I bet almost everyone is familiar with the Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon series aired over Nickelodeon. A friend of mine let me borrow his dvd copy of the first book Water, and from then on, I got hooked. The series was a success, and as expected, a movie adaptation was announced.

It came as a surprise to me when it was announced that M. Night Shyamalan would be the director for the movie. I dunno but it gives me the feeling that he won't give justice to the movie, well putting a guy known for weird twisted endings to direct a movie adaptation of a popular cartoon series, isn't something really sensible. I just hope he doesn't disappoint this time.

Aside from that, there was some controversy over the cast. There was even a campaign to boycott the movie since they see it as a miscast and racial discrimination to some extent (all the heroes are white and villains Asian and other cultural minority in the US). I had my share of doubts as well with the cast, specially I think that it should remain faithful to the core material. The fire nation people are all white skinned, while the Earth and water kingdom are mostly dark skinned folks. On the movie adaptation, Zuko is Dark skinned (WTF), while Katara and Sokka were white...

I'm not a racist its just that for a series fan like me, I think it's annoying that the characters doesn't match, why change the race of the heroes? Somehow, for me it affects the integrity of the characters. Looking through the series, one would notice that the cultural basis for Avatar: The Last Airbender are mostly Asian, with a mix of ancient cultures such as Aztec and Mayan. I'm just really not satisfied with the way the casting was handled.

Another indication that it doesn't remain loyal to the core material are the lines I heard from the trailer stating that "Aang is all that remains of a once powerful nation". If M. Night Shyamalan watched the cartoon as he claimed he has, then he would know that Aang is an AIR NOMAD, which doesn't really have a FORMAL nation. They are free from borders and emphasize on freedom of the body and the spirit. Air nomads focus on PEACE and they are not show offs. Furthermore, they don't have their own territories aside from four Air Temples in each direction of the compass where these Air Benders train.

Here's the movie Teaser:


*Sigh* I don't know, but something tells me, that this might end up as a total disaster, something similar to what happened to the Dragonball Z franchise...

I just hope am wrong...

Walt Disney Co. has started a production for an animated Musical fairy Tale entitled "The Princess and the Frog", based on the book The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. This features Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana, supported by an impressive ensemble of cast including Oprah Winfrey as the voice of Eudora, Princess Tiana's mother.

The film is set to be released December 11, 2009. This is Disney's first hand-drawn film after pledging to return to the traditional animation, of which, made it a worldwide brand.

First titled as “The Frog Princess,” The Princess and the Frog, a musical scored by composer Randy Newman, is “an American fairy tale” starring a girl named Tiana who lives in the French Quarter in New Orleans, said John Lasseter, chief creative director for Disney and Pixar Animation Studios. A prince named Naveen from the land of Maldonia is transformed into a frog by the evil scheming voodoo magician Dr. Facilier. The frog prince asks a princess named Tiana to break the spell by kissing him. However, the kiss doesn't break the spell, but instead turns Tiana into a frog as well. Together, the two of them must reach the good voodoo priestess of the Bayou, Mama Odie, while befriending a trumpet-playing alligator and a hopelessly romantic firefly along the way.

“The film’s New Orleans setting and strong princess character give the film lots of excitement and texture,” Walt Disney Studios says.

A press release describes the story as follows:

"When the free-spirited, jazz-loving Prince Naveen of Maldonia comes to town a deal with a shady voodoo doctor goes bad and the once suave royal is turned into a frog. In a desperate attempt to be human again, a favor in exchange for a fateful kiss on the lips from the beautiful girl, Tiana, takes an unexpected turn and leads them both on a hilarious adventure through the mystical bayous of Louisiana to the banks of the almighty Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. An unforgettable tale filled with music, humor and heart where two frogs—along with the help of a 200-year-old voodoo priestess, a love-sick Cajun firefly, and a trumpet-playing alligator—discover that what they want isn’t as important as what they need."

Here's the official trailer of the movie


Well, I think having a black princess would raise the eyebrows of some folks, but lets face it, we are in a generation where race should no longer be an issue. And its about time that Disney produces another movie worth lining up with the classics.