2026 has been a incredible 12 months to be a fan of the Avatar franchise — the basic fantasy saga, not the blue alien sci-fi motion pictures. The animated sequel collection Avatar: Seven Havens has been phenomenally profitable, with a second season already confirmed, and Paramount Studios even has an Avatar preventing recreation that truly feels nice to play. Nevertheless, arguably the largest win for Avatar followers this 12 months was Avatar Aang: The Final Airbender. Set 12 years after Avatar: The Final Airbender ended, the film reunited the gang for a brand new journey. And regardless that it did not get a theatrical launch as initially promised, it was nonetheless a win for Workforce Avatar.
Now, Abrams Books is releasing a brand new artwork e-book with that reveals recent particulars about Avatar: Aang: The Final Airbender.
That includes insights from co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, director Lauren Montgomery, and the prolonged animation group, this artwork e-book provides a behind-the-scenes take a look at what it took to carry the subsequent chapter to life.
Because of Abrams Books, Polygon has an unique preview of the artwork e-book. Check out these two eye-opening pages under.
Zuko, Hearth Lord and… a Ok-Pop Icon?
Whereas each member of Workforce Avatar had a critical glow-up by the point of the film, we felt one member bought the largest: Hearth Lord Zuko, Aang’s former nemesis and later shut buddy and firebending mentor.
As she adopted Aang and his associates into their 20s, character designer Christie Tseng wished to discover how various the returning major solid could possibly be.
“Contemplating how typically his coiffure modified within the present, [Zuko] definitely earned the largest hair silhouette replace out of the primary solid!” Tseng shares within the artwork e-book. “We explored many various hairstyles for him, together with shoulder-length to lengthy, flowing manes, worn in types starting from low buns to excessive ponytails.”
All through the animated collection, Zuko’s coiffure typically mirrored his position within the story. In season 1, he wore a prime knot, in step with typical Hearth Nation type. In season 2, Zuko and his uncle Iroh reduce their hair to represent abandoning their standing and occurring the run, leaving Zuko wanting quite scruffy. Zuko returns to the highest knot in season 3 and wears it for the final time within the collection finale, after changing into Hearth Lord.
In Avatar Aang: The Final Airbender, Zuko’s nonetheless bought that conventional prime knot. Nevertheless, animator Ki Hyun Ryu says the group thought-about many various variations of Zuko’s look, together with one that might have match proper in at a live performance corridor as he sang in entrance of tens of millions of followers.
“Early variations of Zuko leaned a bit an excessive amount of towards a ‘fairly boy’ look, however I strongly felt he wanted to look probably the most mature amongst Workforce Avatar, as he’s the ruler of the Hearth Nation,” Ryu explains within the artwork e-book. “I targeted on including stronger angles to his face and shifting away from a Ok-pop-idol vibe towards a extra grounded, masculine presence that displays a real imperial chief.”
It’s true that Zuko is attractive, and a extra Ok-pop-inspired look could have been interesting — simply take a look at the recognition of KPop Demon Hunters. However one of many highlights of Avatar: The Final Airbender was seeing how splendidly mature the characters had grow to be over time. It’s notable to see that maturity mirrored within the group’s need to inform a critical, significant story, proper right down to the small character particulars.
Followers can now see much more of how Avatar Aang: The Final Airbender got here collectively, with Avatar Aang: The Final Airbender: Artwork of the Film now out there for buy.