By Melinda Kern
Elm Staff Writer
Beloved 2000s children’s animated show “Avatar: The Last Airbender” was going to get a new full-length animated movie, “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender,” on Oct. 9 on streaming service Paramount+. Although the film was initially set to release in theaters, this promise was later retracted as Paramount decided box office sales would not be enough to justify a theatrical release. Surprisingly, on April 12, the entire movie leaked on 4chan and other websites.
The television show follows avatar Aang as he masters all four elements—air, water, earth, and fire—and restores harmony to a world under the rule of Fire Lord Ozai. The film is set years later, following a journey Aang and his friends take to meet an ancient airbender, Tagah, who may hold the key to reviving the extinct airbender culture.
According to Polygon, “X user ImStillDissin posted the two clips from [The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender] claiming Nickelodeon had accidentally emailed him the entire movie,” and, after the clips were posted, the entire movie was released on various websites by a user in Singapore.
Some fans of the franchise have justified the leak by suggesting that if Paramount had not backed out from a theatrical release, this would not have happened. However, animators, voice actors, and other fans alike disagree with this unceremonious leak regardless of their personal opinions on Paramount.
“I don’t like seeing people use Paramount’s awful decision to remove the movie from theaters to justify leaking it. I totally understand folks not wanting to pay for/support Paramount, but pirating the movie after its release would have been better than this,” Julie Schoel, an animator who worked on the film, said on X.
On April 24, authorities in Singapore found a suspect thought to be the original leaker of the film.
According to Deadline, “A 26-year-old man has been detained in Singapore for leaking the animated film after accessing a media server without authorization… If found guilty, the suspect could face up to seven years in prison, a fine of up to $50,000 or both.”
Despite the legal troubles with the film leak, the voice actors of the original series want to see Paramount release the film in theaters. Many voice actors answered questions about if they had seen the leaked movie during a panel at Supanova Expo Melbourne.
According to Collider, actress Olivia Hack, who voiced Ty Lee in the original show, said “I skimmed [the film], and the art looks gorgeous. And I haven’t watched it yet. Release it in theaters. That’s what I’m saying. And when you do watch it, you can see [the art]. I mean, it’s really spectacular.”
Paramount’s next steps are unclear. They have not reported whether any changes will be made to their decisions on a theatrical release or streaming service release.
Beyond “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender,” there are many other future projects of the franchise to look out for such as the second season of the live action “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which will release in June, and the new animated series “Avatar: Seven Havens,” currently set to release in 2027.
Photo Caption: Film “The Legend of Aang: The Last Airbender” leaked months before its scheduled release on streaming.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons