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Paramount and the team behind Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender have had a long road ahead of them in getting the animated feature released on streaming. The project was first announced in February 2021, a time when fans of The Last Airbender and the Avatar franchise as a whole were more optimistic about the future of that animated world. Five years later, things aren't looking as good for Avatar Studios, a division of Nickelodeon Animation Studios dedicated to overseeing the franchise. Despite the worries, the first reviews have started to pour in online from critics, and they point to a worthy entry in the iconic fantasy series.
At the time of this writing, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender has a 91% fresh rating on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. Although this is only based on 11 reviews, it's still a good sign that the initial reception to the film is positive. Unfortunately, the positive reviews come after many have already seen the long-awaited feature. The entirety of Avatar Aang leaked online a couple of months prior to release, available to watch on social media or download on a piracy website. A series that was already struggling to retain relevancy within Paramount suffered a devastating blow with the leak.
What makes matters worse is that when it was first announced, the intention was for Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender to be released in theaters, before it was relegated to Paramount+ years later. Animated features heading straight to streaming as opposed to theatrical have been a heavy topic of debate. The medium of animation is one that has seemingly been overlooked, with Avatar Aang's placement in streaming being indicative of the negative trends that the industry is leaning towards. Now, the reviews of the film have praised it for its gorgeous animation, boasting engrossing visuals that might have popped even more on the big screen.
One negative review from The Hollywood Reporter states that while Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender does indeed have stunning animation, it has a rushed narrative that brings the whole film down. Regardless, the critical consensus seems to be that this is a title that would have been an enjoyable experience in theaters. Fortunately, following the online leak and the backlash towards the shift to a streaming release, Paramount has since revealed that Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender will receive a limited theatrical release. It will be interesting to see how it performs in a summer movie season that is packed with big releases, especially with the small number of screens showing it.
Although Avatar Aang was the victim of release date changes and leaks, it seems that the film stands well enough on its own and deserves to be seen either in theaters or on streaming. Hopefully, the critical success continues, and the streaming numbers prove that Avatar Studios has a place at Paramount for future installments in the franchise. Whether that be another animated film or an entirely new series, which is also in development.
