Avatar: The Last Airbender-- A Cursed Franchise

 

This is the only Avatar: The Last Airbender you need to know, folks!

Looks like this blog went to continuing after all, but mostly related about the newer animaton topics and such reviews of the... well, you know that show that is all about.

As you may probably know, Nickelodeon have re-hired Avatar: TLA creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko back for another TV sequel show, an animated feature and such Digital contents for the likes of YouTube with Avatar: Seven Havens. From what the press says:

Set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, the original 26-episode, 2D-animated series centers around a young Earthbender who discovers she’s the new Avatar. The news was announced today by Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation.

But why it is a cursed franchise, from what the article's title says?

Because for such of a well-loved, respected and worthed animated series that have all begun in 2005, the Avatar franchise was a victim of rampant executives meddlings, by a very trivial live-action 2010s movie, a first sequel series with the character of Korra that has annoyed both fans and non-fans and then, back again, a Netflix live-action show that weren't that great. And seriously, chances that Seven Havens will get back the premise of the former series are seemingly thin. I don't understand why all the Paramount and Nickelodeon executives are eager to continuing this epic saga that was based of a series of books, but that the original lead-character, Aang, was a rather likable child for be the perfect hero. Such the opposite of Korra by seen exactly a stock heroine from producers who trying too hard to be flexible.

Here's what the synopsis of the newer show looks like: (I copy-pasted it in sake of prosperity)

Avatar: Seven Havens is set in a world shattered by a devastating cataclysm. A young Earthbender discovers she’s the new Avatar after Korra – but in this dangerous era, that title marks her as humanity’s destroyer, not its savior. Hunted by both human and spirit enemies, she and her long-lost twin must uncover their mysterious origins and save the Seven Havens before civilization’s last strongholds collapse.

The original saga that have ran for three seasons became a cult-favorite and parts of the final Nicktoons original hits series. And that was done on a time when action cartoons still were good.

Because when The Legend of Korra have premiered quietly in 2012, things have changed a lot on its purpose-- by first, a very unlikable heroine when her strenghts and muscles drawn the biggest of the productions troubles, Nickelodeon who don't give a f*ck to airing the episodes in hours that made sense, the odd decision to make the animations by the same studio who have animated the Naruto Anime and even the lesbian couple revelation in the sequel series' end was more derivative than something revolutionnary, by opened debates to the way LGTBQ+ characters are represented in fictional medias. But there, it was a wasted opportunity if the rest of the show and characters were more like Hanna-Barbera tropes than people with their self-interests and issues, no mention the way it managed to tackle such topical things at politics or the place of women in society at more haphazard than really entertaining. And that was from the same guys who have make big time with Aang!

And there's another fact of why it's been a cursed franchise since-- The 2010s decade weren't that great with action animated contents, despite having better budgets and quality control in-between. When you think about, at that time, the best productions in animation were about a certain Great Dane character from a franchise that seems to never own an end, even not by the living of the Hanna-Barbera producers and studio: Scooby-Doo!

Compare Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated to The Legend of Korra and seen who between the twos still hold up nowadays...

And by funding then an newer animated feature have to debut in theaters for January 30th 2026. In this time when movie theaters have to doubled the efforts to please a very frantic audience by the Post-COVID and Inflation era, we only hope that this is will be a better effort than the other, abysmal retreads of the franchise.

I thought a stand-alone Avatar: The Last Airbender with Aang and his crew would be just enough to delivering one of the most epic and respectful animated series of the past two decades. But now, it's gone. If you think drecks like Miraculous: Ladybug and Cat Noir is its 2010s counterpart, you probably are as cynical than the 3D-ish animated cartoon have to offer.