Aang and the gang are back with the long-awaited Blu-ray release of Nickelodeon’s incredible animated series,Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Complete Series.This summer, every episode from the fan-favorite show will be available on Blu-ray, including over 24 hours of pitch-perfect comedy, intense element-bending action, and mythology that’s worthy of obsession. Fans of this classic will be able to relive the full three-season saga that follows young Airbender Aang, who journeys along with Katara and Sokka of the Water Tribe, to fulfill his destiny of being the long-lost Avatar and master the elements of water, earth, fire and air!
It’s a little crazy to think thatAvatarfirst made its way into the world withMichael Dante DiMartinoandBryan Konietzko’s original animated pilot 15 years ago–which you can watch in this collection–before wrapping up its three-season arc after 60-some episodes in the summer of 2008. But it’s worth keeping that in mind as you re-watch the episodes gathered for this Blu-ray release since, although there’s a clear difference between the 1080p HD and standard definition versions, there’s only so much modern technology can do with 10-to-15-year-old, hand-drawn animations, as gorgeous as they are. Purists out there will be happy to know that the Blu-ray keeps the as-seen-on-TV 4:3 ratio however, and there’s a ton of behind-the-scenes featurettes that are all gathered here in one convenient place. (They’re just not gathered on one convenient disc since the relevant featurettes are tied to specific episodes and seasons.) It’s a “must-own” collection for diehard fans and completists and a recommended buy for folks who either don’t have any of the other seasons already or just want to upgrade from DVDs. It was an absolutely joy to revisitAvatar: The Last Airbenderand I’d be amazed if you didn’t feel the same way about this Blu-ray treatment.
While you can find the details of (and a bunch of trivia from) theAvatar: The Last AirbenderComplete Series Blu-ray below, especially if you’re interested in what bonus content made its way into the collection, you can alsoget your hands on your very own copyof the upcoming Blu-ray release thanks to our giveaway!
To win one of three copies, please emailthecollidermailbox@gmail.comwith the subject line “I Want the Avatar Blu-ray!” You need to include your name and address in the body of the email and must live in the United States or Canada. We’ll be accepting emails until Monday, June 4th and we’ll contact the people that won soon after.
Produced by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Media Distribution,Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Complete Serieswill be available nationally on June 5th, for the suggested retail price of $44.99.
Special Features:
Book One: Water
Behind the Scenes Kung Fu Featurette(5 minutes) – Sifu Kisu leads us through the various martial arts styles that were used for inspiration to create the various elemental bending styles.
Credits(1 minute) – The show’s end-credits sequence, giving credit where credit is due.
The Making of Avatar: From Real Life to Animation(4 minutes) – Show creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino act out scenes from various scenes in their scripts for animators to have a reference to draw from.
Behind the Scenes: Voices of Avatar(5 minutes) – The voice actors talk about their characters in this behind-the-scenes featurette.
Ask the Creators Featurette(4 minutes) – Q&A from Konietzko and Dane DiMartino
Original Uncut Animatic – Episode #15 “Bato of the Water Tribe” (25 minutes)
Disc Three:
Audio Commentaries by Creators, Cast and Crew
Behind the Scenes with the Avatar Cast & Crew(3 minutes) – A behind-the-scenes featurette that introduces the cast and crew as a way to introduce newcomers to the show itself.
Avatar Pilot Episode with Audio Commentary
The Making of Avatar – Inside the Sound Studios(7 minutes)
The Making of Avatar – Inside the Korean Animation Studios(30 mintues)
Book Two: Earth
Disc Four:
Original Uncut Animatic – Episode #21 “The Avatar State”
Audio Commentaries:
Disc Five:
Interview with Creators and M. Night Shyamalan(10 minutes) – A sit-down interview between the animated series creators and Shyamalan, director of the much-maligned (and rightfully so) live-action adaptation. It’s a bizarre, almost out-of-body experience watching this interview while knowing everything went so wrong, but it’s also clear that Shyamalan never understood what made the show such a hit to begin with.
The Essence of Bending with Bryan Konietzko and Sifu Kisu(10 minutes) – A Q&A between Konietzko and Sifu Kisu to breakdown the elemental bending styles and their real-world martial arts equivalents. They also walk through the process of translating the writers’ ideas into Sifu Kisu’s movements, which are then recorded, edited, and delivered to the animators for reference.
Avatar Super Deformed Shorts: Chibi-style shorts featuring your favorite characters.
Escape from the Spirit World: Animated Graphic Novel(13 minutes) – Aang must learn how to master the Avatar State from previous avatars in order to avoid the clutches of Koh and escape the Spirit World in this animated comic. There are a handful of trivia tidbits along the way as Aang visits with each representative of the four elements.
Book Three: Fire
Disc Seven:
Disc Eight:
Disc Nine:
Audio Commentaries (Some video in standard definition)
The Women of Avatar: The Last Airbender(20 minutes) – Female-focused featurette on Katara, Toph, and Azula with the voice actors and the show’s co-creators.
Book 3 Finale Pencil Test Animation(12 minutes) – An incredible look at the thousands of pencil drawings that are put together to animateAvatarand the series’ epic, action-packed finale.
Into the Fire Nation at San Diego Comic-Con(60 minutes) – A recap of the San Diego Comic-Con panel, complete with special guests, sneak peeks and Q&As.
