The Nickelodeon Animation Twitter account has granted fans a little taste of the creative process behind Avatar: The Last Airbender, as a treat. The account, which provides updates and behind-the-scenes looks at Nickelodeon’s animated shows, recently tweeted a video of the original pencil animation test of the climactic duel between Zuko and Azula.
Punctuated with clips from the finished scene, the video showcases a portion of the duel which served as the final crescendo of Zuko and Azula’s sibling tension. Known as “Agni Kai” (a traditional firebender duel in the world of The Last Airbender), the battle features some of the most impressive and highly praised animation in the entire show, and the pencil test doesn’t slack off in that department.
The explosions, the clash of orange and blue, and the intricate character animations are all there even in this early draft of the scene. While it’s obviously rough compared to the painstakingly polished final product, the talent and skill of the animators involved are still apparent with each detail. The contrast between Azula’s wild ferocity and Zuko’s focused determination comes through clearly as well.
Brought to life by an impressive group of artists and animators, The Last Airbender stands above many of its contemporaries thanks to the sheer effort put in. From animation to writing to voice acting, it all holds up to this day, and it’s easy to see why when even the framework shown in the brief video just radiates with so much care and attention to detail. It’s no wonder that artists like Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian) have moved on from this show to do great things.
The Last Airbender has been no stranger to the headlines in the years since the show’s conclusion, from 2010’s less than favorably reviewed live-action film adaptation to the upcoming Netflix remake series (also live-action). The 2010 movie is almost infamous for its sub-sub-lukewarm reception, earning its place on many a “Worst Movies of All Time” list. Netflix, who apparently believes any publicity is good publicity, saw how that went and still decided to make their own version. After recently losing the original show’s creators due to creative differences, it looks as though the series will certainly be remembered for one reason or another.
But enough about the dark times. The original show was great and The Legend of Korra was a worthy follow-up, so focus on that. The video from Nickelodeon Animation is a fascinating window into not only the inner workings, but also a different time, when people were younger and animation was different. (Hey, enjoyment is subjective. No need to bash the present to glorify the past.)
Source: Nickelodeon Animation/Twitter
