'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Cinematographer Promises Netflix Adaptation Stays True to the Original Visual Style
If there is any testament to the particular power of animated storytelling, a case can be made that it is found primarily in Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Nickelodeon original not only challenged the platforms’ nonlinear history, but in only three seasons (not counting the spinoff), it managed to sweep the world with popularity and impact in spades.
This is evidenced in its continued fame to this day, with a permanent and heavily visited home on Netflix being the main source, in addition to physical copies of the episodes and innumerable lines and sorts of merchandise worldwide. What’s more, in just under a week, Netflix will be made home to The Last Airbender twice over; their live-action adaptation of the original series hits the platform, hoping to set a new standard for a genre that has seen notorious turmoil over the years.
Fans of such franchises, especially this one, have long begged those behind the re-tellings to pay serious attention to the source material; almost always, deviation leads to dissatisfaction and, ultimately, failure. Fortunately, it seems that Last Airbender fans have caught a break with this one, as the new series’ director of photography, Michael Balfry, was well aware of the importance of the animated series in the process of adaptation that took place behind the scenes: “The animation series blew me away when I first saw it. It's got a heart, it's got a soul, and comedy too… we’d like to keep that visual style going.” As cinematographer, he helped lead the charge on the first team to tackle this mammoth task of fresh retelling in more than a decade.
When the series’ infamous live-action predecessor came up, the 2010 cinematic release of the same name, Balfry reiterated that the animated series was the team’s only guide. Fans should find solace in this focus. If the trailers are any indication, this promise of adherence seems to be fulfilled. Regarding everything shown thus far, it seems clear that this is a faithful, direct adaptation of the beloved original series.
Balfry, who recently worked on the hit comedy Resident Alien and has seen vast recognition for his work in cinematography (see his multiple nominees for an outstanding turn with R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour and his best cinematography win for Sola), was a pitch perfect pick for the role from the beginning. Not only is he a seasoned veteran behind the camera, but he had already seen the original show year’s before being brought on to adapt it anew. “Someone just said ‘Hey you should check it out, it's fun.’ And I gave it a look, and then binge-watched a lot of it… and then when the call came, I [thought] ‘this is too weird.’
He calls it “encouraging” to hear positive feedback from fans he knows, citing reactions friends have had to the teasers and trailers. Like all the best franchise work, this series is by the fans, for the fans; a passionate crew channel their love for a property in recreating it.
Balfry, beyond having already seen the show, revisited relevant episodes of visual and narrative significance as a refresher, further cementing the team behind the series’ loyalty to the source material and understanding of the expectations that come with tackling it. Among much else, Balfry says the new show’s vast scale is perhaps what makes it stand out most: “The size of the fight scenes, the action… I went around the world without leaving the studio. At one point I went, “we’re in a roadshow here.” Because we’re in the arctic, we’re in the desert, we’re in the woods, we’re all over the world.”
Part of what makes the Last Airbender world so unique is the split into four nations, and what that means visually and aesthetically. Seeing those details translated into visceral live-action properly is a longtime dream of fans that seems to finally be coming true.
As far as a potential second season goes, Balfry hasn’t been made aware of anything just yet, but he says: “I just want to see more than eight episodes.” Assuming the show warrants it, there’ll be no better fit than him to retain the visual reins and continue what looks to be a promising, powerful adaptation of one of the most prominent animated works ever made.
Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered this week, with the entire first season (eight episodes) dropping at once, paving a new path for fans to return to the four nations yet again.
If you’re a fan and are excited for the series, stay tuned for our full review.
Be sure to check out the full interview with Michael Balfry, below:
