Avatar: The Last Airbender (franchise) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Avatar |
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Creator | Michael Dante DiMartino Bryan Konietzko |
Original work | Avatar: The Last Airbender (The Legend of Aang) |
Owner | ViacomCBS |
Print publications | |
Books | List of artbooks |
Novels | List of novels |
Comics | List of comics |
Films and television | |
Films | The Last Airbender (2010) Untitled animated film (upcoming) |
Television series | Avatar: The Last Airbender (upcoming) |
Animated series | Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) The Legend of Korra (2012–2014) |
Bryan Konietzko's and Michael Dante DiMartino's Avatar franchise is an American multimedia franchise consisting of two animated television series, a live-action film, comics, books, video games, home media, and soundtracks. The franchise began with the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender (The Legend of Aang), which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate (or "bend") one of the four classical elements: air, water, earth or fire. Only the titular "Avatar" can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world.
Since its original release, Avatar has developed into a franchise spanning works in various media. A sequel animated television series, The Legend of Korra, aired on Nickelodeon from 2012 to 2014 and has since expanded into its own sub-franchise. The storylines of both animated series have been continued in comic book form. Other franchise tie-ins include novelizations, art books, companion books, video games, and home media releases. In 2010, the original animated series was adapted into a live-action film titled The Last Airbender. The film itself spawned a novelization series, two graphic novels, two video games, a soundtrack album, and DVD and blu-ray releases. A Netflix live-action remake of the original series began production in 2019.
In February 2021, Nickelodeon announced the creation of Avatar Studios, "a division designed to create original content spanning animated series and movies based on the franchise’s world." The original creators and executive producers Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will run the studio as co-chief creative officers, with an animated theatrical film set to start production in 2021 as its first release.
Television series
Series | Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
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First released | Last released | Network | ||||
Avatar: The Last Airbender | 1 | 20 | February 21, 2005 | December 2, 2005 | Nickelodeon | |
2 | 20 | March 17, 2006 | December 1, 2006 | |||
3 | 21 | September 21, 2007 | July 19, 2008 | |||
The Legend of Korra | 1 | 12 | April 14, 2012 | June 23, 2012 | Nickelodeon | |
2 | 14 | September 13, 2013 | November 22, 2013 | |||
3 | 13 | June 27, 2014 | August 22, 2014 | |||
4 | 13 | October 3, 2014 | December 19, 2014 | |||
Republic City Hustle | 1 | 3 | August 9, 2013 | August 23, 2013 | YouTube | |
Untitled live-action series | 1 | 10 | 2022 | TBA | Netflix |
Films
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Status |
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The Last Airbender | June 30, 2010 | M. Night Shyamalan | Sam Mercer & Frank Marshall | Released | |
Untitled animated Avatar Studios film | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA | In development |
The Last Airbender
The Last Airbender is a 2010 live-action adaptation of the first season of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender by M. Night Shyamalan. The film was widely panned by critics, as it has been considered one of the worst films ever made and took in $319 million at the worldwide box office.
Untitled animated Avatar Studios film
In February 2021, It was announced that a theatrical animated film will be released by Paramount Pictures, with production set to begin later in 2021. It will serve as the first project from Avatar Studios.
Comics
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Title | Release date(s) | Media type | Ref. |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender | January 25, 2006 – August 6, 2008 | Film comic series | |
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Free Comic Book Day issues | May 7, 2011 – May 2, 2015 | Mini-comic | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Lost Adventures | June 15, 2011 | Anthology | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise | January 25 – September 26, 2012 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Search | March 20 – October 30, 2013 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rift | March 5 – November 18, 2014 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Smoke and Shadow | October 6, 2015 – March 16, 2016 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – North and South | September 14, 2016 – April 26, 2017 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Imbalance | December 18, 2018 – October 01, 2019 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Team Avatar Tales | October 15, 2019 | Anthology | |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Katara and the Pirate's Silver | October 14, 2020 | Anthology | |
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The Last Airbender
Title | Release date(s) | Media type | Ref. |
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The Last Airbender Prequel: Zuko's Story | May 18, 2010 | Graphic novel | |
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The Last Airbender | June 22, 2010 | Graphic novel | |
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The Legend of Korra
Title | Release date(s) | Media type | Ref. |
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Free Comic Book Day issues | May 7, 2016 – May 5, 2018 | Mini-comic | |
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The Legend of Korra: Turf Wars | July 26, 2017 – August 22, 2018 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire | May 21, 2019 – February 26, 2020 | Graphic novel trilogy | |
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Books
Novels
Title | Release date | Age category | Media type | Ref. |
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The Earth Kingdom Chronicles | May 8, 2007 – April 8, 2008 | Children | Novelization series | |
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Ready-to-Read | July 1 – December 16, 2008 | Children | Novelization series | |
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Sozin's Comet: The Final Battle | May 20, 2008 | Children | Novelization | |
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The Last Airbender Movie Novelization | May 25, 2010 | Children | Novelization | |
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The Last Airbender Movie | May 25, 2010 | Children | Novelization series | |
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Nickelodeon: Legend of Korra | January 8 – July 9, 2013 | Young adult | Novelization series | |
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The Kyoshi Novels | July 16, 2019 - TBA | Young adult | Novel series | |
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Art books
Title | Release date | ISBN | Media type | Ref. |
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How to Draw Avatar: The Last Airbender | March 28, 2007 | Drawing book | ||
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Avatar: The Last Airbender Drawing Book and Kit | September 28, 2007 | Drawing book | ||
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Art of the Animated Series | May 19, 2010 | Concept art | ||
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The Legend of Korra Book One: Air – The Art of the Animated Series | July 17, 2013 | Concept art | ||
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How to Draw The Legend of Korra | August 15, 2014 | Drawing book | ||
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The Legend of Korra Book Two: Spirits – The Art of the Animated Series | September 3, 2014 | Concept art | ||
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The Legend of Korra Book Three: Change – The Art of the Animated Series | January 21, 2015 | Concept art | ||
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Poster Collection | August 12, 2015 | Posters | ||
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The Legend of Korra Book Four: Balance – The Art of the Animated Series | September 2, 2015 | Concept art | ||
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The Legend of Korra – The Poster Collection | September 28, 2016 | Posters | ||
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Avatar: The Last Airbender Coloring Book | October 5, 2016 | Adult coloring book | ||
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The Legend of Korra Coloring Book | July 12, 2017 | Adult coloring book | ||
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Others
Title | Release date | ISBN | Media type | Ref. |
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The Lost Scrolls | December 26, 2006 – January 23, 2007 | Various | Companion book series | |
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The Ultimate Pocket Guide | July 24, 2007 | Companion book | ||
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Battle of the Benders | January 8, 2008 | 3D book | ||
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Brainbenders from the Four Nations | January 8, 2008 | Quiz book | ||
Mindbenders and Brainbusters: The Ultimate Avatar Challenge | September 9, 2008 | Quiz book | ||
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The Legend of Korra: Enhanced Experience | July 2, 2013 | E-book | ||
Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy | October 13, 2015 | Illustrated fiction | ||
The Legend of Korra: An Avatar's Chronicle | August 6, 2019 | Illustrated fiction | ||
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Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy of The Fire Nation | February 4, 2020 | Illustrated fiction | ||
Video games
Title | Details |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2006 – Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Burning Earth
Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2007 – Wii, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 |
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Avatar: The Last Airbender – Into the Inferno
Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2008 – Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2 |
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Avatar: Legends of the Arena
Original release date:
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Release years by system: 2008 – Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X |
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Original release date(s): |
Release years by system: 2010 – Wii, Nintendo DS |
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The Legend of Korra
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2014 – Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
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The Legend of Korra: A New Era Begins
Original release date(s):
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Release years by system: 2014 – Nintendo 3DS |
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Cast and crew
Cast
- Note: A gray cell indicates the character did not appear in that medium.
Crew
Home media
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Season | Volume | DVD release dates | |||
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Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
1 | 1 | January 24, 2006 | February 19, 2007 | March 15, 2007 | |
2 | March 28, 2006 | June 4, 2007 | July 5, 2007 | ||
3 | May 30, 2006 | September 3, 2007 | March 13, 2008 | ||
4 | July 18, 2006 | February 18, 2008 | June 19, 2008 | ||
5 | September 19, 2006 | May 26, 2008 | March 5, 2009 | ||
2 | 1 | January 23, 2007 | Not released | June 4, 2009 | |
2 | April 10, 2007 | August 4, 2009 | |||
3 | May 22, 2007 | October 29, 2009 | |||
4 | August 14, 2007 | March 31, 2010 | |||
3 | 1 | October 30, 2007 | June 1, 2010 | ||
2 | January 22, 2008 | September 21, 2010 | |||
3 | May 6, 2008 | October 7, 2010 | |||
4 | July 29, 2008 | November 4, 2010 |
Season | DVD release dates | Blu-ray release dates | ||||
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Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Region free | |||
1 | September 12, 2006 | January 26, 2009 | June 4, 2009 | Not released | ||
2 | September 11, 2007 | July 20, 2009 | September 9, 2010 | |||
3 | September 16, 2008 | February 1, 2010 | December 2, 2010 | |||
Complete series | October 6, 2015 | August 6, 2012 | Not released | May 1, 2018 |
The Last Airbender
Film | DVD release dates | Blu-ray release dates | ||
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Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | Region free | |
The Last Airbender | November 16, 2010 | December 13, 2010 | January 13, 2011 | November 16, 2010 |
The Legend of Korra
Soundtracks
Title | Details |
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June 29, 2010 – Compact disc, digital |
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The Legend of Korra: Original Music from Book One
July 16, 2013 – Compact disc, digital |
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