When the credits roll on early episodes ofAvatar: The Last Airbender, they reveal words familiar to many: “directed byDave Filoni.” Years before he became Lucasfilm’sChief Creative Officer, the main architect ofStar Warsas we know ithelped shapeAvatar’s irresistibly compelling atmosphere: something both sweepingly larger-than-life and intimately character-focused. Those descriptions are also familiar to any viewer of Filoni’sStar Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebels, the animated series that established him asGeorge Lucas’s hand-picked pupil and storytelling successor. And just like Filoni transitioned into the live-actionStar Warsworld throughThe Mandalorian,Ahsoka, and his upcomingblockbuster New Republic movie, so, too, doesThe Last Airbendershift into live-action — for the second time — throughNetflix’s new series. Even though Filoni only worked onAvatar’s first season,the man in the cowboy hat and Nickelodeon’s beloved cartoon are intrinsically linked. Filoni proved essential toAvatar. In turn,The Last Airbenderhelped propel his burgeoning career, hone his stylistic focus, and win the approval ofStar Wars' visionary creator.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
In a war-torn world of elemental magic, a young boy reawakens to undertake a dangerous mystic quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar, and bring peace to the world.
How Did Dave Filoni Influence ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’?
Circa 2003, fanfare didn’t yet accompany Dave Filoni’s name. His lucrative career began with traditional hand-drawn animationon mainstream serieslikeKing of the HillandKim Possible. In this vein, Nickelodeon hired him as a director, storyboard artist, and character designer for their new original seriesAvatar: The Last Airbender. Now regarded asone of the best animated series of all timefor its mature storytelling, comprehensive worldbuilding, meticulous animation, and commitment to authentic, nuanced characters,Filoni directed nine of Season 1’s 20 episodes. Those nine included bookendedventures as key as the pilotand the finale. A lifelongStar Warsfan, he couldn’t resist sliding in references (i.e.,modeling a villageafter the Ewoks' habitat fromStar Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi), and applied lessons he’d learned by soaking up George Lucas’s original trilogy.
Filoni explained his approachto The Force.net in a 2010 interview: “Being a fan ofStar Wars, I wanted to bring the same sense of adventure and fun to myAvatarepisodes, that I felt when I watchedStar Warsas a kid,” he said. “Avatarwas a tremendously fun show to work on, it was also a huge challenge, with the attention to detail, especially in the martial arts scenes.I took that experience, things I had learned from watching my friends produceAvatar, and brought that with me toClone Wars.”
His expertise extended beyond the ways of the Force.Avatarcreators and showrunnersMichael Dante DiMartinoandBryan Konietzkowere heavily inspiredby the groundbreaking cinematic works ofHayao Miyazakiand serialized anime likeCowboy Bebop, andFiloni helped recontextualize their perspective on the medium. The pair spoke toAvataractorsDante BascoandJanet Varneyon the “Avatar: Braving the Elements” podcast about Filoni’s influence, with Konietzko sharing:
“My own relationship with anime was like, there was stuff that really blew me away when I was younger. And then in college, I just saw a bunch of stuff […] that was just really misogynistic and like, gratuitously violent for no reason. […] But it was working on [Invader] Zim, and Dave Filoni introducing us, kind of reintroducing me to Miyazaki stuff. I had seen stuff as a kid, didn’t know who made it, and then Filoni turned us onto that. And then it was like seeing Cowboy Bebop and FLCL and just going, ‘oh.’ And I’m someone who’s always like, looking at the top of the mountain, how can I get up there, you know? And that mountain being not success, it’s being a creative. […] I’m looking up there, and Cowboy Bebop and FLCL are way up the mountain, and I’m like, we’re down here.”
‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Highlights Dave Filoni’s Strengths
Despite only working onAvatar: The Last Airbenderfor half of Season 1, the episodes Dave Filoni directed are a vital component ofthe series' lasting legacy. This doesn’t make FiloniAvatar’s deciding factor or the sole reason for its success; those are due to the contributions of an immense team of artists across all areas of production, who fell under Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko’s shared imagination. Still, Filoni’s direction is part of that whole. Between the pilot, the harrowing season finale, and the essentialrelationship-building episodesin-between,Filoni helps establishThe Last Airbender’s tone, pacing, visual scope, and the refined character developmentfor whichthe series is renowned. Episodes 1 and 2 introduce the detailed splendor ofAvatar’s world; “The Blue Spirit” and “Jet” populate that world with thematic conflict.The finale balances the tangled emotionality of multiple arcsand infuses an already spectacular series with a visual majesty usually reserved for the likes of Hayao Miyazaki.Episodes hailed as some ofAvatar’s bestexist without Filoni but echo the foundation he helped sketch.
Those demonstrated strengths carry into Filoni’s work with Lucasfilm Animation, under George Lucas’s tutelage.Star Wars: The Clone WarsandStar Wars Rebelsremain some of the franchise’s most impactful andmythologically expansive work.The Mandalorianmight stumble in later seasons, but the delicate, emotionally grounded relationship between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal,Brendan Wayne,Lateef Crowder) and Grogu rings of Filoni’s touch. Lucasfilm PresidentKathleen Kennedypraised hischaracter-first focusto Vanity Fair: “What I find about Dave is you don’t just sit down and have a discussion about plot or review characters inside theStar Warsworld,” she said. “You end up having meaningful, thoughtful discussions about what it is we’re trying to say inside the storytelling. He has a lot of empathy.”
This Is the ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Storyline We Need To See in Live-Action
“I’ve only ever used violence for necessary defense.”
After contributing such excellent work on such a quality canvas, why didn’t Dave Filoni continue withAvatar: The Last Airbender? Because the dream happened.George Lucas wanted to meet with him about a developing project. At first, Filoni thought the invite was “a practical joke.” During the Disney+ specialDisney Gallery: The Mandalorian,he told a group of fellow directors, “I was working at Nickelodeon and someone called from Lucasfilm Animation, and I’m like, ‘there is no Lucasfilm Animation.’ And I thought I had been so excited aboutRevenge of the Sithcoming out and talking about it all the time, but the guys fromSpongeBob[Squarepants] were just busting my chops overStar Wars.”
‘Star Wars’ and ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Have More in Common Than You Think
It was no joke, even if the universe tried to wreck Filoni’s chances — literally.As he drove to meet his hero, “Something fell off the Richmond Bridge and broke the sunroof on the car while I was on the phone with a person at Lucasfilm.” Even though he assumed nothing would come of the interview beyond a great story, George Lucas took Filoni under his wing. The pair producedsix seasons ofStar Wars: The Clone Warsbefore its cancelation, with Filoni continuing Lucas’s animated realm throughStar Wars Rebels,Star Wars Resistance, and the seventh and final season ofThe Clone Wars. In 2019, Filoni joined his longtime friendJon FavreauonThe Mandalorian. He directed the pilot, which was no mean feat for Lucasfilm’s flagship series. Filoni fully pivoted to live-action content in 2023 withAhsoka, which wasrenewed for a second season, while his New Republic movie is in development alongside Favreau’sThe Mandalorian & Grogumovie.
Even as Dave Filoni lives everyStar Warsfan’s dream,he’s never strayed too far from the series that won him George Lucas’s favorto begin with.Dee Bradley Baker, for instance, voices Appa and Momo inAvatar: The Last Airbender,as well as every animated Clone trooper. InThe Clone WarsSeason 4, a Clone named Appo (that sounds familiar!) customizes his helmet withAvatar Aang’s (Zach Tyler Eisen) arrow symbol. Dante Basco, the voice ofPrince Zuko, guest stars inStar Wars Rebels, whileThe MandalorianandAhsokaactorPaul Sun-Hyung Leeplays Uncle Iroh inNetflix’s live-action adaptationofThe Last Airbender. The film and TV industry is a smaller world than we think — which means that sometimes, a nerd’s dream job is just one “practical joke” phone call away.
