Ask people what the best animated show ever made is, and there's a good chance that someone will bring up Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender. Th
Ask people what the best animated show ever made is, and there’s a good chance that someone will bring up Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. The 3-season fantasy series was a gargantuan success when it first released, bringing with it stunning hand-drawn animation, a unique and intriguing world to explore, and truly well-developed and nuanced characters that grow with each episode. Now, over 20 years after the series first debuted, it remains as relevant now as it was in 2005.
That hasn’t gone unnoticed by Paramount, who has since expanded the Last Airbender universe with a sequel series (with another in vigorous development), a Netflix live-action remake that’s going into its third and final season, and now a full-blown feature — though this particular project has been fighting an uphill battle. Despite being announced as a theatrical release, the up-to-date movie, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, was then pulled from the release calendar in favor of a Paramount+ debut. After backlash, this film is now coming to select theaters via an awards-qualifying confined release for one week. Not only that, but the project faced another unfortunate hurdle when the film leaked in its entirety online months before its official release, which really only punished the creatives involved with the film rather than the company that pulled the theatrical debut.
Now, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is here in a more official capacity, and it really is a movie that yearns to be seen on the biggest screen possible. That’s because the newest chapter in the Avatar’s story is drop-dead gorgeous from start to finish, with that oh-so-rare 2D animation looking better than it ever has before. It’s clear that Paramount dropped the ball with such a confined theatrical release. That said, the film doesn’t necessarily justify its existence with a story that feels like it absolutely had to be told as a way to continue Aang’s (Eric Nam) story.
What Is ‘Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender’ About?
Taking place in between the events of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender sees Team Avatar prospering in a world free of Fire Lord Ozai’s (Mark Hamill) reign of terror, with each of them having grown from kids and teenagers into proper adults. Katara (Jessica Matten) is watching over the newly formed Republic City, Zuko (Steven Yeun) is rebuilding the Fire Nation, Sokka (Román Zaragoza) is back to inventing, Toph (Dionne Quan) is training the first generation of Metalbenders, and Aang is on the hunt for lost Air Nomad artifacts. Amid feeling like he is alone in the universe, Aang makes a groundbreaking discovery in the form of another Airbender named Tagah (Dave Bautista), who could very well hold the key to reviving Airbender culture once and for all.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is clearly trying to bridge the decades-long gap between the flagship series and it’s sequel, Korra, and it makes for some fun opportunities to see older and wiser versions of these classic characters at a stage where they still have a lot to learn. Since the movie is called Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, the titular protagonist gets the bulk of the focus, centering on his journey of coming to terms with being the so-called “Last Airbender.”
At a runtime of just about an hour and a half, that unfortunately means that the supporting members of Team Avatar really don’t have a lot to do. Despite having an all-star voice cast such as the likes of Steven Yeun, the characters Zuko, Toph, Sokka, and even Katara all feel like afterthoughts. Plus, considering The Legend of Korra reveals where a lot of these characters end up, it’s tough to buy into the more emotional, life-threatening stakes.
‘Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender’ Is One of the Most Beautiful Animated Movies of the Year
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, somewhat similar to a lot of Star Wars projects in today’s age, requires its viewers to do quite a bit of homework. If you haven’t seen the original series in its entirety, you’re going to be completely lost as to who these characters are and how this world works, regardless of the brief recap at the start of the film. For hardcore fans, though, there are not only a ton of references and nods to some of the show’s most beloved memes and characters, but it also never does anything overtly offensive to the canon — even if it doesn’t add much either.
The movie’s greatest trait must be credited to the animation. From the exhilarating action sequences to every hand-drawn, hand-animated location, character, and scene, each frame of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender is breathtakingly stunning. One could easily argue that it’s the most visually stunning trip to the Four Nations that the franchise’s original team has devised yet. It’s only going to look even better on the substantial screen, so if you’re lucky enough to be close to a theater playing it on the substantial screen, you definitely should buy a ticket.
‘Avatar Aang’ May be Gorgeous, But It Also Doesn’t Add Much to an Already Rich World
Avatar Aang: The Last AirbenderImage via Paramount+
The consistently stunning visuals of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender are worth the price of admission alone, but is this a story that needed to be told? One of the many reasons why the original show is so beloved is its pitch-perfect conclusion that gave every character a satisfying ending. The up-to-date movie doesn’t do anything to harm that, but it also doesn’t do much to add to it either, bar introducing some up-to-date lore in the form of a decent villain who’s repeating a lot of ideas from The Legend of Korra’s later seasons.
In more ways than one, Avatar Aang has a lot in common with another animated off-shoot of a major franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Both are stunning to look at, both have a lot of fun details for fans, but neither feels like they necessarily needed to be made. Then again, Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5 didn’t need to be made either, and those turned out just fine.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender may be just as stunning if not even more visually appealing than the other Avatar franchise it often gets confused with. However, like that franchise, its narrative is just serviceable enough, especially if one isn’t already invested in this sophisticated world. Regardless of its narrative issues, which are overall minor compared to other substantial legacy sequels, the film is so visually riveting that it truly deserved a wider theatrical run.
Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender premieres on Paramount+ and in select theaters on July 25, 2026.
Release Date
July 25, 2026
Runtime
99 minutes
Director
Lauren Montgomery, Steve Ahn, William Mata
Writers
Tim Hedrick, Christopher L. Yost, Kenneth Lin
Producers
Dagan Potter, Latifa Ouaou, Maryann Garger
Pros & Cons
- The animation and visuals are breathtaking.
- Aang’s journey of self-discovery is compelling.
- Tons of details for fans…
- …but not a lot for newcomers to latch onto.
- Team Avatar’s supporting characters are given nothing to do.
