

I just think this whole Avatar Studios is just...again, desperation. Like why not reboot it or just...tell the same story, but with a different setting?

Sorry, lost track.

What I'm trying to say is, is that people act like the Netflix live-action of Avatar: The Last Airbender supposedly 'failed', which isn't the case. Y'all are just butthurt about how your 'perfect show' got 'tainted' by big corporations, and honestly, that's far from it. The people behind this live-action were very committed, and the actors were very respectful of their roles. The BTS looked like everyone was having a good time. And here you have idiots going on about how the live-action sucks because...what, Aang talks too much? No sexism from Sokka? Katara didn't act all rage-filled or whatever? I can get the criticisms, but still, I enjoyed it. I liked it. I want to see more.

It's just that this stupid fandom likes to put down the live-action because the cartoon is supposed to be this or that and it doesn't have this...when honestly, it's its own thing, but it's still Avatar! Let it be its own thing! You got the cartoon, now look at this NEW Avatar: The Last Airbender by Netflix! Look at the way they portray the characters, look at the direction they're going, look how they world-build, just look at it! It's almost like fanfiction, and really, isn't that what Avatar is? Fanfiction? It may be a cartoon show, but it's still fiction. They're not real people. We can do whatever we want with them. We're just borrowing their characters, story, and world.

This whole thing is an adaptation. So it's not your cartoon...but it's still Avatar.

I know I'm just rambling at this point, but I'm just kind of tired of seeing thumbnails on YouTube of people bringing down the live-action Avatar. I genuinely enjoyed it, and yes, while it may have some things to work on, the people behind the show will listen to their criticisms and work on that. But again, I still liked it.

Just know one thing...Bryke would've made the live-action of Avatar a whole lot worse if they were in control. I really do believe that. And as for Avatar Studios...I give it a year before it goes bankrupt. I know that's a little harsh, but I just know that the animated Avatar movie is going to be disappointing. ^^;

 Because I’ve never seen this spelt out or said out loud, I’m gonna voice my pet take that Taylor Hebert reads like an examination of the Spider-Man Archetype. 

Seriously, there are a shitload of parallels, from powers, to personality, to life circumstances. 

They both are:

superpeople with a bug motif (duh)

fifteen-year-old scrawny, Gangly, Nerdy, glasses-wearing brunettes from blue-collar liberal backgrounds with grossly judgmental running commentary on everyone around them

 relentlessly bullied by their more popular peers, with their costumed identity acting as a release valve where they get to be powerful

Are mourning the death of a beloved, idealized parental figure that they posthumously outsource a lot of their moral reasoning to 

Are keeping their living parental figure in the dark about their costumed career to “protect” them (and because said parental figure finds their costumed alter ego objectionable

constantly mistaken for or smeared as malevolent criminals despite their good intentions

conducting themselves in a deeply creepy and borderline inhuman manner, (it’s pretty normalized now, but Spider-Man had extremely unsettling locomotion when he debuted! He was a creepy thing to see on a wall at night!)

motivated in large part by a single “come-to-jesus” moment where they realized the costs of using their powers self-indulgently (Uncle Ben and Dinah)

possessed by enormous Atlas complexes, routinely breaking their own backs to save people who hate and fear them

street-level “friendly neighborhood” heroes, focusing on protecting and servicing a specific locality 

fighters with a style built around predicative, extrasensory battlefield awareness, using wits, webs, and on-the-fly deduction of weaknesses to hit well above their weight.

Where it diverges:

For Taylor and Peter, the bullying is presented as the pre-power status quo. For Peter, this fades into the background as his costumed life picks up and as he segues into adult life; for Taylor, it irrevocably fucks up her headstate from the word go and colors how she engages with literally every situation she encounters. Spider-Man is hounded as a criminal because of bad luck and bad marketing; Skitter is hounded as a criminal because she’s actually a criminal,  with a lot of her genuinely well-intentioned actions parsing as warlordism and cult-of-personality-building to a reasonable outside observer (because, you know, they are.) Spider-Man hides his life from Aunt May out of a sort of groundless fear she’d stop loving him; Taylor hides her double life because her surviving parent has genuine and reasonable ideological objections to her lifestyle. And, because Worm lets the consequences of the superheroic lifestyle play out without reboots or resets, Taylor’s Atlas Complex takes all of two years to utterly destroy her as a person, which, lets face it, is what would very likely happen to Spidey if there weren’t a metanarrative mandate to keep him alive for further adventures.

There’s too many parallels for this not to be intentional. It’s not as clean a line to draw as what the story does with Armsmaster (what if Batman’s prep time just wasn’t enough to keep him competitive) or Jack Slash (What if Joker’s metanarrative immunity was a codified power)  or Scion (what if Superman was an alien alien) but I do like to pitch Taylor as “Peter Parker if the story let him be as fucked up as his traumatic life circumstances indicate he should be.”

unpopular opinion but the gaang’s story is over. i don’t care for a live action reboot or a movie or an ATLA cinematic universe following them in the future made by writers who haven’t been able to squeeze similar success from their other projects and studios hoping to milk a popular IP for nostalgia-bait and turn it into the next franchise. that’s not me seeing the movie will be defacto bad because it’s riding off of the recent wave of ATLA popularity or anything—just that the current state of media is that a finished, good thing is never allowed to stay a finished, good thing. it must have spin-offs, sequels, prequels, anything to keep the cashcow running in the capitalist hellscape that will never allow art to sleep or age or rest peacefully, no matter how long it has been or how well-finished and -rounded an ending it had. let art end

if it gets out of development hell, i genuinely hope that the zelda movie bombs so widely and unanimously that it rivals the live action atla and makes people and the industry snap out of the 2020’s “remakes and reboots are lucrative and films are synonymous with content so why bother making anything specific or meaningful” social media hype merch that people buy for a month and then bury barbenheimer marvel netflix originals canceled after one season wolf in art’s clothing actors and writers strike ai bullshit nonsense era we are in