Imaginary Forces Teases Live Action Avatar: The Last Airbender

The 2005 original TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender is making a comeback with a live-action series debuting on Netflix in 2024. Netflix gave a first look at the show during their global TUDUM live event with a teaser created by Imaginary Forces. With a nod to the original animation, the teaser trailer from the creative studio showcases their ability to pack a significant punch in a short amount of time.

As fans of the cult-classic story, Imaginary Forces has crafted a simple sequence with each nation coming to life by displaying their elemental symbols in motion. The sequence builds anticipation with stunning visuals and a soundtrack of meditative chants, crafted by Eleven Sound. Each element behaves in a corresponding way that incorporates ancient practices and nods to the original Nickelodeon animation that fans of the show will undoubtedly recognize. Finally revealing the title of the show at the end, the light from Imaginary Forces shines on the new age of Aang, The Last Airbender.

Led by creative directors Anthony Gibbs and Tosh Kodama, the visionary intent was to tease the four elements, deliberately revealing only as much as necessary, withholding each surprise as the teaser progresses. With a visual musicality, the elements appear with their own cadence and crescendo, which is complemented by the edit. The teaser, which delivers on the promise of a ramped-up live-action adaptation, is exciting to diehard fans of the show and newcomers alike. 

Tosh Kodama elaborates: “It had to appeal to many people, but it couldn’t alienate the true fans. Those are the people who are going to spread the word and get excited about it. So, with the symbol in the beginning, we really teased it out. You can see just a glimpse of it, and then it gets revealed throughout. It’s creating this energy and power behind the show and, ultimately, the full build-up of the symbols. It’s a simple concept, but sometimes those are the most challenging and rewarding projects to do.”

Anthony Gibbs adds: “The interesting thing is that because it’s simple, we really had to dig deep. We found many creative possibilities in each symbol - they all have their own personalities - and explored how they behaved. We reflected that in the audio with instruments that matched the environments of each nation to create a more immersive experience.”