Avatar: The Last Airbender is coming to Netflix next month, so all eyes – understandably – were on its first trailer and how fans of the Nickelodeon animation would react.
Mercifully, the Fire Nation of social media didn’t attack. In fact, many moments taken from the original series for its live-action incarnation drew pangs of nostalgia from an expectant fanbase.
"Okay, so we've got cool bending battles, good music, correct name pronunciation, Sokka sarcasm, and Aang being a goof barreling into that statue like he did at the start of every episode of the animated series. There may be hope for this one yet," one fan said on Twitter.
"I'm still skeptical but seeing how visually stunning it looks gives me actual hope that it won't be a trash-fire. Never a replacement for the original of course, but could actually stand on its own as an adaptation," another wrote on Reddit.
Another Avatar fan said, "The way the characters in Avatar look and sound here... it looks like they did well. Sokka looks and acts likeable. Katara's laugh brought a smile to my face. Aang yeeting himself into a statue made me giggle. It's very possible they nailed this."
Others were pleasantly surprised at how accurate the Netflix version appears at first glance.
"The music, the accurate depiction of nations, and they say Aang properly?! This might be too good to be true,” one remarked. Another commented, “Avatar for Netflix looks so pure and accurate to the source."
Need proof of how accurate it is? Twitter user Azulasmind put together a beat-by-beat run-through of just how close the live-action series is to its animated counterpart.
avatar the last airbender: netflix trailer vs cartoon | comparison 🧵 pic.twitter.com/UJvSEFI99oJanuary 24, 2024
Avatar: The Last Airbender, starring Gordon Cormier, Daniel Dae Kim, Elizabeth Yu, Ian Ousley, and Kiawentiio, is set to hit Netflix on February 22. Watch the first trailer now – then check out more of the best Netflix shows.
