Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1 explained

Season Number:1
Book One: Water
Bgcolour:
  1. 3A5892
Num Episodes:20
Network:Nickelodeon
First Aired:[1]
Next Season:Book Two: Earth

Book One: Water is the first season of , an American animated television series created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.[2] The first season aired on Nickelodeon from February 21 to December 2, 2005, and consisted of 20 episodes.[3] The series stars Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu and Jason Isaacs as the main character voices.

The season revolves around the protagonist Aang and his friends Katara and Sokka going on a journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara. The Fire Nation is waging a seemingly endless imperialist war against the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, following the genocide of the Air Nomads one hundred years ago. Aang, the current Avatar, must master the four elements (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) to end the war. Along the way, Aang and his friends are chased by various pursuers: the banished Fire Nation Prince Zuko, along with his uncle and former general Iroh, and Admiral Zhao of the Fire Navy.

Each episode of the season attracted more than a million viewers on its first airing. Between January 31 and September 19, 2006, five DVD sets were released in the United States, each containing four episodes from the season. On September 12, 2006, Nickelodeon also released the "Complete Book 1 Collection Box Set", which contained all of the episodes in the season as well as a special features disc.[4] The original releases were encoded in Region 1, a DVD type that plays only in North American DVD players. From 2007 to 2009, Nickelodeon released Region 2 DVDs, which can play in Europe.__TOC__

Episodes

Production

The show was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and aired on Nickelodeon, both of which are owned by Viacom. The show's executive producers were co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who worked alongside head writer and co-producer Aaron Ehasz. Eight episodes were directed by Dave Filoni.[5] Animation directors Lauren MacMullan and Giancarlo Volpe directed five episodes each, and Anthony Lioi directed two.

Episodes were written or co-written by a team of writers, which included Nick Malis, John O'Bryan, Matthew Hubbard, James Eagan, Ian Wilcox, Tim Hedrick and Elizabeth Welch.[6] All of the show's music was composed by "The Track Team", which consists of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn, who were known to the producers because Zuckerman was Konietzko's roommate.[7] Two alternating Korean studios were enlisted to provide animation production support for the series, DR Movie and JM Animation Co.[8]

Cast

Most of the show's main characters made their debut within most, if not all, of the first episodes: Zach Tyler Eisen provided Aang's voice, Mae Whitman as Katara's voice, Jack DeSena as Sokka's voice, Dante Basco as Zuko's voice, Mako as Iroh's voice,[9] and Dee Bradley Baker as the voices of both Appa and Momo. Additional supporting characters include Commander (later Admiral) Zhao, voiced by Jason Isaacs.[10]

Reception

Film critics appreciated the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender because it attracted the attention of "an audience beyond the children's market with crisp animation and layered storytelling."[11] On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A brilliant blend of magic, humor, and adventure, Avatar is an instant classic." As for the video and picture quality, Gord Lacey from TVShowsOnDVD.com claims "the colors are bright, and the picture is nearly flawless." He says later in the review that "the audio is very nice, with lots of directional effects and nice musical cues."[12] Barnes & Noble reviewer Christina Urban praised the season's masterful combination of "elements from Chinese kung fu, Tibetan philosophy, Japanese martial arts forms, and even Hindu spiritual beliefs".[13] According to Aaron Bynum from AnimationInsider.net, "the series posted double digit year-to-year gains in May". He also said that the show has been number one in the boys 9- to 14-year-old demographic, and has attracted many age and gender groups in its pool of 1.1 million viewers who watch each new episode.[14]

In addition, the season has won many awards throughout its runtime. During the 33rd Annual Annie Awards, the show was nominated for the "Best Animated Television Production" award. Because of the episode "The Fortuneteller", the show was nominated for the "Writing for an Animated Television Production" award. For the episode "The Deserter", the season was nominated for and won the "Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production" award.[15] During the 2005 Pulcinella Awards, the season won the "Best Action/Adventure TV Series" award as well and the general "Best TV Series" award.[16]

Home media release

Region 1

Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment started releasing Season One DVDs in North America on January 31, 2006, with a series of single-disc sets containing four episodes per disc. Later the Complete Book 1 Collection was released on September 12, 2006, containing all twenty episodes plus extras on six discs.

Region 2

PAL versions of the single-disc volume sets started being released on February 19, 2007;. As with the original Region 1 NTSC DVDs, each set contains four episodes per disc. The Complete Book One Collection was released on January 26, 2009, containing all twenty episodes on five discs.[17] These Region 2 releases lack the commentary tracks and other DVD extras found on the Region 1 releases.

VolumeDiscsEpisodesRelease date
Region 1Region 2Region 4
align=center 1align=center 1align=center 4January 31, 2006[18] February 19, 2007[19] March 15, 2007[20] [21]
align=center 2align=center 1align=center 4March 28, 2006June 4, 2007[22] July 5, 2007[23]
align=center 3align=center 1align=center 4May 30, 2006September 3, 2007[24] March 13, 2008[25]
align=center 4align=center 1align=center 4July 18, 2006February 18, 2008[26] June 19, 2008[27]
align=center 5align=center 1align=center 4September 19, 2006May 26, 2008[28] March 5, 2009[29] [30]
align=center Box setalign=center 6[31] align=center 20September 12, 2006January 26, 2009[32] June 4, 2009[33] [34]

Live-action adaptations

The Last Airbender is a live-action film based on the first season of the animated television series and had a theatrical release on July 1, 2010. The film, directed by M. Night Shyamalan,[35] [36] was universally panned by critics, audiences and fans of the series alike and grossed $319 million on a $150 million budget.

The first season would once again be adapted into an unrelated live-action series and released on Netflix on February 22, 2024.[37] [38] The series received mixed reviews from critics and audiences.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Avatar Sneak Peak . Nickelodeon . May 29, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20071018030808/http://www.nick.com/all_nick/tv_supersites/video.jhtml?show_id=ava&clip=16 . October 18, 2007.
  2. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender Review . Fries . Laura . February 21, 2005 . Variety TV . Reed-Elsevier Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080418153134/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117926289.html?categoryid=32&cs=1 . April 18, 2008.
  3. Web site: The Siege of the North — Part 2 Review . Mell . Tory Ireland . May 27, 2008 . IGN Entertainment . February 26, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090223123052/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/876/876640p1.html . 23 February 2009 . live.
  4. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 DVD Information . TVShowsOnDvd.com . September 6, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081002012715/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Avatar-Airbender-Complete-Book-1/5906 . 2 October 2008 . dead.
  5. DiMartino . Michael Dante . Michael Dante DiMartino . Konietzko . Bryan . Bryan Konietzko . Aaron H. Bynum . Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 3 . Animation Insider . Interview: Transcript . August 29, 2005 . May 29, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927172255/http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=841&document=3 . September 27, 2011.
  6. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender . . Hollywood Media Corporation . May 30, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080415123317/http://www.hollywood.com/tv/Avatar_The_Last_Airbender/5205494 . 15 April 2008 . live.
  7. DiMartino . Michael Dante . Michael Dante DiMartino . Konietzko . Bryan . Bryan Konietzko . Aaron H. Bynum . Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 4 . Animation Insider . Interview: Transcript . August 29, 2005 . December 12, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110527130218/http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=841&document=4 . 27 May 2011 . dead.
  8. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) Company Credits . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160930175816/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/companycredits . 2016-09-30.
  9. The Siege of the North, Part II . December 2, 2005 . 1 . 20 . Director: Dave Filoni; Writer: Aaron Ehasz . Avatar: The Last Airbender . Avatar: The Last Airbender . Nickelodeon.
  10. The Southern Air Temple . February 25, 2005 . 1 . 3 . Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino . Avatar: The Last Airbender . Avatar: The Last Airbender . Nickelodeon.
  11. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 Collection . Rich . Jamie S. . September 27, 2006 . DVDTalk.com . May 4, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090507145932/http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/24067/avatar-the-last-airbender-the-complete-book-1-collection/ . May 7, 2009.
  12. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender — Book 1: Water, Volume 2 Review . Lacey . Gord . March 25, 2006 . TVShowsOnDVD.com . May 4, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080420065259/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/reviews/Avatar-Airbender-Volume-Release/5553 . 20 April 2008 . dead.
  13. Web site: Avatar The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 Collection; Editorial Reviews . . Urban, Christina . August 6, 2008 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080919133828/http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/Avatar-The-Last-Airbender-The-Complete-Book-1-Collection/e/97368011922#TABS . September 19, 2008.
  14. Web site: Avatar: Season 3 . December 16, 2006 . June 30, 2006 . Aaron H. Bynum . Animation Insider . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120205104834/http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=1066 . February 5, 2012.
  15. Web site: Annie Awards: Legacy - 33rd Annual Annie Awards . February 9, 2005 . International Animated Film Society . April 26, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080517061205/http://annieawards.org/33rdwinners.html . 17 May 2008 . live.
  16. Web site: Cartoons on the Bay Picks Winners . May 3, 2005 . Ryan Ball . Animation Magazine . December 8, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071211072751/http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=3902 . 11 December 2007 . live.
  17. Web site: Avatar — The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 - Water — Collection (vol. 1-5) . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011431/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0012TMEVG . June 29, 2011.
  18. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD . October 28, 2008 . February 24, 2005 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20081017180706/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/shows/Avatar-Airbender/8931 . 17 October 2008 . dead.
  19. Web site: Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.1 . February 19, 2007 . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011124/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000KRNMKI . June 29, 2011.
  20. Web site: Avatar - The Last Airbender: Book 1 - Water: Volume 1 . . June 20, 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090828043343/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/788837 . August 28, 2009.
  21. Web site: Avatar: Book 1 - Water - Vol 1 DVD . https://archive.today/20120912133442/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/264261/AVATAR:-BOOK-1---WATER---VOL.-1 . dead . September 12, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  22. Web site: Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.2 . June 4, 2007 . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011214/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000NTPCOW . June 29, 2011.
  23. Web site: Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 2 . https://archive.today/20121230184819/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/273923/AVATAR:-BOOK-1---WATER-VOLUME-2 . dead . December 30, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  24. Web site: Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.3 . September 3, 2007 . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011246/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000RGUNJA . June 29, 2011.
  25. Web site: Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 3 . https://archive.today/20121230105214/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/288904/AVATAR:-BOOK-1---WATER-VOL-3 . dead . December 30, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  26. Web site: Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.4 . February 18, 2008 . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011329/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000Z63ZP6 . June 29, 2011.
  27. Web site: Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 4 . https://archive.today/20121231033057/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/293766/AVATAR:-BOOK-1---WATER---VOL-4 . dead . December 31, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  28. Web site: Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.5 . May 26, 2008 . Amazon.com, Inc. . May 30, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20110629011345/http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00147AJAY . June 29, 2011.
  29. Web site: Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 5 . https://archive.today/20120903153852/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/409186/AVATAR:-BK-1-WATER---VOL-5 . dead . September 3, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  30. Web site: Avatar - The Legend of Aang: Book 1 - Water: Volume 5 . . June 20, 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090316095027/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/804792 . March 16, 2009.
  31. Web site: Avatar: The Last Airbender — Season One DVD Information . October 28, 2008 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20081104131051/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Avatar-Airbender-Complete-Book-1/5906 . 4 November 2008 . dead.
  32. Web site: DVD: Avatar: Book 1 Water: Volume 1/2/3/4/5: 5dvd (2009) . hmv.com . February 1, 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120928101438/http://hmv.com/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?sku=906914&tduid=3caba415ea373338ef4a9ec79e4f7a4f . September 28, 2012.
  33. Web site: Avatar - The Legend of Aang: The Complete Book 1 Collection (5 Disc Box Set) . . June 20, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090509150216/http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/806138 . 9 May 2009 . dead.
  34. Web site: Avatar: The Legend of Aang (Complete Book 1) (5 DVD Set) - DVD . https://archive.today/20121230225707/http://www.jbhifionline.com.au/Product/427117/AVATAR:-THE-LEGEND-OF-AANG-(Complete-Book-1)-(5-DVD-Set) . dead . December 30, 2012 . . June 20, 2009.
  35. Web site: Shyamalan's 'Avatar' also to bigscreen . McClintock . Pamela . Gabriel Snyder . January 8, 2007 . Variety.com . June 29, 2008 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20080410201731/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117956950.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 . April 10, 2008.
  36. Fernandez . Jay A. . Four more land 'Airbender' roles . . March 15, 2009 . April 3, 2009 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090405184407/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i68061ff8eae6a637ce15f10f7be4da48 . April 5, 2009.
  37. Web site: Tinoco . Armando . June 17, 2023 . 'Avatar: The Last Airbender': Netflix Releases First Look Photos & Teaser Of Live-Action Series Ahead Of 2024 Release — Tudum . June 24, 2023 . Deadline Hollywood . July 1, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230701234100/https://deadline.com/2023/06/avatar-the-last-airbender-netflix-first-look-photos-teaser-live-action-series-tudum-1235419716/ . live.
  38. Avatar: The Last Airbender live-action trailer reveals Appa, premiere date, and more . Romano . Nick . . November 9, 2023 . November 11, 2023 . November 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231111191824/https://ew.com/tv/avatar-the-last-airbender-live-action-trailer-premiere-date/ . live.

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