Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 2) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Avatar: The Last Airbender |
|
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Nickelodeon |
| Original release | March 17 – December 1, 2006 |
Season Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender, also known as Book 2: Earth, is an animated TV series from the United States. It was shown on Nickelodeon. This season had 20 episodes, which first aired from March 17, 2006, to December 1, 2006.
The show was created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. Famous voice actors like Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Jessie Flower, Mako, Grey DeLisle, and Dante Basco brought the characters to life.
At the start of the season, the main character, Aang, and his friends, Katara and Sokka, were looking for an Earthbending teacher. They found and teamed up with Toph. Sokka also discovered important secrets about the war with the Fire Nation. Aang became very focused on finding his kidnapped flying bison, Appa. His search led him to Ba Sing Se, the capital city of the Earth Kingdom. There, he found out about serious problems and corruption within the city's government. By the end of the season, the Fire Nation took over Ba Sing Se. Aang and his friends escaped with Appa, who was finally found.
This season was highly praised by critics. Many said it was much better than other children's shows. They loved its look and how well it was made. Season 2 won several awards. These included "Best Character Animation in a Television Production" at the 34th Annie Awards. It also won "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation" at the 2007 Emmy Awards.
Nickelodeon released the season on DVD in different sets. Between January 23, 2007, and September 11, 2007, five DVD sets came out. Four sets had five episodes each. A fifth set included all twenty episodes. These DVDs were for Region 1 (USA). In the UK, only the full season box set was released on July 20, 2009.
Contents
Making the Show
The second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender was made by Nickelodeon. The show's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, worked closely with Aaron Ehasz. Most episodes were directed by Ethan Spaulding, Lauren MacMullan, and Giancarlo Volpe.
A team of writers created the stories for each episode. This team included Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick, and John O'Bryan. The creators, DiMartino and Konietzko, also helped write episodes.
The music for the season was created by "The Track Team." This group is made up of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn. Jeremy Zuckerman was Bryan Konietzko's roommate, so they knew each other well.
Main Characters
Many voice actors returned from the first season.
Voice Actors from Season One
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Zach Tyler Eisen | Aang |
| Mae Whitman | Katara |
| Jack DeSena | Sokka |
| Dante Basco | Zuko |
New Voice Actors
This season also introduced new characters and their voice actors.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jessie Flower | Toph |
| Cricket Leigh | Mai |
| Olivia Hack | Ty Lee |
| Grey DeLisle | Azula |
| Clancy Brown | Long Feng |
A Voice Actor Change
Mako Iwamatsu, who voiced Iroh in the first season, sadly passed away during the making of this season. Another actor, Greg Baldwin, took over the role of Iroh.
Season Two Episodes
Here is a list of all the episodes in Season Two.
| Episode's number | Τitle | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. Code |
| 1 | The Avatar State | Giancarlo Volpe | Aaron Ehasz, Elizabeth Welch Ehasz, Tim Hedrick & John O'Bryan | 17 March 2006 | 201 |
| 2 | The Cave of Two Lovers | Lauren MacMullan | Joshua Hamilton | 24 March 2006 | 202 |
| 3 | Return to Omashu | Ethan Spaulding | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | 7 April 2006 | 203 |
| 4 | The Swamp | Giancarlo Volpe | Tim Hedrik | 14 April 2006 | 204 |
| 5 | Avatar Day | Lauren MacMullan | John O' Bryan | 28 April 2006 | 205 |
| 6 | Blind bandit | Ethan Spaulding | Michael Dante DiMartino | 5 May 2006 | 206 |
| 7 | Zuko Alone | Lauren MacMullan | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | 12 May 2006 | 207 |
| 8 | The Chase | Giancarlo Volpe | Joshua Hamilton | 26 Μay 2006 | 208 |
| 9 | Bitter Work | Ethan Spaulding | Aaron Ehasz | 2 June 2006 | 209 |
| 10 | The Library | Giancarlo Volpe | John O' Bryan | 14 July 2006 | 210 |
| 11 | The Desert | Lauren MacMullan | Tim Hedrick | 14 July 2006 | 211 |
| 12 | The Serpent's Pass | Ethan Spaulding | Michael Dante DiMartino & Joshua Hamilton | 15 September 2006 | 212 |
| 13 | The Drill | Giancarlo Volpe | Michael Dante DiMartino + Bryan Konietzko | 15 September 2006 | 213 |
| 14 | City of Walls and Secrets | Lauren MacMullan | Tim Hedrick | 22 September 2006 | 214 |
| 15 | Tales of Ba Sing Se | Ethan Spaulding | Joann Estoesta, Lisa Wahlander, Andrew Huebner, Gary Scheppke, Lauren MacMullan, Katie Mattila, Justin Ridge & Giancarlo Volpe | 29 September 2006 | 215 |
| 16 | Appa's Lost Days | Giancarlo Volpe | Elizabeth Welch Ehasz | 12 October 2006 | 216 |
| 17 | Lake Laogai | Lauren MacMullan | Tim Hedrick | 3 November 2006 | 217 |
| 18 | The Earth King | Ethan Spaulding | Jonh O' Bryan | 16 November 2006 | 218 |
| 19 | The Guru | Giancarlo Volpe | 1 December 2006 | 219 | |
| 20 | The Crossroads of Destiny | Michael Dante DiMartino | Aaron Ehasz | 1 December 2006 | 220 |
What Critics Thought
Critics really liked Season Two of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Gabriel Powers from DVDActive.com called it one of the best children's series recently. He compared it to shows like Samurai Jack and Justice League. He praised its deep stories and humor. Powers said the show could entertain both kids and adults. He felt it had a classic feel, using real Asian culture and stories.
Jamie S. Rich from DVD Talk also gave high praise. He said that while the idea of Avatar might seem simple, the way it was made was far better than other kids' entertainment. He also thought the show's overall look was consistently excellent.
The show was also recognized for its amazing visuals. At the 34th Annie Awards, the show won "Best Character Animation in a Television Production" for Jae-Myung Yu's work in the episode "The Blind Bandit." It also won "Best Directing in an Animated Television Production" for the episode "The Drill." In 2007, the show was nominated for "Outstanding Animated Program" at the Emmy Awards for "City of Walls and Secrets." While it didn't win that award, it did win "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation" for Sang-Jin Kim's animation in the "Lake Laogai" episode.
DVD Releases
The second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender was released on DVD in several parts. Between January 23, 2007, and September 11, 2007, Nickelodeon put out five different DVD sets. Four of these sets each contained five episodes. The fifth set was a collection of all 20 episodes from the season. All these DVDs were made for Region 1, which covers the USA.
In the UK, fans could only buy the full season box set. It was not released in separate volumes first. The UK box set came out on July 20, 2009.
| Volume | Discs | Episodes | Region 1 release (USA) | Region 2 release (Europe) | Region 4 release (Australia) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 5 | 23 January 2007 | Not released | 4 June 2009 |
| 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 April 2007 | Not released | 6 August 2009 |
| 3 | 1 | 5 | 22 May 2007 | Not released | 29 October 2009 |
| 4 | 1 | 5 | 14 August, 2007 | Not released | 31 March 2010 |
| Box set | 5 | 20 | 11 September 2007 | 20 July 2009 | 9 September 2010 |
Future Film Plans
There were plans for a movie based on Book Two. This film would have been a sequel to The Last Airbender, which was based on Book One. The main actors and director M. Night Shyamalan were expected to return. Production might have started in 2011, with the movie possibly coming out in 2012. It was planned to be the second part of a three-movie series.
