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Avatar: The Last Airbender season 1

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"Book One: Water" redirects here. Not to be confused with The Book of Water.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Season 1
Book One: Water
Cover for the first season DVD
Starring
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkNickelodeon
Original releaseFebruary 21 (2005-02-21)[1] –
December 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)[2]
Season chronology
Next →
Book Two: Earth
List of episodes

Book One: Water is the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, an American animated television series produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko,[3] the first season premiered on Nickelodeon on February 21, 2005.[1] It consisted of 20 episodes and concluded on December 2, 2005.[2] The series starred Zach Tyler Eisen, Mae Whitman, Jack DeSena, Dante Basco, Dee Bradley Baker, Mako Iwamatsu, and Jason Isaacs as the main character voices.

The season revolves around the protagonist Aang and his friends Katara and Sokka going on a journey to the North Pole to find a Waterbending master to teach Aang and Katara. The Fire Nation is waging a seemingly endless imperialist war against the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes, following the genocide of the Air Nomads one hundred years ago. Aang, the current Avatar, must master the four elements (Air, Water, Earth, and Fire) to end the war. Along the way, Aang and his friends are chased by various pursuers: the banished Fire Nation Prince Zuko, along with his uncle and former general Iroh, and Admiral Zhao of the Fire Navy.

Each episode of the season attracted more than a million viewers on its first airing. Between January 31, 2006, and September 19, 2006, five DVD sets were released in the United States, each containing four episodes from the season. On September 12, 2006, Nickelodeon also released the "Complete Book 1 Collection Box Set", which contained all of the episodes in the season as well as a special features disc.[4] The original releases were encoded in Region 1, a DVD type that plays only in North American DVD players. From 2007 to 2009, Nickelodeon released Region 2 DVDs, which can play in Europe.[5]

Book One: Water was adapted into a live-action film, titled The Last Airbender, directed by M. Night Shyamalan and released in July 2010, becoming universally panned by critics, audiences, and the series' fans for numerous reasons.[6][7]

Episodes

See also: List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"The Boy in the Iceberg"Dave FiloniMichael Dante DiMartino &
Bryan Konietzko
Additional writing by
Aaron Ehasz
Peter Goldfinger &
Josh Stolberg		February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)101
22"The Avatar Returns"Dave FiloniMichael Dante DiMartino &
Bryan Konietzko
Additional writing by
Aaron Ehasz
Peter Goldfinger &
Josh Stolberg		February 21, 2005 (2005-02-21)102
33"The Southern Air Temple"Lauren MacMullanMichael Dante DiMartinoFebruary 25, 2005 (2005-02-25)103
44"The Warriors of Kyoshi"Giancarlo VolpeNick MalisMarch 4, 2005 (2005-03-04)104
55"The King of Omashu"Anthony LioiJohn O'BryanMarch 18, 2005 (2005-03-18)105
66"Imprisoned"Dave FiloniMatthew HubbardMarch 25, 2005 (2005-03-25)106
77"Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World"Lauren MacMullanAaron EhaszApril 8, 2005 (2005-04-08)107
88"Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avatar Roku"Giancarlo VolpeMichael Dante DiMartinoApril 15, 2005 (2005-04-15)108
99"The Waterbending Scroll"Anthony LioiJohn O'BryanApril 29, 2005 (2005-04-29)109
1010"Jet"Dave FiloniJames EaganMay 6, 2005 (2005-05-06)110
1111"The Great Divide"Giancarlo VolpeJohn O'BryanMay 20, 2005 (2005-05-20)111
1212"The Storm"Lauren MacMullanAaron EhaszJune 3, 2005 (2005-06-03)112
1313"The Blue Spirit"Dave FiloniMichael Dante DiMartino &
Bryan Konietzko		June 17, 2005 (2005-06-17)113
1414"The Fortuneteller"Dave FiloniAaron Ehasz &
John O'Bryan		September 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)114
1515"Bato of the Water Tribe"Giancarlo VolpeIan WilcoxOctober 7, 2005 (2005-10-07)115
1616"The Deserter"Lauren MacMullanTim HedrickOctober 21, 2005 (2005-10-21)116
1717"The Northern Air Temple"Dave FiloniElizabeth WelchNovember 4, 2005 (2005-11-04)117
1818"The Waterbending Master"Giancarlo VolpeMichael Dante DiMartinoNovember 18, 2005 (2005-11-18)118
1919"The Siege of the North, Part 1"Lauren MacMullanJohn O'BryanDecember 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)119
2020"The Siege of the North, Part 2"Dave FiloniAaron EhaszDecember 2, 2005 (2005-12-02)120

Production

The show was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio and aired on Nickelodeon, both of which are owned by Viacom.[3] The show's executive producers were co-creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who worked alongside head writer and co-producer Aaron Ehasz.[3][8] Eight episodes were directed by Dave Filoni.[8] Animation directors Lauren MacMullan and Giancarlo Volpe directed five episodes each, and Anthony Lioi directed two.[3]

Episodes were written or co-written by a team of writers, which included Nick Malis, John O'Bryan, Matthew Hubbard, James Eagan, Ian Wilcox, Tim Hedrick and Elizabeth Welch.[9] All of the show's music was composed by "The Track Team", which consists of Jeremy Zuckerman and Benjamin Wynn,[3] who were known to the producers because Zuckerman was Konietzko's roommate.[10] Two alternating Korean studios[8] were enlisted to provide animation production support for the series, DR Movie and JM Animation Co.[11]

Cast

Most of the show's main characters made their debut within most, if not all, of the first episodes: Zach Tyler Eisen provided Aang's voice, Mae Whitman as Katara's voice, Jack DeSena as Sokka's voice,[3] Dante Basco as Zuko's voice, Mako as Iroh's voice,[3][12] and Dee Bradley Baker as the voices of both Appa and Momo.[9] Additional supporting characters include Admiral Zhao, voiced by Jason Isaacs.[9][13]

Reception

Film critics appreciated the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender because it attracted the attention of "an audience beyond the children's market with crisp animation and layered storytelling."[14] On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 100%, based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10; critical consensus for the first season reads, "A brilliant blend of magic, humor, and adventure, Avatar is an instant classic."[15] As for the video and picture quality, Gord Lacey from TVShowsOnDVD.com claims "the colors are bright, and the picture is nearly flawless." He says later in the review that "the audio is very nice, with lots of directional effects and nice musical cues."[16] Barnes & Noble reviewer Christina Urban praised the season's masterful combination of "elements from Chinese kung fu, Tibetan philosophy, Japanese martial arts forms, and even Hindu spiritual beliefs".[17] According to Aaron Bynum from AnimationInsider.net, "the series posted double digit year-to-year gains in May". He also said that the show has been number one in the boys 9- to 14-year-old demographic, and has attracted many age and gender groups in its pool of 1.1 million viewers who watch each new episode.[18]

In addition, the season has won many awards throughout its runtime. During the 33rd Annual Annie Awards, the show was nominated for the "Best Animated Television Production" award. Because of the episode "The Fortuneteller", the show was nominated for the "Writing for an Animated Television Production" award. For the episode "The Deserter", the season was nominated for and won the "Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production" award.[19] During the 2005 Pulcinella Awards, the season won the "Best Action/Adventure TV Series" award as well and the general "Best TV Series" award.[20]

DVD releases

Region 1

Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment started releasing Season One DVDs in North America on January 31, 2006, with a series of single-disc sets containing four episodes per disc. Later the Complete Book 1 Collection was released on September 12, 2006, containing all twenty episodes plus extras on six discs.

Region 2

PAL versions of the single-disc volume sets started being released on February 19, 2007;.[5] As with the original Region 1 NTSC DVDs, each set contains four episodes per disc.[5][21][22][23][24] The Complete Book One Collection was released on January 26, 2009, containing all twenty episodes on five discs.[25] These Region 2 releases lack the commentary tracks and other DVD extras found on the Region 1 releases.

Volume Discs Episodes Release date
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1 1 4 January 31, 2006[26] February 19, 2007[5] March 15, 2007[27][28]
2 1 4 March 28, 2006[26] June 4, 2007[21] July 5, 2007[29]
3 1 4 May 30, 2006[26] September 3, 2007[22] March 13, 2008[30]
4 1 4 July 18, 2006[26] February 18, 2008[23] June 19, 2008[31]
5 1 4 September 19, 2006[26] May 26, 2008[24] March 5, 2009[32][33]
Box set 6[34] 20[34] September 12, 2006[26] January 26, 2009[35] June 4, 2009[36][37]

Film adaptation

Main article: The Last Airbender (2010 film)

The Last Airbender is a live-action film based on the first season of the animated television series and had a theatrical release on July 1, 2010. The film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan.[6][7], was panned by critics and grossed $319 million.

Footnotes

1.^ Production code format taken from the commentary for "Sozin's Comet: The Phoenix King"

References

  1. ^ a b "Avatar Sneak Peak". Nickelodeon. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  2. ^ a b Mell, Tory Ireland (May 27, 2008). "The Siege of the North — Part 2 Review". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 23, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Fries, Laura (February 21, 2005). "Avatar: The Last Airbender Review". Variety TV. Reed-Elsevier Inc. Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  4. ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 DVD Information". TVShowsOnDvd.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d "Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.1". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  6. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela; Gabriel Snyder (January 8, 2007). "Shyamalan's 'Avatar' also to bigscreen". Variety.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Fernandez, Jay A. (March 15, 2009). "Four more land 'Airbender' roles". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  8. ^ a b c DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (August 29, 2005). "Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 3". Animation Insider (Interview: Transcript). Interviewed by Aaron H. Bynum. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2008.
  9. ^ a b c "Avatar: The Last Airbender". Hollywood.com. Hollywood Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  10. ^ DiMartino, Michael Dante; Konietzko, Bryan (August 29, 2005). "Interview with "Avatar" Program Creators — Page 4". Animation Insider (Interview: Transcript). Interviewed by Aaron H. Bynum. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  11. ^ "Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008) Company Credits". IMDb. Archived from the original on September 30, 2016.
  12. ^ Director: Dave Filoni; Writer: Aaron Ehasz (December 2, 2005). "The Siege of the North, Part II". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 20. Nickelodeon.
  13. ^ Director: Lauren MacMullan; Writer: Michael Dante DiMartino (February 25, 2005). "The Southern Air Temple". Avatar: The Last Airbender. Season 1. Episode 3. Nickelodeon.
  14. ^ Rich, Jamie S. (September 27, 2006). "Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 Collection". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  15. ^ Avatar: The Last Airbender: Season 1, retrieved January 8, 2021
  16. ^ Lacey, Gord (March 25, 2006). "Avatar: The Last Airbender — Book 1: Water, Volume 2 Review". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2008. Retrieved May 4, 2008.
  17. ^ Urban, Christina. "Avatar The Last Airbender — The Complete Book 1 Collection; Editorial Reviews". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2008.
  18. ^ Aaron H. Bynum (June 30, 2006). "Avatar: Season 3". Animation Insider. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
  19. ^ "Annie Awards: Legacy - 33rd Annual Annie Awards". International Animated Film Society. February 9, 2005. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2008.
  20. ^ Ryan Ball (May 3, 2005). "Cartoons on the Bay Picks Winners". Animation Magazine. Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 8, 2007.
  21. ^ a b "Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.2". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  22. ^ a b "Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.3". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  23. ^ a b "Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.4". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  24. ^ a b "Avatar — The Legend of Aang — Book 1 - Water Vol.5". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  25. ^ "Avatar — The Last Airbender: The Complete Book 1 - Water — Collection (vol. 1-5)". Amazon.com, Inc. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2008.
  26. ^ a b c d e f "Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD". TVShowsOnDVD.com. February 24, 2005. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  27. ^ "Avatar - The Last Airbender: Book 1 - Water: Volume 1". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  28. ^ "Avatar: Book 1 - Water - Vol 1 DVD". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  29. ^ "Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 2". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  30. ^ "Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 3". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  31. ^ "Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 4". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  32. ^ "Avatar: Book 1 - Water Vol - 5". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on September 3, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  33. ^ "Avatar - The Legend of Aang: Book 1 - Water: Volume 5". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on March 16, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  34. ^ a b "Avatar: The Last Airbender — Season One DVD Information". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on November 4, 2008. Retrieved October 28, 2008.
  35. ^ "DVD: Avatar: Book 1 Water: Volume 1/2/3/4/5: 5dvd (2009)". hmv.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2009.
  36. ^ "Avatar - The Legend of Aang: The Complete Book 1 Collection (5 Disc Box Set)". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on May 9, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
  37. ^ "Avatar: The Legend of Aang (Complete Book 1) (5 DVD Set) - DVD". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2009.
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