Here are the first exclusive pics of the main characters in next year's fantasy "The Last Airbender". From top to bottom, first there is Jackson Rathbone as Sokka, the main strategist and braveheart. Beside him is Nicola Peltz as Catara who is the waterbender. Then comes Dev Patel as prince Zuko of the Firebenders. And the last one is little Noah Ringer as Aang, the last airbender who can control all the elements.
These characters look nice. And very true to original show. I only have little problem with Aang. His face (cartoon face) had some carefree demeanor that I just don't see in this actors expressions.
ReplyDeleteHow are they true to the show? The top two should be dark-skinned Inuits/Native Americans. The bottom two should be East-Asian. This is a mess.
ReplyDeleteYes, the youngest kid does look a bit cranky :)
ReplyDeleteGreetings to the Anonymous :) We've been discussing recently, here at HOLLYWOOD SPY how American movies don't really follow the original races when adapting a book or comic or a video game into a movie.
Greeting to Anonymous. :)
ReplyDeleteTrue. But ethnic diversity (undiversity? :)) aside, things could've been much worse. Zuko could've been blond or redhead (being firebender :)), or even sport a mustache. Aang could have had long hair instead of being clean shaven. Uniforms/costumes could've been much different. And so on...
And it's a mistake to try to draw parallels between our world and Avatar's imagined one.
Sokka and Catara are from Water Tribe, not from Inuit people. After all, in Avatar's world there are Water Tribes inhabiting both North and South poles. That is not the case with our world.
Water Tribe is just based on Inuit people. And it is a lucky thing Inuit share same genealogy with east Asian peoples. Lucky for animators, that is. It is a well know fact that most of eastern animators have a limited "pool" of faces and facial characteristics. In other words, they always draw humans as some kind of big eyed east Asian people.
But back to the Avatar and its genetic/ethnic diversity. We have see map of Avatar's world numerous times (and it doesn't look like Earth at all). Creators of the show populated that world with four tribes (elemental tribes). To the east - Earth Kingdom, based on east Asian civilisations. On western archipelago - Fire Nation, also based on east Asian civilisation. North and South - Water Tribes, with offshoots around the world. One of those offshoots is a water tribe in swaps to the west. Those people are loosely based on USA's rednecks (Louisiana, Florida, and other southern states). Minus the modern times, of course. And they also look like east Asians, mixed with South American natives. With big eyes, of course.
And finally, we have (we had :( ) Air nomads, scattered throughout the world. They are loosely based on Buddhistic monks. And genealogically they look like every other humans inhabiting that world.
In Avatar's world, there is no sign of true western civilisation or its people. There are no Black, Arabic or Hindu people either.
So we have to start looking critically at those creators/animators first and foremost. Not at the producers and casting directors of the movie.
All of this doesn't bother me at least. And it really shouldn't bother anyone else. Avatar's creators can borrow/disregard any coulture or genealogy they like, at theirs hart's desire. :) The same goes for movie producers and casting directors.
What truly matters is the story of Avatar. And the is an splendid story, which easily transcends ethnic or coultural differences we (unknowingly) put there ourselves.
heheh odlicno objasnjenje :)
ReplyDeleteu istocnoj animaciji velike oci imaju deca i mlade zene, oznacavaju nevinost
THE WISE CONCLUSION: don't mess with Marko :)))
ReplyDeletemess with the best die like the rest
ReplyDeletehi hi hi hi ... :))))))))))))))
ReplyDelete