The recently unveiled Avatar Studios, helmed by the original Avatar: The Last Airbender creators and producers Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, is getting ready for their first theatrical feature film, and they need help. Their first three films are set to be animated theatrical releases, with the first centered on the one that started it all, the boy in the iceberg, your main man Aang. For a project of this scale, they are now calling for artists around the globe to join them in bringing Aang to the big screen.
Avatar Studios will be working in partnership with Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, who have also enlisted Flying Bark Productions to animate the as-yet-untitled Avatar film. Flying Bark Productions is known for such work as Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, LEGO Monkie Kid, and What If…? with the latter receiving an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program for the episode titled, What If Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?
The upcoming Avatar movie will be looking to push the boundaries of hybrid animation, working within both 2D and CG styles. Flying Bark Productions is now seeking new staff, both based in Australia and internationally, to join their world-class team in Sydney Australia in early 2023, with current jobs listed on their website. This could be a dream come true for artists working in this field, many of whom, doubtless grew up watching the beloved animation series.
In a press release about their joint venture, Flying Bark Productions’ Director of Production, Alexia Gates-Foale said:
“Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra are two of the most iconic animated series of our time and we are simply thrilled to play a part in bringing this new story to life. With a company full of creatives and super fans, the Avatar feature is a dream project for the team at Flying Bark. This really is an exciting time for the Australian animation industry, and we look forward to welcoming new talent to our studio in Sydney as well as further developing our incredible team of artists.”
Paramount Animation’s Executive Vice President, Mark Bakshi added, “We are so excited to be working with one of the premiere and long-standing animation studios in Australia, Flying Bark. Their track record of artistic excellence makes them an ideal creative partner for such an ambitious and high-profile feature film.”
There is a whole generation who grew up watching the cult animation, Avatar: The Last Airbender and the follow-up, Avatar: The Legend of Korra. For a kids’ animation, many fans of the show re-discovered it in their late teens, and early twenties, as they came to love the underlying social messaging that perhaps they didn’t quite understand as a child. With the arrival of the Avatar Studios, fans were thrilled to discover that an entire Avatar Airbender Universe is set to be built around the franchise, with this movie just the start of their expansion. The first feature will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, with Konietzko and DiMartino producing.